Early-Bird Special

I had grand plans yesterday to take Olga on an adventurous outing, maybe to Wormwood Scrubs or an even more distant park. But life intervened.

First, when I took Olga on her regular morning walk -- usually just a circle around our neighborhood -- she was like a tightly coiled spring. She had so much energy to unwind that I just couldn't get her to turn back toward home. We wound up walking toward Kilburn and then up through Fortune Green to Childs Hill and THEN back home. It took a couple of hours, and finally, toward the end, her spring was unsprung enough to allow her to relax. (I think she was so wound up because I was out all day Saturday and she got very little exercise.)

I also had a million things to do at home -- cleaning the bathroom, mowing the lawn, doing the laundry. I had to order a birthday present and do some other stuff online, although I was on the computer very little overall. (And I know I still have to catch up on blogs -- sorry!)

Because Olga walked so far in the morning and I frittered away so much of the day on other tasks, our grand plans fizzled and I wound up just taking her to the cemetery in the afternoon. I shouldn't say it like it was a small thing, though -- she chased her Kong and squirrels and generally acted like a lunatic. I don't think she came home disappointed.

I heard the turaco again -- it's still hanging around!

Dave and I went out to dinner on Saturday night with his Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Roger, who are visiting from Michigan. We went to Pied-a-Terre near sunny Goodge Street, and for some reason Dave had us show up a half an hour before the 6 p.m. reservation, which is a crazy time to go to dinner in London. (Even 6 p.m. is ridiculously early.) When we walked in the staff were still vacuuming! But they seated us and we got cocktails and Phyllis and Roger arrived at the appointed hour and dinner was terrific. Phyllis and I had halibut with mussels; Dave and Roger had lamb. I hadn't seen them in five years, since we last visited Michigan for Christmas, and it was good to catch up.

Right now there's a very annoyed squirrel trying to get into our peanut-filled bird feeder. It just can't get to the nuts through the fine wire mesh (obviously designed to repel squirrels). We've shuffled the bird feeders around to deter Roy, and it may have worked -- we haven't seen him recently. But maybe I need to shuffle them some more, before this squirrel does any damage!

(Photos: Geranium leaves in the garden, backlit by morning sun.)