On to the Next Thing

Our trip back from Bray yesterday morning was uneventful, aside from the abominable weather. I walked Olga before we left the cottage and my hands got numb in the blustery, freezing wind. Time to dig out the gloves, I guess.

When we got home to London we found that Storm Arwen had blown all the leaves off our Japanese maple, littering the ground (and the yellowed hostas) with a carpet of red. It had also knocked over one of the potted hydrangeas, and after Dave righted it, it fell over again almost immediately. Arwen clearly has something against it.

I set to work getting the house in order, running the laundry and organizing.

'Tis the season to put the Christmas lights back on the avocado! As you can see, I did not trim off its brown-edged leaves. I figure the tree will drop them when it's ready. If they're hanging on they're probably still doing some good.

Olga, meanwhile, has slipped into the kind of deep relaxation that comes with being back at home. I think she's always a little bit alert while we're away, even when she's resting. She slept all yesterday afternoon, snoring deeply. By evening she was more awake and aware -- you can see her peering at me with her half-open eye, thinking, "Oy, not the camera again!"

The temperatures dipped to just above freezing last night, and they're supposed to go lower tonight. We might even get snow flurries this afternoon. I brought in the geraniums and put the canna lilies in the shed. We're as ready for winter as we'll ever be!