Orchid Bonanza and The Cow

When I walked the dog yesterday morning, somewhere between vacuuming and folding laundry, I found not just one but FIVE orchids, all discarded in a neighbor's yard waste bag. They were a bit crumpled but the root balls are intact, so I brought them all home and put them in new pots.

Yeah, I know. Wasn't I saying not long ago that I have too many orchids? And I do. But I couldn't let them all just die. In fact I think there may still be a sixth one in the bag and if there is I'm grabbing it. (I'll look today!)

I'm justifying this by considering that three or four of the orchids we've had for years are looking pretty dire, for reasons I can't explain. They're losing their leaves and not growing new ones. I have one that is entirely leafless. From what I've read I think they got a bacterial illness that passed from plant to plant while I was rinsing them off together. I'm no longer doing that.

Anyway, I now have plenty of orchids. I can always take some to work. I think all the ones above have the same color flower, a creamy yellow.

So that was our morning, and then Dave and I set off for Stratford, in East London, where we were meeting our friends Gordon and Donna. They moved into our flat for a few nights in late July when my mom was dying in Florida and Dave wasn't back yet from Seattle, and we needed someone to care for Olga. We wanted to do something to thank them for bailing us out, so we took them out for Sunday lunch at a pub called The Cow. It was quite good -- I had roast pork with root vegetables and, yes, a Yorkshire pudding.

We walked back through Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (site of the Olympics in 2012) and passed under a bridge with a very reflective surface (above). We walked to Hackney Wick, where we caught an overground train straight back to West Hampstead. Convenient!

Dave and I have been talking about renting that cabin in Pevensey Bay, where we stayed back in July, again in the winter. So while on the train we booked it for Christmas. We'll be there roughly from Dec. 22-28, with Olga in tow, of course. A week at the beach in the winter might be an interesting change of pace. I hope it's blustery as all get-out. And there's a fireplace!

In late afternoon, I took Olga for a romp in the cemetery, where the arum lilies are sending up their bright orange, poisonous berries. I'm not sure I've ever seen one of these plants in bloom, but I've seen the leaves in the summer. I'll have to watch for the flowers next year.

Finally, Dave and I were just settling in for our evening meal and TV routine when Mrs. Russia knocked on the door. You may remember that she and/or her husband are supposed to paint the corner of our dining room ceiling that was damaged by their upstairs leak many months ago. (Yes! We're still waiting!) Well, she wanted to know if they could do it RIGHT THEN. It was 7 p.m.! I had my evening glass of wine in my hand! I told her to come back today.