Settling In

We are jumping back into our London lives! In fact the trip to Florida seems so short it's almost dreamlike. The blueberries we left in the refrigerator didn't even have time to shrivel. I had them on my cereal yesterday and they were perfectly fine.

I spent the day unpacking and organizing -- doing laundry, that kind of thing. The devil dogs have been given a bath and are now perched in a prominent spot in the kitchen. I haven't hung my woodpecker plaque yet but maybe today.

The garden is looking springlike, with the daffodils and crocuses blooming. The snowdrops are all open and hanging like upside-down moths from their stems.

The gardeners are supposed to come today to trim the front garden and get the ivy under control in the back, but it's pouring rain at the moment and the forecast doesn't show that changing. I wonder if they'll want to reschedule. I suppose an English gardener is used to working in the rain.

Here's Olga, curled up next to me on the couch. It's very dark in this room, with only light from the hallway casting a dim glow, so I'm impressed that picture worked out. She seems very glad to have us home. She slept soundly on the couch next to me all afternoon, and she was out like a light last night.

Or maybe that was me, honestly. I resisted sleeping during the day, to try to get back on track, but once 9 p.m. rolled around I climbed into bed and had no awareness of anything until 5:30 this morning. Again, I think we were gone such a short time that jet lag didn't even have time to kick in.

Well, we'll see what happens with the gardeners. I really hope they come because our roses are starting to show new growth, and if they're going to prune them they need to do it now. Plus today is a professional development day at work so I can come in a bit late without ramifications -- unlike when we have kids around (starting tomorrow).

Oh, by the way, my Gulf of Mexico t-shirt did arrive at Dave's parents' house, just as we were preparing to leave. I wore it home on the plane, and I'm wearing it now.