See how we suffer?

Overcast, drizzle, mild, temps 14

We need rain and we're getting a little today. Then it's expected to clear up and be sunny for this afternoon and tomorrow - which will be great for Susan, who's arriving for the Victoria Day long weekend. I wonder if Canada is the only country that still celebrates Victoria Day? It was traditionally the weekend cottagers opened up the summer place after the winter. Those lucky enough to have a summer place, that is. For most of us it was simply a very welcome long weekend. It's also the weekend when it's considered safe to plant the annuals (flowers). Before this weekend there's always the risk of a killing frost. Between you and me? There's always a risk in Canada - but it goes down dramatically.

As you see, we've put up another picture. This is of the spring flowers I talked about cutting the other day. They're the last of the flowers from the spring cutting garden - plus a rose I was given on Mother's Day. It's lovely to sit on the screen porch and have our meals. It was especially nice this morning - even walking the dogs - with the rain. Wayne cut the grass yesterday so there was this morning this wonderful, tender fragrance of spring rain and new grass.

We also now have green grass tracks through the house. Pat's going to kill me.

It looks like it's going to be a spectacular year for lilac. Our bushes are full of the flowers - not yet out. Another week, I think. Hope we don't miss them when we go off to England...but they'll come again next year if we do. Now, after Gary's construction - we have two new windows upstairs - one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom...both right above a lilac bush, ripe with buds. It's going to be amazing when they open! Imagine waking up to the scent of lilac?

Had a wonderful message from Robin who runs Aunt Agatha's bookstore in Ann Arbor (one of my favorite!). She wrote to say STILL LIFE is back on the bestsellers list! And The Cruelest Month has been given the coveted Black Diamond review by the website I Love A Mystery.

So far so good.

Wrote this morning - then got chilly and took a bath...and a few ideas floated to the fore. Very helpful, baths. Need to get a photo and bio out for the talk next week. And had to say 'No' with thanks to an organization called The Townshippers, who called this morning to ask if I'd be the honourary president of their Townshippers Day - which is being held in Sutton this year. We'll be in Toronto. I felt badly saying no, but I'm getting better at it.

Back to the miserable proof edits after lunch. Happily I no longer put off things I don't want to do. In fact, just the opposite. Now I do them as soon as I can - get them out of the way. Like JK Rowling and her wonderful 'Howlers', things I hate just seem to get larger if I ignore them.

Susan's coming for dinner tonight - BBQ'd duck legs, fiddleheads, fresh asparagus and probably a dash of mud.