Short shorts Sex on legs!

Another scorching hot day today, with still more to come, hopefully! I did a bit of weeding, watering and tidying in the garden and put all the cacti from the windowsills out on the balcony in the fresh air. Nothing too energetic, but quite relaxing and enjoyable.

I've worn pretty much nothing but shorts this summer - usually my Adidas popper ones, which are quite a thick material and unlined, or my Umbro ones which are a thinner cotton, lined, and somewhat cooler. But today I came across a pair of light Adidas running shorts which I'd totally forgotten I'd got. With a split leg, they're really short, and only just fit me. I'm not sure I'm quite brave enough to wear them to the supermarket, but for the garden they are "the business" as they say. Voila!

Rocks in my head?

With the return of some really nice warm weather today, I went and cleared out the rockery this afternoon. Like most of the rest of the garden it had become very overgrown, but underneath it all were the daffodils and hyacinths I'd planted I think three years ago from bulbs I'd bought from the supermarket as the indoor house variety. They've nearly all flowered, unlike the tulips of which only about three have sprouted foliage and mainly in the form of a solitary sad-looking leaf at that.

The real triumph is the succulent, which was a single small clump originally a few years back, and seems to just get bigger each year. I had some other bulbs and alpines in there as well at one time but none have survived and I don't honestly think it's very worthwhile trying to put something in to replace them but I may do if I come across something that takes my fancy.

Definitely shorts weather though - and it's funny but since I first wrote last week about how I never tend to wear them in public, I've taken to wearing them all the time now whenever I can! I feel a good deal less self-conscious about it, too, which I reckon is a good thing. So here I am: blue striped Adidas popper shorts, the black Converse boots I bought off eBay last week, and the spindly legs I've had forever!

Fruit farm

The weather kept its promise, with warm sunshine and unbroken cloud, giving me the chance to finish off the strawberry bed. It's seemed like a long cold winter this year and although it's only April and the nights still have a distinct chill in the air, the days almost seem like summer. Armed with a new stainless steel fork and trowel set that I'd bought a couple of years ago but never used, I hacked away at the undergrowth to reveal the plants buried beneath. I'd originally brought some plants with me from when I moved out of my parents' home some 35 years ago, and apart from one year when I had to buy a few more to "top them up" they're the same ones which produce runners freely every year. The bed is a bit bigger now: our neighbours had the fence replaced recently and the honeysuckle which covered the old one used to encroach substantially despite efforts on my part to hack it back every so often.

Oh, and I wore my shorts to the supermarket this morning, despite what I wrote yesterday! I did feel a bit self-conscious to be honest, but it was really pleasant and sunny out, and I noticed I wasn't the only one - although I must admit I don't normally take in what the other customers are wearing unless it's something really outlandish.

Short shorts!

Another nice warm spring day today, so I felt inspired to go out in the garden and do some weeding in the strawberry bed. I think I've already written about how I used to grow strawberries when I was little, and they've always been my favourite fruit. They're easy to grow and some years I've had some really good crops, though last year the wet weather got to them a bit and - to my surprise - the raspberries did much better.

I put my shorts on anyway, and got stuck in. I'm not entirely a huge fan of shorts - at least not in public - though I do wear them for knocking around the house in. I don't really have the legs for widespread public exposure, having what I believe is commonly termed "chicken legs"! On the other hand, I've always found that of the few benefits of having a greasy complexion is that I tan very easily and years ago before I became fully aware of the risk of skin cancer, I'd spend hours during a hot summer building up a really deep golden brown under the largely mistaken impression it was a sign of a very healthy body.

The fresh air did me good anyway, and the weather looks set for a settled fine spell, which is probably just as well as there's lots more to do out there to get it into some sort of decent shape.