our back yard

 Dude. Now that I've had time to sit in our little courtyard garden, I just gotta say - the bird that lived here before us procured an entire vine full of grapes, she did!

It was such a beautiful autumnal day on Sunday, so we spent it pruning our actually quite well-established garden - it's filled with large bushes, herbs and flowers, she really did a great job (thank you if you're out there).

It's like a little sanctuary. In London, a private, albeit small sanctuary is an absolute luxury. It's also a necessity. In a huge city filled with a constant throng of people, a rat race that never ends, and a place where every little inch of space is usually taken up by a human - having your own outdoor garden, and away from a busy road, is literally a lifesaver.

Ours is fab because it's not just a fence around a perimetre of grass. It feels like it's been tended to and there's a real barrier between us and the neighbours having a barbeque  braai next door.
A little bit of nature, at home.

Bliss. Now here's hoping we can get in a few more proper garden meals outside in the pale sunlight before the end of the year and winter doom befolds us.

Off to America (San Francisco) at the end of the week for a conference, and then straight after, South Africa with the Brit for 5 days.

Five. Days.

Two twelve hour flights in quick succession. I've bought myself some DVT socks, thanks for asking.

So house painting and garden delight is going to have to wait. California usually has some decent sunshine though.