Incremental grooming

Sophie's legs have been trimmed. This is the latest stage of her incremental grooming. Later today we shall move onto her flanks. Tomorrow the long fur on her back may be cut. We shall continue to use this 'gently gently' technique in future.  She willingly accepts brief bursts of grooming which makes life easier for all parties involved. This mornings top heavy look will, hopefully,  soon morph into something more 'svelte' and uniform.

By the time we're home the farmer has arrived in a tractor to plough the large field that runs between us and the deserted salmon bothy. The ploughing attracts scores of large, plump, argumentative gulls. Every so often they wheel into the sky, circle and then reposition themselves where the juiciest worms can be found.

A little later the supermarket delivery van arrives. In France we always had deliveries at seven in the morning. Here, they either come at seven in the morning or seven at night. This mornings van driver has come all the way from Stirling. ' It's a braw day ' he says by way of greeting.

We were going to Edinburgh today to pick up a couple of modern pictures from a gallery on Dundas  Street. 'The Font' will go alone. Over breakfast the one functioning upstairs  bathroom has developed a leak.  Regular drops of water are coming through the kitchen ceiling. The plumber will be here at nine. The plumbing company tells me the man who is coming out is hard of hearing and that the best way to communicate with him is by texting . We shall soon know how it goes.

Last night, just before seven, the Simnel Cake arrives. Two of the eleven marzipan apostles are eaten leaving just nine. Why do Simnel Cakes taste so good ? Is it because they only appear at Easter or is it the extra layer of marzipan in the middle ?