The thing about damp .....

... is that it slowly and unobtrusively eats away at the root, at the very core of things until moulds develop and the structure begins to crumble. That is rather like the effect the weather seems to be having on me at the moment. Everything seems fine until there is a slight bump along the way, and at that point the smell of decay and rot wends its way into the atmosphere and something inside slips a little. For me this manifests itself as a kind of grumbling irritation with all and everything, and it only takes a very little to bring the lot down about my ears. Today my intentions in offering to help out were questioned, scales were brought out to weigh the value of the intention and the self righteous justification put forward was the straw which broke the camel's back. If my intent is to be doubted then fine, I will not offer again.

And that is a polite version of how I really feel. Do you think a dose of vitamin D would be useful for a bad temper? I really do not like being that bad tempered old bat, even tho' I do think I have a reasonable point to make - I just wish it were possible for me to make it more gently.

Ah well - surely there will be some decent weather sometime soon. The carefully laid plans I had made to take Elisabet to the Game fair at Scone on her birthday were scuppered, but we did manage to buy the necessary welly boots on line instead. Fortunately.

The bees are finding things hard going at the moment, and are needing additional food as the days when they can fly and collect pollen are limited. It is fascinating learning about how they live and the things that need to be taken into consideration when siting and working with a hive. Elisabet has today shown me a picture - from Swedish TV - of a swarm of bees which took up residence from the cross bar of a bicycle. Everything from the bar to the chain and pedals was covered in a smooth, bulbous sheath of bees. It was, in its own way, quite beautiful.

And now it is the end of the day in the gallery - many more people have been out and about today, which is lovely, and the rain has held off. Maybe, just maybe, the damp proofing has arrived!