Today is Russell’s birthday and I’m very pleased to say that he’s been well enough to enjoy it – half of it, anyway, because he got up so very late that i actually went to check on him, to be sure he was ok.  He’s not usually a late riser., not after midday, anyway, but he’s turned into a little Sleep Monster at present – however, since it seems to be doing him good, there’s no problem there.

In the meantime, I’d fed the chickens and the tortoises and so on, but I did a silly thing, or rather I left undone those things that I ought to have done.  R wanted a lift into town but, on the lawn as we went out to the car, we saw a couple of bantams.  i said I’d put them back when we got home … by which time, there were six bantams.  I thought I’d left the door open for a couple of minutes last night, but when i went round to check, the door was open and nearly all of them were out.  Not that they looked too cheerful about it and they obediently filed back in when I chivvied them.  The ones on the lawn took a bit more persuasion, but they were all back home soon (except one, it turned out, who was waiting disconsolately when I went to feed them this evening).  There’s a bolt on each side of the door and the one on the inside had caught and stopped it fastening from the outside and I hadn’t noticed.  No harm done, luckily.

Tonight, R has drunk champagne, eaten a modest salad (home-grown lettuce and cucumber, local cheese), eaten fillet steak with local potatoes and home-grown spinach, followed by meringue, local ice cream and strawberries and he’s now eating some chocolate given to him as a birthday present.  Only small quantities of each, but unimaginable four days ago.  I don’t begin to understand it, but I’m very relieved – for now, anyway.

The last thing on my mind has been birthday presents so I haven’t got him anything yet – mind you, his to me is to be a motorbike and that’s been on offer since September.  We’re a bit casual that way.  No idea what to get him, last year I gave him his iPad and he’s now officially the man who has everything.  Now that he seems to have his appetite back, that is.