It rained most of the day. This was forecast, and late into last night we could hear the rumble of combine harvesters, and see their headlights work back and forth across the fields, as the neighbouring farmers laboured to bring in as much as possible before the rain came.
Wet days bring fewer customers, and time dragged a little as I cleaned up pots of agapanthus and aconite in the shelter of the back of the shop. It was difficult to tell quite how slowly time was passing, as yesterday my outdoor watch, which had been looking alarmingly misty for a couple of days, ceased to go. I wish it hadn't done that so soon after being fitted with a new strap. Actually I wish it hadn't broken at all. I know it isn't just the battery running down, because that is almost new as well. I do have another watch, but that is a good one, gold, a present from the Systems Administrator years ago, and I don't wear it for gardening, or sailing, or in the plant centre. Finding a nice water resistant outdoor watch is harder than you'd think, if you don't want a great stainless steel bulbous thing with a stopwatch and umpteen functions guaranteed to work 100m under water. I don't. I just want something classic and discreet, that doesn't interfere with the seal on the cuff of my waterproof jacket.
My wellington boots have sprung a leak as well. I was afraid they had cracked over the toes, but hadn't had a really wet day to test them for a while. Today they were tested, and found wanting. I think B&Q do good plain ones. Hunters make me anxious. I don't really want my feet to be screaming 'Okay, yah' at fifty paces.
The customers who came in were mostly nice. There was a regular one, whose name I must try and learn sometime since she shops with us often enough, and I also see her at the music society concerts in the village. Today she was not actually shopping, but I gather a colleague was able to reunite her successfully with some mislaid personal item. Then there was the woman who last year organised a splendid novelty dog show, and the design correspondent of one of the broadsheets with his wife, small child and three dogs. I guessed they were on the premises somewhere when I looked out of the window and saw a tiny blonde girl in complete command of a large basset hound. Also a buddhist I met a while ago when I tried meditation classes.
The only customer I wasn't so sure about was one returning a dead Cornus kousa var. chinensis. She bought it this April, and didn't give out the vibes of a plant lover, so I wonder if she ever watered it after planting. She said she spoke to someone in the week and was told to bring it in, and we didn't have a replacement plant to give her at that moment anyway, so I took her details and left it for the manager to sort out on Monday.
The pea hen appeared late on, so must have been released from her pen. One of the chicks died, but the other was looking healthy enough. One of her chicks died last year as well. I don't know what the normal mortality rate for pea fowl is, but they don't seem very good doers on this record.
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