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we had a lovely spring day today. it was still and tho' not that warm, warm enough to eat outdoors for the first time this season. our grill table needs revamping, so husband put together a new top for it, sans the beloved grill boxes (they're quite rusted through and were never the right depth anyway), so really now it's just a table. and we have another grill anyway, so it was all good.

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it's the first day of daylight savings time. and here in these northern climes, and being more of a night person than a morning one, i have to say that i loved the extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day. of course, i'm now awake at nearly midnight, with no sleep in sight, so i will undoubtedly be cursing that leap forward tomorrow morning when the alarm rings.

typical for husband, he had no trouble going to bed around 10, tho' it was only 9 in his head. he's infuriatingly able to fall asleep almost instantly no matter what. he claims it's some residual military thing, where he never knew how much sleep he'd get when he was on an exercise, so he learned to go to sleep very quickly. if there is ever a murder in this house, it will be because of this uncanny, unnatural ability of his (either that or that no one ever puts the scissors back where they belong).

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the nettles are at the tender, brilliant green, fresh stage, where they are absolutely perfect for a pesto. just a quick dunk in boiling water to take away the sting, then whizzing them up with a few nuts (today it was almonds, but i've been known to use walnuts or pistachios if i have them), a couple of garlic cloves, salt, pepper, parmesan and plenty of olive oil. spring bliss, i say. this time of year, i could (and pretty much do) eat it on everything. i got the smoked shrimp from the fish guy on friday. they were perfect with the pesto, tho' i usually make aïoli to go with them.  we also fired up the grill and did some kabobs that i bought yesterday at the big grocery store down in germany (we made a run to stock up on gin and proper groceries).

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the kebabs didn't last long, nor did the batch of potatoes, leeks and butter i threw into a tinfoil packet onto the grill. the best bits are the ones that stick to the foil and are a little bit burned. bliss, i tell you. and it was still and beautiful outside, birds singing and no bugs out yet to speak of. it honestly couldn't have been better.

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i took a couple of our outdoor cats to the vet on friday to be fixed. i used to call them the wild bunch because their mother hid them from the fox all summer and we never managed to tame them. but in recent months, i've become friends with two of them and since they're rather chubby cats, i dubbed them ben & jerry after the ice cream. well, the trauma of being a cage for the first time, taken on a 20 minute car ride for the first time and being indoors for the first time at the vet's office (oh the horror) was too much for poor benny and he bit my finger as i tried to hold him for the vet. she was immediately concerned and advised me to see my own doctor right away, saying a cat bite could easily get infected. so, i took her advice (i think i've always respected veterinary advice more than medical doctor's advice, as i have also been known to take doses of horse painkillers in the past (a little bute never hurt anyone)). i felt a little sheepish at the doctor, because it is just a tiny little puncture wound and didn't look like much at that time. but it did hurt like crazy, and she was concerned about my tendon (the wound is between my first and second knuckle on my middle finger), so she prescribed antibiotics and gave me a tetanus shot and sent me on my way.

and as the evening progressed, my finger and then my hand swelled more and more. combined with the tetanus shot on my upper arm, sleep was nearly impossible, as i kept waking myself up bumping my arm or my hand as i turned in my sleep. eventually, i had to get up and try to get some sleep in the big comfy armchair, rather than lying down. when i woke up in the morning, my hand was alarmingly swollen and very sore, but i just kept taking the antibiotics and some pain relievers and finally, late last evening, it started to show signs of improvement. it's better today, but still very sore and stiff and a bit swollen. i can type and hold a pen now, so that's good. at the moment, my left hand is suffering more fatigue from abnormal use than there is pain my right. but am i ever glad i went to the doctor. i'd have had to spend saturday at the emergency room instead of in germany stocking up on gin. and that would not have been fun. so, if a cat bites you, take it seriously. tho' some part of me is still secretly hoping that i'll turn into catwoman from this.

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but now it's very late, especially in light of the time change, so i shall leave you with this photo of solskin's little sweetheart, all nestled down in my hand sleeping. is there anything more precious than a chubby little baby bunny?