Just finished a week of levada walking in Madeira. Weather very localized,cloudy in one valley then bright sunshine around the next mountain.

Just eaten the first fig to ripen on our tree - watching the others carefully but they're still green

Eaten all the spinach - it was the salad type we've discovered - we need to grow spinach beet next time. Thanks to my sister for a birthday present vegetable gardening book by Alan Titchmarsh for this information.

Our carrots are great and the Morello cherry crop was satisfying especially now we've discovered the Lakeland cherry and/or olive destoner tool which saves broken fillings when eating cherry pie. Cherry tarts have taken on a new dimension since we discovered lining the base of the pastry cased with melted chocolate as a juice-proof layer. Not too thick though as it makes it harder to serve.

Thinning out the leeks (a bit too late perhaps) the garden needs nightly watering this year as we've had so little rain.

I've discovered I can just about do Swansea and back in a day by car - this was to house hunt with Arthur who starts there as a med student this month. House prices and rents are pleasantly lower in S Wales than in Oxford or Cambridge.

Still clearing my garage, it's very satisfying to dispose of stuff on Freecycle as people are surprisingly grateful for things you don't value much yourself.

Getting value from the NHS this month with 2 different hospital consultant appointments

Saw the White Guard at the National and King Lear at the Courtyard in Stratford. Eating our own spinach now and growing more in our raised beds.

The Old Pound House next door is being reconstructed with stronger foundations

Oxford Art weeks are here again. Visited 2 yesterday, our friends Richard and Kathy with beautiful wood bowls and John's silver

Back from Italy. I can see why people get excited about Tuscany - the landscape and trees in particular are picturesque.

The main square in Siena where the palio races are held is frighteningly small (the races are bareback).

My flute playing had bottomed out last year and I was blaming it on arthritis in my wrists and thumbs from the RSI I had two years ago when I was still working.

My flute teacher and I agreed yesterday that I was playing better and I also felt I played better at flute group on Thursday.

The improvement is due solely I think to the dopamine medication I'm now taking for my previously undiagnosed Parkinson's Disease. The decline last year was a whole body thing in retrospect embouchure, posture and fingering -all early symptoms of PD.

I can cope with the trembling but wish the head buzzing which I get at some stage each day and is only relieved by a sleep would go away - I don't want this for the rest of my life.

My flute teacher and I agreed that we would continue while I am able - concentrating on slower pieces with more dynamics. I'll try to keep this blog updated as I continue - I wonder if anyone reads it ?

Next door are having major reconstruction work done and had the site offices delivered by overhead crane yesterday.

On a different note, today has been chastening and worrying and I still have to decide exactly how I feel about it.

The snow has melted and formed mega icicles on the gutters - one of which has come crashing down

I'm still working on the kitchen replacing units (B&Q has a half price sale)