Shady business

If you were expecting a nice, long outdoorsy update today, I’m afraid you’re SOL. Other than watering the garden this morning, all my outdoor time has been spent enjoying the latest household addition.

Yes, my friends that is a big old umbrella on the deck.

As Simon discovered when he was here earlier this month and as I’ve known for a long time, once the summer sun hits the deck in early afternoon, it is unbearably hot sitting at the table. In fact Simon talked of buying me an umbrella the next time he visited (god knows when that will be). Fortunately I didn’t have to wait.

A couple of days ago I went round to a friend’s to help her assemble her birthday present to herself – a day bed she’d bought which would allow her to sleep outside on hot nights.

As you can see, in addition to the dog, the setup involved an umbrella, for shade when she is using it during the day and to attach a mosquito net at night.

When she told me the local hardware store was selling the umbrellas 50% off – at a price I could actually afford – I went in the next day and bought one.

For some reason in the photo my umbrella looks turquoise or even green. It is not. It is a blue that goes incredibly well with the Provencal table cloth and cushion covers. The shade from this umbrella is life-alteringly marvellous. Not to mention the fact that I could actually sit outside in a light drizzle – and will no longer have to rush outside to remove said table cloth and cushions when I hear rain on the skylights.

How on earth have I lived without this for so long?