I have told before about how much of a sucker I am. I make no bones about the fact that I’d probably have bought this house in an even worse state of repair (though I feel that’s not really possible) because of a stupid kiwi fruit vine, in full fruit in the back garden when we viewed the house last September.

Tomorrow, a builder comes to start knocking the hell out of it as the renovation work starts in earnest. He’s going to knock down some cupboards so that the plasterer has a clean run at the ceiling in our bathroom, which is being skimmed to eradicate the badly applied artex that’s there at the moment. For anyone elsewhere in the globe that doesn’t know what artex is, it’s basically thick paint, mixed with sand, that when applied leaves a rough texture on the ceiling. It’s designed to cover cracks and other irregularities. It was very fashionable with the bodge DIYers of the 80s who suddenly realised that putting expanded polystyrene tiles onto cracked ceilings was a bad idea because of fire risk. Needless to say, we’ve got it by the bucketload in here!

So, tomorrow, for a month, our peace is to be shattered and our home to become the domain of builders, who have been charged with gutting (right back to a shell of bare walls) the dysfunctional room. They’re replacing the airing cupboard and hot water tank, putting in a new shower, bath, sink and toilet, tiling the whole room and making good. They’re also going to put right some bodged plumbing in the central heating system too. Hurrah. Groan. Both of these emotions are abound in my heart tonight.

So, for the day today, I’ve been pottering about the garden, doing some pruning and planting up some shrubs that I was given by my folks recently (hardy fuchsias). Given that they are long-term planting, I have been thinking about the best place to put them, that’s why they’ve not made it into the ground until today.

Their home ended up being along the front of a dry stone wall on the way to the veggie patch. It was while I was planting them that I noticed that the kiwi is in full bloom at long last, it feels as though it’s taken an age to flower given that I shot the buds here...... though as I look back, a bud shot didn't actually make the cut! I decided to shoot the blooms because I’ve never seen a kiwi fruit flower so I feel fairly certain that most pbasers won’t either. I’m sure a few will because that’s the way of the world but for me it’s a first. I also climbed inside it and the result is here!

It’s kind of a meeting of the kiwi with the renovations with the desire to be here, which couldn’t be deeper again. When I got back on Friday, I realised how utterly besotted I am with this wild, desolate spot. It’s a privilege and an honour to be here.

Last year, DM and Mark H were imitating John Travolta!