Tuesday, July 27

When Irma left for Helsinki she gave me a task. Keep these plants alive, she said. So far I have managed. Nothing has died and some things have flourished.

We planted this little thing over the weekend. I dug a hole and this went in. I have watered it twice a day and this afternoon it suddenly stood straight up. I think it has decided to stay.

My routine followed yesterday’s fairly closely. Write, walk around, do something physical, write again. This time, though, I added the boat to my repetitive routine. I took the manual and my iPad down to the bay and explored the world of the bilge pump. I could not work out how to remove and reinstall it, the ultimate purpose of the exercise, but I located it, understood its function, and felt comfortable in the boat.

I finish the day with a bonus watering for the plucky little plant.