the first of the nasturtiums (last of the mohicans)

'my mother's birthday. I gave her a travelling brass inkstand. please god that she may be long spared to us.' -  kilvert, diaries, 12th may 1871. 

the first of the nasturtiums has flowered (horsemouth is delighted). 

it is the afternoon of the 11th when horsemouth types this. he is waiting for a thunderstorm (you know how that feels). 

and now it is raining outside (horsemouth had kind of forgotten how that felt).

still it will be good for the garden. 

he has just put up a substack post most of which he  wrote two years ago. 

in it  he thinks about how retiring has altered his writing (comparing it  to how he used to read, write and research while he was still working). 

work used to give him structure and distractions. it would divide up his day.  it gave him time to read, time to right and time to make notes.  it also gave him access to university libraries (as well as second hand bookshops). 

look at him. he looks like a government leaflet. 

ok after a brief check on his energy provider's website horsemouth has  been paying upfront on a monthly direct debit for the gas and the electric at the house (and recovering other people's share of the costs from them) since april 2021. 

he was  also responsible for the gas and electric before that but he can't remember who that was with so he can't tell how long that was for. if he were at home he could look up the old bills because he has probably kept them.

it has been suggested to horsemouth that he should take over the broadband (or rather that someone else should take over responsibility for the broadband other than the person who currently does it). as horsemouth is moving out he does not think this is a good idea if it's him. he does not mind if someone else wants to take it on.