We have a fireplace!!!!! Finally, that hole in the wall is filled with a lovely fireplace. The mantle is a fine limestone and the hearth is a lovely "granite," although it's really an aphanitic gabbro, but everyone in the world calls all igneous intrusive rocks granite. It's like calling all tumors cancer, when there are plenty of non-cancerous tumors. But that's just the anal retentive geologist in me I suppose. The fire insert is all cast iron. It's a traditional style, with the rounded design. We can eventually put a real wood (or as is more common here coal) fire in it, but I'm not sure we'll do that until Marius is old enough not to get into it.
Today we went to Dobbies Garden Centre with a friend. It was sensory overload for me, since this place was HUGE!!!! It was like putting a Home Depot and a Super-Wal-Mart together in one place. It made me long for our huge garden in Tallahassee... Hmmm, one day I might actually have a real detached house and garden. One day! But for now, at least I've got some pea plants sprouting in a window sill tray. This month I'll start the pumpkins and tomatoes, although I don't think the tomatoes will really take off here. I should probably stick to root vegetables, but the Californian in me really wants a tomato plant!
