Satisfying

 It may seem strange to start with a photo of salad in a pot but I'm pround of this lettuce!

You see, Lenny the Lettuce here is a second generation lettuce, who unexpectedly and naturally self-seeded himself in a spare pot of earth from a parent plant that I let go to seed. A packet of lettuce seeds was a free gift in the local paper in the spring and, frankly, with all the forced time at home this year because of Covid lockdowns, I thought I might as well try growing some salad. What's the worst that could happen? And I'm pleased to say that I munched my way through many fresh lettuces all summer. But Lenny is the baby lettuce, the firstborn of my other lettuces, the little cutie. 

It was a lovely warm sunny day on Saturday and I had lunch outdoors and, well, Lenny is just a bit smaller now! 

Next year I'll try tomatoes, too. I've never grown veg before but I'm beginning to understand how satisfying it can be to crop your own fresh food. The herbs like basil, sage and parsley are doing very well (this area is famous for basil), and Arnold the Olive is looking healthy - he's a long-term project! Of course, in my transgender world, the basil is called Rosemary and the rosemary is called Basil.

I give them names, but I don't talk to my plants. I'm not completely mad!

So I try to find small satisfactions in a world that's pretty harsh at the moment. I was delighted to find this from a high-profile trans person, Elliot Page:

This week is Transgender Awareness Week and this made me feel there is good mutual support within our community. There are ever more trans people coming out, being visible and making a difference. I recently posted about local elections in Italy and the USA where many trans candidates were elected to office. In Britain yesterday, a group who represent LGBT military personnel, Fighting with Pride, were at the Remembrance Sunday parade, including those who had been thrown out of the military for being gay or trans. So despite the campaigns of the haters, including - upsettingly - my family, we seem to be getting somewhere. 

Look after yourselves. A hug.

Sue x