Himself is now barrowing away the spoil from our new garden bed, where he toiled in the heat for nearly a week.

Perth County has some of the best farmland in Canada, but our little hunk of it is ... mmm ... not so much. About eight inches below the surface, Himself hit a layer of yellow clay that was close to brick-like in its ability to resist the shovel, and only a mattock (Cdn$39.95 at Canadian Tire) would even pierce it. The weather was unspeakably hot and sultry the whole time, with highs around 35C, and each shift of digging resulted in Himself drenched with sweat and covered with yellow clay -- net result: mud. So yesterday's laundry was six loads, of which less than one came from me.

As well as the mattock, this project also required the purchase of a pair of no-kidding work boots (Cdn$159.99) and about ten bags of compost and sheep manure (Cdn$65 and change). Fortunately, we were able to borrow a wheelbarrow from Neil-across-the-street, thus avoiding a significant layout of capital, but now I must visit Canadian Tire again to negotiate the purchase of a sprinkler. We had one in Ottawa, but it disappeared in the move -- pêrhaps never made it onto the truck.

The grass looks awful after having had a couple of cubic metres of yellow clay piled on it for a week, so I'll go the full Monty and buy a pound or so of grass seed while I'm at it.

On the plus side, the air conditioner is working again. Gawd, what a relief.