I was a bit wary of how the blood doning would go, but it was pretty much the same as usual. The only differences were the load of questions they asked before I was even allowed into the hall and having to wear a mask, which is becoming the norm now anyway. Other than that it all went smoothly. It was a bit quicker than usual as well and I do wonder if they'd cancelled some appointments in order to have fewer people to deal with.
The hairdresser too was mostly the same, but all the screens did feel a bit odd. It was like I was getting my hair cut in a little cubicle. But the end results weren't bad:

~*~
It was Mum's birthday a week and a half ago too and as has now become tradition, I made her work for her presents:
Step one: Wrap presents and place in bag.

Look at those nice pretty presents. So easy to reach and accessible. Better do something about that.
Step two: Lock bag.

That's Mr Darcy the Hedgehog checking the bag for me. Yep, it's locked up tight.
Step three: Come up with the clues to the lock's combination.

To be doubly evil, she had to solve the marked puzzles and decode an extra step on each bookmark in order to get the right number.
Step four: Present presents to unsuspecting

Well she hasn't disowned me as her daughter yet, so I don't think she minds my shenanigans too much.
~*~
And finally, I spend a lot of time fighting with the blackberry bush in the garden cos it just wants to grow and grow and take over the planet. Sometimes I'm tempted to just chop the whole thing down and get rid of it completely. But then this time of year comes around and I remember why I like it so much...

I had thought about baking something with them but they tasted so good I just ate them all. Maybe I'll bake with the next lot. It really does make the bush worth keeping, especially considering how horrible the supermarket blackberries were that I tried recently.