Monday 19 July

Freedom Day! Or is it? For me it is the first day of a holiday in Shropshire and so it is freedom from my usual routine. It is 30C on average, and the journey here was only bearable because the car has air conditioning. There were many vehicles on the road, everyone heading off for

Sunday 18 July

Wot a scorcher, as The Sun would say. It was 31C here today, a little hot even in the shade. We were trying to entertain Adam in the coolest part of the garden, but it was difficult. I have been clearing away after yesterday’s party. Not that I did much of the catering, everyone was

Saturday 17 July

Stand by for blasting, as my father would have said. He came out with this whenever there was a big family party and the preparations got a bit feverish. So I thought of this today as we put out balloons, banners, picnic mats, parasols, let alone the food and drink Everyone contributed something and it

Friday 16 July

A very funny thing has happened since I had a new car battery. I have changed the time, but for the life of me I cannot work out how to change the date. So it has reverted to its factory setting which is May 2012. I have to say I am rather enjoying this. I

Thursday 15 July

I have been thinking about scourges of the past, and how people coped with them. Leaving aside the plague, and the Black Death, more recent killers have been leprosy, cholera, smallpox, TB, polio, diabetes. All of these diseases have now been by and large eliminated, or at least controlled. My generation all has scars from

Wednesday 14 July

Today was attack the raspberries and redcurrants day. I picked 3.5lbs, and there are more raspberries to come. The more you pick, the more you get. Whenever I am picking, I remember a story my sister told me, of a friend of hers in Scotland, where raspberries do very well, who always harvested the fruit

Tuesday 13 July

Luckily I was up early as today’s initial crisis was the car battery. Or rather, the battery light was illuminated so I went off to the car spares shop, who said, hm, more likely the alternator. So I crossed the road to see the nice motor mechanic who services the car, and he very kindly

Monday 12 July

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Although we are not really football aficianados, we did watch the whole match, including the excruciating penalties. I do so hate this way of ending a match. I think you might as well put straws in a hat, as it is a total lottery who wins. My little 9

Sunday 11 July

No guesses as to why I am writing tonight’s blog entry early. I am not the world’s most avid football fan, but this seems like history in the making so I will be watching tonight. Also members of my extended family are football crazy and I would never be able to live it down if

Saturday 10 July

It is unbelievably cool, about 16C. My feet are cold and I have gone back to wearing shoes and socks. Ironically I have just bought a new pair of sandals. I hope I will yet get to wear them. We went for a walk in Beddington Park. I was very struck by the shape of