under another sun

Up and Lorraine off to Specsavers for an eye test, that ended up dragging on and on. I went back to the London Road gym again, and did another modest workout. Then home, and once Lorraine was back, having had to pay out for new specs, we drove off to Bolney where the village day was in full throttle. We have been to this a few years on the trot now, and find I quite enjoy it. Was in full Dennis Thatcher mode as people chatted to Lorraine. However a few know me too. Dan, Sarah's husband called me over, and invited me to play a game where you have to hurl boules onto a stump with an egg held in it. The idea is to smash the egg. I managed this and won a bottle of wine, which pleased me a disproportionate amount. Then much mooching about with L talking to a variety of parents and village worthies as children periodically ran up to her, some wanting hugs. Dogs being shown in the middle of the field when we arrived. I availed myself of a beer in the beer tent and chatted to various fo...

The hottest May bank holiday weekend ever apparently. Warmer here than in all kinds of places further south. Lorraine and I spent it very happily working in the back garden, making stern decisions and taking plants out, and planting the purple flowering magnolia Anton gave us among other things. We repositioned the composter, and we did a lot of shovelling of compost into the garden. Lovely chocolatey stuff it was too. Lorraine miraculously got the lawn mower to work, which although a good thing was also faintly annoying after I had given it a bath of WD40 and had several bouts of wrestling it using foul language and brute strength to no avail.   There was an interlude of our next door neighbours igniting a barbecue which Chernobylled into our garden. When the worst of this smog cleared another neighbour began using some kind of soil flattener, which made a noise like a WW1 tank. He then laid artificial turf for his twin boys to scuff footballs on. Eventually, however, tranquilit...

Last day before work drags Lorraine and I off in different directions. So we spent it together zooming about in the teeming rain. We were on a mission to look at wardrobes and a chest of drawers. We went to dozens of places, some far out of town. One place attached to a cattery, which was very bizarre. A small raised pond with enormous koi in it, which momentarily transfixed me. Driving over the downs home, through enormous puddles and the hilltops lost in mist. Went to one new store, which had rather nice furniture. Here we met Dylan's mum Sophie, and had a good chat with her. Young Dylan doing well, and I was very pleased to hear that. Lorraine and I lurking so long in the shop that we were brought coffee. Later, however, we bought a sturdy and newish chest of drawers from a charity shop, and then drove to someone's house on the edge of town and paid a deposit on a lovely wardrobe we will collect on Friday. Wondering if the wardrobe people were Narnian fauns, but I was di...