Mr Kipling's study
Up at my desk, and sent the file of One Day Forever to Wolfgang first thing. Breakfast with Sue and John, then off to Bateman's, where Rudyard Kipling had lived. John wanted to drive, in his electric car, so that was nice. Lots of road diversions and we found ourselves going down all kinds of tight country lanes. Bateman's itself was lovely. Gorgeous but sun parched gardens, little rivers and an old mill. The house itself first built in 1634, he wrote Kim there, and he clearly had already made huge sums from his writing, enough to buy this country pile and finance a Rolls Royce habit. I have read The Light That Died, and versions of the Jungle Book and Kim. But there's clearly more to explore, including poetry. An easier drive back. Once home, John preoccupied by charging his car at Morrisons. I barbecued a chicken and some sausages. I had put the funnel with the burning charcoal onto one of the concrete tiles of the patio and the concrete loudly exploded a circle shattered...