Beach life
Up to the smoke again, another hot day, worked diligently and fairly cheerily. At lunchtime off to Waterstones bookshop on Gower Street and drifted happily about the several floors, and buying a collection of essays by Susan Sontag. Home on the sweaty hot train, and then down to the beach to meet Lorraine, Beth and Rosie. Beautiful evening and we ate fish and chips on the pebbles, looking at the sea which was as far out as I'd ever seen it. The sunset was lovely, colouring the white clouds that looked like they had been painted on the blue sky with a brush. It got quite cool afterwards, and we ambled off the beach. Crossing the road into Hove we experienced a traumatic attack from a weird insect. First it flew into Rosie's mouth and was expelled with a screech by her, then it crouched dazed on the floor and we examined it. I think it was some sort of small cicada, Rosie began speaking to it in French, whereupon it became enraged again and flew into Betty's hair and hung...