Good weather at last!

Good weather has returned to the United Kingdom (well most of it!) for the time being. For a second day I have awoken to the sun streaming through the window. As you probably realized, this is the weekend, since on weekdays I awaken before the sun is up . It was such a surprise yesterday that I almost squandered the day. I found myself so used to doing in door activities that initially I fell into my usual routines. However, good weather is no time to sort out your cupboards or clean the house! I will admit to doing the laundry because no self respecting 'house wife' (and I use that term very loosely!) would pass up a day to dry clothes outside! I went for some short forays into the outside world and then retired to the garden in the afternoon to dig and cut and rake!

Today is equally as beautiful! Michael (Emma's partner) is playing cricket on the green nearby this afternoon and so Cliff and I shall gather up our living room furniture (more about that later!) and spend our afternoon drinking tea, nibbling on sandwiches and drawing on our meagre understanding of the 'laws' of cricket. But who cares whether or not one understands when the weather is beautiful and you are participating in a centuries' old game.

This morning we may go over to Wisley, the RHS garden about 15 miles from here. It is wonderful, and much more than just a garden. I have a membership with the RHS which allows us to go in free and also gives me a subscription to their equally wonderful magazine. When I was having radiotherapy, G.B. and I used to stop there regularly on the way home. It holds a special place in my heart!

Someone asked how I found out about Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. As is often the case with the new writers I discover, I usually read about them in the Guardian or Observer, or hear about them on a Radio 4 programme. Since she is a woman writer, it might have been on Women's Hour. Then again, it could have been on either Front Row, or Open Book. However it was, I highly recommend her. I've just started another of her books, The Priory.

Now to explain the meaning of 'I shall gather up our living room furniture'. Back in July the owners of our house shipped some of their furniture back to the United States. That shipment included everything in our living room. We ordered our new sofa in mid-July and it should arrive within the next two weeks (fingers crossed!). In the meanwhile, we are using two deck chairs and an adirondack chair. It works but I find myself longing for a sofa to lie out on!