TUESDAY 31ST JULY - GLORIOUS DAY.

I was enjoying a chicken wrap for lunch when I looked up and saw the sky through the trees. It was a beautiful blue. I felt so happy after weeks of wet, wet, wet.

MONDAY 30TH JULY - TREAT!

It was our anniversary yesterday. We don't usually do anything special but yesterday we went out for a meal. It was such a treat.

We went to the Headland Hotel and ate in the brasserie. Between us we ate scallops, monk fish and skate wings.It was a beautiful evening after the endless rain we have had. The sunset was lovely over the sea.

I want to show you where we went - what a position!

It was such a treat. We will treat ourselves again next year!!

FRIDAY 27TH JULY - SHAMBO

Shambo the pampered and revered bull lived in a stable at a Hindu monastry in Skanda vale in South Wales.

The ministry vet decreed that he must go as he has TB. His life was fought for and those who cared failed so that all that is left is an empty stall. http://www.skandavale.org/webcam/webcam.htm

View this and feel sad.

TB is bad news and life can be harsh. Remember him with love!

THURSDAY 26TH JULY - will it ever stop raining?

Woke up this morning to the sound of rain falling outside.
Rain fell heavily all morning beating on the window panes so hard that it was impossible to see out.
Then IT STOPPED! Blue sky without a cloud for about an hour and then the rain came back with wind.
So now it is blowing a gale and rain is coming out of the sky horizontally.

OH WAIT I SEE A VERY SMALL PATCH OF BLUE SKY. What will be next?

I am compiling a list of adjectives for rain. I understand that the Innuit have 30+ words for snow. I will post my list when it is done.

TUESDAY 24TH JULY - ZAMBULA

Saturday saw us in Penzance being entertained at The Acorn Theatre by Zambula (www.Zambula.co.uk) a Congalese band of huge amounts of energy. The rhythms were fantastic and the enthusiasm was infectious, many people were dancing.

The world must be getting smaller as I was musing to myself the circumstances which brought these guys to a small theatre in West Cornwall.

My life has been made richer by this encounter.

FRIDAY 20TH JULY - JUST BITS

Yesterday I went to a little coastal village and indulged in a cherry flavoured 99.

I watched the Tour de France and just am amazed at those guys 13
days on and still smiling well maybe grimacing but still fantastic. The Alps stages were "incroyable!"

Woken at 5.12 a.m. by a man calling his sheep dog and then went back to sleep until I finally woke properly and realised there are no sheep in the fields around here just cows. I wondered did I dream it but no my husband heard it too. Very strange indeed.

Dreams and reality sometimes seemed to be interwoven but usually easily untangled and explained. but not this time.

WEDNESDAY 18TH JULY - P birds

Which do you like best?

Puffins or penguins?

These pictures are not to scale because everyone knows puffins are smaller than penguins.

They are not as cute as they appear as they surely smell of fish!

TIN MINE NOT FALLING OVER!

Can you see the sea behind?

MONDAY 16TH JULY - TIN MINE

I went to the North Coast on Friday.

I went to a derelict tin mine on the edge of the cliffs.

It was raining, windy and great.

An elemental experience in an area steeped in the social history of 200 years.

Then I had a hot chocolate in a cafe to complete the day.

FRIDAY 13TH JULY - RAIN, RAIN, RAIN

It started as drizzle at breakfast time, then turned to ordinary rain then heavy rain and is now very, very heavy rain and it is nearly time for tea. My thoughts turned to umbrellas.

Here are two I like.

Caillebotte - Paris Street in the rain and Winnie the Pooh playing leap frog.

Does it matter what the picture is aren't they meant to keep the rain off?

THURSDAY 12TH JULY -SAMBA

Last evening I went to a new group starting up in a village near mine offering the opportunity to play Samba. I am really interested in World music so went along to see what was happening.

I played the Agogo bells

and the Tamborim.

There were other instruments too but they are for next time.

Not only did we play but also got a potted history of Samba.

It was really good fun and rather strange to be happening in the middle of rural cornwall but then hey why not?

TUESDAY 10TH JULY - LEAVES

Which is tastier?

I enjoyed three different types of salad leaves with my meal last night.

Watercress. Rocket. Baby Spinach leaves.

I tried to decide which one had more flavour.
Watercress : hot and peppery with a fantastic crunch leaves an after feel of hot flavour. Remain crunchy for a few days.
Baby spinach : pleasant flavour and nice to munch
Rocket : Crunchy with a medium hot taste. Beware leaves lose their crunch quite quickly.

I think I have decided.

MONDAY 9TH JULY

Pictures of the abseil and me in four local papers and I touched celebrity status!
Eating a piece of pizza sitting on Lemon Plaza a total stranger spoke to me saying what a good photo it was in the paper and how much better the weather was this weekend than last.

I trawled my mind but am sure I have never met her in my life.

How nice of her to be so friendly.

The Tour de France came to England yesterday.
Saw the last 10k on TV. Wow look at the speed of those guys. Impressive they can only be superhuman.
I intend to follow it through France particularly on the mountainous stages when it is awesome.

SATURDAY 7TH JULY - tomato plants

I have watered the small tomato plants in my windowsill for loads of weeks. I have just given them some liquid food and suddenly apart from the 3 big tomaotoes there are lots of very small fruit developing.

This is great.

I am growing my own salad in the kitchen.

THURSDAY 5TH JULY - WET

As we listened to music last night - Suanne Vega - it was blowing a hooly and it was cold too So we put the fire on for 3/4 hour to take the chill off the air.

I heard this morning that it has been the wettest June on record.

Guess what? It's raining again this morning.

I can hear the seagulls dancing on the roof. Is there too much rain even for them? Can a seagull get waterlogged?

WEDNESDAY 4TH JULY - FREEDOM

Alan Johnston has been freed in Gaza. Fabulous news.

It reminds me of when John Macarthy was freed after his kidnapping in Lebanon. Where I was (Glen Roy view point car park) and what time ( 1 pm).

I wonder if this date 4th July and 6.45 am will be etched in my mind as strongly.

I feel sure these dates stay firmly embedded in my memory.

TUESDAY 3RD JULY- SUN THIS STRANGE LIGHT

The sun shone for about 20 minutes this morning.
If you have been in England for the last few months you will kmow how much this means to me.
There was a patch of blue sky but now it has gone.

Is it possible to suffer from SAD when it is related to rain rather than daylight?

I have spoken to friends who are all feeling pretty waterlogged.

MONDAY 2ND JULY - FUN

THE ABSEIL.

Sometimes you do something you didn't know you were capable of, were slightly scared of and having done it you surprise yourself because you realised you really enjoyed it.
I did that on Saturday and feel really good with myself. How cool is that?

I am on the rope with the green hat with Richard - my legs aren't strong. He was ace!

The weather was dreadful but hey ho we still went on.