Dahlias sprouting, conservatory overrun with seedlings, lots of stuff coming to life in the garden. I think I even have a touch of cranial sunburn after a sketching session outside the scout hut this morning. Miss had brought another load of flints, driftwood etc, so it was another exercise in tone and texture. The scouts, by the way, have been brewing up in the back garden, so we had a supply of really rather nice charcoal for our sketching! What with the sloes in the hedge at the side of the garden and a free charcoal supply, I feel altogether better disposed towards our local juvenile para-militaries.

Miss has, however, relented to the extent of letting us do what we like for the next four weeks. For all of which I shall be either in court or Lagrasse. Shame, but there are worse fates.

Tomorrow starts our last week of heaving the garage doors about. They are solid timber, and a bit of a struggle for those of us given to episodes of sciatica. A local garage door fettler will be here to sort them tomorrow week, whereupon we shall, I hope, be able to radio in for clearance to land as we drive up the street.