We’d both finished sleeping yesterday by 4:00 am: one of the problems of long days and thin curtains, I suppose.  We had guests coming for lunch, so we were well ahead of the game, with the vegetables prepared and a bit of tidying done in the garden by 8:00.

Meanwhile, as we were abandoning the idea of further sleep, over in Hampshire, my nephew Rick was probably just getting to sleep: his and Anna’s son Thomas James arrived yesterday – Fathers’ Day – at 02:00.  I had an ecstatic grandfather on the phone at around midday with the news: the parents had decided not to publish until they’d both had a rest.  All are well, we hear: we’ll hop over and see them at the weekend.

The guests arrived a little early: I was just getting into a clean shirt when I heard car doors closing outside.  Dorothy, aged a few days short of 90, was present and correct only 5 days after 3 hours of surgery to clear a blocked carotid artery.  She still had a big dressing on her neck, and some pretty impressive bruises.  Marion and John (Dorothy's daughter and son-in-law) and their friend Derry made up the six round the table.  We had a lovely afternoon together, and had the dining room and conservatory doors open for much of the time.  We’d got a leg of lamb from the local butcher, and as usual were not disappointed.  Martyn had made one of his celebrated puddings – a strawberry flan – yum!  John is a goldsmith, so I’d asked him to bring his tools with him: I have been unable to wear rings for some time, knuckles having grown a bit in recent years.  So, I’m measured up and John has gone off with the rings and a bit of Brazilian gold that I was given in 1979.  All the chaps at the conference got little gold key chains as a gift from the host government: a generous but rather impractical gift - until now: the colour is similar to that of one of the rings, so it will come in handy at last. 

The behaviour of our ducks has changed: I’m not altogether sorry: when they were spending hours on end in the garden the place was starting to get rather messy.  They are both still dropping in for meals, but rarely together, and only for very brief visits (eats, shits and leaves).  Both have been here this morning, but separately and briefly.  We’re starting to see quite a few juvenile blue tits feeding themselves too – the chicks from the nesting box over the kitchen door seem to have fledged now.  Must remember to get it down in  the autumn and clean it properly.  We have a family of blackbirds nearby – the five or so chicks are starting to feed themselves, though they’re still content to be waited on by a rather exhausted looking father!