On a lighter note.

A text from Sarah at ten past six wakes me, to say she is taking Louis today and tomorrow. I text back OK, and then sleep on until seven. The little heat wave continues, it's another beautiful day outside. I make smoked salmon on cream cheese with toast and coffee and eat breakfast in the Garden room listening to the news on radio 4. After breakfast I put some whites in the washer and then try to renew my house contents insurance over the phone. Fat chance! Automated answering machine, options and then a queue with Muzak, I don't even bother waiting. Arrive at Cherry at nine to take the dogs out, Andrew takes them on a weekend but he never lets them off the lead, consequently the go crazy when they see me on a Monday morning. Today is the hottest day so far, the heat building steadily over the last week, at nine o'clock it's already close to 25 degrees in the sun, pleasant enough if you don't have to work and aren't in a hurry. We park on Newbald Road, by Newbegin Pits, and in seconds the temperature drops ten degrees as we enter the cool shade of the wood. Quite a few of the older walkers, or walkers with older dogs, are taking advantage of the shade. Teddy is first off the lead and sets off in hot pursuit of a rabbit, but fortunately he's out of luck. As we emerge from the woods onto the meadow, the warm air is scented with mayflower blossom and buttercups. I don't mind the warm weather at all, we get so little of it, one just needs to slip into mañana mode, and slow right down. Teddy extends his run off the lead until we are almost at Black Mill, the usual rendezvous with Dolly, so she gets an extension as well, until we have made our way out of the trees at Limekiln Pits and are on the home stretch back to the car. We get back to Cherry for ten past ten, I give the dogs a drink, and then weed and prune the flower beds to the north and east of the back garden. If the weather holds, this will only leave a small bed to the south and then pruning back the ivy that grows on the back of the house, for tomorrow. I finish work at twelve fifteen and drive to the leisure centre, looking forward to a cooling swim. Running can wait until the weather cools, possibly tomorrow. The pool is not too busy and I find myself in a double lane with two other swimmers, who are swimming one behind the other. I wait until they are just about to come in, before pushing off on a 4 x 100m mixed medley warm up, this means they are almost two lengths ahead of me, and that means I won't have to overtake. I repeat this tactic on the 4 x 200m in each stroke, but inevitably I have to overtake after five or six lengths. A single lane becomes free and I'm able to swim 4 x 100m IM at pace, before warming down with the same again, but at a slow relaxed rate. I feel so good when this is completed, that another 200m IM seems in order. After showering and dressing, I make my way to the cafeteria and order the daily special, chicken and bacon salad. When it arrives, the chefs are also taking their lunch break, so we chat and eat together. One of them, a woman in her late thirties, tells stories about her four pet ferrets. It's grand up north, here in the Yorkshire countryside. Later I stock up on bread and fruit at Morrison's and then make my way home for about three thirty. After unpacking the shopping, I successfully renew my insurance, it actually takes two minutes, but with five added on for all the boilerplate that's apparently required by law. This done I search eBay for a new pair of speedos, mine have finally succumbed to the cumulative effects of chlorine and fell to pieces as I took them off. They had a five inch side panel, but that design has gone out of production, fortunately I find some old stock and order a pair. After pegging my whites out, I take my book, "the quality of mercy", by Barry Unsworth, and finish it sat in the late afternoon sun. The book is a sequel to his booker prize winning, "Sacred Hunger", and is quite good. Unsworth is eighty one now, and there are probably not many books left to expect from him. He is one of my favourite historical novellists. I make toast with strawberry jam and tea and eat this in the garden, it is pleasantly cool now and my blackbird gives me a couple of stunning arias, before I take in my washing and retire indoors. My mood has lightened today, no doubt seeing the dogs and the exercise has helped.