Sunday and spring cleaning.

We get up at seven to another fine day and eat breakfast on rye toast and honey with Italian coffee and then read the papers for an hour before getting ready for church. I park at Tesco's car park and do a little shopping before Mass, as I have a busy day planned afterwards. In the store, I buy packets of lamb and beef steak, some spring greens and a bottle of Australian Shiraz, that is on offer. After stowing the shopping in the boot of my car, I walk through town to Saint John's and take my pew five minutes before the service starts. We are still officially in Easter and the brief sermon deals with the doubt of Saint Thomas, Father Roy emphasising the essential need for doubt alongside faith, and a distrust of those who assert absolute certainty. A moot point. There then follows a presentation of medals for the altar servers in the order of Saint Stephen, the service ends after communion, around a quarter to twelve. I drive straight home, unpack my shopping, change into walking gear and then take Norman round the fields. There is no wind again today and consequently it feels quite mild, a pale yellow sun shines from a hazy sky, and the birds down the lane are in full spring voice. The path through "Almost Straight Woood", has now completely dried out and the dykes, which six weeks ago were full to the brim, are now only a few inches deep with water. No doubt this will change when our usual southwesterly weather patterns are restored, this is forecast for next weekend now. When we return home I prepare lunch, covering baking potatoes with olive oil and salt and putting them in the oven, while I mow the lawns, front and back, before cooking the greens and gently frying the lamb in butter, garlic and olive oil. When lunch is ready, I cut Normy's lamb into small pieces along with some greens and mashed potato and then we eat in the garden, mine accompanied by a glass of Shiraz. Afterwards I do the Observer Killer Sudoku, while I drink coffee, until the sun goes in and it becomes too cold to sit out further. Once indoors, the spring cleaning continues until six, when I make some tea and then iron the last batch of clean shirts until eight o'clock. Sarah phones to wish me luck with my MRI scan tomorrow and tells me she has fallen out with her Mum again. I thank her and counsel reconciliation with Pip, but suspect this will take time, as they are both strong willed. Norman sits on my knee and I read the paper until bedtime, setting the alarm for six, as a fitter is coming to lay the parquet flooring in the hall by half past eight.