Things to do between showers (Thursday June 13th)

We are up by seven and after feeding Normy, I settle into my new early morning routine of cider vinegar in hot water and Tai Chi in the garden. It remains cool and cloudy this morning and rain is forecast for later, so after breakfast and a shower, I make a Lasagne, using the last of the pasta sauce made from the lamb mince, laying fresh basil leaves between each layer and topping it with freshly grated cheddar, as I have run out of Mozzarella and then put it in the fridge for the flavours to infuse until dinner time this evening. Then I take Norman for his walk, but only as far as the little bridge, as he seems quite unenthusiastic. When we return, I decide there is just time to mow the lawns  and repair the damaged patches before going for a swim. I do this and then put a cover of cling film over the seeds and peg it down with tooth picks. I find this helps to stop the birds eating the seeds and also provides a temporary greenhouse effect, which accelerates germination. The cover is flimsy and only will only last for four or five days, but usually that is enough to get things started. It begins to rain as I pull into the  leisure centre car park, so I hurry to reception, arriving around midday, but the filtration problem has not been resolved and the pool is closed until at least 4PM. Time for yet another of Danny's scones and a complementary pot of tea in the cafe, where I have a laugh with Paul, one of the coaches and personal trainers, who, like my daughter Sarah, supplements his coaching salary from the council, with private clients. We are laughing about the film "True Romance", a Tony Scott film, with dialogue by Tarantino and its outrageous, non PC take on the modern fairy tale. It also boasts the best cast list of any film I have seen. As well as Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette in the lead roles, there are cameos, from Brad Pitt, Gary Oldman, Samuel L Jackson, Val Kilmer, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Chris Penn and James Gandolfino. Later I drive to Tesco and buy a small bag of  compost, with which to pot the geraniums I bought yesterday from Laura's school and also a bottle of Cabernet Shiraz, to accompany the Lasagne, I made this morning. There are people crowded into the supermarket doorway, sheltering from the heavy shower, but I have my umbrella and the rain is hardly likely to spoil the compost, or the wine, so I push through it to the car and drive home by half past three, just as the school run is at its height in Green Lane. Once indoors, I give Norman a few biscuits to keep him going until dinner and then meditate for an hour. Around six thirty, David phones to confirm arrangements for Monday and a few moments later, the phone rings again, this time it is my brother in law Gino, he has a day off tomorrow and wants to come over and go out for lunch. We arrange to meet at my house, around midday. Finally, I receive a text from Sarah, asking if I can come an hour earlier tomorrow morning, in order to get Louis ready for school, as Alice has her last GCSE exam and it is mathematics, so she needs a stress free breakfast time beforehand. I text back complying, set my phone alarm for six and then put the Lasagne in the oven on a timer, catching up on some more blogs/ journals while it cooks. The result is very pleasing, lamb, tomato sauce, Basil and cheddar combine well, helps by the wine and a ciabatta bread roll. Norman approves as wellbut became somewhat impatient,  as we had to wait of it to cool before it was safe to eat. After dinner I read another couple of chapters of Patrick Gale and then turn in around eleven.