Jackie rose early this morning and sat in a chair on the patio with a cup of instant coffee.
In an instant Nugget was on a paving stone peering hopefully up at the rim of the cup.
Now, “Where’s Nugget?” (16).
Today’s weather was blustery and damp. The Test Match was delayed until after lunch. I spent the afternoon listening to the BBC Sport broadcast and scanning the first batch of a set of prints from negatives I have lost from a holiday with friends in August 2000. This was at the home of Sarah and Howard at Bembridge. Although we live so near the Isle of Wight this was the last time I visited it.
Jessica and Heidi towed Emily and Oliver in our dinghy;
Howard wandered
along the shore
and helped Jessica into their small yacht,
while Michael took over dinghy duties.
The skies had brightened a bit by the end of the afternoon when we visited Otter Nurseries to buy two more bags of compost and somehow came away with four more phlox plants and another bag of tulip bulbs. We continued on for a short forest drive.
Many of the verges, like these along Sandy Down, are already carpeted with cyclamen.
This gnarled fungus has more right to be there than
this shiny drink can.
Moody skies glowered over Sway Tower.
This evening we dined on Jackie’s spicy chicken jalfrezi and boiled rice, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank El Zumbido Garnacha Syrah 2017.