THE YELLOW PERIL

This is what I was doing this morning, washing down the bricks and yard in order to get rid of the layer of yellow pollen. It's a pointless task because it keeps falling for three weeks but a person has to try. It's early this year, is not yet at its worst. The big gritty bits are from pine trees and one of the prices paid for living in the woods.

Last year I did not have a good camera and didn't give it a thought. Now I'm worried about the stuff getting into the cameras and lenses. I always cover my printer with a plastic sheet. I think I will have to protect the cameras somehow. The stuff gets everywhere and makes it into every cupboard, dusts the books on their shelves.

We do not have hay fever and are not allergic but it does get into our eyes, throat and make our noses run like taps.

It's a dumb picture but it's what is on today. The news is that our huge lawn mower was stolen. It's the one used on the terraces for keeping the olive groves clean. Himself thought it was hidden down a steep terrace and behind some bushes. Hah! Giovanni, il Rosso, blipped previously, lost his chain saw, cans of petrol and masses of tools. The thief will be local, know where people were working and that when it isn't raining people get careless and leave their tools out. Our mower was eight years old but it was a good one, still worked and cost 4,000 euros new. I feel sick about it.

I suspect Benzina Betty and her son. She's a former hooker and was once caught syphoning petrol from our little Piaggio when it was parked in an olive grove. That's why she's called "Benzina." She and her grown son tool around the neighbourhood on a motorcycle seeing what they can see. Everybody knows they pinch stuff but nobody can prove it. We could hardly have her up for pinching a few gallons of petrol, could we? They are also under suspicion for stealing the flat screen TV, DVD player and a duvet from a house we rent to summer tourists. Do male thieves care about duvets? I think not.

For the record: + 18 C. Sunny and yellow. Humidity 45%