Tiny Foxglove bells

The heatwave continues and it is taking its toll on the garden. The grass at the new house has all withered and gone yellow - it is a south facing garden and so is very hot and sunny. We are planning to put in an irrigation system at some point or else the garden will just die off every summer. The heatwave is due to break at the end of the week but unfortunately no rain is expected and everything is very dry.

Luke thought he had his accommodation in Paris sorted but the agency let him down. This morning we had a bit of a panic and therefore spent ages searching online for somewhere to stay - he has found a studio apartment through Airbnb, who offer very competitive rates for long term bookings. It's in a nice part of Paris and not too far a commute from work. We have paid the first month's rent so that is now secure! Then he and I have booked to go to Paris on Eurostar for one night to move all his things there. Unfortunately he cannot move the weekend before he starts work as that is when it is his 21st party, so he will be leaving London late on the Sunday afternoon after his party as he needs to be already settled in and ready for work on the Monday morning.

The death of the US student Otto Warmbier has upset me today - we cannot imagine how he suffered at the hands of his captors. A silly prank on his behalf ended so badly for him. If you don't know the story you can read about it here.