Trying to be cool

Another boiling day with flaked-out cats. Perch was in her usual spot under the hollyhocks while Juno oscillated between full sun by the pond (see extra) and inside his tube with his top half in the shade and his rear end out in the sun.

I didn't see Steve the frog today but then I didn't tidy the pond where he lives as I didn't think he'd appreciated me bothering him again. The plum keeps dropping leaves in this heat and they do need to be picked out of the water regularly – I'll startle him tomorrow.

At the end of the afternoon, I met Razan for a walk around the cemetery. We spotted a fox teenager. By the looks of his eyes (see extra number 2), the cub must be the offspring of the friendly fox. I also spotted my first burnet moths of the year on the big lavender bush.

I introduced Razan to O'Girasol, one of my favourite local cafes, and we enjoyed apple pie with a generous amount of custard (as requested by my friend). It was delicious! Normally I visit O'Girasol for lunch or breakfast so I'm not used to being there later on. I was really touched by the welcoming community spirit that the cafe exudes to its visitors. As the afternoon turned to evening, people came in for their dinner and the owner greeted many by name, saying "It's so nice to see you!" with sometimes a hand on a shoulder. In these days of pandemic, it was so lovely to see. Hooray for Antonio and the O'Girasol family.

Razan and I managed to chat a few hours away in seemingly no time at all. I headed home to Fred and the flaked-out cats, and Fred and I stretched our legs by walking to Norwood Park and back through West Dulwich. The weather is changing – the wind had picked up and I was cool enough to need a cardigan. I'm quite thankful for cooler weather.