St Dominic's Church, Inchbrook

Looking across the valley from Nailsworth. GG lives opposite the front of the church, in Theescombe. This pic was taken yesterday on the walk: bit of a cheat.


The WhatsApp group informed us that veggie Pad Thai was being served from a mobile stalk in the pub garden. We went along for a drink and a feed. Erin cooks the meat-free food, and her husband Neil was spinning some tunes in the garden, under a pub umbrella. Very mellow.

The sun was out, but the wind got up, too, and Steve managed to catch a flying parasol just before it landed in our food! We agreed that the food was good, but Steve's is better. Still, at least we went out on a bank holiday, even if it was only 500 yards. We also went to Daisybank park to inspect the new climbing frame / playhouse and sand pit. Very nice! I don't have any kids to play there with any more. My nieces and nephews are all grown up, and talking about going into the nuclear industry, or cycling around Argyll falling into nettle patches, and I left the little kids from the other valley a year ago when I changed jobs. I do not miss their behaviour, but it would be nice to have some kids around occasionally.

We went home, and I lay in the hammock. I very carefully covered the V of my chest visible round my neckline with a scarf, because it had got burnt in Madeira. Fell asleep, briefly. Steve came out with a cup of Ceylon tea for me (we have fancy teas in our household).

Mug of tea...hammock... dyspraxia....what could possibly go wrong? Within a few gulps of tea, I was shouting for help, as I'd managed to cough, thereby spilling hot tea on the very part of my well-cooked chest that I had been trying to protect! Luckily S was still around, and brought some kitchen roll, and I didn't have to go to the burns unit or anything dramatic.

By this time I had a headache. I think it's caffeine withdrawal. When the paracetamol didn't work, I made a cup of instant coffee from an ancient-looking tin of grey granules. This did the trick. How am I ever going to wean myself off completely? Maybe I won't bother right now, because I have another holiday coming up in 2 weeks'time.

I'm rambling now. We've had supper, and watched the last- ever University Challenge with Jeremy Paxman. Speaking as someone who's always been ferociously independent, it's s good to do things together.