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| Jackie's amazing sunflower |
We have had a heatwave here in England. The newsman said we
have had the hottest day of the year this week. It is not that sort of
continental heatwave. Our temperatures have just topped 30c and when that
happens British people behave differently. Automatically we assume holiday
mode. Currently, deckchairs are positioned next to the boats along the canal and
the masses stroll along the towpath. Everything slows down and becomes quite
convivial. Even the lazy dogs from the narrow boats seek shade to loll in.
On my way to the pool, I saw an oldish man fishing on the
towpath - the epitome of chill. He was resting on a reclining chair and had a
wide-brimmed hat tipped forward covering most of his face. While his line dangled
lifelessly in the water, he was smoking a joint. The world for him was a faraway
place. He almost made fishing look tempting as a pastime – even if it meant
having to handle grubs!
Some British people turn into lobsters when the sun shines!
I can see the appeal but now that I have had a few skin cancers I cover up and
lather on the sunscreen. I even wear the stuff when I play tennis in the
evening – I have got a bit obsessive, even on dull days! Tennis matches in the
warmth are also much nicer. We only battle the opposition and not the elements –
long may it last.
In my upside down house, the living room was 28c at 7am in
the mornings. I had left the windows open overnight, even so. Such an inviting
space is my house now that it is warm, the spiders have moved in spinning
cobwebs all over. The ones that are dotted with dead insects are doing a good
job so I don’t clear them all away. In the garden I have bought a few plants to
replace the dead ones. Sitting out in the garden, drinking the first coffee of
the day, I notice these things. My poor plants! The blackberries are ripe for
picking almost a month early and with a surfeit of apples from the orchard, I
have got a freezer bulging with stewed fruit!
When the days are glorious and we are doing well with the
Olympics, time slips by. I barely know where my week has gone. Retirement is one
long, glorious summer!
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