Sunday 15th September 2024

And a relaxing day was had by all. Or both of us.

Although I did wake at half five, my stupid brain thinking of the blog post, so I got up and wrote it, in the cool dark, pre-dawn.

Outside, animals and birds unknown called and squawked, while the gibbous moon sank in the west, and light appeared in the east.

We had food for breakfast, though we had coffee first. I brought the pot from home, so managed to get coffee almost like it tastes back in Kent, easier as I drink Italian blend coffee.

Breakfast was fruit and more coffee, whole the smart speaker played Stuart from Salford, where it was grey.

At eleven, we went out, back to the Co-Op as we found it was open, for more bread, butter, vegetables and fruit.

The roads were quiet, people back from mass, and menfolk were firing up the BBQs, while families stood around and just talked and smoked. Or smoked and talked.

Back here, we had bread and cheese and bread and butter and apricot jam, and wine, while sitting on the terrace in the sun.

Just like being on holiday.

After lunch, I went out to hunt for butterflies and flowers, and straight away was rewarded with a fine Violet Dropwing posing on a dead stem, allowing me to get several shots.

Into the woods and I see a large brown butterfly with an orange-ringed wing spot, a Tree Grayling, and near to Emy's office, a Geranium Bronze, a tiny blue butterfly.

Elsewhere, lots to see and snap: Long tailed blues, Common Blues, Brown Argus of some kind, and Meadow Browns, Cleopatra and Small Whites.

But it was hot, so back inside for some iced water, review the shots and try to ID what I snapped.

The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to stay awake, and keeping up to date with the football, as it was the North London derby.

I made carbonara for dinner, tricky with limited space in the kitchen and range of blunt knives, but I got it made, and pretty good it was, doubly with fresh guanciale.

We listened to some music, on the smart speaker, and from the farm down the hill where they were having a Eurodisco, the low point being a techno version of Another Brick in the Wall, but that ended dead on ten.