Raining - hard! This year is ODD. Means there will still be flowers when we come back in July, so good. It's also delicious watching it pelt down, just like home.

Everyone holed up in the kitchen behind me with mugs of tea, discussing doors to be made between dining-room and kitchen to shut cat in/out (in other words to keep him firmly where the mice are, so that he can do his job.) 'Everyone' means Beloved, Handsome from Blackburn and Action Man from Hamburg who's come to fix the glass room in the sittingroom which currently shakes rattles rolls at the smallest wind, and could at any particularly powerful gust send lethal spears of glass hurtling down on us or (worse?) on any litigiously minded guests....This should change when he's done his 300 euros worth of work. But of course he can't do it in the rain any more than Handsome can do what he was proposing to do. (Having spent over an hour watering this morning he's not happy either...nor is cat who yowls to go out, puts a paw fastidiously on window/door sill and withdraws it, spoiled animal.) Action man from Hamburg is actually cross between A M, Frankenstein's monster, and aging Hitler youth - is also by report a bit of a) a recluse b)a bully, regarding any form of electronic equipment and any kind of outside activity/amusement as unnecessary, imposing this on his long-suffering wife - who, who also by report - from my friend Bottle Blond M who lives in the same housing complex- got into much trouble for accepting her old mobile phone as a gift. Both, though, are geniuses at make do mend of all kinds (for his kinds see above.) She is round - if much less round than he is tall - he is a GIANT. Very obliging, she sews, makes curtains, chair covers, knows the herbal remedy for every ailment and gardens miraculously. He is a bit creepy, to my mind. She is not. But both useful/helpful. Expat society here is very various. This probably includes us.

Rain has stopped. Kitchen emptied. Sky still gloomy. Wind seems to be coming from South West, which always means rain, etc. So I guess that's it. Even though such features of an Atlantic climate don't usually figure here at this time of year. (Global warming? Or just periodic variation? Who knows?)

Have finished the White Mughal book. Have never galloped through any such dense historical stuff at such a rate. Shows how compulsive it is. Reading done despite much work yesterday, also swim, washing big load plus other domestic bit and pieces, also - at six o'clock last night- going partway up nearest but one hill with dogs. Am gradually sorting out good, if non-listed walks from here, though it's tricky alone. Shame that Beloved isn't keener. He says he only likes walks if they're interesting. When I point out that a) even the best walks have boring bits b) that it's not possible to find out if they are interesting except by doing them, he agrees: but is still not over-keen to take the risk. Impasse. Yet how can I reject for such a trivial reason one who makes me coffee every morning? (Among many other lovely things.) I don't. Kiss kiss - to him or you or whoever. Granny P