Almost ready to leave. Beloved in Oxfordshire, but granny not alone for night as visited by niece, her dead twin's daughter - a necessary visit - much talk of twin. But niece stayed night, so precious time a bit truncated, not that it matters, and not that beloved would understand it. Hard to explain that you love someone to bits but still sometimes like to spend days nights alone to someone who never feels that need.

Wild life - from worms to raptors - seems to be the leitmotif of this visit: last night a very moth-eaten fox was to be soon sloping along our West London pavement in broad daylight. A cat - yowls all night in the gardens outside.

Our island seems unreal. But tonight that's where we will be - in the middle of the Greece/Portugal Euro 2004 final, which means we will have to take a taxi to Handsome from Blackburn's place to pick up our truck, rather than being met in style.... Ah well.

Must end. Time to finish clearing up for other (Aussie) niece who is to inhabit the flat in our absence. What an obliging - and closish - family we are; one good reminder from aged pa's death. As is rapprochement with unpc brother. Blood, as my usually untribal, anti such conventions daughter said while we walked in West Wales; blood really is thicker than water. Heigh ho