I killed a lizard yesterday; a little lively one with the usual big feet. It ran out of the front door under my feet and I trod on it. I hoped the wound wasn't terminal - alas it gave a little judder and died. When I picked it up by the tail it was already rigid, and there was a small smear of blood where it had lain. A shame. Such common beasts here yet still mythical, to me. They look like every image in aboriginal art across every continent.

The guests have gone. Kitchen cleared by ten and I stayed in bed till nine - after late nights and getting up at 7.30 for a week, what bliss. Breakface out on the terrace in the sun- more bliss. Didn't sleep well, again, but extra hour made up for it. The wind has gone back to the north east and the weather is beautiful though not as warm as two days ago. The shambly gardener didn't leave till late so we ate outside and then watched a spectacular sunset from the roof. It reflected red in the north east before those clouds faded and the west/southwest turned deep crimson. Think of all the sunsets there've ever been through the millennia; and not one the same. Amazing.

Shambly gardener had been exchanging emails with his widow inamorata whom he brought here last March, and from whom for a while, according to Beloved's Beloved Daughter, he had been trying to wriggle a bit - another man fearful of commitment. (Granny has known some.) No more, though: as they were on Beloved's email, and in the beginning left for all to see, we couldn't help but get a brief glimpse into this other granny-grandpa love life: his brief but quite amorous first message, brought a very straight-up response from her: earning the reply 'Dear Formal.' Her next was clearly less formal as, most likely his answer - he deleted both! A nice man, who seem to have learned a lot and already did know quite a bit about plants. Rather more than Beloved (the other teacher) knows about birdlife here - blind granny is going to have teach him a bit! He can do pigeons and rockpools, though. No problem.

Saw our spectacled warblers back yesterday. One species missed by the indefatigable birding guests. Shame? More later. Grannyp