As in life...

Granny you can imagine has been busy... Beaches have been visited and swum from, ditto swimming-pools, cute children in Canarian dress singing and dancing Canarian songs have been viewed, as have white tigers - magnificent - along with performing parrots and sealions. Icecreams and pizzas have been eaten - also chilli con octopus - visiting goddaughter is a much more eclectic eater than visiting - eldest - granddaughter. Granny is half on holiday, half heavily at work. Every now and then as she drives her little hire car round the island she sweats at the thought she has the lives of two family jewels in her steering-wheel encumbered hands. For that reason only she will sigh with relief when the red-headed girls take off tomorrow... otherwise she will miss them like crazy.

Beloved is taking them rock-pooling today and cooking a meal with them, using food from the garden... no, not the kid, don't worry.

Meantime new and premature great-niece in Australia is doing very well and Big Brother is nearing - very close to - his end. The phone goes - emails fly - Granny's pleasure is tinged with deep sadness. But isn't it always like that? No need to quote the Bible. Then as now it's just the same, always has been, always will be. Us beasts may live longer than Billy the Kid is likely to, but we too are mortal.