In party mood

It was a grand day yesterday. The sun shone, even fairly warmly. I spent most of my morning out on the Mean Machine.

First I set off for the hairdresser's. It's time for a last minute smarten up before our holiday. I was struck by how many smiles everyone seemed to have. I think it was the sheer relief of seeing blue skies, feeling some warmth on face, above all not being soaked & blown about.

After that I went to the fish shop for some cod & scallops for dinner. More smiles. Ray, the shop owner, is also a fisherman. His potted shrimps are among the best. He even appeared on a Rick Stein TV show, taking the latter on a shrimping expedition. Yesterday, as I got to the shop, he was just preparing for such a fishing trip. He hasn't been out all week. It's just been so rough that he's not bothered. I don't blame him. Needless to say I got some of his potted shrimps as well.

It never ceases to amaze me how a bit of sun can raise the spirits. Everyone I passed seemed in good humour, almost in party mood. Complete strangers cheerily called out greetings. Even the birds seemed exultant. On the sands, near the waters' edge were at least a hundred oystercatchers rootling in the moist sands. The butterflies seemed more active with red admirals & small tortoiseshells fluttering around.

Unfortunately the extra warmth brought out our midges once more. They seemed to die down in the colder weather. Yesterday I think I ended my meal by squashing a dozen of them. The Fox did likewise. We're becoming adept at this - too much practice. I've had another go today. The windows are once more covered with smears. Angie is getting a lot of practice at window cleaning.


Needless to say, today is back to grey & damp. It couldn't last for long.