Today

With my usual blind enthusiasm I started on three incompatible projects this morning, in the teeth of heat and a blinding sirocco. I pinned all the clothes I am altering, took down all pictures and power points plates in the living room ready to paint, and removed three sections of skirting board - one had always needed scribing and had been irritating me for four years, and the others needed to be cut down to better fit with the new casing to the doorway to the porch.

I must be getting older AND wiser, I forbore to open the paint and instead devoted myself to preparation, spackle, sanding and the carpentry. It all looks dreadful of course, and will into tomorrow, but at least it will be properly done and I have not worn myself to a frazzle, which was good as Felix and Ghazi came over, she bearing the official announcement of a large prize quite independent of her full scholarship to Paris next year. We had official English scones and tea to celebrate, it is a wonderful achievement, the competition was nationwide.

The wind has already killed some of the little plants I put out two days ago, You might as well scorch them with a hairdryer - it is like standing in front of an open oven. I have put my seed trays into plastic bags to keep them from drying out.