Wednesday

Yesterday was staggeringly hot - at one point mid afternoon I popped out quickly for a pint of milk, and came home 8 hours later - quite drunk and very sunburnt, but more about that later.

Early yesterday as skip arrived to clear the last of the timber from the old shed and loads of other crap - It was a 'hit and run' arrangement - if I can fill the skip while the lorry waits, I don't have to pay £100 for a street license. It took less than 5 mins, I've had plenty of practice and it was all bagged and ready. Additionally - I was able to place it in next doors disabled parking space, as there is no longer a car. Last week I saw Joan being helped into her car by two neighbours. She's about 80, has had new knees, hips and other work - and mentioned recently that she wanted new wrists (can they do that??). She also has problems with her feet that I don't want to go into. She's quite old and increasingly frail - but drives a lot. My first reaction seeing her being carried to the car was 'you cannot be serious - she's in no fit state to drive' - and then I felt rather sad - it's her last bit of independence and she's driven all her life - now she's housebound. Yesterday a neighbour told me that it 'didn't go well' and that the car is now gone - so there is an empty disabled parking bay in front of the house.

Next door are having a HUGE row - I can hear every word, apparently it's because she can't find her slippers.

Anyway - in the afternoon I had some errands to run, met some friends and ended up in a pub garden underneath a bower full of nesting sparrows drinking cold beer in the blazing sunshine. I did say that I felt guilty about doing this on a work day - to be reminded that 'this is the whole point in working so hard, to be able to do this sometimes'. Bizzarely - after 10 mins I noticed some smoke in the air - a massive fire had broken out on the gorse of the west hill, 20 foot flames reaching into the sky - quite exciting. Whilst we sat there one of the pub employees painted some giant sunflowers on the garden wall with spray paints. They weren't very good. One of the party went to school with (and is still friendly with) Colin Firth - and most notably looks exactly like him, which is disconcerting (I wonder if their parents knew each other... I'm thinking car keys in the ashtray) - they are so alike that they could use him in stunt double situations. He's a cameraman - it's all sounding too incestuous to be true.

I'm waiting for a couple of small deliveries so I'm working here today. Tomorrow we are having leaving drinks for the guy I share my part of the studio with - he's built a studio at home (Photographer etc) and at the weekend friends in publishing are down for a couple of days. This all makes me sound very media and swish - but I'm not. Publishing is literally "dying on it's arse" at the moment so I expect we'll probably just talk about doom.

It's still a lovely day - amazing how much better I feel after just a little bit of sun.