20May1996

My dear folks,

A most beautiful Monday morning has dawned after a few grot days! More important, a huge high pressure area is moving towards Portugal & you ought to have some relief Jones for yourself & your guests from the wind & rain - not that we aren’t grateful for the rain, Lord - of the past few days.

We had a few drops here yesterday but the day belonged to the wind, a cold blustery wind. Hell, but it blew. I went down with Cath & Anita mid-morning to meet a friend of theirs at the V&A. The trees were dropping leechie-sized seedpods that ran helter skelter along the ground, disintegrating as they went. The air seethed with seed & bloom, as with locusts, & great beds of these gathered in the lee of walls. It was too much even for my careless nose. How the more sensitive managed is beyond me. More seriously, the weather deteriorated in the south west to the extent where blizzards disrupted a huge youth-hike on Dartmoor, forcing the military to launch a mass rescue of hundreds of miserable hikers - as you note in your fax this a.m. Jones - many thanks - much enjoyed. Barbecue plans are fine. I will seek out sausages from Church Street.

The V&A now has huge signs urging visitors to contribute a minimum of £4.50 & desks which issue tickets willy nilly - a warm up for the official charge of £5 that’s to be introduced in October. I was feeling too sleepy to indulge in a £4.50 visit & left the girls to get on with it while I took myself for a brisk walk around Knightsbridge. Then I returned home to sleep - hundreds of winks! I fell asleep a second time over bits of the Monte Carlo Grand Prix, a most exciting race - the bits I watched, at least. The girls, Cathy’s friend included, arrived back mid-p.m. for tea & further conversation.

My evening was largely dedicated to taking possession of a flat on behalf of one of my clients & showing prospective tenants around it. One couple is very interested & with any luck I can get the whole thing sewn up before my departure for Portugal in 9 days’ time. We’d intended to bring in a fish & chips supper but both outlets we tried were closed so we settled on curry from the Tandoori over the road - & it was excellent too, even if Anita decided that hers - however mild it was declared - was too hot for her. By the time she took this decision, she had consumed sufficient to sustain her for the foreseeable so no harm was done. Afterwards, Anita & I played several computer games, sharing the honours. I had to insist that we play by the rules which she objected were my rules, not hers. Cathy, a complete novice, tried her hand & promptly achieved the maximum possible score........sheer beginners’ luck.

Mavis went AWOL for the evening, reappearing around midnight when he naturally wanted grub instantly. He gave the girls much pleasure by going through his routine of rushing, wobble-tummied, down the stairs & peering over his shoulder to ensure that I was rushing down behind him with his bowl of food - as indeed I was. He has enjoyed their visit almost as much as I have, sprawling across their laps & their beds at every opportunity. But their visit has come to an end. In a couple of hours, I shall drop them at the Air Bus stop & wave them goodbye. They’ve enjoyed their stay enormously & so have I. I hope they come back again. Tonight it’s back to work.
Blessings for now.............................T