8August1997

Friday night 8 August 1997
My dear folks, .

It is very hot. Last I looked at the thermometer, the temperature had dropped from C31 to C28 where it seems set to spend the night. The weatherman says it’s been the hottest day of the year & nobody’s calling him a liar. Two electric fans are doing their best to keep me & Mave cool. To encourage them, I have hooked three hangars together on top of a bucket brim full of water & strung a wet cloth across the crude framework. This contraption Mavis approached with the greatest caution, trying to keep his back legs as far away as possible while leaning forward to sniff it. I tweaked his tail at the critical moment & he sprang away. No, not cruel! The fat feline has been lying sprawled like a rug just outside the study, swiping my ankles each time I stepped over him & a little retaliation was timely.

So, I am sitting at the desk in a pair of shorts & flip flops to write to you. Even this is more clothing than is comfortable on such a night. I am glad that I was not born in the tropics. I don’t think they would have suited me. The bad news is that my selection of numbers for Wednesday’s lottery bore no relationship to those that were drawn. The good news is that I have just completed two arduous shifts & have the luxury of the weekend to recover my strength.

It’s been a busy week. Monday was a run-around as I think I told you. On Tuesday Geoff (owner of 3 flats I look after) arrived with a new gate which flew over with him & Rosemary in a jumbo. That evening I went out with them to supper & made the silly error of dipping into the excellent red wine that accompanied the meal. As I’d been on the wagon all week, the results were as unpleasant as they were predictable. I woke at 4 the next morning feeling lousy & unable to get back to sleep. I got up at 7 to catch the bus to Victoria & the train to Brighton to spend the day introducing Fregs to his new computer. The day was distinctly wet & the first thing I did was to leave my brolly on the bus. I can’t tell you how this pissed me off as I travelled down on the train. I kept on peering under the seat just in case but in vain.

Fregs bought me another one in Brighton. At least our day was a pronounced success. We spent two hours before lunch running through Windows95 & an hour after lunch linking his computer to his printer & to the Internet. Both processes went smoothly. He sent off his first Brighton email with a sense of triumph – to me. We took a break to examine his new flat, overlooking a square on the promenade & the sea. I was impressed. By the time he’s finished decorating it, he’ll have a des res. Fregs has a habit of acquiring property that he generally manages to sell later for rather more money than he bought it. It’s a very useful knack.

Back through the wet streets to Brighton station for a good kip in the train coming home. Then – after ploughing through a wodge of paper work – I walked around to Cousin Judy. And the pair of us walked another mile to Khan’s restaurant for a curry supper. It was a good supper, accompanied by lots of cousinly musings. She is off to France for a couple of weeks for a working break as her PhD project approaches its climax. Finally we walked home. It was a very walking day altogether.

Saturday my fixer is coming to do some overdue work. Sunday looms empty. I love it. The emptier the better. If it cools down a bit & gets slightly less muggy I shall go for a long walk.

That’s all for today. Quite enough too.

Blessings
T