The weather is so changeable at present – it was very windy and rained last night, but this morning was clear, dry and still.  Squiffany and I had breakfast and she wanted to watch television, and CITV was having a Horrid Henry morning, which could not possibly be bettered, so I left her there and went out to meet Dave.  She came out later to see us, and asked about the mortar.  I explained that it was used to stick the bricks together, like icing in a cake.  Dave said he’d been going to say glue.  When the Sage brought another pailful of mortar, he tipped it out of the bucket to fall “like a cowpat”, he said.  Dave and I agreed we’d have described it as cake mix.

We had a good morning and it was warm in the sun.  The warmth of autumn, not summer, though.  Dave worked on the end pillar and I worked on the two courses needed to make the wall level all along, except for the middle pillar.

Poor photos, I’m afraid, but to take a more direct shot from the drive meant looking straight at the sun.  You can see that we’ve put the ornamental blocks in place.  If we get any more work done this autumn, we’ll start on them.  Our priority is to complete the pillar if possible, but Dave and I worked out various contingency plans – in fact, a gate could be hung from the pillar as it is, if necessary.  There’s no realistic possibility of the job being completed this year.

When we’d finished, the Sage went to fetch something to show Dave.  And here it is for you to see as well.

A little china cygnet, made about 230 years ago and still in perfect condition.  I love it.  It was last sold 24 years ago, and its (damaged) pair was sold too as a separate lot.  Those are the only two that I know of, though there are a few plain white swans about too.

I can’t resist giving you a close-up shot.  It is a lovely simple piece of china, finely moulded and beautifully painted.

I’m steeling myself to cut Tilly’s toenails.  She has black claws, so it’s difficult to tell where to cut.  I could take her to the vet each time, of course, but she’d hate it and she might as well be more relaxed on her own sofa.

It’s a busy few days at present, with a lot of visitors.  More or less business callers in the main, although most of our clients are friends too, after all these years.  The cake and flapjacks have all been eaten – Pugsley finished the last of it at dinner time.  Squiffany chose strawberries instead.  He didn’t spend the night but decided that he wanted to be home with his mummy – he was quite happy about it and so was his sister, until after lights out, when I found her crying for her brother.  I comforted and cuddled her and left her reading for a while longer, and when I returned she was asleep with the book still in her hands.  She’s in the room next to ours, so we’ll hear her if she wakes in the night.  I might leave a light on in the bathroom in fact – if she does get up, it will be confusing.

I’ve only just finished work for the evening and am finally relaxing with some music.  I mostly play the same few albums at present, four or five of them.  When I’m busy, I don’t seem to want variety.  It’s Tom Waits’ Alice tonight.

It has, as forecast, rained this afternoon and evening.  Dave assures me that the forecast is fine for tomorrow; let’s hope it’s correct.  The Sage and I put a new lead on the cement mixer and checked that it’s working.  We’ve got more callers in the afternoon and then the Harvest Supper in the evening.  I’ve got easy jobs this year – baking the potatoes, providing a cheeseboard and a fruit salad.  I’ve been let off helping to lay tables and setting up the room because of the bricklaying plans.

I didn’t say yesterday, it was Dora’s birthday.  Ro went round to her house during the day (her landlady lent him a key) to bake her a cake and arrange flowers.