Since Mago was interested in the local vineyard, here’s a link to its website in case he or anyone else would like to look it up.

We went to view an auction today – one of those ones where, on asking to see the china, they unlock the cabinet and let you poke around by yourself.  I’m immensely careful of course and know how to handle it, but when there are a lot of pieces on each shelf in several rows and the top shelf is higher than my head, it’s all a bit dicy.  Still, no problems of course, and we’re going to go back to the sale itself tomorrow.  I’ve registered as a bidder, but whether I actually do bid or – not especially likely – buy anything remains to be seen.  There will be lots of people I know there, certainly.

When we got home, I found I’d had an email from one of my London tenants.  There’s a leak somewhere and clearly water has been getting in for a while, but recently it’s been getting considerably worse.  Thank goodness for insurance, it’ll all be very expensive to put right.  Of course, hours have already been spent on the phone and it can only get more involved – but we won’t, as the advertisement used to say, make a drama out of a crisis.  No one is injured, after all.

It’s our darling Squiffany’s twelfth birthday today.  I bought her a camera and accessories, she phoned me a while ago to thank me and is very pleased.  Dilly told me that she wanted it so much that she was prepared to use some of her savings a month or two ago, but they persuaded her to hang on, knowing fond grandparents would be looking for present ideas.  I went to her ballet school’s performance on Saturday, she looked so beautiful and graceful – both her mother and I felt very emotional.  Silly old woman that I am, of course.