The term “dog days” comes to mind – I know that’s the hottest days of summer, when you don’t feel like doing anything much, but I don’t believe that I know if it’s given to any particular days or why it’s so called – something to do with Sirius, the dog star, perhaps?  Anyway, I’m taking advantage of the hot weather by taking it easy.  It often happens that this isn’t possible, we’re too busy to enjoy the warmth (which may be fleeting and unreliable in this country) and have to slog on while we bake, but once in a while, sunny weather coincides with nothing vastly important to do, and that’s the case here and now.  So I’ve lain on the lawn and read, and today had a lengthy afternoon nap – which is fairly encouraging as it’s too hot to sleep at night.

We went to the supermarket for some odds and ends and decided we didn’t need to visit the butcher too, except that we hadn’t got anything for tonight.  I suggested the Gressingham duck legs we buy occasionally and we found they’d been moved, from the red meat section to the poultry section.  And then we noted a slight difference in the packaging.  They’ve been, for a very long time, £4 for three legs, which we tend to make absolutely brilliantly witty jokes about, or else £4 for two breasts, which there isn’t anything very funny to say about – but, while the quantity and price of the breasts was the same, there were only two legs in the pack.  So the price increase was, fairly eye-wateringly, from £1.33 to £2.00 each leg, which wasn’t really on.  I know the cost of living has increased markedly over the past year, mostly because the value of the pound has decreased so much, but really…

Over the next few days, we’ll be seeing grandchildren quite a lot, which will be good.  Not the youngest, but we’ll be with Zerlina and Gus for a couple of days and then see Pugsley’s school play after that.  Though a very reticent child, he is quite willing to audition for these things because he enjoys acting, which seems remarkable to me.  I absolutely applaud him for it, I was a terribly shy child who was brought out of my shell by acting, but I’d never have offered, I had to be pushed into doing it, even though I wanted to.  Too many commas there for clarity, but I daresay you can understand what I’m saying.

Back to relaxing, darlings.  But in a comfy armchair this time.