So lovely to have hot weather. I know we’ll all start to complain within days – well, some will, but I won’t. Although I’m no good in the sun at all, I’d rather have it than not. And I can go out and about, it’s just that I can’t sunbathe and I wouldn’t choose to anyway. At my advanced age, it’s a salutary lesson that the bits of skin that have rarely or never been exposed are still young and unwrinkled, but the ones that are out in the elements look altogether older. Lucky me, that I didn’t suntan much and never saw the point of trying, and that I’ve never had an exhibitionist streak and never cared to strip off at a hint of sun. And that’s apart from the cancer risk, of course, which would be high for me, having a fair skin and a number of moles.
But I’m afraid I’ve had to take on another job, though I trust it will be temporary and involve little, if any, work. I’m a trustee of a local – um – trust, which … oh, start from the beginning.
The village church sold a plot of land some 25 years ago and the money was invested and a Trust was set up to administer it. When I was a churchwarden, I was a Trustee by default. A year ago, the Rector and another Trustee left and so, as they really needed someone who knew what was what, I agreed to come on the board again, and be Secretary too. There are only two meetings a year and a couple of letters to write, it’s not a big job. But we still don’t have a Rector and one of the Trustees is leaving, who happens to be Treasurer and neither of the churchwardens feels able to take that on. There are now only the three of us as Trustees and someone has to do it. And I look so ludicrously capable. I do hope this isn’t a long-term thing though, I really don’t like being in charge of other people’s money.
Darlings, I must go to bed. I’m going to the dentist tomorrow – just realised I ate a healthy amount of garlic this evening, whoops – and I must get some strengthening sleep. Toodle-pip, sleep well.
Love, Zxx
‘Sleep well’ – thank you for the wish, but given these lovely days and warm nights, for once i a way I’m not sleeping very well, so I’m down in my undercroft office doing a little work on the computer.
Your first para – willing horse syndrome – we (Ann and I that is) have done our share of that! Ann still does – I might again, if ever I retire; for now, though, I concentrate my energies on MY work. But thank the Lord for you willing horses. Don’t know what we’d do without you!
I’m conscious of giving school staff extra work so help if I can.
A few hours of sleep seems to be all I can manage, I’ve been awake since 3. Still, good reading time.
I’ve never understood the desire to get as tanned as possible. My skin is just fine as it is and has no wish to be roasted. Roasting is strictly for the kitchen.
I sent a somewhat tongue in cheek e-mail to my children last night telling them we were spending their inheritance on air-conditioning. Forty-four years of misery is enough. I will admit a) it didn’t seem so bad when we were younger and b) it is only recently that there has been an adequate system to deal with our steam heating system. I am ecstatic and so is Mr.-I-grew-up-in-Iowa-and-we -watched-the-corn-grow.
I too am delighted to see the warm weather, although I would appreciate some cooler nights as I really do need more sleep than I’m currently getting.
I used to sunbathe when I was younger (in my 20s I would lie in the sun from breakfast time to tea time), but cannot stand the direct heat so much now. I like to get a bit of colour, but I don’t go outside with that specific aim. I wear lots of sunscreen these days when I’m out in the summer sun and try to avoid direct sunlight between 12 and 3pm.
There speaks a bloke, Nick. It’s a rare woman who doesn’t appreciate the flattering qualities of a suntan – though leather-skin is another thing.
Good for you, Beryl, though I confess to enjoying the occasional feeling of sweltering in heat. It’s so rare and was so long in coming this year.
Me too, Liz, except for the sunbathing in my 20s. I was a bit allergic to the sun from my teens to about 30 and had to be careful. Fortunately, I grew out of it. but it saved me from any silliness – I was blonde and very fair skinned, I burned easily.
Oh, I beg to differ, Z. Very few Australian women have a suntan. They slather on the sunscreen like nobody’s business. The Aussie sun is not to be messed with.
I’ve not got that much experience of Australian women, though I know they’re very careful nowadays because of the high incidence of skin cancer. But a lot of women, even if they use high factor sunscreen, still use fake tan because it looks good – in moderation. And I still know a surprising number of sun worshippers who pride themselves on being as dark brown as possible.