Baby...

When I went out into the grey misty garden first this morning, I noticed that every one of our Cistus flowers had a baby banded-snail inside, less than 0.5cm long, and delicately translucent. I know not everyone is fond of snails, but I think you have to admit they're rather sweet at this stage.

The rest of the day seems to have galloped away from me. This morning was spent working on identifications and reports, and then at lunch time I took Alex and Ben into town to buy some new clothes. The afternoon was spent doing this and that, and preparing a barbeque for tea, to celebrate the coming heatwave.

We sat out in the dark, with candles lighting the table, and ate our meal in glorious still velvety warmth, much warmer than any evening we had during the so-called summer, when it always seemed to be windy.

The sky was clear and we gazed up at the stars - The Summer Triangle formed by the stars Vega, Deneb and Altair , the constellation of Cygnus high above us and orange Arcturus. We used to spend a lot of time star-watching when the boys were younger, and I'd forgotten what fun it is.