Happiness is ...

A flask of coffee, a wooden refuge at the top of a hill, a view, sunshine after days of rain. We often talk of how good it would to get out in the morning, especially to Benmore Gardens, where the sun is gone behind the hill by early afternoon, and how it would be even better if we could have our coffee outside; today we planned to do just this and the forecast held and we did. There were no other visitors to the gardens, which are in fact officially closed for the winter. We chatted to one of the gardeners who said we could hold her up all we liked as we had both helped shape her life (how wonderful when a cheerful FP tells you that!) and ended our walk with a turn along the swollen river to marvel at its rushing.

A good morning. By mid-afternoon it was again cloudy and raining, and now it is colder. I hear there are more gales to come ...