Summer verified

Warning: I'm literally falling asleep over the keyboard, and may well type mince before I'm done ... This because it's late, and I was up and out early to do the shopping. It seems even more sensible to do it as early as possible as there are more cases of Covid here than there have been to date, including people I know. 


I intend, by the way, to write something soon about spreading gloom and despondency in time of national anxiety - but not tonight!

By the time I'd finished the shopping and come home for breakfast, the glorious sunshine was raising the temperature and making me plan something to celebrate ... But first I had to do a couple of washings and hang them out. Then we had two phone calls, one after the other, from friends we've kept up with since university - one because he was sailing past Dunoon on the Waverley and wanted to say hello, the other because we've arranged to meet on board Waverley on Saturday and he was just checking we'd got tickets. We sat outside with our coffee and chatted with them and it felt as if we were on holiday, even though there was still mess from our return yesterday.

After lunch outside, and a doze over the papers, we organised ourselves for a trip to the beach. The best of the beaches is actually an hour's drive away - at least, it was this afternoon as the road was busy with drivers who clearly were stressed out by single track roads, and the last ten minutes were wasted trying to pass a large red car whose driver seemed incapable of reversing to the passing place not far behind him.

I'm blipping the view of Mr PB that I took while sunning myself to dry off after the fist sea swim of this year. I'd had to walk halfway to Arran (the mountains in the background) to get enough depth for a swim, but the tide was coming in over the warm sand and the water felt warm as long as I didn't stray too much further. I stayed in for just long enough not to get cold, then sat in the sun and dried off before getting dressed again. We wandered up the track over the machair and up through the nature reserve to the road, meeting a friend I'd not seen in ages and stopping to chat en route.  We were home at 7.30pm and I managed to rustle up an authentic stir-fry pork with wide noodles, dried mushrooms, garlic and pak choi - just perfect with a glass of chilled white. 

I still have sand between my toes. It may be far too late - but it's been an excellent day!