Friday to Monday.

Home again, having had a very relaxing time with my Aristocratic Best Friend. We pottered in the garden and talked non-stop. I love to hear stories of her aristocratic family; they are all out of this world, rather like characters in an Evelyn Waugh novel.And they are all incredibly rich (the sort of rich that doesn't buy designer clothes or smart cars, but never wants for anything). BF has never had to work to earn her living. She lives on the proverbial Trust Fund. And yet she works very hard every day, mostly in her garden. It's not the kind of work that most of us would associate with real life, but she would be genuinely surprised to think that she is considered elite - though she definitely is. She is surprisingly plebeian however, in her choice of newspaper. I only ever read this tabloid when I visit her, and am horrified at the poison it drips into the mind. ABF had me wondering, by the end of the weekend, whether Madeleine McCann's parents had caused their daughter's disappearance or even death. I just don't believe it - but it's amazing what a newspaper can do with a lot of suggestion and circumstantial
evidence. It's pure scandal and sensation and it obviously sells newspapers. Thankfully I'm back home now, and can ignore the awful drip drip of insane repetition that wears away at reason and integrity.


We did actually spend an awful lot of time eating - the risotto, which I cooked for lunch with friends on Saturday, was a great success, and we also went out to Sunday Lunch in a country pub, and had roast beef, yorkshire pudding and loads of veg. We sat overlooking the High Weald on a glorious afternoon, outside in the sunshine, and enjoying the food and a very good wine. Not surprisingly, we ate very little in the evenings. I went to bed early and consequently have nearly finished reading the latest Harry Potter. I'm not giving anything away, but it is very exciting and somehow very satisfactory to be coming to the end of a saga that has defined childrens' literature for the last few years. I wonder what will come next - and there's sure to be something wonderful out there. Books are forever.