Little luxuries

That's four days running now that I've been out in the car while Gill stays at the farm and does useful stuff. Today it was a trip to Lidls to pick up shopping that we couldn't do on Tuesday. Two trips to Xania, and two to Rethymnon. Tomorrow we're off to Xania (3 in one week?) but this time we're taking the bus. Halleluah! A day off.

As you ask, the car service went off with only a minor drama or two. I won't go into detail. Betty should be fine for the beginnings of winter now. Speaking of winter we've been lighting the stove in the evenings for the last few days - not you understand because it's so cold but simply because it's a sensuous and comforting experience. I light it when we go up with coffee around 11 and we sit on our huge sofa with the stove going, dissect the day, maybe watch a DVD, and luxuriate in the sheer wrap around warmth and scent of the wood burning. It also turns out that the ashes are a great free fertiliser and slug repellent and now that we've got the ashcan that the Farm twins made they will be put to proper use. At the end of a session with the stove we get off to sleep easily after a brief (sometimjes too brief) session with our books. Soon, no doubt, the stove will become an essential but for now it is pure luxury. Indulgence if you will.

We had mail today from Aunty Pingu who was here a while back and she included some great photographs of her stay. It is not often that we get photographs of the two of us together (one of us is always taking the shot - usually Gill). Some nice profile shots - you can tell she's an artist just by the composition and framing - maybe not a photographer but she knows the human form.

That's two real, old fashioned, letters we've had in as many weeks. What a wonderful form it is. So, if anyone is thinking of writing to us in pen, on paper, in an envelope, please do!

It just occurred to me that tomorrow is the last weekday of this week and I'll have been out every single day! More importantly I've been out on my own every day. That will not serve as a model for the future. We spend our time together.