True Blue.

The last true-blue warm evening of the summer was occupied taking Uncle Eddie's kayak for a spin on the North Sea. After almost an hour's searching, Ellie and Will located the boat and the three of us trooped down to the water - the two true adventurers in their swimming suits, me in a woolly jumper and scarf. I watched and photographed and soaked in the last of the sunshine, and Ellie and Will (real seafarers) took turns paddling out to sea. Sometimes it's nice to be the observer, and these photographs - so bright, so blue - remind how fun it was to spend the last sunny night of the season beside the rolling waves, watching my two best friends having a whale of a time.  

Sorella!

My beautiful and effervescent Ellie stopped in Bristol for a tragically fleeting four hours last week on the sunniest Saturday, bringing with her characteristic joy and fun, homemade scones and a lot of laughter.I hadn’t smiled so widely in weeks and her brief visit reminded me how lucky I am to have a best friend who also happens to share my genes!

We squeezed in a Brandon Hill picnic (is there a greater joy in life?), jumping on my already creaky bed (to spite the useless landlord?), a game of Rummy (Will is the most unsporting player because he doesn’t know the rules, which is fair enough, but Ellie and I like to taunt him), a bus trip (exciting!), a Lover’s Walk stroll (another of life’s most wonderful things), blueberries and tea with Philly (yum) and a stop to buy novels at the two-pound-bookshop (thrilling!)

Thanks for visiting, E. It was the very best day!

some things to tell you

Stadtamhof’s window boxes have never looked prettier.

It’s hot, the very definition of high summer. The banks of the river are mostly empty; I imagine every sensible person has retreated to their cool parlour for respite.

My bicycle is on its last legs. I think it may be suffering from heatstroke….

Ice-cream is the only acceptable snack. Even if you did just eat a full meal.

Tonight is my last night in my little island home (and I’m going to be spending it watching Fuβball of all things, but beside the Danube so everything’s peachy really) and I still can’t quite believe I was blessed enough to spend four seasons thirty seconds (at jogging pace) from Europe’s greatest river, in the prettiest city on Earth.