Ok, hands up, who's missing Autumn? Who is longing for layers of clothing? The smell of the countryside rich with the heady aroma of blackberries, mushrooms, fallen leaves and smoke on the air? Who longs to feel the breeze toy with their hair? The sound of a cork being extracted from a rich, full bodied bottle of red wine, the rattle of a pan lid on the hob as the steam gathers in a stew, the thud on the carpet of un-solicited Christmas brochures. Oh me, me, me my hand is firmly thrust in this humid air, down with summer and it's oppression - up with dark nights and brooding skies!

I've got the mobile phone - which is why I have gone a little quiet over the last few days. It's ever so complicated, I can do everything except orchestrate world peace on it (although there may be a button for it somewhere). You should have seen me in the shop, I was putty in Brendan's hands. He bamboozled me with 'hip' terms, apparently I have got to 'rinse' my minutes - you tell me!
Anyway, for the techno lot out there it's an Ericsson K800i and I like it. The ladyfriend is at the end of her tether as our once indepth conversations regarding current events have dissolved into the odd grunt as I fumble with my ringtones.

Ah summer, you know when the kids are off when the traffic lightens, ice lolly wrappers are seen on the pavement and fields catch fire! Yesterday I returned from work to see the meadow behind my street reduced to scorched stubble. Little bastards. My heart stopped as I thought of the field mice scampering in terror as the flames swept across the hillside.
As we are currently in the middle of a heat wave we have had to sleep with windows wide open, last night the air was thick with the scent of charcoal, I woke up smelling like a packet of smokey bacon crisps.
Off to Eastbourne this weekend, the sea breeze will be just the ticket. I may have the luxury of an eight hour sleep.

I've opened up a hornets nest, I am perusing the mobile phone market. I need to go on one of those monthly things as calling the ladyfriend is racking up a bit, I'll not be able to buy myself life's small pleasures if I stay on pay as you go. Trouble is there are so many to choose between, do I want style or substance? Some of them are quite ghastly, I want something that will sit nicely in the pocket and not ruin the cut of my slacks. I don't want to do myself a mischief and remove my appendix if I sit down quickly, there's lot to consider.

It's shocking how a simple decision, something fairly innocuous, something moribund, something run of the mill can have such a devastating impact on other people's lives. I'm not talking about the choice of flying long haul and it's impact on climate change and the occupants of the rain forest and I'm not alluding to those northern people that decide to blow the housekeeping on the gee gees, and I'm certainly not going to mention the sort of choices poor Sophie had to make. No, I want to tell you about this morning....
...I arrived early to work and as I am not yet familiar with the area I decided to potter about in the motor and see where I might be able to score (not smack but snacks for lunch) I had plenty of time on my hands and it wasn't long before I had got myself a little lost and I decided enough was enough, time to turn around. I stopped the car, indicated and waited for the oncoming traffic to clear so I could pull in to a side street. The lady behind me stopped too. We waited. I pulled away only to hear a god almighty bang, a woman BEHIND the woman waiting for me hadn't stopped! Oh dear. I quietly slipped away leaving a scene of carnage.
So, my decision to leave too early for work ruined two people's day. It will drag on for months, insurance claims do. All because of me.

Well it looked good on paper but then so does communism. Two weeks on Bodmin Moor in a cloth tent is perhaps not everyone's idea of fun and sadly it wasn't ours either. We came home after a week. It wasn't just the flies, the damp or the filthy shower blocks and it certainly wasn't just the early morning wake up calls of the farmer's tractor that drove us home. We DID have a nice time only the culmination of early mornings and lack of sleep, riffy conditions and the scent of mildew became too much to handle. I think it was the driving rain that swung it. It started off lovely, scorching summer sun, swimming in the sea, winding lanes and picturesque fishing villages, basking shark watching and alfresco dining (we must of eaten our body weight in homous) We did get back to nature and if you like duck poo I'd recommend Bodmin Moor to anyone but two weeks was just not our idea of a summer holiday - we came home looking like those two off 'On golden pond' it'll take surgery to lift these bags.
Anyway, we're off down to Eastbourne to spend the rest of our holiday in the lap of luxury CARPET, HOT WATER, BATHROOM, a KITCHEN! Benidorm next year or perhaps even Margate but you wont find me trudging across a field to have a piddle.