November 04, 2006: Almost Alone

waste-paper catPicture: Rosemary eschews the elaborate cat baskets in favour of the waste paperbasket kept by the stove to start fires.

Tony is on a flying visit to the UK and Mia is on scout camp for the weekend so Gwen and I are alone. I picked the last grapes on November 1st and have just been making redcurrant jelly with juice collected in July and since stored in the freezer. We went out to the coast today to our secret place for sloes and there were loads even though it is rather late in the year so we got a good bag full and if Tony comes back with some gin we can get the Christmas sloe gin going as soon as possible.

We have had snow, hail and frost but none of it causing mobility problems. Now that is a bit early.

Gwen has just been introduced to instant messaging and is corresponding with a Spanish girl in an effort to raise the standard of both their written English. Perhaps that is too muchto hope for but both were keen today on their first ‘meeting’.