Heatwave in the UK

I wondered why I was so happy, happy, happy. The weather, of course. There is nowhere like these islands when the weather is as utterly beautiful as it has been this week. Everyone is going about mildly smiling. We haven't really had weather like this for a couple of years.

The flat hill tops and low meadows are golden where the grass has just been cut. The hedges rising up to the hill tops are as dark green as they would normally be in August. I believe this is because of all the rainfall last year. The water table is high. It could not be a more beautiful evening than it is tonight, with long shadows on the hills, swallows nesting in the eaves and all my different climbing roses coming out amongst the honeysuckle.

The red kites have at last got as far east as this. I've been watching them for a couple of years, moving about ten miles east every month. What spectacular birds. I was sunbathing and opened my eyes and there they were right above me. When I wasn't sunbathing I was recovering my vegetable garden after its two-year long period of ruination. It is a pure joy and looks like the perfect allotment. I pray that I will be able to keep it this way.

I could cry with happiness that the terrible work effort that has kept me from this blog for weeks and months is now coming to an end. Poor mankind, having to work for its living. We are the only animal that isn't allowed just to build a nest, and the only animal that seems to have to wear the livery of a building society or bank to keep body and soul together.

I started drinking a bit of alcohol every night to get through the last two months. It is great fun concocting things. This week it has been a rhubarb and ginger juice made into ice cubes and good neat vodka poured on top -- a kind of Wiltshire Moscow Mule.

RED KITE: Thank you Sue Tranter, who once gave me permission to use her pictures.