poliphilo

The downstairs radiators have given up working. Peter- who was here on Tuesday unblocking a sink- says he can probably get out to us next Thursday. Young people take notice: if you're looking for a career where'll you'll never be short of work and never have to face redundancy, choose plumbing.

The loss of the radiators is no great hardship because we have electric heaters stockpiled in case of just such an emergency. They do the job.

The bird feeders are very busy. I've been putting out coconut shells filled with specially constituted peanut butter. The difference between peanut butter that's fit for birds and the peanut butter Elvis used to wolf down is salt.

We have discovered tea. I've been drinking the stuff all my life so it's odd that it's taken me this long to inform myself about it and begin to discriminate. There's a company called High Teas that stocks all manner of exotic varieties- and we're working our way through the catalogue. I find I much prefer Darjeeling to Assam and Ailz and I are both mightily enthused by a powerfully dark and smoky leaf called Tsar Nicholas Russian Caravan. I'll bet Rasputin loved it too...