Summer returns.....

The sun shone today. Did you hear that?? The sun shone !! Then there was a thunderstorm and the rain came and now the ground is steaming. However, the weekend is apparently going to be very hot. VERY hot. There is a little life left in the summer of 2010, it seems.

Today we went down the mountain. And Jean, we have your umbrellas for the garden. I have some too. (Jean went home a few days ago.) We also managed to get a very large and beautiful garden pergola/canopy thingy into a very small car. Marge and I unpacked it in the car park, and then managed to squeeze it in, as well as the 3 of us. I was sitting with the side panels neatly over my head. I had to limbo dance into and out of the seat, and hold on to poles as we drove up the mountain. Mother was clutching them from the rear seat too. A bargain. On sale. We do love bargains.

David mowed the lawns, I watered, and Marge sorted out the pots, and then we stopped because it rained. But it looks good. Tomorrow we can flop and enjoy pottering. I need to sleep late and have a lazy day. So does my sister, who moves at warp speed all the time.

The car is fixed. For a small fortune. However, there is a very interesting note at the bottom of the invoice stating (in bold type complete with exclamation marks) that " when the cam belt is replaced, the water pump must be replaced at the same time, and in this case the water pump was NOT replaced." In German, which is exceedingly helpful. But I will translate.

There is a certain car dealership which will be receiving a visit from me in the very near future. I sense a battle looming. Yet another one. As 60% of the cost of the repair was to remove and replace the engine, when I already had to pay for that when the cam belt was done, it seems a little unfair. Grossly negligent in fact. The new water pump cost peanuts in comparison. But it goes, which is the most important part.

Our time here is drawing to an end. It has gone by so fast, you know. And here I am in a familiar position....torn in so many different directions. Family here, there and everywhere, and me whirling about in the middle like a headless chicken. I can't be everywhere, can I, and yet, wherever I am, I feel guilty about not being in the other places. Someone asked me where I want to be. I don't know. I am not used to thinking about what I may want. Those are dreams, not reality.

I know that I want to laugh more and worry less. I want to relax more, instead of spending so much time braced for what comes next. AKA tense. Wishful thinking, perhaps. Or just a dream.

So.... I think I will be back in my forests while the sun shines over the weekend, if I can persuade my son to come with me. Maybe the small waterfall. Maybe the lake. Maybe the river. Maybe the grotto. We will see. Have a lovely weekend!