Primary canoes

We'd been warned earlier in the week that our electricity supply would be interrupted this morning, but still I forgot about it and couldn't figure out for a while why the phone was ringing and ringing and ringing without the answering machine kicking in. Like so many other things, it's only where you're without it that you realise how much we rely on electricity for almost every aspect of our daily lives. For two hours, I was cut off from the outside world (well, slight exaggeration), and had to resort to a bit of pre-party housework to pass the time. Switch-on had been scheduled for 1.00 pm, but the various appliances through the house kicked into life shortly after 12.30. Time for brunch, so.

And then it was time to head for Clontarf and Dollymount and the Bull Wall in search of a blip. Yesterday's rain passed over during the night and today got better and better as time went by. It was very, very hazy and a bit windy, but there was a actually a touch of summery warmth in the air, which made it very pleasant to be out and about. I was enjoying myself thoroughly, there seemed to be something blippable everywhere I turned, and I felt I could keep going indefinitely, but ... I'd stupidly forgotten to take a spare battery pack with me, and the dreaded low-battery warning flashed up all too soon. This pile of brightly coloured canoes (kayaks?) was actually the last shot I managed to squeeze out of the dying battery which was in the camera.

It was probably just as well that I was forced to call a halt, as there's still a lot to be done to get things ready for tomorrow night's party. As it was, I spent far too long playing around with this to make it just that little bit punchier and to get it close to what had caused me to turn my head and point the camera in the first place. Enough is enough, it's now going on for 6.00 pm, and there's serious tidying and dusting and vacuum cleaning to be done. Food won't be too much bother, since I've decided to stretch the 60s/70s theme to that as well and recreate the sandwiches, cocktail sausages and chilli offerings I remember from all those wonderful parties I went to 'in the good old days'. Food and drink shopping can wait until morning. This evening will be devoted to house preparations and organising lots of bits of nonsense for the Eurovision aspect of the party. Am I beginning to regret saying I'd do this? Not at all. It'll all be great fun, and I'm aiming to be more stress-free than I usually am when I have people in.