Is

this the colour for our walls ? Mrs Enzo is the only person who can decide: I have no say in this. There is an issue of matching the strawberries in the William Morris curtains.

Today I ordered blipfoto calendars, and realised how wonderful the blipbooks could be - but to exploit the idea to the full, I should keep a fuller journal, not just the blips.

Today we had tea with my brother, who I see too little of. His son F. is back from Khartoum about now - apparently the respect there for teachers is such that when he enters the room, the colonels and brigadiers of the Northern Army, who failed to show much respect for anything in Darfur, all stand. Other son P. is away inspecting a proofing press and some type - possibly founders' - which has come up for sale.

Brother's own typecasting machinery - one of the last Monotype houses - has been used for making small ingots of chocolate, as well as fonts of Caslon Old face. I missed the village fete this year because of giving a tutorial dayschool for the OU; a clash to try to avoid in 2012.

We took a Dundee cake from the bakery in Newtown Road, and some fancies ("petits fours" - but all made of marzipan) for tea, and had fun navigating the complexities of shortcuts through Cheltenham on the way home. My programming of the clever cooker had worked and the stew was hot and welcoming. Now I am uploading from beside the woodburner, replete with good food, a Grand Vin de Bordeaux, and the first of three cups of coffee.