For a change...

My daughter, who lives on the internet, told me off last night for trolling with yesterday's blip. I was shocked; I thought I was just alleviating my frustration with the weather, not behaving like DailyMailReader* on Guardian Comments**. So, for anyone who feels trolled, I'm sorry; there are no mountains in Oxfordshire nor anywhere near, only mountainous quantities of cloud. But you knew that already, didn't you!

I contemplated putting on waders and taking today's blip from under a bridge, then something much better happened...

Immediately after I was made redundant, three weeks ago today, I got in touch with my employer-before-last asking whether she'd be a referee for my job applications. A week ago she asked whether I might like some freelance work. Today I went to talk about it. On Monday I start - two days a week, probably for a couple of months.

As I came dancing out of our meeting, into fabulous sunshine with not a mountain in sight, I saw this basking umbrella/parasol locked to a bicycle. It sort of summed up everything.

Glossary for those outside the UK:
*A right wing UK national newspaper. Its readers use 'Guardian reader' as a term of abuse.
**The closest the UK gets to a left wing national newspaper. Its readers use 'Daily Mail reader' as a term of abuse.

PS - It's raining again now.