For the love of the library

Evening sunlight shimmers through the organza curtain, inducing temporary blindness. Plock-plock of tennis balls on Centre Court at Wimbledon. I am wearing shorts, and drinking G and T.

This morning was a different country. Grey and grim. I put on my jeans that were almost holed because I was cold and had forgotten that Bishop Brennan, I mean Declan, was coming to school. Our children sat still for a half hour whole school assembly. Fabulous! Tempers were bound to flare later. The occasion was the octocentenary of the English Dominican Congregation.

Afterwards I went to the library. I had forgotten how good it is, despite recent cutbacks. The coalition and the Conservative government don't support libraries. I ended up with six heavy books. One of them was the one I blipped. When I hear the phrase Middle Eastern, I think of Arabic food, because I have visited Bahrain only. But this book contains Jewish recipes, which are fabulous, because many of the Passover ones are gluten free. Mmmm. What to try first? Maybe Chocolate, almond and pear cake?

I took the bus home with the books under my arm. Bomble and a psychotic red cat that I am going to call Needypuss were having a fight in the back garden. It was so loud I could hear it from the front room! I went out and attempted to throw a small empty flower pot at Needypuss but he slunk off back through the fence. I fed Bomble, got changed and then we both had a long zizz in the sunny cabin, until I got round to perusing my library books.

I think I just need to give up work so I can carry on reading and making things.