Upper Dorrington Terrace, Stroud

Wow, what heat! I walked to Waitrose this afternoon, thinking it would be quiet because there was an England game on. Turns out that other people had had the same idea...

On the way back I passed this handsome terrace, set on a bend in the road, half way up a hill. The front gardens are communal. Mr Dorrington was, I believe, a person of local importance, and there's a Lower Dorrington terrace, too, on the busy London road, in the valley. Both handy for Waitrose and town. Of course, Aldi's store will soon be built, though I don't see myself nipping out in searing heat to cross Stroud for a jar of cheaper mayo. Walking is different.

Apart from this excursion, I've mainly been reading Summer by the Lake, by Erica James. It has made me want to visit Lake Como in summer. Tuscany and Rome are the only parts of Italy I've visited: there's room for more! My friend Dave has been texting me about his train-themed holiday in Wales. It sounds amazing. Bala Lake today, and Llangollen. God, I want a holiday! And I don't mean cat sitting in Shepperton.

Now, armed with a glass of wine, I'm off to make Caesar dressing with the mayo I bought earlier. We have decided to clear a particularly terrible area of the garden, and use it as a shaded area, as our garden is short on shade. I guess this will be my task, I'm the demolition squad. But I'm going to wait till it cools down a bit, before donning jeans and a fleece to tackle the nettles, brambles and goose grass.

Final score today: England 6, Panama 1. Dare I say it? Things are going rather well for England in the group stage.
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