Summertime...

We'd been promised sun and heat in our part of Scotland today, and though it was a little later than anticipated, both materialised by the afternoon. The morning was strangely busy - I'm realising how time can fly by in online encounters, and what with the church service (have I said before how having a live service online as opposed to a recording seems to keep us in the habit of attending at the usual time?), the conference call coffee with friends and a sudden, unexpected and totally hilarious Instagram video chat with our oldest grandchild , the morning was over before we knew it.

A word about the familial hilarity? Father's Day. It was never something we bothered about - did it exist at all in my youth? - and when an unexpected gift arrived the other day we assumed it was from a son and must be for Father's day. Then two cards came, from the granddaughters and their father, and that settled it. Not that we did anything - merely noted that today must be the day right enough. Mr PB caused some consternation in the heart of our other son when he rang to say thank you, and it was he who informed us we'd got it wrong. Then Catriona found out (her 9 year old sister asked Google: "ok, Google, when is Father's Day?) and decided the joke would have to run now ...

By now the garden was hot, a blaze of colour in the sun, and we moved outside. There was a shed to clear, though only a bit - we've ordered a sunshade, for the first time in 50 years, and need somewhere to store it. (It'll probably rain all summer now). I was supposed to be taking things easy, but by 5 o'clock we felt a need to go to the sea. I'm blipping a view from the end of the shore-side road called The Ardyne, looking towards Bute on the right and the island of Cumbra further down the Firth. I think it looks hot - this was almost 7pm, and it was. There was barely a breath of air, and the Ardyne burn was creeping into the still water of the low tide. 

This, then, is for people who think Scotland is perpetually grey and damp. Californians wouldn't call it hot, but it was perfect. I'll stick in another garden shot for good measure - the hot colours of the flowers that are out just now. And then I'll go to bed: dinner finished at 9.45pm and everything's been late since...