Could be worse

I haven't made bread for absolutely ages. But we finally exhausted the freezer stock, so I got the starter out of the fridge and perked it up. This batch didn't get off to a good start though -- I shoved it in the fridge overnight halfway through the first prove as I was going out and it was too hot to leave it at room temperature. This morning I took it out, let it return to room temperature, did a stretch and fold for luck, then shaped it and left it in the steamy kitchen while I did what seemed like a million other things. By the time I got it into the oven it was certainly over-fermented, so I tipped the loaves swiftly into the casseroles and hoped for the best. Not bad at all. And with all the other stuff I was doing I finally got lunch on the table at 3 pm.

I missed swimming in the morning. So when it rained at about six, I thought: great, there won't be anyone else there. By the time I got there at seven it was sunny but very windy. To my surprise there were half a dozen teenagers there, huddled by the pool house ... no-one was swimming. So I leapt in and whizzed up and down a dozen times. At one point it started raining, and the sunlit drops looked very pretty bouncing off the water.

Last night Ingrid invited us over for dinner, and I am happy to report that at 7 pm S was up and dressed, ready to go. We had a nice evening -- S didn't stay late but it was an achievement for him to get out of the house. And he's been up and out today too. So glad he's feeling a bit better.