Unremittingly cheerful

No - not me: the combination of wishing my family lived closer, the condition that a military friend used to refer to as "the sads" after intense activity (military or simply life) followed by a return to normality, and the weather which already seems, despite some sunshine, to be flowing effortlessly into autumn rendered me decidedly uncheery today. The flowerpots outside the kitchen window, however, go on making me smile - and if you look closely at the photo above you'll see I'm not alone in liking them: there's a furry (and slightly blurry because of movement) bee busy in a red nasturtium. Yes, I know - I've used them before, but there are more blooming now ...

The second Sunday of our church vacancy was once more presided over by Canon Paddy, who arrived in Dunoon to retire only to find herself at the start of one vacancy and is now playing a storm in another. There was an admission to the Episcopal church from another denomination today - there's quite a steady flow of people who find their spiritual home with us. I was barely able to sing this morning because of this wretched dry cough which I suspect is linked to seasonal allergy, as I had one last summer too. I seem to specialise in the irresistible useless coughing that makes you feel your eyes are popping out.

Di came for coffee and chat; the sun vanished and was replaced by a sudden downpour that stopped as quickly as it began. We had the usual late bite to eat and promptly fell asleep over the Observer, but roused ourselves to have a walk up the farm road at Ardyne. We talked - but didn't sing - to some black young bulls who were mucking about at the fence of their beach-side field - one who was tugging at a long length of plastic piping desisted and climbed out of a ditch with a look of "Who? Moi? Not doing anything ..."

I've slept on and off for ages in front of the telly. I''m still rather full of food from dinner - it was rather good, if simple. Tomorrow the weather is forecast to be rather foul and we're hoping to sail on PS Waverley.

As you do.