Working on the mojo

It didn't really work out as virtuously as all that, I have to confess, though I didn't loiter too long in bed after I'd sat up to have my tea, but I seemed to take an age after breakfast, finishing off and reading things on my phone as if my life depended on it. Much of this was triggered by a message from my #2 son marking his older daughter's last day at school - exam leave starts tomorrow - with a diptych of photos from today and from her very first day, in the same place, in the same pose. I'm putting it in as an extra just because ...

I realised mid-morning that it was turning into a lovely day, so after the Italian and the coffee we headed out to Benmore Gardens, which was probably less busy than it was at the weekend but is still a very different place from the solitude we find there off-season. They've managed to open up a new path or two, though the damage from Storm Eowyn looks more daunting than ever now that the fallen greenery has turned brown and dry. The pond area, however, is recovering its summer life, with the new growth both from under and around the water - the photo shows it looking west towards Loch Eck. We had an unexpected meeting with a couple we know slightly from singing in the same ad hoc choir once or twice, here for a brief holiday in the Lighthouse Cottage at Toward, which I'd love to do if it wasn't a bit crazy to travel seven miles for  a holiday...

The day progressed with the predictable dinner in mid-afternoon followed by an attempt to relax  except when I had to sort out the music for our next gig. Then to our penultimate rehearsal of the season - a second soprano and a second alto missing, but we worked hard and felt it was very productive. And as we walked home after a clear sky with the last vestiges of light, there was a blackbird singing ...

Finally, I want to say a big thank-you for the affirming commiserations on yesterday's encounter with the big dog. I sometimes wonder if I'm alone in the red rage I feel when these things happen, and it's lovely of you to make me feel more ... justified. Thank you.