CALLERS

At a quarter to five this morning I was sitting in my bedroom by the open window, drinking a cup of coffee and watching our resident foxes dealing efficiently with a dead wood pigeon. Across the lane in the field there was a rising mist and the first finger of sunrise was tinting the sky with a delicious shade of pale pink. The breeze from the river was fresh and cool, the whole scene was prefect. I had slept very little as the pain was bad last night and yet I felt almost blessed to be there to see such wonders as the sun catching the dew on the lawn and turning each drop into a glittering diamond, flashing blue and red.
My next callers were the blue tits who queued politely to take turns at the water bowl and after them the wren. Out lordly blackbird was prospecting for worms along the grass paths with great success,as the watering we did yesterday has brought the worms to the surface.

Gradually people began to appear in the lane, some with dogs, some to catch a train in to town,I made another coffee, went back to bed as my toes were cold and fell asleep at last.
He next thing I knew the gate squeaked on its hinges telling me that my son was home from work, I put the kettle on again and made more coffee while he made the toast and we had breakfast together.

Well before nine there was a knock at the door, it was Tom come to service our gas boiler. I asked him if he minded doing next door first, gave him the key and set about making Pa respectable. An hour or so later Tom returned. Tom is a great favourite with us, he is a real live Peter Pan, he is thirty but looks about seventeen. He is kind,hard working and funny. The last time he was here his wife was expecting a child and soon afterwards their little boy Charlie was born. Tom always has time for a chat and loves home made cookies so we get on famously. The firm he works for are the most honest people you could wish to meet, a real bonus in these times. After he had finished the service he went off to meet his wife and during his lunch break brought young Charlie for a visit. We had imagined a pretty child but Charlie was much more than pretty, he was splendid in every way, bright, beautiful, rosy cheeked and with a mass of blond curls, cute just does not come close. He is also the image of Tom, a real daddy boy. We were thrilled to see the child and honoured that Tom had taken the time to bring him ., he is such a dear.

The next caller was a huge bumble bee, the biggest I have ever seen. It bumbled in through the open door but could not find its way out again, we offered assistance and finally the bee was back in the garden and peace was restored. I must tell you at this point that my little cat has recently taken a dislike to bumble bees , just last week she sat down on a large one and it took the usual measures to defend its self. Now it is a case of once bitten, well once stung, twice shy. Twiggy now takes the presence of bees in the house as a personal affront, there is bound to be trouble before long.

The day passed so quickly that I had no time for the garden today but as I was tired and as the forecast for the week promises fair weather I shall not fret about it. Some times it is nice to just relax in to the day and let things happen, so it was today.

For dinner we had a summer soup with fresh bread and jelly or shortcake to follow. The sun is still shinning as I write and I am hoping as the sky is clear to watch the moon rise tonight, she was almost at the full last night and as beautiful as a dream. She and the old tawny owl will, I hope, be my last callers of the day.