Midges

Walking in an unlovely part of Colliers Wood today, there was a lovely fresh smell of spring around that suddenly reminded me of the long road trip that Daddy and I did when he was living in Rome. I was a teenager and in a foul mood for the whole trip, but now all I remember is driving around with Daddy - a long avenue of cypresses and Mozart on the tape deck, a walled garden viewed from a motorway in Tuscany, a lakeside in Austria, Daddy's incredible corny jokes...

While Al is riding, I take the dog for a walk around Morden Hall Park and environs. There's a terrific old house nearby called Wandle Villa, mostly hidden from the road by hedges, with extensive grounds sloping down to the Wandle. The neighbourhood is terrible, with a grisly council estate lapping at its edges, but the house itself is wonderful.

Went to HMV to buy the Frozen soundtrack for Loggy's birthday. The young Indian guy at the counter said, Buy any of these DVDs, only £2.99, and indicating Sandra Bullock's The Blindside, That one's really good. I'm going to get it myself. I'd actually heard of the movie and wouldn't mind seeing it and the guy was so enthusiastic, I thought, Young man, you have made yourself a sale - so I bought it. Which just goes to show what a little salesmanship can do. HMV should give the guy a bonus - he's going to go far.

Oh, why is this post called Midges? Because there were millions of the horrible things infesting the banks of the Wandle today. I was walking around with my scarf over my mouth and nose like a burqa. Yack!