Too hot to move

We're indoors in our house in Contrada Papariello.  The doors are all shut and the house is in darkness with several fans moving the sluggish air around.  It's nearly midday and outside it's 40c, inside the thermometer sticks stubbornly at 30c, day and night.  Only a break in the weather can bring the temperature down.  The caper plant on our stone steps is thriving however on the odd teaspoon of water Sue feeds it.  It's now flowered, giving the plaster Easter Island figure a floral garland that has turned its tight-lipped expression into almost a grin.

Yet again months have gone by since I last wrote in this blog.  I've been busy, but also not inclined to write for reasons I can't pin down.

Flitting from the UK to Puglia we've now finished decorating and upgrading the flat in Newark.  Now all we need to do is put some furniture in it.  I've done quite a few baby namings and weddings in the UK and to my surprise I'm in demand in Italy too for weddings.

A June wedding took me to a secluded valley in Sardinia, so Sue came too and we turned it into a week's holiday.  We revisited some old haunts from our journey in La Fulica in 2003, but spent most of our time in Alghero, the Catalan city near the North West corner of the island.  Using it as a base to look for beaches and the remains of the mysterious Nuragic civilisation.

Most evenings we spent strolling its balmy streets or people watching from cafe and restaurant tables.  One evening we were sat on the edge of a small concrete amphitheatre watching couples dance the tango as a blood orange sun sank into the wine dark sea.

We've had a few outings this year, in between ceremonies and Sue waiting for appointments to have her teeth examined, a persistent source of pain, preoccupation and anxiety for her.  In February we drove down to Devon to spend time with her sister Julie and her family and I took this picture coming back from a run on Minchinhampton Common.

Meanwhile Mrs Mac's new kitten has been weened and with luck looks set to be the latest addition to Contrada Papariello's feral pack.

While on the other side of the World Donald Trump and Kim Jon Un play with nukes like toys and the rest of try to decide whether this is just a game or something much more scary.