The weather has been absolutely beautiful all day today. The sun was shining when I arose, and, apart from a few minutes of light mist and drizzle this morning, it has been shining all day. I did have to wear a cardigan over my t-shirt when I walked round to the baker's just before lunch, but when I went to the recycling centre at about three this afternoon, it was too warm for two layers. As I write, at six-twenty, the sky is still clear, although the sun is on its way down. It's just a shame that I didn't get out, except to the recycling centre and the supermarket. I sat for a while in the dining-room reading the newspaper (when I really ought to have been sitting in the garden - but this is just not normal weather for the last day of September!), before deciding to harvest my elder and rowan trees of their berries. I have two rowans; one of which gives red berries, the other yellow. I thought it better to leave them on the trees, because they are exceptionally colourful and I'm not going to eat them. The elderberries are a different matter, however. I think that there are probably about 4-5 kilos of berries on the tree; more than enough to make a big tub of elderberry ice-cream! That is what I will be doing tomorrow, and then I will probably transfer some of those kilos on to my waistline!

30 September 2004 and 30 September 2005