Sunday, 20 January: Rainy afternoons are for pottering

Climate change is playing its tricks. Last summer we had a searing drought and soaring temperatures which left everyone drained and irritable. This year it began raining in spring and it hasn't stopped yet. So this wet, damp Sunday afternoon has been ideal for pottering around. Dusting figurines like the crinoline lady embroidering and the mother reading a bedtime story to her children. Polishing silver. Tweaking cushions, shifting furniture an inch or two and picking roses in between showers, all the while grateful for my home-sweet-home. Tristram and Galahad follow me faithfully from room to room, flopping down in corners and sighing every time I move on.