In the exhaustingly hot and sunny Home City centre we met with a friend of mine, who was spending a Saturday showing the city for her new au-pair girl - we caught up with them as they were having lunch.

There was a lot going on today, what with it being a Bank Holiday weekend and the Hometown's Lord Mayor's Show and the Continental Market weekend. The four of us wandered around, I had a lot of catching up to do with my friend. We sat in the shade, watched the colourful parade glide past us with its floats and music and dancers, and talked and laughed and ate Belgian waffles and candied fruit (which apparently gross Jim out to no end).

Me and Jim went to do more shopping in Lush (more soaps and hair treatments and body powders and such things), and then wandered off to the Continental Market, which was small and crowded, but laid-back and interesting all the same. There we shopped for Mediterranean olives and fruit and almondy biscuits, looked at all the little stalls of crafts and thingies. We sat on the grass underneath a linden tree and had a stall lunch of spicy French sausages and creamy, oniony potatoes.

The heat was getting to us, but there were problems with the busses, so we decided to be brave and walk home. Oh, my poor little feet. We detoured on the way to some of the small shops closer to home, bought bits and pieces for the house.

Now I think we've had about as much action as is needed for today. My bag of sweet strawberries is waiting in the fridge, as are some Sea Breeze coctails, and the ice trays in the freezer are all full and icy and inviting...

before & after