Wet.

It has been raining for most of the day. Not much temptation to do any outside work. Looking at the holes and cracks in the woodwork I realised I would be much better off using builders' caulk from one of those tubes you put in a plunger mechanism instead of mixing up some filler and trying to push it in with an old knife. As Peter was already going into town I asked him to get me some and put the filling on hold until tomorrow.

Instead I had a very domestic day, tidying up around the place and doing some extra cleaning.  I also made a batch of chocolate and coconut cookies. Peter only eats one a day but had run out of the last lot I baked. They're just my usual chocolate chunk cookies with cocoa and a handful of desiccated coconut added.

This evening my Pilates exercise class started up for the summer term. We had a number of new people bringing us up to 20. I didn't arrive early enough to get a space in the back row where I like to hide and had to settle for the next row down. The only disadvantage in being so far back is that when our tutor comes down off the stage and walks along checking to see how well we are holding a position is that it can be a struggle to look as if we are still doing the exercise correctly by the time she reaches the back. At one point two older ladies behind me got a long fit of the giggles something it's hard not to do. Being ever the individualist a couple of times when we had to lie down flat I ended up facing the opposite way to everyone else. However it did mean that I had a good view of the tutor and it was quite amusing being able to see everyone else. Our tutor does keep reminding us that we know how far to push our bodies though she does encourage us to join back in once we've had a rest. I've been consoling myself that apart from my personal disabilities and general lack of fitness at the age of nearly 62 I can't expect to be totally flexible. However tonight we were told that there won't be a class next week as our ultra fit and flexible tutor will be celebrating her 60th birthday. I would have said she was in her 40s. That's my excuse gone. And I found out that she's only been teaching Pilates for 2 or 3 years, I think she was a fitness instructor before. We do our exercises to a varied selection of music and we often are relaxing in some sort of stretch to Albatross by Fleetwood Mac which certainly stands the test of time. It takes me back to the first year of our marriage(1976) when it was often played in our local pub, The Crabtree.

With all the rain and recent warm weather the trees are beginning to green up. A few more weeks and all the beech hedgerows should turn green as well. I shall miss watching for the first patches of vivid green along the country lanes. Still once the last main jobs are done in the house and garden we'll have the time for our beach and country walks again.