4^th.  Morgan invited me to his 14^th birthday party.  The weather was wonderful which was important because Morgan is a 14 year old golden retriever!  This lovely dog has had bad health all through his life and so my friend thought it was appropriate to celebrate.  We were able to sit in the garden and let her 3 dogs enjoy themselves while the humans didn’t exactly deprive themselves either.  I know that not everyone shares my passion for animals so I expect some of you will be shaking your heads but I sometimes wonder about myself too!

1^st to 14^th July.  Again the weather played a major role.  Of course it was the wonderful Wimbledon so I didn’t do as much Moving It during that fortnight.  Rain didn’t stop play so it was a daily marathon.  The timing wasn’t good though because on the day of the final I had arranged my annual family and friends strawberry tea.  It was the only date that everyone was free.  I crossed my fingers for good weather and it smiled on us. I spent much of the week before getting everything ready and on the day, the doors into the garden were open, the food laid out in the house,.  I don’t usually have the TV on when people come I gave in because the majority wanted to watch the final of the cricket.  We sat in the garden and everyone came and went into the house, the garden and the kitchen.  It was mayhem but I did so enjoy myself – nothing like the company of family and friends.  My bonus was that when everyone had gone, I was able to watch the end of tennis final which was also a marathon.

21^st July.  Again, hoping for a good weather day.  My daughter who plays saxophone in a jazz band, was gigging (yes, I think that’s the right word) in the park in the grounds of Tamworth Castle where there is a bandstand.  Say what you like about local councils but there’s music there every Sunday throughout the summer, so well done to the authorities for organizing that.  So many people came and we took a picnic. We were 10 in number and it seemed like a miracle when the sun shone for a time but it was hot and dry.  The park was crowded and like us, many had brought their picnics, rugs and chairs to enjoy the music.  It must be especially good for those who perhaps live in flats and don’t have access to a garden.  The downside was that I knew most of the numbers so my family ‘enjoyed’ hearing me sing along.

24^th July.  Emma was really kind to the Move It or Lose It class in view of the temperature and as usual, the hour sped by, even though it was good to have the support of a chair!

25^th July.  And so the weather continued to interfere with life.  That date was the hottest of all and in the interests of health and safety, my daughters decided to postpone my birthday treat which was a walk with alpacas.  It hardly seemed possible that I was changing my plans because it was too hot but warnings were being issued, advising everyone to stay out of the sun.  So many people had all sorts of plans upset.  I’ll now be with the alpacas on the 1st August so watch this space.

I’ve chosen 12^th to 18^th August which is National Allotment Week.  This might seem an odd choice but on a personal note, I remember during the war, we were asked to Dig for Victory.  We didn’t have an allotment but my father converted part of the garden to a vegetable plot so we did our bit.  It seems that allotments are important in so many ways, not the least of which is the social aspect and there’s nothing quite like a freshly picked tomato or strawberry.  I’ve got fruit trees in my garden which seem to have flourished this year (again the weather played a role)and my little cherry tree supplied 3 lb. of fruit which I took to a friend.  It’s been transformed into cherry jam which will be sold for charity.  She has access to a large allotment in the city which is an oasis in the middle of all the busyness that comes with city life and it  has featured on a TV programme.  There are approximately 330,000 allotments in the UK which I think is astonishing.  It’s an old British tradition and long may it continue.

Well, we’ve made in through a really odd July.  Let’s hope that August is kind to us.