Happy Families

Last night, as the sun melted into a mauve sunset, Nathan and I went for a walk across the Heath. I took the opportunity to have a good whinge about the Lincolnshire commission. The whole business has made me feel incredibly angry and I vowed not to let things rest until a satisfactory conclusion had been reached. Just being able to moan for a while made me feel much calmer, so we watched the people flying enormous kites at the top of Parliament Hill and met a dog called Lupin before taking ourselves off to Tops Pizza. We spent the rest of the evening watching episodes of True Blood, which felt like a very relaxing way to spend a night.

It’s been a beautiful day today; the finest sort of British summer day. I don’t know anywhere in the world that can rival this sort of weather; the fresh breeze, the greenness of the trees, the softness of the grass. When the weather’s like this, everyone in London seems to burst into colour. It's almost as though we've suddenly forgotten those long days of rain and are all falling in love once again with this extraordinary place. How many other cities in the world are filled with so many woods and heaths and parks? On a day like today, London is the greatest city in the world.

Nathan and I met Fiona and Vicky 'Cello in Waterlow Park for a little picnic. We ate whilst the sun burnt our foreheads and the smell of dope wafted over from a grungy-looking bloke sitting the other side of the lawn. I did some composing, Vicky sewed some straps onto a dress, Fiona bought ice cream and Nathan ate a banana sandwich. Perfect. Fiona was suffering from a bad back, however, and has taken herself off to an osteopath. I don’t know what it is about bad backs at the moment, but it seems the world is suffering from them.

A dull day for Pepys 350 years ago, which was spent catching up on work after so long an absence from the Nazeby. Pepys was careful to point out that he was still ignoring Mr Pierce the Surgeon but that he’d had his supper with Mr Piece the Purser, whom he liked a great deal more. Sometimes reading Pepys’ Diary is a bit like playing a game of Happy Families! “Is Mr Pierce the Purser in his cabin?” The weather was still foul but everyone hoped that as soon as it improved the King and Duke of York would come on board and the history-making journey back to England would begin.