It ain't the heat ...

At least I think it's the humidity that, in conjunction with the rainforest moisture levels that are our flat's natural climate, is preventing me from achieving my optimal amount of beauty sleep. Since dark circles and bloodshot eyes aren't my idea of beauty, anyway. But I am enjoying the mid-twenties temperatures and sunshine. If only the whole summer stayed like this!

Jeff's latest quixotic mission has been to attain a barbecue in a country that is lagging far behind in outdoor-grilling technology. As usual I fretted and dithered unhelpfully, and he stubbornly persisted, spending all last night assembling a rather rickety and alarmingly inexpensive model. Tonight we had barbecue chicken, roasted red, yellow and green peppers and grilled mushrooms for dinner. Spectacular! Though Jeff made the mistake of muttering about the gas line not looking quite right, which guarantees I will spend barbecue nights huddled inside, far from any windows or items likely to shatter in an explosion.
(This is a reenaction of actual events - because we forgot to take the picture while the food was cooking.)

Last week I spent a day in the lovely countryside hunting for and then measuring ancient trees for the Ancient Tree Hunt, which was good fun. There is nothing more exhilarating than a Tuesday out of the office, enjoying sunshine and fresh air, having pints in a beer garden at 4 pm and feeling wonderfully naughty. (Even though we cleared our absences with our superiors - honest!)



We've also gone on a few more weekend rambles - probably the thing I'll miss most when we leave England. Here we're in the countryside near Reading. The bridge was built by Isambard Brunel, a pretty cool guy who has left his mark all over the country in the form of bridges, railways and Paddington Station. I am embarrassed that I hadn't even heard of him before moving here. I apparently need to read more books and fewer fashion mags.


My football (soccer) 'team' has joined a 5-aside league now, so we're trekking out to Abingdon once a week, where we inevitably get clobbered. I think we'll improve though. And here's a pop quiz: which of the following did I do in tonight's soccer training?
a)step on the ball while trying to stop an opposing forward, landing flat on my back, slightly winded
b)step on the ball while trying to deke out an opposing defender, landing flat on my back, slightly winded
c)wallop my own teammate with the ball in a rather sensitive area with a grievously misplaced kick (it was a guy)
The answer is, of course, all of the above. I can't figure out whether I pose more danger to myself or my teammates. Time will tell.