A caterpillar on one of the plants in my garden. Very beautiful, does anybody know what it is?

Went on to BBC Sounds to find something to listen to while cooking dinner. There was a section “Recommended for you" and the first choice offered was a prog on DH Lawrence. Interesting!

Seems that it will take the Assisted Dying bill months if not years to get through the House of Lords. Isn’t there a danger that lots of people will die before we have time to kill them off?

From the book I’m currently reading:- “The secret of contentment is never to allow yourself to want anything which reason tells you you haven’t a chance of getting.” Makes a lot of sense to me.

Think I've learned something! Did a post which made reference to Radio 4 and got six likes, but all from people with a modest number of followers. Does that mean that Radio 4 listeners are a minority group on this platform?

Interesting that we have one group of people saying that we all need to get breeding so there are enough of us to fund an aging population when another group is saying that the economy no longer needs people as AI will soon be doing all the work. Only one of them can be right.

Coffee anybody?

Have had this car for some seven years now, sophisticated, elegant and self indulgent and I've loved every minute of it. But it’s showing its age and costing a mint to maintain so it’s going next week to be replaced by something practical and sensible. Miss it already.

Did some garden visits with my wife earlier today, including a cluster of small pleasant gardens very much intertwined with each other. A mini paradise you would think, but a handful of the gardeners clearly hated each other and were trying to get us to take sides. Weird!

Visited Cirencester with my wonderful family couple of days ago. Very attractive with a pleasant energy and we called in at the nearby sculpture park which was both very green and very civilised. Always fun to visit places where you can smell the money!

Interesting! On the Today prog on Radio 4 this morning the presenters had a brief interlude discusssing the use of emojies. Personallly I never use them, all a matter of personal taste I supose.

I have always said that the Italians have it all, amazing cars, noble architecture, world class fashion, sublime art,soaring music and wonderful food. Now on top of this, Italians have now been voted the best lovers! Couldn’t they have left just one thing for the rest of us?

I’m a great believer in taking pleasure in life at every opportunity but it still sticks in my throat that in a world where millions of people can barely feed themselves that anybody could pay £75 million for a handbag. And I say that as a fan of the late Jane Birkin

I love my conservatory, but in this heatwave I can scarcely manage to walk thiough it. It's throbbing with heat, I'm surprised that it hasn't simply melted.

Just found Vita and Virginia on Amazon. So pleased but a few niggles. Vita was way taller than Virginia but in the film it’s the other way round. Also , Duncah Grant who slept with just about the entire Bloomsbury set is shown as a bit of a twat. Just trivia .

Just had a couple days in London and managed to fit in the Summer exhibition at The Royal Academy and a visit to the British Museum. All pretty wonderful , particularly the Parthenon Marbles that we’re due to give back , but my God, so CROWDED!

Listening to a book prog yesterday told me what I had guessed already , that women have very much taken over the world of books. Way more women than men read at all , particularly fiction, and way more women writers than men are published. Maybe I should change my name!

Just reading an article in the Sunday Times about the new Soho House Ibiza, a place where “dreamers and rebels” can meet and converse . Great, but a two bed villa costs £4,255 a night, not sure I know many dreamers and rebels who have that sort of dosh.

Recently I’ve been fortunate enough to spend time with 3 women from my past life, all single, well educated and with busy lives. They all had one thing in common, all said that they no longer had the time or inclination to read. Very depressing news for us writers.

On the radio earlier today someone made the comment that books are like the Tardis, smalll on the outside but opening up to something very big inside. So true!