Breezy deliveries

If last winter and the one before were notable for snow and ice, this year it's the turn of the wind and rain; today has been the most dramatic yet, with a howling gale and bursts of torrential rain. It reminded me of what's said to be the worst opening of a novel in the English language:

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness. Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford

In the midst of it all, our Ocado delivery arrived. Driver Les was as helpful as all the others, and wheeled three of our five crates to the boat with Sheila and I carrying the others.

We managed to get it all on board in a dry spell, but when the poor chap drove round to Quail pontoon to deliver to Dolce, the heavens opened again, and both he and Stephen got soaked, as did Sheila when she went up to the vehicle gate to let him out.

We managed to get the whole lot checked off and put away before lunch; Elanor then turned up with a parcel full of dried fruit from Julian Graves, and a consignment of gloves, both latex ones for me and ordinary household ones for Sheila, from Just Gloves. They are very good value; two boxes of 100 latex and a dozen pairs of Marigold type set us back just £22.20 delivered.

After we'd dealt with all this lot, we walked round to Dolce to return the dishes and bowls loaned to us for Tuesday's entertaining. Naturally, we stopped for a cuppa and cake, and another good old natter.

Tomorrow promises to be quieter and drier, which will be a bit of a relief, frankly.

Thinking on from my remarks yesterday about Cap'n Ahab, I notice a distressing trend amongst my fellow bloggers to assume that the charity initiative will go pear shaped or just mean that nothing changes, and to poke fun at the whole initiative. They may prove to be justified in this, but it seems sadly cynical to take that view at this stage.

There are serious issues about funding and how the transition will be managed, but things really could not have gone on as they were; let's give the new arrangement a bit of support – you never know, it might even make things better.

/please