…Thence to my case-maker for my stone case, and had it to my mind, and cost me 24s., which is a great deale of money, but it is well done and pleases me…

Pepys reminds us that he’s human and likes to treat himself from time to time.. It must have made a change from dealing with maritime matters

So home and find my boy a very schoole boy, that talks innocently and impertinently, but at present it is a sport to us, and in a little time he will leave it. So sent him to bed, he saying that he used to go to bed at eight o’clock, and then all of us to bed, myself pretty well pleased with my choice of a boy.

Pepys is wise enough to see that he will grow out of his impertinences and he takes a relaxed view, knowing that the phase will pass.

Last night we watched a programme on BBC2 by the very honest and transparent Gordon Buchanan who has made it his task in life to get to know a family of African elephants in the wilds of Kenya.  During the filming they came across an elephant that had been snared by a steel rope. The animal was obviously in great distress and we saw him going into the water to bathe itself gently – the best it could do. The emergency team were called, the elephant subdued, and the operation to remove the offending object began.  I don’t think we can have any idea of the pain that this wonderful and gentle animal suffered.

bolt cutters were needed

the offending object

they use clay with healing properties

the doctor assures everyone the elephant will be all right because his bodily condition is sound

Françoise has suggested that we go to Wells as there is some sort of bank holiday shenanigans with the boat race and so on. There are lots of things we could do at home including the endless tidying up  but it threatens to be a hot day so we might as well be out and about. So much for the plan to stay in.

there they go again

I must also organise my garden tools. When I put away any garden equipment which has a length of cord I take such care to wind it up so that it can be easily unwrapped. When I come to use the tool, by some mysterious process the cord has become entangled in itself so much so that I have to pull the whole thing apart and start again. I think I should set up a night vision camera and observe. I guess about three o’clock in the morning there is a certain writhing and  wriggling. Perhaps it is to do with the magnetic fields of the Earth or perhaps some mischievous animal but it happens time after time.

don’t go between a swan and its cygnets. The Swans are on patrol

As they say, nature abhors a vacuum and with such a nice sunny day we thought we would do something which in this case go to Wells, again, to witness the Moat Boat Races one of these big events organised by the Rotary club who do such admirable work raising money for charity. The moat refers to the area around the remains of the castle adjacent to the Cathedral. The history is long and interesting should you wish to Google it.

The moat is still in good working order, though it serves more as a facility for duck and geese breeding than any defensive purposes.This is going to be one of these very long reviews I think I better start another part of this diary. Following the example of the above elephant I have placed a layer of healing clay around the big toe of my left foot which was some reason is sore and slightly hot. Compared with this poor elephant I have nothing to complain about but pain is pain so if I’m not to hobble around in a few months time I must deal with it.

Next part of the diary for Monday, 28 August 2017, temperature 25°, follows shortly.