So where was summer?

Or is that it, now? From now on? A shorter summer, with hot bits, cold bits, very hot bits, pretty chilly bits and lots of wet bits? I remember proper summers, back in the day, when I could have my 23rd September birthday party on the common, under a warm, blue sky. As I type, it's flipping nippy, and I'm considering lighting the stove.

So, back to the house on Saturday 8th, with Grace and Jess going to Hamlet on the Monday, and various housey/gardeny jobs to do on the other days. We managed to get dentist/hygienist appointments on the next day, and came back to the boat the next day. Not for long, though. We had the guys from Sofa Bed Barn coming on the following Saturday with our new sofa bed, and we still had the old sofa to get rid of. I'd advertised it here at the marina, and on FreeCycle locally and in St Albans, but the only interest was in St Albans. So back we went on Sunday, with the sofa in the back of the car. It's a small one. A "cuddle chair". The man I'd agreed to give it to just didn't turn up that day as he should have, so I notified the second in line before we came back early on Monday, and she'll arrange collection with Naomi.

The new sofa bed's great. Not perfect, but perfection's a lot to expect. For one thing, it's larger than the other sofa, larger than it looked in the warehouse, and that'll take some getting used to. But it makes a good double bed, it has the useful drawer under it, and it is more comfortable than the other, too.

On one of the grimmer days recently, we went to see Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation.

"With the IMF now disbanded and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) out in the cold, a new threat, called the Syndicate, soon emerges. The Syndicate is a network of highly skilled operatives who are dedicated to establishing a new world order via an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Faced with what may be the most impossible mission yet, Ethan gathers his team and joins forces with Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), a disavowed British agent who may or may not be a member of this deadly rogue nation."

It was, of course, excellent entertainment. We'd hoped to be able to spot Naomi amongst the cast of extras, but missed her. At least she had fun, got paid well, and had Tom Cruise say "Good morning!" to her!