At this time of year the weather can vary a lot here in the rainforests of Darkest Wiltshire. Today the morning began with chilly fog - it's lifting already as I speak - and yesterday we had bright sunshine which left me sweating despite the cool air. Taking a stroll around Coate Water I was struck by how Meditteranean the water was, a nice shade of blue, enlivened by silvery reflections off the ripples caused by the waterfowl on the water and the dog chasing them away from the bank. Usually the water is something closer to battleship grey, which I suspect has something to do with the normal sky conditions. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful day.

Yesterday I met Alfie. He's a great dane, all nine and a half stone of him, ten months old and for him the world is something fresh and exciting to experience. Actually, he's a dog in lovely condition and despite the brashness and curiosity of his age a well mannered canine. Probably just as well. I got the impression his owner was struggling to get Alfie to go home. So many trees, so many smells, so many people to say hello to.

Car of the Week

What a car. It's an old Volvo, the one with the really awkward horrible shape? Better than that, it's painted baltic grey with some clever primer highlights. The real showstopper though, is the custom wheels. With a stroke of genius the owner took some shopping trolley wheels off a mini and bolted them on. The whole ensemble now resembles a neglected dog kennel nailed to a kiddies pedal car. Bit small for Alfie though.