The thunderstorms today delivered a fairly meagre water ration, but better than nothing. It brought the snails out in droves so I liberally sprinkled the ground with snail bait (the non-toxic, animal friendly sort) and have reaped a harvest of corpses as a consequence. I doubt it has even dented the population, but it is satisfying at least.

The bank was clean in a trice and I was off home to whip up some rhubarb and vanilla jam (just pop a vanilla bean in with the rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice and away you go). The deep red rhubarb from the garden makes a rather more appealing rhubarb jam than does the usual stuff - it is a nice ruby hint that gleams at you instead of sludge grey.

Between showers I emptied out the car of my excess rubbish preparatory to a trip to town that was supposed to take place tomorrow, but apparently Brad can't make it up to pay me till tomorrow so that plan has gone down the gurgler. Still it gives me time to make my list (which is growing alarmingly - so many places to go and things to do, and in the middle of the Christmas crowds, woe is me), and prepare a little better for the journey. I will take my uni text books back and trade them in at the Co-Op. It will be great if they give you cash for them, if not I will have some money coming in over the months until they are sold on commission.

Shadow seems quite tired after our walk today which is surprising as he only did half the distance Seb and I did (I let him set his own pace), but i expect he is getting a bit old for all this gallivanting poor lad.