Thursday.

Good, busy day in Long Melford yesterday.Got home about 4.30 p.m. Unloaded car and had tea in the garden. Had been a lovely sunny day, and when I checked the garden thermometer it was just touching 70 degrees. Drove into town this morning. Would normally walk, but had a toolbox with me. Examined an eighteenth century french clock which had been misbehaving. Has a fairly unusual strike system (on the back plate, which is unusual in itself!!). It strikes the hour on a 'dongy' bell, then repeats the hour at the half hour on a higher pitched 'dingy' bell. Took me about half an hour to sort the problem out and return the clock to its duties, after which our host made a pot of coffee, and we sat and chatted for a while. Did one or two other jobs in town, then motored over to a nearby garden centre, which didn't have what we wanted, so we went over to Mistley and had lunch overlooking the quay and watched the tide come in. There was a long sandbank about a hundred yards out with fifty or so swans on it when we arrived. When lunch was over there was just enough space on the sandbar for the last four biggest and most determined birds. So we ordered coffee and watched their discomfiture as the tide won and the sandbar vanished. Took a photo of the sandbank and swans when we got to Mistley. There was also a sailing barge moored at one of the quays. Shan't be able to show you photoes, though, as computer still very reluctant to co- operate regarding photographs. Sorry. Mike.