Has summer nearly gone?

What happened?  I seem to have been intending to log on and add another post for the last couple of weeks, and it transpires over 2 months have passed by.  I guess I've been busy, but it's been a strange couple of months.  The usual regular visits to hospital have been interspersed with extra visits occasioned by infections requiring treatment.  To the best of my knowledge I haven't been in contact with anyone who's been affected by anything infectious yet I've still managed to have a couple of chest infections.  So that entails a visit to the helpline ward in Cheltenham; bloods taken, chest x-ray, usually a urine sample and probably sent home with antibiotics.  Last time I felt ropey I got checked out in Gloucester and the conclusion was that it was hay fever on top of usual side effects.  By the following day I had a temperature so phoned the helpline.  Yes, they wanted to see me.  Of course they did!  So we went in, and they did the bloods etc. routine and decided to admit me.  It was fourth time lucky getting the cannula in, which was strange as I'm usually obliging about these things, then a litre of fluid and antibiotics.  I was ok to come home after three nights in - with oral antibiotics, naturally.  I frequently wonder how I ever had time to go to work, then I realise that before I was ill there were no trips to hospital at all.

While the weather has been suitable for it we've had the house painted, and it looks really good.  We had a variety of suitable paint available, mostly white and sandstone.  It all went into a huge tub and was thoroughly stirred.  The result is a most pleasing rich cream reminiscent of Cornish clotted cream ice cream.  It was all finished a couple of weeks ago, but the window sills are still glittering white.We now feel sufficiently weather proofed to face the winter, and just hope that visitors don't go straight past - or turn round and go away again in shock.  I can no longer give directions by saying "it's the grubby yellow house on the end"

The hot water system in the camper failed some time ago, so has been taken out.  This has resulted in a leak which is being attended to as I type.  With a bit of luck it will be sorted out by the time we set off tomorrow morning for a weekend in Wells. (On the phone it's often necessary to clarify Wells, not Wales.  Perhaps in print I should specify Somerset rather than Norfolk.)  I have pointed out that running water isn't hugely vital - after all, only dirty people need to wash ; )