This may be my first Saturday Random post. It would take a bit of research on my part to confirm this. That won’t be happening.

:: Blithe Spirit seems to have drawn the unlucky straw weather-wise. Every run of the show on the outdoor stage has been cursed by bad weather. I’ve sat through gale force winds, 100 degree heat, mosquito attacks, gnats everywhere, thunderstorms and last night? A constant drizzle-rain in the cold that crept into every pore of my body, leaving me in a shivering, miserable puddle. Can we get a break?

Picture me trying to write notes on a legal pad during all of this. I’d write a note, then shove the pad up under my sweatshirt. Then I’d take the pad out to write another note. At one point I tried to hold an umbrella and write notes at the same time. By the end of the evening, all I could think of was the heater in my car and a long hot shower. Imagine how hard it was for the actors. During one scene, the lead actress got up from the sofa and had a huge water mark on her backside. I have to say, the audiences here are up for the challenge. Slickers appeared, rain hats were put on as they kept on watching the show and reacting with laughter and applause.

I had to spread my notes out to dry overnight. Don’t even try to read them. I write these in the dark, you know. And that is why I have to re-write them the next morning.

:: In an effort to comfort myself, this morning I did something I rarely do. I ate a bunch of cereal right out of the box. I’ve reverted to my childhood-self. Except this childhood-self also drinks coffee.

:: I’m currently reading 4 books at the same time. This is not unusual for me. I started Cloud Atlas right before I got sick a week ago. It is the kind of book that requires a bit of work from my brain, so I abandoned it for a short while as I turned to page-turner mysteries – the only kind of book I can read when I’m feeling miserable. The book by Lisa Jackson is one such mystery that I grabbed off the communal shelf at the theater. Scout, Atticus and Boo is a collection of thoughts by various writers on To Kill a Mockingbird. I got it for half the original price when I was shopping at The Brattle Bookshop in Boston. A wonderful book. And From the Ground Up is a book by Amy Stewart about the creation of her first garden. If I have to be away from my garden for a prolonged period, then I find I must read about gardening.

:: My roommate’s wife and baby daughter arrived yesterday and they are now staying in a house as part of a 8 day house swap. They are based in NYC. The local homeowner travels to Manhattan to stay in their apartment and they get to stay in a fabulous house with an incredible vegetable garden. So I am on my own again.

:: Let’s close with some pretty flowers:

Alstromeria again, this time in an orangey-peachy color. They have to last until I leave – which is in 9 days, by the way.