A searingly hot day...

...as I cycled to Wimbledon for Mass. I had decided to do this as my route would take me past a splendid blackberrying patch (running parrallel with Worple Road, but beyond the railway track, backing on to those school playing-fields, for those who know it. Blackberries galore). The Sacred Heart Church has a sung Latin Mass at 11.15 am. In common with those of other parishes, the choir was taking a brief summer break, but the congregation did a rousing job of the Credo and Sanctus and Agnus Dei etc without them, and it was good to be there.

I got HOT picking blackberries on my way home, and making jam isn't a cool excercise, so it was rather annoying that a burst water main at Colliers Wood had deprived this whole corner of London of its water this morning...however, to the relief of us all it was back again by teatime and I was able to get everything done, and a picnic packed up for the evening - which J. and I intend to spend, as we did yesterday evening, by the river. Yesterday we sat on the riverbank by Hampton Court - those who have seen A man for All Seasons would know the exact place, although the film cheats a bit by using that double-little flight of steps that leads into the Home Park as the pretended entrance to Thomas More's garden...