On a blue sky cloudless day my eldest son Miles drove us up to the outskirts of Durham for him and myself, Clifford and Fiona to have a nice stroll around the Durham woods and through the historic Durham city. The weather was balmy and warm with very few birds around, they seem to be staying out of the sun as well and as we strolled up the old mining road and then onto the railway causeway which goes up into the Durham Woods  we went underneath a Woodpecker's nest but could not hear anything from it. A wildlife photographer was walking by the same spot and I asked him about the Woodpecker and he said he could hear something but we couldn't. If the young chicks had just been fed they would be quiet so we hung around for 5 min and then shoved off because there was no sight of the parents.

The canopy of new leaves in the woods is nearly complete but way down below the Hawthorn bushes were snowy with blossom, with the occasional pink blossom as well. Very nice. As we walked along the wooded track we could smell the Hawthorn blossom from a kilometre away over the fields where we had previously walked and the wind was coming towards us which was very pleasant.

We had biscuit break in the Cathedral in what is called the Cloisters a very mellow place in any and all weathers but especially today with the sultry heat and quiet people. The market centre of Durham was fairly quiet which was nice because Clifford needed a new pair of Dr Martens which we duly got him and he was really pleased with them, because not only are they good for walking into college with they look good as well. I saw some Dr Martin boots in various colours which I knew would look brilliant on Fiona with that very nice short dress that she has and she is coming around to it but like both of us we do spend our pennies carefully. Put it this way she is more likely to buy a new pair of hiking boots! Good lass.

Miles drove us there and back and he is doing that really well with the expected slight positive change in his personality because he is taking real responsibility, which is good because from October 2013 he will be doing a Ph.D. course somewhere or training to be a teacher, but away from home and completely in control of his own life for the first time. I thought it was important to give him control of the car for a year even though it has cost a pretty penny in insurance but it is well worth it because I believe young people should have real responsibilities where there can be extremely negative outcomes if you get it wrong and just a very nice ordinary time if you get it right. Right and wrong, reward and punishment: amen.

Anyway, he got us back home in one piece and Fiona and I crashed out listening to Leonard Cohen's 10 New Songs and now I have got the meatballs going, the tomato sauce is simmering and I'm about to put in fresh pasta, yes fresh pasta which is unusual for me and I now I have reached the culinary zenith of middle class behaviour. I knew I would get there eventually!  Thank you God for a very blissful and nice day which got off to a good start with doing my Bahai  Stall in the morning where lots of people were interested and took leaflets and I had a great conversation with an ex-colleague of Fiona's called Linda Griffiths who is a lovely lady. God bless the teachers of the world. I don't always understand what they do, being a home educator myself and all that, but I'm sincerely grateful that we have teachers and I count some of them as my best friends. Especially my wife!