Dear faraway lady 1 Good morning. I've been to say hello to the stream. It didn't take much notice, indeed any notice, of me: it was too busy streaming. The forecast is rain, rain, followed by further rain. So that's it. I will have breakfast and then walk with my laptop and books to the library. There, I will work for the day. 1.1 The assignment? I continue to work on it. The more I work on it the more I get my head around the material. There is no substitute (that I have found) for hard slogging. Just keep at it. Whatever the condition of the (eventually) submitted piece, my thinking will have developed over the period of the slogging. I have also registered that I must allow plenty of time for the compilation. 2 Bridge. Four and a half tables. Amiable, as always. Liam and I bid and made two small slams. So did others. 3 I am expecting Ashley this evening. 4 Ah, even as I key, the sky has cleared. It may be a day of clear skies followed by rain followed by clear skies ... 5 Otherwise, I sense that you have had an indoor time, save for the excursion to the small Sainsbury's. What has the talk been about, apart from the family doings. Anything about public affairs? The Ancient