Wednesday, July 19

 

 

We sat up talking until almost 3:00 last night and so, to nobody’s surprise, we missed most of the morning.

After brunch I spent ninety minutes or so pulling up weeds and unwanted long grass. Once again stinging nettles raked high in the range of weeds I pulled up.

On one of my trips to the edge of the garden to throw weeds into the field where the sheep will eat them, I notice that the mobile library has arrived for its fortnightly visit. I call Irma, who races out to see what she can borrow. She has forgotten her library card but the librarian simply asks for her name and checks out the magazines that she wants.

I think that the system works like it should. The default position seems one of trust rather than one of suspicion, and people assume the best rather than the worst. I feel happy that I have one foot in a pocket of the world in which people still interact in this way.

At 16:30, as the rain starts, we will get in the car and head to the Wednesday market. The rain will stop while I fill the water canisters and then start again. We will walk round the market with hoods up and Irma’s umbrella in action. We will buy fish and some homemade bread and chocolate cookies from a woman who travels from Loviisa to sell them. We will declare them delicious.

We will have a beer at Benita’s and then head home as the sky turns blue suddenly.