Monday, August 7

 

 

Sunshine thought that we should get up at 6:15 but I disagreed and stayed resolutely in bed until 7:40. I sprang up and he leapt to the door to go out. For the first time in several days he decided that the weather agreed with him and trotted out to come back an hour later for something to eat. He then trotted out again for another couple of hours.

I ate a sandwich and then went to the sauna house to begin my first official day back at work for Arcada. Tomas had sent an email to everyone extolling the miracle of returning to work. I began by replying to say that I have returned to work with excitement but will perform my duties and make myself available online from Pellinge for this week. Fred replied saying that I could stay here next week as well if I wanted because the first team meeting will not take place until the 21st.

I ran through the tasks in my diary until 11:00, by which time I had got ahead of myself. I had emailed Lynda about Nathalie’s problem with getting into her account and received a reply that claimed to have fixed it. I emailed Nathalie who said she will try it out when her meetings end.

I stop work for a break and walk to the house to get a glass of water. On the way in I notice the ceramic bird that crashed to the ground in yesterday’s hurricane. I look at it and it seems to look back at me. I sit down on the terrace and photograph it, wondering whether I could remake it if I scooped up all the pieces. The wind has dropped and the sun has come out. No wonder the cat seems to have decided that the weather has gone back to normal.

I will carry on working for another couple of hours and then walk around outside for thirty minutes. I will then give the bench in the washing area of the sauna house a first coat of paint, before downloading all the final assignments from the summer course, and answering some queries from students.

At 16:40 precisely a hard rain will fall for fifteen minutes and then stop as quickly as it had started. I will race into the sauna house when the rain starts and a few minutes later Sunshine will appear at the door.

Once the rain stops and I open the door he will race off again. Irma will phone at 21:45. I will step onto the porch to get better reception and, as I do, Sunshine will walk in.

Day over: bed at 22:22. I have a whole lotta grading to do tomorrow…