Wednesday, July 23

Sunshine decided that it was morning at 4:00 and woke me up. I got a bit more sleep befiore it decided that it was definitely morning at 6:00. I fed it, let it out, and read until Naa phoned me from the airport at 7:00. She sounded happy and pleased to be going to the Alps.

By 8:00 I was writing and by 13:30 I had actually completed the draft of the thesis. At 14:30 I took Naa’s books back to the library bus and Camilla told me that my second book had arrived.

At 16:00, when Irma arrived from Helsinki, I had already started taking the draft to bits and adding to it. It was unfinished again, but better for it. I have about nine days to fiddle with it, adding signposting and linking passages, erasing duplication and moving passages around. I think I am on time.

Now we are at the market. In Helsinki, our neighbour Minna told Irma that they were coming to Pellinki today, and sure enough here they are. She and Tommy have come on a motorcycle, with two of their friends, and they are sitting in Benita’s. We go and say hello. On the way back to the stall I stop and look at a big boat coming pulling up to the jetty.

We will spend the evening in the garden chatting, until the mosquitoes send us into the house.