Oh yuck, the inner coating of gungey stuff to stop me eating the stitches just fell out while I was having my lunch. No pain or anything (and no sudden rush of blood or gums falling apart), just a bit strange at the moment. And of course the dentist is not answerng the phone over their lunch so I don't know if this is OK or I ought to whizz straight down to Colchester to get it sorted. All I do know is that I feel a bit sick right now at the thought of either option! Really ought to go stick my head out the door for some fresh air I think.

Anyway, the final few days of our week off went nicely. We did get to the cinema and both thoroughly enjoyed The Matrix Reloaded - the fight scenes were fantastic and we had no problems with the plot. Can't wait for the last part when that comes out - presumably around Christmas time. Especially having sat through the full end credits to catch the preview of part three.

Joan finished the fence painting as my mouth was too painful when it came to bending down for the first couple of days - that seems to have passed now at least even if I have got the other issues still to deal with. The garden now looks wonderful and I am very happy with it all.

Finished reading Salmon... and it proved to be the exact bittersweet experience I had anticipated. Really enjoyable stuff but ineveitably cut short and clouded by the knowledge that there won't be any more. Have now started a re-read of Arthur Ransome And Capt. Flint's Trunk by Christina Hardyment which is a very good romp around the real life locations Ransome used verbatim and disguised in the Swallows and Amazons books, which were my absolute favourites as a child and still have a prime spot on the bookshelves today. They inspired me to try sailing in primary school which I loved (although a few years later we went sailing as a family and I was absolutely scared out of my wits - to the point that I made them go back to the dock and drop me off where I then sat in the car on my own for a couple of hours while the rest of them went off again - could have just been a one-off but I've not plucked up the nerve to try it again since).

Now for a meeting to decide who gets to run Martlesham Park & Ride.