I’ve lost all the passwords, so I can’t hack into anyone’s account anymore. On the rent front, perhaps I should be charging you a tenner a week, for keeping your room vacant, rather than letting it out to one of the many headed!

None of my emails seem to be going out at the moment. This is what I just sent:

Hi Círot,

Speaking with Granny a few days ago she mentioned a shirt youíd sent her from Bali proving very agreeable to wear in this insanely hot weather weíve been having.

Your parcel just arrived. Liv plucked out the DVDs and started dancing around yodelling about them but I snitched them from him before Mama could see and tucked them away. What am I supposed to do with them?

The coffee ñ jeepers, Iíve never seen so much coffee at one time! At our normal rate of consumption, thatís a years supply. Iíll try a small cup tomorrow, as a mid week special exemption. Cheers. Cambodian, I presume?

Mamaís unsure if the skirts are for her to wear or what. They certainly allow for much expansion in the tum region!

Nowt happening here, except itís still crazily hot and we go to Climping to swim as regularly as we used to truck down to St Pol when at Neil and Sallyís ñ ie, every day, if not twice a day. The lawn is still green, though, because in between sweltering periods, it rains quite hard. All in all, apart from the asthma, a great summer.

Mireille rang to invite us to the inaurgeration of their swimming pool! I imagine there would be some stupid ritual associated with this, like having to strip naked, crow like a cockerel and dive in backwards while consuming ridiculous quantities of vile alcohol. Anyway, we didnít go, though we might later on. We might go to Seychelles, too, or Mama might, with Mireille and Francoise.

L&M have a new place. If Mama understood rightly, itís a bungalow in South London with a spare bedroom which they may let out. Anyway, J&M are coming over soon for a few days to visit so we may go up to London to see them.

I hope you find NZ fun. Donít be in too much of a hurry to buy the first car you see; although, of course, the first car you see may be just the one.

You could always but bikes, instead. Thatís the really inexpensive way to get around.

See you,

Díod

Cor blimey!!! I’ll have to start charging bed rent. At least a tenner a go which you can pay into my account which should need replensishing aroound about now. By the way, are you actually chevcking that I’m not straying into the red? What with many hidden cameras and looker over shoulderers, I haven’t done much checking myself – none in fact!!

Well off for a refreshing night in the hostel. Will text a phone number from NZ.

love, Tanya

The thing about the Argos bunk is it’s only a normal double that’s 6’3″ long. Liv tested a few beds out at the bed bunker and that size doesn’t allow you to stretch out properly. A 6’6″ King size definitely permits a more comfortable lie, the more so the taller you are. As it happens, the DD is 6’6″ long. So, take your pick … all I would say is that by the time I’ve finished the reconstruction, in craftsmanship terms, you would hardly be able to tell the difference.

All I can say about your bed, Tan, is that I have found it exceedingly comfortable during these hot and sweaty nights to slide upstairs and into it to cool off somewhat after a torrid time in the downstairs pit, which becomes somewhat rank after I have sweated into it for several hours. I do hope the goat reek doesn’t linger!

All this sand stuff abit confusing for me. in bondai beach and it is raining! Curse it all – we come over here for a spot of sun and find you all wollowing in the hottest day ever back at home! oh well! Flying out to NZ tomorrow to start the epic Lord fot he rings tour which rich wants to go one – providing we get a car that is!

well, will try and find a phone box around either here or in NZ for a chat!

All i can say about the bads is that no one is allowed to touch mine!

Love Tanya

This must be what I read; so I was under estimating. Although, personally, I wouldn’t know one from the other, I fondly assumed all stars must have planets. That would mean many more planets than stars, never mind grains of sand …

More stars ‘than grains of sand’
By David Derbyshire, Science Correspondent
(Filed: 23/07/2003)

There are 10 times more stars in the night sky than grains of sand in the world’s deserts and beaches, scientists say.

Astronomers have worked out that there are 70 thousand million million million – or seven followed by 22 zeros – stars visible from the Earth through telescopes. The total is said to be the most accurate estimate yet of the number of stars.

Dr Simon Driver, who led the study at the Australian National University, said: “Even for a professional astronomer used to dealing in monster numbers, this is mind boggling.”