Early Wednesday Morning

Went down Borough Road past a cafe where a girl was smoking a hookah. Unusual for this area.

Malvolio has been rather sweet recently, hanging around when required and not torturing me too much in the mornings when waking me up. I am singularly devoid of scratches. Perhaps he is becoming more sedate in his old age.

Not much luck with the sprouting, but the mixed beans have at last partially sprouted. I think I may have to purchase a proper sprouter.

I had a long chat with my friend Kate, who can't decide whether to go to Australia for a few weeks later this year to stay with her son and his girlfriend. They are going around the world and spending a few months there. I said that if she was in Sydney she should get in touch with my niece and Nibby. In any event we shall both go to the Cy Twombly exhibition at the Tate and to the Portrait Gallery later in July.

Madeleine rang and we had a long chat. She was a bit concerned about my recent fit of depression, which we both agreed was probably a post-telly anticlimax. I also think it was a bit hormonal because I stopped HRT about a couple of years ago and have become physically much more feeble since. Am thinking of restarting it, but we shall see.