Collapso

or nearly. Had a cancellation the day before the last guest was due, so rapidly changed my cancellation policy from 'flexible' i.e. no show no dosh, to 'strict' i.e. 50% payment for cancellations within five days of due appearance. We live and learn. Complacently, I was just vegging out for a couple of days, with four more days of leisure ahead when I had a sudden booking for a couple for three days. On honeymoon and travelling all over the place.This paid more than the cancellation, so I was quite pleased. Yesterday I managed to fit in a bit of desultory drawing at the National Theatre after looking at the rather good Parkinson exhibition upstairs before arriving home to swish a duster about the place before welcoming my guests last night. Apart from that, Madeleine kindly invited me to the first night of Othello the other day. The first half was rather long, but it picked up very well for the second half. Rory Kinnear and Richard Lester both excellent of course. I think we are drawing in Richmond next Saturday, which will make a change. I keep fiddling around to try and make the flat better: defrosted the freezer which had been overdue for some time, and I have done a couple of window boxes at the front to try and brighten things up a bit. They are selling huge bags of compost for £1 at the pound shop, so took my shopping trolley out yesterday and purchased a bag, which will be very handy. I have just graduated from the primroses, hyacinths and other scented plants to some pelargoniums for the summer. I shall try and find some trailing lobelia to put around the edges of things. I now have a wonderful new iphone which Dorothy kindly spent hours sorting out and connecting with my ipad and so on. It was a really long job. My coffee partner, David, is due to disappear to Malta for the month of May, so I shall feel a little bereft, particularly since Nibby is also going walkabout around the borders and other places. Had lunch with Romy at the Slug and Lettuce, somewhere to sit on the last sunny and warm day last week. She is looking very fit, and we virtuously ordered low calorie lunches and plan to meet again soon. I shall plod on with my bnbs this week, this couple disappearing on Monday and another young couple arriving on Tuesday. Apart from my nerves which are in shreds from the incursions into my space, I am quite enjoying the challenge of having people to stay. How I shall cope in the long term remains to be seen, but I have managed so far. I suspect that Barcelona will provide a welcome break in July though I have not travelled for so long I am slightly dreading the trip and the heat.