Once in a blue moon I turn to the stats page, click here and there, then move on. I don't gain even a momentary excitement from the this exercise and I wonder why I have looked at the stats. Am I alone in this state of detatchment?

Blogging never was for me, a numbers exercise; it started out as an experiment that ran in tandem with a radio story of a mature blogger's new experience of online 'diary' writing. While the fictitious character's blog ran its amazing course and took on an entity beyond its author's original intention, my blog, modest by comparison, was still taking faltering developmental steps in cyberspace.

So, here I am, more than year later still blogging (though this site was not my first blog home) surprising myself at times that I am still involved and writing random thoughts.

No, stats are unlikely to fire up my senses to any notable degree. However, what does, and will continue to engage me, are the visits of friends and other visitors to my blog, the intercommunication between me and them which tells me that we have a common interest to enjoy and share.

The grass, so lush in May, pleasantly greeen in early June, is gradually turning a patchy straw colour. So far the flower beds are flourishing with their shrubs, and the wisteria is going mad.

The wisteria is weighing down the trellis on which it winds and hangs; part of the trellis has broken was unsafe and had to be removed. The plant continues to creep up the wall and creates leafy shadows at some of the upper windows of the house. It is a Trifid and is out of control. The elderly lady who wanted it, loved the plant but could not have had any idea what a prolific spreading and growing species it is when left to itself. The gardener she employed, who also planted the wisteria, should have looked after it.

There are stories to tell about this situation which I shall not relate. The uncared for and unkempt wisteria is a reflection and a metaphor of what happens when people grow very old and are reliant on the genuineness and good will of the people who are around them.

On the way back to the bus stop this evening, I chatted briefly with a burka clad and veiled British woman who told me she was from Swansea. It was interesting to have a pair of grey/blue eyes looking at me as we chatted. Unfortunately, I coluldn't catch all she said as we walked and talked; it is only in such circumstances you realize the importance of the visual aspect of communication, especially in a very noisy urban environment. We do not just hear with our ears.

Today I was shopping from 4.30pm, it was cool enough to venture out. Did I say 'cool', perhaps I should have said there was a reduction of a degree or two which made it bearable to go out, to get a bus, and wander around an air conditioned food store.

I am experiencing the humid sweltering that pervades the south of England. I am not complaining, I am getting some steady use out of my real summer clothes. The only item I do not possess is a sun hat; that is stuck in a cupboard at home, in the mistier, showery far north of these isles. I'll have to get a sun hat.

It is destined to get hotter, 37 degrees centigrade later in the week is forecast. That being the case, I shall find somewhere cooler to while away the day. I need to find out which day of the week it is going to be.

Here I am, staying safe with the good, trusted and tried old editor. I have found on other sites that I used, that when a great and new sophisticated editor was developed it was never without gremlins. One site warned bloggers to save their wise words before publishing as 'the editor' had a tendency to lose blogs Methinks that our new and sophisticated version may well have the same tendencies, in fact my taster session earlier in the week confirms this view.

So, while I am away from home, using the joys of dial up - it's amazing how quickly you adapt to speed (broadband) and forget the slow little quirks and foibles of the dial line - I shall continue as before with the boring what I know, 'if it isn't broke don't fix it approach' to blogging, on this delightfully safe little editor that does not add to my grey hairs by losing my little masterpieces.D

I have written a blog twice tonight -

First I used the tried and trusted original editor, then noticed a new editor link. I clicked on the link to see what magic might appear; clicked back to friendly old editor and found my blog gem had disappeard.

Not to be put off, I moved onto new editor and started again, making, I thought a somewhat better job the second time. "Okay, not bad" I thought,"now let's find a great little smiley to give a finishing flourish..."

All done, tagged etc. I clicked on the 'save' button. The blasted thing did not like the image it had given me; I even had the option of resizing it. What is the point of all these goodies if at the end of the process, not only does the system not agree with it's own programming provisions, but it also loses my blog!!!!!!