Sunday contentment

There is an old Scots word 'claggy' that describes the weather this morning - hot and humid. Looking out across the valley visibility is down to three or four kilometres and the air is thick with heat and moisture blowing in from the Adriatic.

After their six o'clock walk the boyz have contentedly settled down on the cool grass in the courtyard and are showing no signs that they will be moving any time soon. Wilf as top dog is on alert and looking around while his little brother has fallen into a deep primordial sleep.

In the wider world the Italian finance minister has said that the recession is over and everything is quickly returning to normal. That's ok then. In Britain the scandal over parliamentary expenses continues to rumble along - its now into its tenth day and looking as though it might claim some major political scalps. The Brits as a nation are usually disinterested and disdainful of politics but the current unexpected scandal seems to have touched a deep chord and ignited widespread popular anger. It is almost as if unfairness is the one national taboo that cannot be broken. No one can deny that it's great spectator sport seeing the great and the good trying to deal with the national mood of discontent - many of them still don't get it and face the cameras saying they've done nothing wrong. This of course only serves to stoke the Jacobin fires yet higher.