I long ago gave up posting blogs at a weekend as, believe it or not, some of my more cerebral articles take quite a bit of research, but after yesterday’s post which was quite depressing to write (I suppose it might even have been more depressing to read) today is a totally different ball game. What a weekend I have in store. So this is to keep J up-to-date with what's happening at Le Brin during her travels.

Totally different to yesterday, when I opened the curtains this morning the sun was blasting everything in sight. What a difference a day makes.

A quick bit of work next door and then get ready for lunch in the village. A table outside in the scorching sun, a few glasses of wine and good company and the world seems a whole different place.

My little contre-temps with Kitty is over and she loves me again. Guy is being a model son and I just adore watching him grow up to be a man. They still tease me mercilessly but who else do they have to humiliate?

We’re back from lunch now and I’m trying to expand their horizons by playing ZZ Top’s Greatest Hits at full blast. At the moment there’s not too much in the way of protests, in fact, like a previous CD of mine, they may eventually get to the point where they insist it’s played every time we get into the car.

My darling wife returns on Sunday from a soul-searching visit to the slums of Kenya and I know the trip will have changed her life forever. I can’t read her e-mails without getting tearful eyes, not necessarily for the children, but more for my wife’s frustration and inability to ‘hoover’ up every orphan out there and change their lives. The tales of poverty, brutality and injustice are bad enough but when I think of what she must be feeling knowing that she’ll be leaving those kids behind, my heart goes out to her. No doubt our lives in Tourrettes will also change – just how they will change is to be determined but I’m sure they will.

Incidentally, my youngest son, Timothy (now 29) had also been reading J’s posts from Kenya and had made a comment on Facebook to which J replied that ‘Timmy’ had been her first ‘lost boy’ (see picture with his hedgehog birthday cake made by J). I remember the weeks well – there’s a whole story behind this, but suffice to say, my eyes welled up again – it’s been an emotional few days.

It’s also been an expensive weekend as Guy and Kitty have finally negotiated their weekly pocket money (at 13 and 15, I thought I’d escaped but it seems not!) but it appears that they want paid in advance which could be a problem. I reckon more of our disposable income will be heading to the Isaiah Trust and I therefore expect G&K to follow their parent’s example and donate a little bit to help the Shadracks, Michaels and Ruths of this worlds (see Julie’s posts from Kenya if you don’t know who they are). Kitty is desperate to accompany Julie next year and I think that would terrific, but enough of Kenya.

I’m now singing ‘Viva Las Vegas’ (a la ZZ Top) at the top of my voice and the cats have done a runner. Shadow has his paws over his ears and I’m lucky that I don’t have any close neighbours or there might be complaints. I’m contemplating doing some more work next door but on the other hand I might not. Tan and Angie are back on Tuesday so I’ve got a bit of leeway. Yesterday it was too cold and wet to work, today it’s too hot! C’est la vie.

And finally, it’s a great weekend for sport. The Augusta Masters (golf) over the next couple of days, the FA Cup Semi-Finals and what is being billed as the match of the decade – Real Madrid Vs Barcelona on Saturday night.

And finally, finally, an amazing and truly disturbing story from The Masters Golf Tournament. A Sky Sports reporter parked his car in the car park and noticed a super-charged V12 Mercedes car parked next to his with nobody in it – but the engine was running. When he mentioned this to a car park attendant he was informed that the owner of the car had gone to the golf (for eight hours) and had deliberately left his engine running ‘so that the inside of the car would be cool when he returned in the evening’. I have nothing to say!