Spent longer than intended at the specimen bed, crouched over a label which the watering had made illegible. Getting down was straightforward; returning to an upright position required the wall and a brief pause that I had not scheduled. Once standing, the hip settled well enough for a walk along the avenue, though I started more slowly than usual. Back indoors I discovered soil beneath my nails and a quite disproportionate thirst. A glass of water and a chair were entirely satisfactory. The label can wait until tomorrow. I have brought it inside, since repeating the descent merely to retrieve it would be an unnecessarily elaborate experiment.

The grandson in Perth asked, on the video call, whether the little dark stone behind me was one I had found myself. Usually he is summoned to say hello and escapes within a minute, so I was rather pleased. I began explaining where it came from, then saw my daughter look at the clock and shortened the account. The boy asked a second question before leaving. A useful visit, though that sounds a peculiar way to describe speaking to one's own grandson. I have moved the specimen nearer the computer for next time. There is no reason he should ask again, of course; I am nevertheless prepared.

A crossword clue had me convinced of one answer, with the result that I spent twenty minutes accusing the intersecting clues of being poor. The answer fitted the definition but not the letters. Eventually I looked again at the small word I had treated as decoration and saw what the setter had actually asked me to do. Irritatingly fair. I crossed out my first attempt, which in pen produces rather more evidence than one would like. My wife used to object to my conducting arguments with an absent crossword compiler during breakfast. This morning he won without even being present to enjoy it.