Marianne in full glory, originally uploaded by jinty.

It's always great walking round Oxford and spotting unexpected things - in this case, a grafitto of France's glorious icon of the revolution, transposed to the wall of a terraced house and turned into a symbol of the self-sufficiency revolution.

We also made it over to Silvester's general store on Magdalen Road - a tiny narrow shop holding all you could want, at surprisingly reasonable prices. Although when I say "everything you could want" I should add the caveat "so long as it was first popularised in the 70s". We bought a herb mill and some food storers, and were very impressed with the large collection of dainty tea cups & saucers that you could get there - the sort that you normally only see second-hand in bric a brac shops. New, shiny bright ones!

Everyone who we met coming out of Silvester's was amazed at how it had everything you need at reasonable prices - 'twas like being in an advert for local shops for local people. It was pleasing to see that the tiny shaky old man and woman who normally staff the shop were supported by their considerably more substantial son; bodes well for the shop continuing into the future.

Unfortunately we had to skip today's Cowley Road Carnival (at which no doubt more unexpected things would have been seen) - transposed to the park this year but with a fringe event still held on the road. It was my mother's birthday and we went to the Cotswolds for a tasty lunch and a family get-together, very nice too.

Collins Street, originally uploaded by jinty.

Those long hot summer evenings. This was at 10:30 at night, ten days after the solstice. I love the contrast between the red and the blue.

This heatwave is great in the mornings, but by the end of the day I'm fagged out and the housework seems like an even bigger chore than before. I like ironing goddamnit but ironing in this weather is not a fun passtime.