Making welcome

Friday 26 Jun 26 was International Day here & up the hill. Θ, my old roomie at The Institute, announced that she was bringing here research team away from the Mean Streets of SmallTown, Midlands . . . to get some fresh air and see some green fields. It was the end of a not-quite-record-breaking week of heat-wave and it was muggy hot in our kitchen. In prep for an alfresco tea-party I started putting up the garden parasol under the big old dying ash tree at the bottom of the yard. Two young women appeared pushing street-bikes past the gate. I made some quip about mountain bikes being quicker but more dangerous going downhill and they paused to chat. They turned out to be Danish and were heading for the telecoms mast on Mt Leinster having borrowed the bikes from where they were WWOOFing in the next county. I urged them to leave the bikes in the yard and continue their trek unimpeded; they agreed.An hour later Greece, Egypt, Kenya, Senegal [I think! defo Afrique-Occidentale française,…