He’s building a thing. Sawing, hammering, filing and sanding.

This is the third day in a row of near-constant rain. But just as I was thinking that I might have to skip my walk, there was a break in the rain.

Raincoats are a thing, and I do have an umbrella, but walking in the rain is just not pleasant. Raincoats crinkle and make noise and are sweaty. Umbrellas make you walk un-freely, with your arm stuck up. I’d rather walk in light rain without any protection and get a bit wet than deal with the hassle of keeping myself dry.

My shoes are as worn-out and ragged as Adrian’s. I’m a pickier shopper, and way more out of sync with general fashion, so I ordered mine online. Fell in love with these the moment I tried them on. The soles are so flexible and the uppers are so soft! If I hadn’t just been gushing over the fit of my socks, I would say that these fit like socks. They don’t, but they are nevertheless really nice. And just look at this colour! It’s like sunshine on my feet. Just looking at them makes me happy.

It doesn’t feel like summer any more. Sock season has begun.

I don’t think I will ever knit symmetrical socks again. These fit better than any other socks ever have.

The neighbourhood’s outdoor cats often walk across our deck and past our French doors. Some are aloof and distant, others more curious. Very occasionally, a few come inside. The ones who start scratching at furniture get immediately put outside. This one just walked inside, looked around for a moment, and found itself a sleeping spot. And then stayed there. It’s a good thing I saw it come in, because otherwise I probably wouldn’t even have noticed it sleeping there, well hidden under the dining table, so I would have locked it in when I left the house for my midday walk.

After a last-minute realization that Adrian’s feet have outgrown not just his everyday sneakers but also his gym shoes, and he has gym class tomorrow, we went shopping again.

I love the pre-autumn colours on this hydrangea. The sharp blue blossoms have softened into a pale violet; the leaves have that lovely blend of russet and green.

Urgent shoe shopping for Adrian today. His old shoes (on the right, in case there is any uncertainty about that) are about two sizes too small and falling apart. Apparently he now has size 38 – the same as Ingrid who is 4 years older.

It’s an awkward combination of size and age. He’s ten going on eleven – still very much a kid. His tastes and habits are those of a kid. He needs durable shoes with flexible soles, made for running and playing – and for easy access. Especially at school they’re putting their shoes on and taking them off again all the time. He’s got no patience for tying laces. His shoes need velcro closure or some kind of elastic solution. Otherwise, as experience has shown, he simply leaves them so loosely tied that he can slip them on and off without doing anything. Which doesn’t exactly make for good fit.

There are “junior” shoes that go all the way up to size 38, but few go beyond that. Men’s shoes on the other hand mostly start at size 40. I’m not sure what is supposed to fill that gap or what we’ll do when he outgrows this pair. I don’t expect him to like laces much better in a year’s time.