The dog days of summer and Colin From Accounts 2

a quickie

I’m slightly out of sorts. I think it’s because a) despite obsessive vigilance I missed some courgettes and they are now giant marrows, thereby completely spoiling my plans for dinner; because b) I miss the Olympics, including the generous, comradely spirit of the Olympics; and most troublingly because c) despite this clammy heat, there’s an end-of-summer feeling in the air.

Last night, looking for the Perseid meteor showers - which are ongoing - I could feel the beginnings of autumn. It seems a bit much given it’s only been summer for about three weeks. Also a bit much: being bitten to death by mosquitoes while trying to peacefully meteor-gaze. (This German bite healer does work, using heat and a ceramic plate - I think it sort of cauterises the puncture wound - provided you don’t hang around and strike the MOMENT a bite happens).

I don’t want summer to end. I resent the people who have started fantasising out loud about woolly jumpers and new boots. I don’t want to know. I am not ready to wear shoes, let alone stupid itchy wool and claustrophobic tights. Also beauty PRs have started sending me Advent calendars. Thin end of the wedge.

Basically mid-August onwards involves living in a state of denial about where we are in the year. But I do bring glad tv tidings, gleaned from Lisa Dawson’s marvellous (and very useful) Substack, Joie De Vivre. It is that the second series of Colin From Accounts, hands down my favourite feelgood tv of the past few years, starts on Paramount + on September 26. Presumably it will then eventually make its way to the BBC.

Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammel, who are married in real life and who wrote the first series because they were bored in lockdown. If I’m not mistaken that is a new Colin.

If you haven’t watched the first Colin From Accounts, do do so in readiness - it is funny, clever and charming, but never saccharine. It also has proper emotional heft because it features ordinarily complicated people and ordinarily challenging relationships, and these tricky people and relationships are taken in the stride, because in real life drama is exhausting. (If you started watching the first series and then had to stop within three minutes because of the dog, Colin, being run over and then possibly put to sleep - it’s fine. He’s okay. They love him).

I never know if you see my Notes - like, if you get a ping (I hope not). So I’ll just repost this, from

Luca Turin 🇮🇹🇪🇺

last night because it’s great, provided you are able to be spontaneous, and also because there are 10,000 of these wonder-tickets and then that’s it. Here’s the link.

I’ve stopped feeling slightly grumpy now. I’m off to sit outside with a nectarine. Do please really kindly ❤️ this post if you liked it, and I’ll be back in a couple of days. Have a lovely Wednesday evening!

PS: how to photograph the Milky Way with your phone