I woke up this morning to find the heat had finally subsided.

After breakfast, I wandered into the garden and was pleased to see a thrush taking full advantage of my recent efforts with the lawn. We'd been away in Spain for a while, and as anyone with a garden knows, nature doesn't take holidays. The grass had become something resembling a small wildlife reserve.

After a few days of mowing, trimming and generally bringing order back to the chaos, it was heart-warming to see I'd unintentionally provided a helping hand to Mother Nature. There was the thrush, hopping about across the freshly cut grass, head tilted to one side, searching for breakfast.

For me, that's one of life's simple pleasures.

I don't know about you, but I've found this recent hot weather pretty unbearable. Once the temperature gets silly, there isn't much you can do apart from hide in the shade and drink enough water to keep a small reservoir topped up.

So, what are you up to this weekend?

Nothing too exciting here. I'm planning a small barbecue later, just a few sausages, a glass or two of wine, and a quiet evening in the garden. If I'm lucky, the thrush might return, and who knows what other visitors might wander by.

Sometimes the best weekends are the simplest ones.