What a busy and memorable weekend. We were blessed with the weather. Leila arrived on Friday lunchtime. We had some cheesy chips (her invention), then popped over to Tesco to get some food. In the evening, we had some avocados, lemon garlic chicken and ice cream with hot chocolate peanut fudge sauce. Delicious. We had a breeches-fest, watching the DVD of Persuasion, the BBC version with Amanda Root and Cieran Hinds. It hardly seems fair to single them out as although they were excellent, it was a high quality production with beautiful performances from all the cast. Persuasion is one of my favourite novels, and is my favourite Austen novel. The adaptation did it justice and I was gulping at the end when they finally came together. We also watched the DVD of Miss Pettigrew lives for a day (also featuring Cieran Hinds) - again, a real pleasure to watch, with wonderful costumes and excellent ensemble playing. Having Andrew home was a pleasure too.

On Saturday, a busier day. We headed off to the Cheese Festival in Cardiff Castle, which was a disappointing rip-off. After paying over £8 to go in, you were expected to shell out £4 more if you wanted to watch any real action such as cheese making demonstrations, and there was a massive half hour queue for the main attraction, the cheese tent. Otherwise, there were just a few food and herb stalls dotted about, and it seems cheeky to charge to go to what is essentially a posh farmers' market.

Then went over to Howells on a perfume hunt. One of the fragrances I wear, by Clarins, is being discontinued, so I wanted a replacement that both Andrew and I liked. No easy feat. After much testing, sniffing, squirting and sneezing we settled on a Guerlain fragrance - Aqua Allegorica - Tiare Mimosa. It's lovely. Then a coffee and over to the Madame Fromage, one of the cheese shops in the arcades, for a more successful cheese buying mission.

Came home and read the paper and chilled out on the sofa then in the evening we went down the Bay to see No Fit State Circus. I had borrowed a stick from my friend Paula as the entire show was standing for the audience, and was very glad to have it. The circus left me speechless and awestruck. No animals. No hideous clowns. Just fast, sexy, gorgeous people doing amazing stunts, around you and above you, and in front of you. Sliding and climbing up and down the rigging, acting as counter balances to trapeze artists. Tightrope walking in high heels, stripping, then rolling a cigarette while nonchalantly balancing on a line, then casually doing the splits. Nipple pierced men swinging on ropes, wearing leather and piratical grins. A woman doing a flamenco act on a high rope accompanied by highly sexual breathing. Fire-eating. Fire hoops. No silly juggling. Clever lighting. Trapeze artists that tenderly undress each other then make the throws and catches and swings so powerfully erotic the entire audience was entranced. Just go and see them. They are brilliant.

Sunday, Andrew was running in the Swansea Bay 10K, so we set off around 10.20 to give us plenty of time. A very pleasant day, with hazy sunshine, not too hot, just right for the run and the spectators alike. Andrew did a very respectable 51 minutes, and picked up his goody bag, containing the usual odd mixture of a medal, a bottle of shampoo, a water bottle and a fruit loaf, which proudly claimed that 2 slices would provide one of your daily fruit servings. Not my idea of healthy eating. Then took Leila for the delight of a Joe's ice cream, a Swansea institution. Had sundaes all round, with a cone each for the dogs. Came home and relaxed, and enjoyed some roast beef with Andrew's amazing Yorkshire puddings. After watching a bit of TV, headed for bed as all were tired.

This morning, took Andrew early to the station, for the 6.55 train, and walked the dogs at Hamadryad Park. Then came home, and Leila and I sampled some of the fruit loaf, which was very nice but I still don't think of it as being one of my five a day. Leila left for home mid-morning, and I have had a quiet day, feeling a bit tired after all the excitement. Some pics attached.