Emblems of perfect happiness

I was on a training course this morning at a hospital in deepest Lanarkshire. As I queued at the traffic lights I decided to put the hood down on my car, and as I pressed the button to do so, the hood rose up and folded down. This is the one of the two things that I love about my car; the hood and the colour. Anyway I then noticed a wee school girl walking along the pavement with her Dad and she was saying "How does she do that?" and pointing to the car. She reminded me of a young me, skinny with red hair. When I got to my meeting I noticed that a lot of the attendees were about my age and about my current shape. It made me think that when some people get older we are so busy with family and jobs, that it is easy to neglect our own health and fitness. Yes I know that this sounds like an excuse, and it is an excuse because there were some really fit looking people at the meeting too. And it made me think that I would like to be in the fit group. Anyway I left school nice and sharp in the afternoon to make the most of this marvellous weather. I think is reached about 24 degrees here this afternoon. I am sitting in the garden wearing the sundress that David disapproves of, and I am actually sitting in the shade because I was finding it too hot in the hammock! It's great! One of my favourite Philip Larkin poems mentions summer days like this one:
"Too often summer days appear
Emblems of perfect happiness
I can't confront"
and I love this way of putting the uneasiness that perfect weather sometimes makes me feel. As if my own happiness is falling short of what it should be on such a lovely day. But just now I feel very contented! And so does Jack, who is lying in the flowered nearby.