It’s been a lovely week up here in Chautauqua NY, sunny and just warm enough for comfort. Some of our friends are driving up to join us today, and Peter and his friends arrived last night around midnight.

So, of course, I wake to the sound of thunder in the distance. I expect the patter of rain at any minute now. Fortunately, we have downstairs in the living room complete sets of Dickens and Mark Twain. There are also a couple of old orange-jacketed Penguin editions of Nancy Mitford’s novels.

The possibility of spending the rainy afternoon with copies of novels and quiet conversation over cups of hot tea dance in front of my mind. However the prospect of spending the afternoon in the Library up the street, using the free WiFi also springs to mind. Which is better?