THE NIGHT AFTER THE RAIN CAMEAt last the long-awaited rain came. Once rain has fallen, it’s absolutely essential to earth up the potatoes before the heat has had a chance to dry out the soil again. This is serious work, much more serious than it might seem to an ordinary internet user or, say, some kind of high-flying manager. Granny wanted to rush out and do the job on the same day, and I had difficulty in holding her back. The previous winter she had had a cataract removed and the doctor warned her not to do anything that involved heavy labour. There was, of course, no way in which she would willingly refrain from doing anything that needed doing, and it was virtually impossible for anyone else to stop her. She’s become so used to doing everything herself, there’s no job that she thinks
