In the end we skipped the kayaking for the time being, and played tennis instead. I was awful. I continue to be awful. I played again today with Roger and lost again despite his trying to help me. On Saturday evening we watched Being Julia – great performance by Annette Bening.

Yesterday it continued cooler, but it was still quite pleasant. We had brunch at the Lighthouse Cafe, then bought a couple of books and called in at the video store. On to a leisurely drive through the Nature Reserve, hunting for alligators. We saw a huge variety of birds and a few raccoons, but we had just about given up on the alligators when I saw a baby one in a creek near the exit. No sign of the mother.

Back at home played tennis (still awful) then home for food and two excellent films: The Merchant of Venice (superb performances from Al Pacino and Lynn Collins) and Keeping Mum (a surprisingly good comedy with Kirstin Scott Thomas and Rowan Atkinson, among others).

Today has been much cooler, which is to say the equivalent of a very acceptable English summer’s day. Barb and Dot are just back from Naples, where they bought a bundle of clothes. I walked up to the post office, back along the beach and over to the dock. Wind has shifted to the north, and there were crows on the dock. Haven’t seen them before. Very clear – Pine Island was very sharp. No sign of manatees, which had been mating yesterday, we think. Lots of action – very unusual. Only happens once every two years.

Now the other three have gone out to buy desserts from the Bubble Room. I didn’t feel much like going to a proper restaurant, and they wouldn’t go without me.

It’s much noisier now in Sunset Captiva – more families have come down for the March break, whatever that is.

The picture is Dot’s view of the Lady Chadwick, a boat that leaves the quay almost opposite us and promises dolphin sightings. The other evening it overshot its berth to view a dolphin opposite our dock. Could it have been the only one they’d seen?