My pre-awakening hours this morning were very unusual and entertaining, although for the wrong reasons.

As well as hearing the drumming (even after putting my earplugs on), I also felt the chill of the coldest night since summer. Tonight I will remove the heavy blanket from its summer hibernation in the wardrobe.

Mixed in with the cold and the drumming were a dream I can’t remember and a separate, rather tortuous nightmare involving the torture of slaves and the like. This was my first real nightmare for a long time, although I did not wake up from it.