Thursday 20th February 2025

It was inevitable, I guess, that I would catch the bug that Jools had on Monday.

It came on the same way, the same time of day as hers, so a long and sickly night lay ahead.

Before then, it had been a great day.

Although the weather was dull and drizzly, the picture of the day taken before work with rain running down the kitchen door.

I had some admin to do, and so through the morning closed one third of the open audit findings I had, including for one audit that was nearly a year old.

I was able to present the news at the monthly department meeting. Sadly, when I was asked how to remove the roadblocks and issues, my new manager didn't really listen to me, so another reason to be happy in leaving the company in four weeks.

I was done by lunch, so ate then sat with Scully watching Bangers and Cash.

I cleared up and had the house ready for when Jools came back. Prepared dinner, breaded chicken, air fried potatoes and Boston Beans.

And that was fine.

Until it wasn't.

Wednesday 19th February 2025

Another glorious sunny, but cold day.

Up at quarter to six, and already dawn's warm light was spreading out across the sky at the back of the house.

I would either walk again later, or finish up the front garden clearing out last year's Goldenrod stems and other dead plants.

This year's shoots are already showing at their base, so there's no time to lose.

Jools went to work, still not 100%, not that hungry, and her usual meals the day before did her no favours. So she went to Tesco to get some crackers and other bland foods before going to the office.

I had four hours of meetings, one after the other was I try to clear my desk before I leave, it seemed impossible, but as it happened, some 13 deviations were agreed to be closed, and so the meetings ended in good sprits, and comments on how sad it was I was leaving, a loss to the company, and all that.

If only my old boss was here to hear it. No, if she was still in post I would have resigned in September.

So it goes, so it goes.

Lunch was defrosted and warmed up Italian lentils with pasta, which was as good as it was when fresh. Would have been better with a glass of red wine, of course.

After sitting with Scully watching crap TV I go to the front garden to clear the last of the dead stuff, before the rain expected on Thursday arrived.

Its still light at five, and not yet dark at half past when Jools came home. We feasted on pizza and salami and beer.

Dinner of (Italian) Champions.

Football in the evening, listening to the radio, as Citeh lost heavily to Real and so are out of Europe for another year.

Oh dear. Never mind.

Tuesday 18th February 2025

Jools felt just about well enough to return to work. I wouldn't have done, but she had slept well, though had eaten little.

Meaning it was just me and the cats.

It was another frosty start, and would get sunnier, brighter, but little warmer through the day.

Jools had a shower, dressed and took herself to work, leaving me to feed the birds and start work.

After Tuesday, I would have just 23 working days left, and a good nine of them were going to fly by when I travel to Denmark in weeks 9 and 10 on my grand farewell tour.

The heating and with the warmth of the rising sun soon meant the house was warm, if not hot, and a struggle to stay awake.

I made pasta a limone, adding a spring (green) onion at the end, which should have made it worse, but was made even better.

I really wanted a glass or two of red as well, but made do with squash.

And after lunch I went for a walk.

Not far, but all improvements have to start somewhere. So I put on my walking shoes, grabbed a camera and put on my coat, then set off down the street, where on a verge I found a Bee Orchid rosette.

The track and path over the field were quite dry, so only light mud. And although the field tot he north had been ploughed and seeded, the larger southern one was still fallow, full of Annual mercury, Common groundsel, Common Field Speedwell, freshly emerged Sun Spurge among many others, but no insects.

In fact I have seen a couple of queen bumble bees, and that's it so far this year.

I turn for home as my back grumbles, and am happy to get home, take off my shoes and sit on the sofa beside Scully to watch Bangers and Cash on the telly box.

Jools came back at half five, not hungry much. I made sausage rolls for dinner, four each, about right as it was the main meal of the day, but perhaps not the best of meals for Jools.

Anyway, she went to lay down and I listened to football: Celtic v Bayern, with Bayern scorning with the last kick of the game to knock Celtic out.

So it goes, so it goes.

Monday 17th February 2025

I'm not going to linger much on this, but let me say that Jools's sore stomach erupted into gastric flu with added vomiting.

All in all, she did a fine Linda Blair impression, and it was all very, very grim. And being well, there was little I could do than just stand by and watch.

Come the morning, neither of us had slept much, I was fine, but Jools was still leaking, so she didn't go to work for the day. I called her boss to explain, then let Jools sleep or keep her hydrated with herbal tea..

Meanwhile I worked.

And work has got quite busy these past few days, as pressure comes for folks to close the audit findings I raised, and so meeting after meeting with them explaining what they had done, and me having to tell them why they had done wasn't enough or what was required.

Outside, it looked like Spring. The sun shone down from clear blue skies and there was hardly a breath of air. But it was only just above freezing, and not warm enough to sit on the patio or even go for a walk.

I tried to keep quiet, so Jools could rest, and so through the day from breakfast, I guess she must have slept more than 12 hours of that 18 hours, ten slept through the night to Tuesday morning, pretty much.

A eleven, I had to take Scully back to the vet to have her blood sugars measured after week on increased insulin.

Not much traffic about, it being half term, but even still very light traffic, and when I got tot he vet, no other cars or customers.

Scully was seen straight away, and the result was her sugar level had increased! Which may be a by-product of the stress going to the vets, so she will have to go for an eight hour stay again and have sugars measured hour by hour.

Back home for lunch for me, lunch of oatcakes and marmalade with a huge brew for me, and herbal tea for Jools.

I watch crap telly for a couple of hours, and Jools sleeps on. Which is what she needed, obviously.

Night came, Jools got up and we have some lightly buttered flatbreads for supper, and a coffee each. After which Jools went back to bed, though she sounded human again and was talking normally.

She went to bed at half seven, and I put the footy on quietly, and silence, or something close to it, descended on Chez Jelltex.

Sunday 16th February 2025

I realised when I was getting dressed, that from the end of next month I won't need to get a hair cut Sunday morning, I could get it done any day of the week, at any time.

I have been going to Folkestone for a shear once I found a barber there over a decade ago opened Sundays, meaning I could do either churchcrawling or orchid hunting on a Saturday and still be cut.

That first shop was convenient, but he never cut my hair short as I wanted, so I had to go back every three weeks or so to get it redone.

Then the one, run by a family of Armenians, opened along the street, and they cut my hair as short as I wanted.

I rarely go anywhere else now.

So, it was with a heavy heart that we set out after breakfast on what could very well be my last jaunt to Folkestone on a Sunday morning for a snip.

Traffic was light, and yet what there was out didn't really know how to use their indicators.

I dropped Jools off in Wear Bay and then went to the centre of town to park, then walk to the shop. I tried to get my jacket on, but would not work. Until I realised it was upside down.

In the shop there were three free seats, I was offered one. I explained this might be my last trip, and they were genuinely sad about that.

I was shorn, close and with more attention than normal, and all done in 40 minutes.

A quick nip down to the Italian deli for some twisty pasta, where Jools followed my to, then back to the car and back home.

It was a glorious day; sunny, little wind, but bitterly cold. Too cold to go out much, and anyway, I had dinner to prepare.

Lunch.

Ribeye steaks, par-boiled potatoes done in the air fryer, garlic mushrooms and the last of the frozen corn.

We ate at half one, all done perfectly, and delicious. We had pink fizz too, which made staying awake very hard.

There was footy on the TV: Liverpool beat Wolves 2-1, then followed Spurs v Man Utd for "super Sunday", with neither teams being in super form.

Spurs won 1-0, their first home win in the league for something like 109 days.

Jools didn't feel well, so went to bed at eight, I followed soon after, being a sleepy boy.

Saturday 15th February 2025

Its beginning to feel a little like Spring.

Even if the temperature didn't get above 4 degrees today, the sun did shine, and there was little breeze. And on our travels through the Kent countryside, spring flowers were everywhere to be seen.

We got up at half six when the water heater fired up, fed the cats, gave Scully her jab and made coffee.

Then to Whitfield for some hunting and gathering. Jools needing a cider restock and then the rest of the stuff we get through each week.

At least shopping so early means missing most of the crazies, and we see the same faces each week, though not well enough to speak, maybe the nod of a head.

Back home for breakfast of fruit and tea, put the shopping away and ignore the meows for more food.

And off out for some gentle churchcrawling. Our first target is perhaps the last substantial Norman church in east Kent I had yet to visit: Great Chart.

Great Chart is now a suburb of Ashford, which is spreading westwards towards the Romney Marsh. This means navigating the series of manic roundabouts onto the A28, past Waitrose and out of town, turning off on about the tenth roundabout, and through the village, no new builds here.

And on top of the hill is the church, which Google maps assured me would be open at ten. It was twenty five to eleven, so safe as milk?

No. It was locked, with no details of keyholders. So I took some exterior shots and we walked back to the car.

I had a back up. We were going here anyway, just Jools didn't know.

On the other side of Ashford, out in the countryside, and just below the treeline of Kings Wood, at the end of a dead end lane next to a manor house, is Boughton Aluph.

I knew it would be locked, but also knew there was details of a keyholder. So, once we arrived, I called the number, was given directions, and off we set to Boughton Leas.

Up a six footer up the down, right at a junction, then right at the first cottage, and the old lady was waiting.

We reversed out, turned round and went back to the church, parking in the entrance to a field.

Beds jammed with Winter Aconites abounded, but i only had eyes for the church, up the steep path and through the old swing gate.

There is no path to the Priest's door, just a track of flattened grass. I went down the stops, inserted the key and turned, the door moved, then opened.

Inside is a large a airy space, well lit through windows with little stained glass. Entry is via the vestry in the north chapel, so I walk out into the Chancel, ad look back at the large Nave, filled with chairs.

The walls are sparsely adorned, with the memorials that are there as listed by Hasted below. Amazing to think of details recorded 220 years ago are still there and recognisable by his description.

The church has a new organ, which I am told sounds splendid in the summer when there are regular concerts as part of Stour Valley Music group.

Beside the organ I see the wall painting of The Trinity, though it is hard to see it all other than via an oblique view as the organ is in the way.

Ancient glass fills the upper traceries of the east window, most in good condition. At the west in, shards and remnants make more of an abstract display.

After half an hour I was done, so leave a donation and exit the church, locking the door behind me.

We took the key back, then was the question: shall we have lunch out?

We shall.

But where.

I mention the New Flying Horse in Wye, which is three miles away across the Stour and railway. So off we go. At the level crossing we see the new barriers, which replaced the manual gates a couple of years back, then up through the village, past the mad parking near the market, and along a back street to the pub.

It was five minutes past opening time.

They had a table, and at least three menus. We both chose steakburgers, and so waited and people-watched until the food arrived.

It was nothing extraordinary, but that's not what you want in a burger: just cheese, bacon and pickles. And lots of crispy fries.

We pay, and leave. Jools had accidentally ordered a pint of cider, so I drove back, back over Wye Down, to Stone Street then to Bridge and onto the A2.

Traffic was very light, we got back at two, just in time to watch the end of the lunchtime games and make a brew before taking my place beside Scully on the sofa.

Where I then fell asleep for half an hour.

Norwich only drew at Hull, a team we put to the sword in the warm autumn sunshine back in September.

Bacon butties for supper, then settle down to watch Palace v Everton, and it was the Toffees who win again under their old new manager, David Moyes.

Friday 14th February 2025

Every day is now full of feline drama: due to Scully's diabetes and injections, we have to make sure she only gets fed at actual meal times, not to have food hanging round all day.

And that means that it effects all other cats, and so cats having been used to, in Mulder and Scully's case, food all the while for fifteen years, to having to wait twelve hours between feeds, and no amount of meowing or spragging curtains and sofas isn't going to change anything.

So, whenever either of us walks about, one cat or anther follows us and meows for food, Mulder here trying to get up to my eye level to enforce his pain not eating for eight hours.

The end of another week. Very quiet, though Friday was filled with four meetings, and after the first one, I press the "nuclear" button and escalate their inaction.

Mails fly back and forth the rest of the day, and two more meetings arranged, but attention grabbed.

Once Jools comes home, we go back out again, via Tesco to get photos done for our Indian Visa, then to Jen's for cards and chat.

Jools and I are nearly out of money, and the mood on our side was low, but raised right at the end when I scooped the kitty in getting a run of four.

Yay.

Back home for dinner of Carbonara followed by the music quiz. I do poorly again, though get the answer right, but not one for the first ten to submit the answer.

There was football on the box: Brighton v Chelsea, and Brighton cruised to a 3-0 win.