Friday 14th September 2018

We have nearly made it to the weekend. Just eight hours to go, don't lose faith now.

In fact, reasons to feel optimistic, as I feel on top of the job, for now, the weather was brighter and calmer and the plan was to go to Deal in the afternoon for a walk and fish and chips for tea.

Just had to get through the day.

Jools leaves for work, I have a shower then breakfast and another brew. And I find somehow by doing nothing, two hours of the day had already passed and it was time for work.

In fact nothing to worry about, just a few mails in overnight, and a trickle through the day kept me busy enough. I find that I have a short notice trip back to the Isle of Wight before we go away too, so a hectic week that week, three days away, cats to the vet and then to the airport!

But that is to be confirmed.

I have lunch, listen to some music, watch some American Pickers while I send yet more mails.

I have been chasing a guy for documents for weeks, needlessly to say, he sent them on Friday afternoon, so I had to copy over 00 dcs and send them out again. As you do.

This means I am still working when Jools comes home from work, so we go to the garden to eat ice cream before I finish work and we can leave for Deal.

Deal is just ten minutes or so up the coast, but it on a shingle beach and feels so very different from St Maggies. Traffic is heavy into Walmer then along to Deal, the boundary between the two towns is at Deal Castle, so once past that we turn up one of the narro street leading to the main road that runs along beside the beach to the small car park we we nab the final empty parking space.

60p buys us a ticket until six when paring becomes free, I take my camera out, and we walk to the pier.

Above us a layer of cloud allows the sunlight through, and is an interesting counterpoint to the beach and town. I know the light is good.

The pier is pretty empty, with just a few fishermen and their families line the barriers, throwing their baited lines into the swell below, as it is high tide. The cafe at the end is still closed, as the council managed to upset the tenants by not opening the pier until ten on a Sunday meaning half their business was lost, so they left.

We walk to the end, round the pier head, then back to land.

"you hungry?" I ask.

Yes.

Lets get chips I says.

The chippy is near to the end of the pier, we get a seat at the front by the window so we could look at the world passing by as we wait for our order to arrive. I have skate and Jools has cod. Skate is a king of fish, a ray, and you get a wing to yourself.

And it doesn't disappoint, wonderfully fresh and with crispy golden batter.

We turn down dessert, and after paying walk back to the car to drive home, and back home in ten minutes, no cooking or washing up to do, just listen to the radio and wait for Monty to start.