Sunday 30th October 2022

I bought the moth trap to photograph a number of species. Not only hawkmoths, but an autumn specialityis the Merville du Jour. And seeing this is whay I have utting the trap out more and more, as others in the FB Kent moth group, several have been posted as having been trapped.

With no rain forecast for Saturday night, I put the trap out, so once it was light, and that came an hour earlier thanks to the clocks going back, I went to check on it and see what had been caught, and right away I could see a Merville on the outside of the trap.

I had my camera with me, so was able to take some shots of that and other moths found on the eggboxes inside.

Happy with that.

Jools went swimming, so I prepared fruit for breakfast, and put the croissants in the oven ready to warm up.

Meanwhile, rain which had not been forecasted, began to fall.

Oh well.

The plan for the day was going to the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway for their end of season gala, I wrote times down at at St Mary's Bay, and we drove to Hythe, I let Jools out so she could walk down the prom, she would get quite wet.

I needed to get to the station by quarter past ten, and was frustrated by traffic lights and slow cars. But I was there with four minutes to spare, and after getting the camera out and fitted the big lens, I went to take up position, just in time for the crossing lights began to start flashing.

For a while I was the only one there, but soon a young lad was videoing the crossing, and came to shelter on the station with his parents.

I stayed until half eleven, with no sign of the weather improving, I left, needless to say, by the time i got home skies had cleared and there was wall to wall sunshine.

So it goes.

I picked up Jools from Hythe, and we went home.

As we approached Dover we were overtaken by a police car, and at the BP garage, about a dozen more were there along with ambulences, and a fire engine roared towards the Western Docks.

A guy had firebomed the immigration centre beside Dover Marine, then drove to the filling station, tied a rope to a barrier, round his neck and drove off.

He didn't make it.

This is what happened when the media demonise the most desperate of people, blaming them for the ills in the country, when it is the grifters in Government who have been selling England off by the pound to their mates.

We didn't know then what happened, but found out later when the story broke on the BBC.

So sad.

Back home, I make chorizo hash for lunch, and that was all cooked and eaten and dishes washed up by half two, all ready for the only live game on Sky at quarter past four. Man Utd beat West Ham 1-0, not a bad game, but not that good.

And that was it.

Darkness fell at half four, and was pitch dark by five.

Winter is here.

The week in Tory chaos

Welcome to Perfectly Normal Island where it was revealled last week that:

The Home Secretary ignored lagal advice on the processing and housing of immigrants thus allowing them to get scurvy and diptheria.

This is the same Home Secretary who resigned a week previously after multiple breaches of security were discovered. The new PM has re-employed her in the same role, so she resigned for six days before returning to Government in the same role.

In order to divert attention, it was revealed that the previous PM, Liz Truss, had her private mobile hacked, on which and against security laws, was conducting Government business on. A year's worth of messages and data was downloaded by a foireign power almost certainly Russia.

The previous PM, Johnson, has been using the same provate number for 15 years and this has been available on the internet for at least a decade.

Meanwhile, a man threw three fire bombs at the immigration centre in Dover before killing himself. Jools and I were caught up in this on the way back from Hythe yesterday. Looking at the front pages of the Express, Mail and now Torygraph, it is easy to see how people get radicalised against those who have so little, while the grifters in Parliament get away with asset stripping the country.

Sunak said that the grown ups had taken over, but I have yet to see proof of this.

Braverman is expected not to last week, but she resigned once, whose to say she won't be back a week or month later?

Meanwhile, the economy continues to tank, while no one talks about Brexit and it's effects, although clear data show productivity, imports, exports, inward and outside investiment have all dived since June 2016. This only effects the UK, what could have happened to just the UK that year and nowhere else?

Fuck if I know.

Saturday 29th October 2022

Last day of (Bristish) Summer Time, and time to go home.

I had my pick of trains to go back on, but the truth is, as nice as it is being away, eating in fancy pants places and taking photographs, its better to be home.

And I wanted to go home.

Which is whay I set my alarm for six.

But I was awake an hour earlier, so I get up, get dressed and pack, checking the room time to make sure I had forgotten nothing. For once.

Down to reception, where I am told check out is all automatic, so nothing to settle.

Can you call me a taxi, please?

They do.

I will wait outside I say.

IIt was just before six, still dark, but it was mild. Very mild. I mean mild enough to wear just a t shirt. It is mad, and must be global warming, how else can you explain temperatures of 21 degress at the end of October?

The taxi arrived. I load my bags. I chose to go by taxi as there had been drunks and those heading home from clubs shouting and screaming on the street outside my window, pretty much all night. And Prince of Wales Road, the road to the station, is where a lot of the clubs and bars are. As it was, at the bottom, a man dressed in a poor Father Christmas costume was being sick whilst consoling a friend laying next to him.

Inside the station, I look for a place to get a coffee from, and see just about everywhere is closed, or not yet open. The Co-Op is, I am told, and they have a coffee machine. I go inside, get a large americano and two Yorkie bars, then walk to the barrier to get on the train. I had 40 minutes before departure, but on the train I could settle down, read and relax while I drank the coffee.

A few other people got on, but the carriage was still ostly empty by the time the train pulled out, while outside it was still dark. In fact it was pretty much dark all the way to Ipswich, only light coming through the towns and villages the line passed through or near.

At Ipswich, a party of five Ipswich fans joined me, and we had some banter about our two teams, all good humoured and nothing nasty. Good to think such things are mostly of the past. They were on their way to Charlton, where a win could put them top of the league. They asked me why Norwich fans are so angry, which was a very good question. One I couldn't really answer.

Out of Colchester the train was three quarters full, but it was daylight so I could stare at the lineside and countryside as we zoomed sout into London.

I get off at Stratford, I knew I had 50 minutes before a direct train to Dover, so I set about looking for coffee. I found a place just inside Westfield, and the server suggested I have what I though she said was a slice of pistachio and raspberry cake. But when it came it was one heck of a bun.

Sticky, but nice.

I eat that and wash it down with coffee, twenty minutes had passed so I walked to the barriers and went down onto the platform.

Trains to Ramsgate via Canterbury and one to Margate via the Medway towns left before mine pulled, in, a 12 car set meaning there would be hundreds of empty seats.

Not much else to tall, just the usual trip under east London, across the Eassex marshed, under the Thames and into Kent, the train emptying at each stop.

Jools was waiting at Dover, I load my bags and we go home.

It was 11 o'clock.

Over half the day to look forward to, but I was pooped and happy to be home.

I unpack, put dirty washing in the machine, have a shower, make brews and lunch.

All is well with the world.

And then there is football.

I listen to Radio 5 and follow Norwich on Twitter, and we run out 3-1 winners over Stoke, while Ipswich scored two late goals to lead Charlton 4-2.

I went to make a brew.

And by the time the kettle had boiled, I heard the radio say that Charlton had equalised to make it 4-4, with half the goals coming after the 90th minute.

I thought of the Town fans I had seen earlier in the day and wondered what they thought of it.

All part of the game, I guess.

And two games in the evening: a dour 0-0 draw between Leeds and Everton, then Liverpoon losing in a match of brainless counterattacking football, 2-1.

Phew.

Friday 28th October 2022

Last day in the fine City, and somewhat surprisingly, I slept in until ten past eight. I mean, that's very nearly dinner time when at home.

So, just enough time for a shower and check on the interwebs before going down to breakfast, where I order a "full English", as I would be drinking pretty soon after.

Well, before noon anyway.

Breakfast was good, but the coffee better.

So, off into the city, and a wander back through Tombland, and my intention had been to wander round the market, but I saw a queue had already formed for the beer festival, it would mean 70 minutes standing, but I had nowhere else to go.

The Norwich beer festival takes place in the St Andrews and Blackfriars Halls, and it is popular. Entry is via a porch, and those with tickets, members and general admissions are all mixed in. And as the festival nears its end, gets ever more popular, so there is a queue.

A large queue.

I talk to a couple of chaps beside me, and the time goes quickly, and by the time the doors do open at half eleven, the end of the queue is back over the river and out of sight.

I go in, get a glass and beer tokens, and find a place to sit.

I was here because there was to be a RAF reunion, of those who served in my trade, at RAF Coltishall. I served there five years, surely I would loads of old friends and comrades?

As time went on, I found the group, but no one looked familiar.

I spoke to one guy, I said might remember me, but that was it.

As time went on I got more and more despondent. The beer helped.

Three pints of porter, and that was enough, at two I left and weaved my way back along the cobbled streets to the hotel, stopping off for crisps and pop at a store on the way, and going back to my room to write a blog post and listen to the radio.

The afternoon faded into evening, I did the music quiz, came 8th.

And then went out to take some final night time shots of the city and find a place to eat.

But my back was grumbling, and I made it to City Hall, snapped it and St Peter Mancroft before turning back.

I tried a few places to see if they had a table, none did.

So, the final chance was the hotel, where at seven fifteen I was the first customer in the large restaurant.

An Indian couple who had married that day came in and sat nearby, and he told her he had written a song about her, how he changed the words, then he sang to her.

I had a burger and a pint, which was all I fancied.

Then back up to my room for some arsing about before bed at ten.

Thursday 27th October 2022

Pay day.

Which is good.

So: Dateline Norwich, Norfolk.

I wake at half six, with buses and trucks heading into the city just outside the bedroom window, whatever, I slept well, so messed around online for an hour, had a shower and then went down for breakfast. Dressing first, of course.

I chose the "continental breakfast", of fruit and toast, and two pots of coffee which set me for the day.

I had a number of plans: first was to go to Cantley and the Limpenoe for some churchcrawling, but with the swing bridges at Reedham and Somerleyton closes for maintenance, that meant rail replacememnt buses. THe other choice was to go to Cromer to the church there, have lunch of chips beside the seaside, beside the sea.

But first, a a walk to St Stephen's on Theatre Street, as I had not been there before, and was oepn, apparently.

Despite being the end of October, it was warm and humid, and would exceed 20 degrees in the afternoon. But was cloudy, and there was a chance of rain.

More than a chance as it turned out.

So, after breakfast I set out through Tombland, past The Halls where the beer festival was being held, and fresh supplies were being delivered.

Through the market, up the steps and across from The Forum to Theatre Street where the doors of the church had just been opened. What greeted me was a fine large East Anglian church, but instead of pews or rows of chairs, was tables and chairs all set out to be a cafe.

All churches do their best, I know, but St Stepehens is now a calling point on the etrance to the once new shopping centre, the windows offer a large and bright space, but not very churchy.

I made the mistake of asking a volunteer when it stopped being a church: it's still a church, anf the tables can be quickl replaced with rows of chairs, it seems.

I go round and get shots, but avoiding, as warned, not to get people in my shots. Its a big church, so I managed that pretty well.

Ten minutes later, St Peter Mancroft opened I wanted to snap the east windows as best I could, so with my compact I did my best. A guy sat behind me and tutted loudly as I took shots and when I asked a warden if I could take a shot of a memoral in the chancel. He had the whole church to sit in, but shose to sit behind me, already taking shots, apparently just so he could complain.

So fuck you.

I got my shots, and left, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

Outside rain had began to fall. Falling hard enough not to be pleasant. My plan had been to walk tot he station, but wasn't going to walk in this weather. So, I walked through the market, lingering as rain fell harder, then corssing to Royal Arcade before emerging onto Back of the Inns, and walking into Castle Mall, taking a series of escalators to the top, all the while hoping that by the time I reached the top, rain would have stopped.

It hadn't.

But I did snap the decorative paving marking the source of an ancient spring, then headed down Timber Hill to the Murderers, where I went in and had a pint. And eneded up staying for another and a lunch of nachos.

Last stop was St John Maddermarket, where I retook many shots, but had a long and interesting conversation with the warden about the church and the font found at St John in Folkestone.

I went back to the hotel, lay on the bed for a snooze edit some shots and post them with a description which became the backbone for the previous blog post.

For the evening, I had been invited for dinner at my good friend's, Sarah's.

So at five, I walk up through the City to Pottergate, then along, through the underpass and estate beyond, arriving at her door at just gone six.

Darkness was falling, the street was ankle deep in golden leaves, quite the most fabulous place, really.

We have a drink, chat abut churches, butterflies, orchids and Norwich City, after which we eat: a kind of duck stew, which was hearty and very good. Alnong with that, we su from the bottle of fruity red I had bought on the way to her house.

The evening slipped by, and after walking 15,000 steps, I got a taxi back to the hotel, along fairly deserted roads, dropping me at the door of the hotel, where just insode a wedding repception was nearing its end, back in my room, I put in ear plugs and slept long and deep.

Wednesday 26th October 2022

It is school holiday week, and also beer festival week in Norwich. It had been a while since I last went, not because of COVID either, I think its been five years.

As its school holidays, all of the Premier Inns and Travelodges are as expensive as a room in a decent hotel, especially for the solo traveller, so I booked into the Maids Head.

There's posh.

Anyway, so Jools left for work at seven, giving me at least two hours to get ready and pack, but the internet diverts, and the stuff I wanted to do got forgotten. But I had a shower, shave, and packed. And called for a taxi so I could catch the ten to eleven train.

Only taxi I could get was from the village, and it'll have to be right now, at ten, as I have a booking right after.

Fair enough,

So, chatty bloke in his cab was waiting outside, I lugged the small case and camera bag out, and his words powered the car down to the Deal road and into town, going down Jubilee Way and up to the station.

I already had my ticket, so had 40 minutes, time for a coffee and a bun. Or muffin as they're called now, apparently.

There was already a lot of passengers waiting for the train at Dover, so waiting for the second one out of peak service in the hope it would be less used had failed.

But I got a seat, facing backwards though, and off we went.

It was pretty full by the time we left Folkestone Central, standing room only after Ashford and they didn't let people into our carriage at Ebbsfleet.

I was glad to get off at Stratford and make my way through the cathedral to commerce, Westfield. Put your phone away once you've stopped using it, announcement said, as its private property they are strict about snappers. I've been stopped twice here myself.

I walk on.

I had a half hour wait for a train north, so snapped trains coming through the station, including a freight hauled by two snazzy class 90s.

The rear of the Norwich train was rammed, but the front empty. So I settled at a table in the front coach and watched as London slipped by.

Glorious light turned the countryside into an autumnal spectacle, I tried to get shots, but failed.

We pass through Chelmsford, Colchester, where the refreshment trolley came round (less than £6 for sandwich, bag of crisps and a drink) then to Manningtree, Ipswich and into Suffolk, through Stowmarket into Norfolk and Diss.

Dis is Diss said the announcement.

One last shot run into Norwich, over the river and into Thorpe. It almost feels like coming home.

I walked along the river to Bishop's Bridge, then to the Cathedral Close, through the Erpingham Gate and there is the hotel.

My room is a three hour hike, so it seemed, along narrow corridors and passageways, up stairs, down stairs and back up.

My room overlooks Ss. Simon and Jude on Wensum Street.

I take my camera and go out, down to Elm Hill, all cobbles, timber framed houses and golden fallen leaves, then back round through Tombland to the river and The Ribs of Beef where I was to meet a friend.

Dawid arrived, and so we have a drink. What about dinner, he asks?

Well, I wasn't hungry, but I knew of a Japanese place up the road where we could possibly get in.

We do, so feast on panko and Japanese katsu curry.

Dawid has to leave as the poor chap has work, but I have the evening, so I make my way to The Hall for the beer festival.

No queue to get in or a glass, so let's get drinking!

I only had two drinks, but the second was La Choufe at 8%, so that was quite enough.

I walked back, tipsy, snappy as I went, Elm Hill looked spectacular as always, but this late at night, no parked cars.

Tuesday 25th October 2022

First up I need to tell you something of our travel plans for next year: over the weekend we booked up a week's orchid and butterfly tour in northern Spain. We will share a room, and during the day I will do the tour and photography, and Jools will wander round the three towns we will be staying at, and generally relaxing.

Then in June, we are going to Svalbard for a week's photograhy of polar bears and other Arctic life.

So, much to look forward to.

And after today, I am off to Norwich for three days, meeting friends and visiting the beer festival.

Its all go.

And on Tuesday, the main thing to do is to witness and photograph the partial solar eclipse. That was due to begin just after ten, and peak at just after 11, I had all the gear needed to get shots without blinding myself, just required gaps in the cloud.

This is the last week before the clocks go back, and it really feels autumnal, even if its still not that cold, or even chilly, but nights are now longer than days, and we lay in beyond when the alarm goes off as its still dark.

When I log into work, I find that all my travel expenses have been accepted, and there were no urgent pending stuff I needed to deal with, so it was a day of mostly keeping an eye on the mailbox and fielding questions via Teams. I think in Denmark, it's "potato week", when in the past children would take a week's holiday from school to help in the fields with the harvest. There are machines that do that now, of course, but the tradition of school holidays that week continues, meaning things are nearly as quiet as in July.

All this means that come ten, I am able to spend an hour ataring at the sky, watching clouds roll in and snapping the sun in any gaps in the clouds. Of which, thankfully, there are plenty.

And my friend Gary came round to have a chat, drink tea and snap the sun, using the nD filter I have.

So, all good.

It was cloudy, it even rained at one point, but by half ten, skies were mostly clear, and we got shots as the moon ate up part of the sun's disc, and at one minute past eleven, it reached maximum, and we got shots, then Gary had to head home and I had to check in on work.

Excitement over.

I had lunch, listened to music, and generally frittered the time away. As I had taken an hour off for the eclipse, I worked to four, though nothing much happened, so I set my out of office message, and that was that.

Dinner was to be toad in the hole, as we had some spare sausage meat and cauliflower to use up, so I made the crispy roast potatoes again, and topped it off with the last of the fresh corn.

It was a winner!

A friend once said of these blogs that there is always a disappointing football match. And so to Norwich who were playing away at Burnley. I know the results hadn't been going their way, but they can't be playing as bad as some reports suggest? I would find out as it was on the tellybox.

And City were every bit as bad as reported. They spent 97 minutes pretty much chasing shadows, forwards feeding off scraps, and lost thanks to a penalty. So, 1-0 defeat, but the manner of the defeat suggests some serious thinking about what happens next. I have long supported Dean Smith, the manager, but this looks like something he has caused, so might not be able to fix.

But I am now off for the rest of week.

Monday 24th October 2022

Back to work.

I have no boss. As such.

He is now splitting his time between his new job and his old job. God news, for me, is that he isn't our boss until Thursday and Friday, and I'll be on my holibobs again by then.

So I am my own boss.

And as tempting as itmight have been to tell myself what a good job I had been doing and that I deserve the day off, I don't.

I do have a pile of travel expenses to do.

Which is nice.

But experience tells me that I now know what I have to do, and it holds no fear for me now.

Jen was heading to Austalia, and needed to be at the airport by half five, so Mike took her and Jools went along for the ride. This meant Jools getting up at quarter to three, and being out of the house by ten past. I worried so much she'd oversleep I had been awake for at least an hour berore, and went back to bed once she left.

But it took some time to drop back off.

I woke back up at Jools was reversing the car back down the drive at half six, meaning I had half an hour before starting work.

Eeeek.

Jools comes in, makes a coffee for me, so I am ready to go on time.

Phew.

Jools is shattered but refuses to go back to bed for a snooze, so she falls asleep on the sofa instead whilst reading. Several times.

I do my travel expenses, I have receipts for every bill. I photograph them, and attach to the report, so by the end of the day, all had been accepted.

Yay.

Apart from that, there is mails to reply and training to arrange.

And that was that.

Our sloth had not been helped by the fact I made bacon rolls for breakfast, two of. Each. They laid heavy and made our eyelids dop.

I did go outside, I should have gone for a walk, but for reasons (couldn't be arsed) I didn't. Jools did drive to Samphire Hoe and walked for a hour round the sea wall and back.

Work eneded at three, I made dinner. Leftover beef, Yorkshire puddings along with reheated gravy and fresh steamed veg and roast potatoes.

We ate at four, more than enough so we did not have to eat again.

It is now dark by six, so no time for walking, jsut a coffee and a chocolate or two before listening to the radio.

I was going to watch the West Ham v Bornmuff game, and indeed I watched the first half, my my eyes were itichy and bloodshot, so went to bed at half time.

Jools had gone to bed an hour before.

Travels in my head: Rhode Island

The Ocean State.

I have been to Rhode Island. Once. It was shut.

No, it wasn't.

But it was cold.

It was during that week I spent on Cape Cod, and for something to do on Saturday, I drove down the coast to Rhode Island.

I remember little about my time there, except I ended up doing a tour of one of the grand house on the beachfront, The Breakers.

I was the only European on the tour, the rest being Americans, and they ohhhed and ahhed as the tour went from room to room and we saw items very nearly 100 years old.

I truth, it could have been any one of hundreds of minor stately homes back in the UK, the design and fixtures and fittings were pretty much the same.

The other thing I did was visit the coast, where waves broke against the rocky shore, but imagine my amazement to see people surfing. It being December and bloody cold, and waves were breaking on rocks. Not sharp ones, but still rocks.

I took some pictures.

I must have gone somewhere for lunch and/or a coffee before driving back to Hyannisport before dark.

Would I go back? In summer, yes. And maybe go to the biggest city, Providence.

And I'd make sure I had a bigger coat, gloves and a warm hat.

Rishi on top

This afternoon, Penny Mordaunt pulled out of the race to become leader of the Conservative Party, meaning there was no other challenger to Sunak.

Sunak won, despite not making a speech either in public, to the party of Tory MPs, made just one social media post and that was it.

Had there have been a vote, then it would have been digital, and done to anyone, no matter where they lived, could vote. No questions asks. And then at the same time, the same party insists that Trade Unions do things by post, more than 50% have to vote in favour.

One rule for them and one for the rest of us.

And remember Johnson nor Truss published the report on Russian interfearance in our elections and the Brexit referendum.

The enhanced policing bill continues to go through Parliament.

So far, nothing really has changed.

Sunak did make a speech after his election was confirmed. And his public speaking is barely btter than Truss's Once upon a time you had to be a good communicator to be elected a party leader.

How can he lead if he can't explain why he, worth nearly £1billion is entitled to tell the poorest why they have to pay more taxes, have less services. All this comeing from someone who possibly avoided paying quite a lot of tax.

Not a good look.

We might have a calm week or four, but once winter bites and people run out of money for food and energy, what then?

We shall see.

This is a slight improvement on Truss, but not much.

Sunday 23rd Sunday 2022

Second day of the lazy weeknd.

And on Sunday the rain would fall, and thunder and lightning would be all about.

But not until later.

We woke up at half seven, and already rain was falling, hard enough not to want to go for a walk.

Through the day, bands of thicker cloud would sweep in from the west, turning what counted as daylight into something much gloomier.

So we have coffee, first breakfast, econd breakfast and then another coffee. So we were fed and watered.

Outside rain stopped, so Jools went to do some gardening, and I started preparing Sunday lunch.

Weigh meat, then calculate cooking time. Season it and put flour on the fat to make it crispy.

Peel, slice then boil the potatoes, until there were almost falling apart, then drain and set to one side.

Mix the Yorkshire pudding batter, then set aside.

Prepare the rest of the vegetables, so that come eleven, I could start cooking the beef.

90 minutes later, that was cooked, and perfect, set the veg to cook, warm the fryer and oiled bun tins for the Yorkshires, then using the beef juices and stock I made a week back, I make gravy.

It all comes together in a blur at just after one, Jen and John had arrived, so they pour wine, I carve and dish up.

As usual, I made too much, but that means there's enough for Jools and I on Monday when we can have a midweek roast. Even if it's not actual midweek.

We eat well, drink two bottles of wine, and are all stuffed.

It seems odd to think that by Tuesday morning, Jen will be on the other side of the world, about to enjoy spring and summer.

It was warm enough here to sit in the garden and chat, but by half three, the sun had moved round to the west and it was getting cool. Jen had to pack, so she nad John leave, and for Jools and I there was coffee and Lindt truffle or two.

And that was it.

The weekend over, Jen on the way to Australia in 12 hours.

You couldn't make it up

The thick of it!

At five past nine last night, Boris Johnson pulled out (for the first time in his life) of the race to reclaim leadership of the Conservative Party.

This was either down to the fact he didn't really have 102 MPs who would back him, or there wasn't enough other MPs who would serve in a Cabint lead by Johnson. That would be the dictionary definition of not having the confidence of The House.

So, those 49 who did back him now have been let down, again. I mean, how many times can this happen before they learn.

He has distracted the media, and this blog, when we could and should have been asking more questions of Rishi and Penny. The former has not made a speech in the Commons or anything on social meadi in the nearly 50 days since he lost to Truss, but did post yesterday afternoon he was, of course, running again.

So, Johnson further split the Tory Party, piled on more embarassment for the country, only to back out.

I am still laughing like a drain.

Saturday 22nd October 2022

I suppose for most of the spring and summer I am somewhat (!) preoccupied with orchids, wild flowers and butterflies, sometimes with dragonflies thrown in, and then in September there's Heritage Weekend, Open House in London, and on top of that, gigs, shows. So it seemed we were always going to do something every weekend, or both days each weekend.

I had it in mind to go to Grove Ferry on Saturday to look for Bearded Reedlings, as I have never seen them before. It's only ten minutes beyond Preston and the butchers, but it seemed a way to go, and there was nothing else we needed to go out for, so in the end we decided to do nothing.

I should have gone for a walk, perhaps, and in hindsight a Long Tailed Blue was found at Brockhill Farm, but I only found out in the evening, and today was much too windy and stormy to try.

So, apart from shopping we did very little.

Tesco is pretty well stocked, but with odd exceptions. As expected, fresh fruit is thin on the ground, as is washing up liquid still, but we got what we needed, some beer and cider, veg for roast on Sunday and rolls for lunches. And a bag of groceries for the food bank, because we know we're lucky.

Back home to unpack, have breakfast. I prepare fruit and yougurt, as usual, and being a Sunday we have bacon butties afterwards too. But that would be it, as we were off out in the evening.

So we listen to the radio, me listening to Talk Shite as they had the Forest v Liverpool game, and it was almost worth hearing the ads for bookmakers as Forest ran out 1-0 winners.

And then came the main batch of games, and what would have been a top of the table clash two weeks back as Norwich headed to Sheffied United. City took an early 2-0 lead, but after half time the pressure told and Utd drew level, 2-2. And then City got a last minute penalty. Pukki stepped up to complete his hat trick. And it was saved.

Sigh.

I watch the first half of the Chelsea v Man Utd game, but at quarter past six we meet Bev and Steve (our neighbours) out front of the house to drive into Deal for dinner.

We had time to nip into the Just Reproach for a swifter, before walking dwon Middle Street to the club.

We had twice fried chicken wings followed by seafood chowder. Main course was chcken breast and roast vegetables, with chilli cherry cheesecake to finish. Steve and I shared two bottles of wine, but that was just enough, not like last time when that followed two pints at the pub. Not making that mistake again.

Jools drove is home, getting back at half ten, some 90 minutes past our bed time.