Friday 17th January 2025

I am not suffering from photographers block, or lost my mojo. It's just that weekends so far have been dull and grey, or too cold and windy to do much outside.

And the other truth is that we have 50 days left at work: ten in January, nineteen in February and twenty in March.

And that's it.

So, will be going from having only weekends really for my obsession, I will have every day.

Every day will be a weekend.

Even walking in the neighbourhood, I am only walking on the pavements, so up and down the four streets on our small estate, as the lanes and tracks are deep with mud after the autumn downpours, so I go out with the phone, taking a couple of shots and listening to podcasts.

But soon enough, normal service will resume: orchids, flowers, butterflies, churches and trains.

Friday was another short grey day, sies hidden by low dark clouds, with the threat of mist in the air. And as the company ends the financial year, I am suddenly in demand, meaning I am in meetings four to five hours a day, dealing with issues that others have ignored for months.

Its my job.

But not for much longer.

I had put the bins out, and really worked non-stop except to make brews and breakfast through to half one.

The afternoon was a three hour build up to Operation cat round-up, with all four of them needed at the vets.

Scully, we thought had lost weight, quite a bit, and has been drinking lots more, or that could be as she's inside most of the time. Anyway, she needed checking out.

Mulder is over-washing again, and his rear half is semi-bald. Its obsessive behaviour, might be caused by stress, but there's nothing really for him to be stressed about.

And Cleo and Poppy needed their annual jabs so we could put them in cat prison if we go away

At four we began, and as soon as the sound of cat boxes being prepared were heard, cats scattered to all four corners.

I caught Scully quite easily, and Mulder gave himself up quite easily too. That left the kittens, though no longer kittens.

Jools caught Cleo, and then between us, we corralled Poppy into the bathroom where there is no hiding places.

Job done.

Waiting in the vets is always stressful for cats, even with a cat only waiting area. Two boisterous cockerpoos were whining and barking, causing increased stress levels.

Or were they labradoodles? Mongrels by another name.

We were called forward.

Scully has lost a kilo, two pounds. But is otherwise in good health, well hydrated. A sample of blood is taken, which seemed to be dark, but we will know the results on Monday.

Mulder has fur regrowing, and seemed to be an allergic reaction, but is getting better.

The terrible twins had their jabs, with no issues.

Cats were put back in their boxes, and Jools went to pay. Just under £600.

Wow.

But we had to get Mulder and Scully checked out, and has calmed our fears, results of the blood test notwithstanding.

We drove home and were just in time for the quiz, though I jumped in early and got it wrong.

We had cottage pie and Boston beans, both defrosted from the freezer and warmed through.

Lovely and filling, doubly so on a cold winter's day.

And that meant the weekend could not begin.