Thursday 16th January 2025

It is Thursday.

And sunny.

Hardly any wind.

And nearly warm outside.

A shame, then, that I am going to spend nearly ten hours over a hot keyboard dealing with issues, updating reports as departments are preparing for their end of financial year reports, and find they have overdue work from me to clear.

Suddenly I am fielding one call after another, for most of the day. Can I just do this, or that, or overlook something else.

And so on.

It was cool at dawn when I put the bird food out, sparrows were waiting in the hedge, angry I was taking so much time.

And then back in the warm for breakfast and another brew, waiting for my cuppa to brew, watching the birds come to feed for the feast I had put out.

And then back to work.

Stopping only for the last of the lentil dahl for lunch, I work though to half four, by which time the sun had nearly set so was getting dark and cool again.

But for a while it had looked and felt like Spring.

No dinner to prepare, as we were going out for dinner, only have a brew ready for for when Jools came home. And leaving us just enough time to get changed before we had to leave to pick up Jen, then back to Swingate to the old pub.

We were welcomed back like long-lost friends. We had came here when it changed hands and the new guy in the following two ears has tried to make a go of it. But truth is, since COVID, even before he took over, it hasn't been so full. Where once you had to book a table a week in advance, you can now just pitch up.

I booked, and joined the four other tables eating, only one more couple arrived after us, meaning they served just six tables. And are making ends meet my doing take aways.

Everything changes.

We order drinks. Papadums. A small starter each, and then finally the main courses, rice and a naan.

So, we order before the meal, so order too much, and at the end are stuffed. But it was good, as was the wine Jen and I shared.

We paid, with Jools driving we dropped Jen off, then came back to St Maggies past the curry house and then to home, where the cats were hungry.

Apparently.

Ipswich were losing to Brighton, and Man Utd came from behind in the last ten minutes to beat bottom club Southampton 3-1. But hardly the crashing win the scoreline suggests.