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.