Sunday 9th March 2025

A warm sunny spring day, and the first of our daffodils has opened its petals to the warm sun.

What should we do with our day?

Well, go for a walk, have breakfast, watch football, watch Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

Not much room for much else.

So, after coffee, we went out and were driving down the tunnel to Samphire Hoe before eight in the morning, in order to beat the asses of dogs and god walkers.

It was a fine morning, the sun reflected off the white cliffs, and high above us, Peregrine falcons called, one flying with talons full of rabbit, screeching at full volume.

I walked down beside the railway, looking for rosettes. The ground was still muddy, even with the cattle having been moved off, their hoof-prints deeply showing in the chalky mud.

I saw no rosettes either up of coming back, until I got to the overflow car park where I found one large Early Spider rosette, central spike forming.

The season is still young.

Back home for breakfast of fruit followed by croissants.

We both sit outside in the warm sunshine, Jools then did some gardening, and I go to prepare lunch, peeling potatoes to let them soak in water. All part of the process to make extra-crispy roast potatoes.

In time I boil the spuds, the steam dry them, before putting in hot fat and basting them with more hot oil.

Every 20 minutes, more basting, then with half an hour, put the pies in the oven and start steaming the vegetables.

So, steak and ale pies, the best roast potatoes ever, steamed veg and gravy.

And pink fizz.

Lovely.

I then had to stay awake through the afternoon watching the football, which I fail in the Spurs game, but wake up for the snorefest of the Man Utd v Arsenal.

We round off the day with Guardians of the Galaxy 3, which was a mess.

Funny at times. Touching at times, but mostly a mess, in which we had no idea what was happening.

And then it was nine, time for bed, so to be fresh for my penultimate week at work.