Thursday 26th June 2025

The clouds and cool winds returned.

It was near downright chilly, if not cold.

But we had little planned.

So that was alright.

I slept to nearly seven again, so was more than ready for the first coffee of the day.

All we had planned was to go to the kitchen showroom, as like all retirees, we want to spruce the house up, and the kitchen is in most need.

We moved into the house back in 2009, and it had been decorated by the wife of the couple who lived here before they divorced, and what she did is really very nice indeed.

Since being here, we got a carpet for the front bedroom (on the day we moved in), and about a decade or so ago, we did the bathroom, very much on the cheap. Looked nice for a while, but that is on the list too.

What we did have to do was have all the render stripped off the outside of the house, missing mortar replaced, then the render replaced with proper waterproof stuff, so to fix the multiple leaks we had been suffering.

And last year the back room, hallway and small bedroom were decorated and re-carpeted.

So, we haven't been idle, but more needs to be done.

Worst of all in the kitchen is the wooden work surfaces which stain easily, and improved storage making things easier to find is needed.

Going to the showroom meant going past the old Box Factory where Jools worked for 32 years, and I worked there too, for about six months.

Its a smaller concern now, with much production having been moved into the EU, but a rump production remains.

It seemed odd to be going past, from the road you can see the canteen, and a few figures moved around, but not as busy as back in the day.

Round the corner is the showroom. We go in, make an appointment for someone to come to measure up the kitchen and utility room. gaze at the shiny units on display.

We have ideas.

And back home.

Going up through the estate and down Shooter's Hill, over the railway to Buckland Bridge. Its a short, but very steep street, with a sharp stop line where it joins London Road.

And that is it for the day, really.

Back home for pork pie and salad for lunch.

The final slices of tart were served with coffee mid-afternoon.

I got the mower out again to cut some paths for access to the top and bottom beds.

I pruned the climbing rose, the watered the plants in the lower half of the garden.



All this with Mulder and Scully following my every move in case I might stop at any moment to feed them dinner.

In the evening, I battled the evil that was the UEFA website to access the live feed of the U19 men's final. It took until the 60 minute point of the game to get it to play live video, just in time to see the only goal of the game, as Germany gifted Netherlands an own goal.