Wednesday 28th January 2026

Wednesday.

Hump day.

Unless you're retired.

We have both been a couple of leisure for ten months now, and there was a time, soon after we did finish, that we both thought we might not enjoy retirement, and might go back to some kind of work.

But as time went on, and through the long winter nights, we have come to really love our lives, and there then is zero chance of being tempted back.

This week has seen brighter days, so lighter in the mornings and late afternoons, and with the sunshine yesterday which shone until well after four, it felt and looked like Spring.

After I dropped Jools off at her class, I was going to go to Canterbury to visit the cathedral to snap the now completed renovation work. But a check online meant I found out that it doesn't open until ten, and with the churchcrawling in the afternoon, really didn't leave me with enough time to go to the city.

So I didn't.

Jools took the car and I lollygagged around the house. Had breakfast, washed up, did the bird food and listened to podcasts, and watched videos.

I wasn't bored.

Out in the garden three Winter aconites were in flower, and now the sun was out, one of the flowers just about opened, so I went out to snap it and other flowers that were showing.

I also broadcasted the seed packs that Fran had given us for Christmas, making sure that they were in contact with the soil.

The wisteria is showing signs of waking up, and the lilac has had buds for most of the winter, while rosettes of Cowslips, Pyramidals and other perennials were showing well.

Spring is coming.

We had tasted hot cross buns for lunch when Jools came home, giving me half an hour to faff around before leaving the house so I could pick up Martina from Deal, en route to the church at Nackington.

It was like a spring day driving from Deal to Worth then past Ash and Wingham. At least in the car with the heater on.

Along the A2 for a bit, then turn off through Bridge, where the road to Stone Street was closed. Or had road closed signs showing.

So instead it was back onto the A2, turn off at Wincheap, then through Chartham and to Hardres and back onto Stone Street.

We got tere at ten to two, one car was already there, and soon four more joined, as we turned the quiet dead end lane into rush hour. A face showed at one of the windows of the end cottage as the lady tried to see why there were so many folks about.

The warden arrived, so after introductions, we walked to the porch and inside.

I read from John's book, and the words of Hasted from the 18th century, of the descriptions of the parish and church.

I had brought them here to see two of the oldest stained glass windows in England. Which the warden told us were brought from Canterbury Cathedral at some point, for some unknown purpose. Try to understand Hasted, it seems the windows were there at the end of the 18th century.

The windows are of early 13th century manufacture, and so old that the craftsperson who made them might have been alive when Thomas Becket was Archbishop. As it is, the windows have probably the oldest representation of Becket.

We talk for nearly and hour as I describe the church and the fittings. And we were done, meaning we should just about get home before the schools runs on our route home.

I drove us into canterbury, then up the Old Dover Road and back onto the A2 before going back through Wingham to Sandwich and finally onto Deal.

The sun was about an hour from setting, and was still full daylight. And looked all the world like Spring.

I dropped Martina off, battled through Deal town centre and its new roadworks, then took the Dover Road through Walmer to home.

I got back at ten past four, where it was time for a cuppa.

Supper was minted lamb and stir fry with noodles. It worked. And increased the amount of fibre we both ate compared to the day before.

And there was minimal washing up, which is always a bonus.

For the evening there was the chaos of the last round of Champions League games, all 18 games kicking off at the same time to see who would would go through to the round of 16, and those others who would either go into the play-off round or just go home.

After seven dreadful rounds of games, the excitement is pretty much save for this night, and at times it was exciting. That it takes eight rounds of games just to eliminate 12 teams is a result of the "need" to reduce the risk for the biggest clubs and mostly to ensure those biggest clubs are the ones to progress to the knock out phase.

Money talks, always had, which is why five out of the eight who go straight through were Premier League clubs, or 62.5% of teams in the top eight were PL teams.

I kept listening in the hope that one of the biggest clubs would fail in some way. In the end it was both Real Madrid and PSG who in failing to win must now play two extra games in the play-off rounds.

It matter not a jot to me as a football fan, or the club I support whether any English club wins loses the Champions League. Very little money comes our way now, as domestic players are not seen as value for money.

So, the circus now moves on to the play off round where its not quite sudden death, but there is real peril for the biggest clubs.