Friday 17th April 2026

It's Friday again.

So I go back to sleep after Jools gets up to feed the cats and get ready for yoga.

I was awake again at ten to six, Jools was opening the curtains in the other rooms upstairs, I so get up, and get dressed.

I make a coffee, drink that before taking the bins out.

Back inside to warm up as it was chilly, make a tea and check on the world.

It's going to hell on a tea trolley. But it's been like that for decades, only the Shitgibbon makes it worse. So much worse.

Once Jools comes back, I take the keys to do some hunter-gathering at Tesco before the crowds get there. With their kids.

It's not I don't like children, I mean I was one once, but I like my peace and quiet and space.

I go round getting what we need, trying to buy less food as we want to use stuff out of the freezer, but it's hard when you're hungry walking along aisle after aisle of food. I break and buy a bag of ridged salt and vinegar crisps, which would not last the day.

And back home to unpack, have breakfast, by which time Jools set off to walk to the library for her knit and natter group, leaving me to repot the new pot of basil I had bought, as the last lot done, was going mildew due to overwatering and me using the wrong soil.

This task was made difficult by Scully's blood ready at ten being low, so I have to force her to have some honey under her tongue, which she spent a minute gagging on until she had swallowed it all.

But half an hour later her sugars were climbing, and crisis over.

After lunch of pork pie, slaw and crisps, I was out again to snap a railtour, having been reminded of it by my friend Andy.

As I am now healthier, I decide to go to the footbridge to Shakespeare Beach, so drive to Aycliffe, park on the road before going through the underpass under the A20, then down the steep path down to the bridge.

And finding no one else there.

Though four people did arrive, two Japanese gentlemen just a minutes before Clan Line showed, so plenty of room for us all.

I snapped two Southeastern units as practice, then checking with RealTime Trains site, I saw that she left Dover three minutes late and was on her way.

I heard her feint whistle before we saw the smoke. Huge clouds of smoke as she turned the sharp bend by the Lord Warden Hotel, then accelerating along the side of the beach to the new viaduct.

Me snapping on auto like a machine gun all the time.

Then she was upon us, and in a cloud of smoke, under us and heading to the portals of Shakespeare Tunnel, and was gone.

All that was left was to climb the five flights of steps back to the path at the top of the cliff.

Deep breath, and here we go.

I reached the top, nowhere near as it would have been a year ago. And then a simple walk back through the underpass, up one final set of steps back to the car.

We had dinner once I got back home, before the rest of the afternoon waiting for six and the music quiz.

The mystery album was Rubber Soul by a young beat combo called The Beatles, but the clues so cryptic, only six people guessed it.

Finally, watched Coventry get promoted with a draw. Though whether Frank Lampard will still be their manager come August remains to be seen.

It's not that I have anything against Frank. Well, I have. He tried to get the Norwich job after Farke was fired, several newspapers ran the story he had been offered it, but hadn't.

And its not just that. With Frank, in the media, the club loses some of its identy as you become Frank Lampard's, in this case, Coventry City. As if over 100 years of history doesn't count.

Well, he's in the Premier League again, but I think he'll be poached by Chelsea, probably. Again.