Sunday 13th October 2024

Sunday.

And a day for relaxing at home, before week, or 5 days, of travelling for work.

The main event of the day centered around the roast dinner I would serve at half one, when Jen would join us to eat, drink and be merry.

This preparation was not helped by the fact we didn't wake up until quarter to eight.

Which is nearly dinner time.

Time then barely to make coffee and feed the cats before it was time to put the wireless for Radcliffe and Maconie.

Too late then for Jools to go swimming at seven, it goes without saying.

So, once we had breakfast and second coffee before I started the preparations.

Meat un-bagged and seasoned, with a sprinkling of flour on the fat tied to the outside. Wait then until ten to eleven before putting in to roast.

Potatoes were peeled and soaked in water which was refreshed every half an hour so to flush the starch out. Then put to cook and boil until they had nearly turned to flour.

Then left to cool before roast in goose and duck fat.

Vegetables peeled, sliced and ready to steam from one.

Jools asked as I put in the beef to roast, she asked where the Yorkshire pudding was? No room in the oven, I said. You told Jen there would be them.

So, I had to make a batter for the pudding, and to confuse Jen I called it a batter pudding.

Which was its original name, I believe.

Soon, the kitchen and house was filled with the smells of roasting beef and soon roasting potatoes and steaming vegetables.

And the cool kitchen became something akin to the dungeons of hell.

Jen arrived, we had a wine, which did not help my planning, or the grand carving of the joint.

Having been under control for several hours, the last ten minutes is a rush as everything is cooked to perfection, so needed to be served.

We sat down to eat at twenty to two, along with lashings of gravy, it was much anticipated and so doubly delicious.

The wine, was one of the bottles bought that Monday morning in Montalcino. Much carried and driven under escort across northern Italy and through France.

Afterwards, Jen and Jools cleared up, and I began the battle to stay awake. It was tough. The best part of a bottle of fine, strong wine downed and making itself very much at home.

Jen left at four, leaving an hour for coffee before the kick off of England v Finland on ITV.

It was better than Thursday's, but then almost everything would. England ran out 3-1, but that flattered England, and raises yet more questions.

That done, it was time for a shower and then pack for the week away.

We went to bed at nine, despite not being tired, the wind rustled the trees outside.

Saturday 12th October 2024

Some weekends we do lots of shit, other we don't. This was one of the latter ones, where apart from shopping and cooking, not much else was done.

Jools has done something to her heel, so is nursing that back to health, and I have a touch of sciatica, something I have not had for a while, but is limiting what I feel I want to do.

That and the fact I am away all next week meant it was a homey weekend, with lots of cooking.

We went to Tesco at half seven, not needing that much it seemed, and yet spending £97. Some stuff for the fresh batch of Boston beans I was going too cook later in the morning.

Back home we had fruit for breakfast. The last of the strawberries from the UK I think, and after washing up I get down for some bean action.

Pork belly, chorizo, onions were all browned and put into a pot, add two tins of tomatoes, four cans of haricot beans, some black treacle and finally some smoked paprika. Stir, bring to the boil then put into a moderate oven for three hours with the lid on, and a further hour with the lid off.

Then make bacon and sausage butties along with huge brews. And it was after midday, and with it being international break, a mix of lower league footy and semi-competitive internationals for the rest of the day.

In the afternoon I made a patch of pizza dough, let that rest then using the little cutter make some shapes, dust with semolina flour and leave to rest. I had defrosted some ragu, so warmed that up, boiled a pan of water then cooked the pasta for four minutes, mix with the ragu and some pasta water in a warm frying pan.

Add some grated pecorino and fresh ground pepper.

And eat.

With a bottle of decent wine.

Perfect.

The evening dragged, with me watching Spain v Denmark, but it seems there is a thing called too much football and went to bed to read before half time.

Friday 11th October 2024

We try to look forward, and not back. And yet some days it's impossible.

Friday was the day of the monthly department meeting, and yet we have no manager currently, so those of us who have to pick up the pieces meet and discuss the way forward.

As we're Mexicans rather than Mexicants, there is a way, but it means a large amount of work.

Of course.

Up before dawn, have coffee and once Jools left for work, put the bins out.

Cold at first, but with clear skies it would soon warm up.

This is my last day before a week away, so much to catch up on and arrange, not least a trip to France at the beginning of next moth to squeeze in.

We have the department meeting at eleven. Without upcoming audits we might just be able to cope, but with plans in tatters, we have to pull in other people to help out, to coordinate.

After lunch, I had a 1:1 with my ex-manager's manager.

When we talk there is a back and forth as we listen to what each other says, and weighs possible replies. I have to check that a replacement is being sought as I am now ten months from retiring, and need to share some of the fourteen and a half years experience with whoever gets to fill my shoes.

And that can't be done in a few days.

By the time we're done, Jools is back, changed and we're ready to got o Jen's, where there would be no lunch.

Except the two vegetable and chorizo pizzas she'd made.

So as we play cards, we eat and drink wine.

About even by half five when we leave, though at one point Jools and I were down to mere pennies.

Back home for the music quiz, and then more international football on YouTube.

I won't bore you, but Hungary drew 1-1 with the Netherlands in a compelling game.

And then it was ten to ten, and long past my bedtime.

Phew.

Thursday 10th October 2024

The week gallops on, and I cling onto its reigns and try to enjoy it.

I am enjoying it, I mean, I have reasons, and next week I travel for work and have a not very packed four days to fill with audit shenanigans.

In the meantime it rains.

Of course.

The ex-hurricane that was due to come here, faded and drifted east over France apparently. And instead we got frost and drizzle.

Not at the same time.

There's always work to deal with, though I am getting on top of things, bit by bit.

Next week, I am travelling, Henrik is in Spain also auditing, and Rune is going to Crete for a family holiday, if the doctor allows him with his broken fingers. So, things will be quiet.

Outside, it drizzled, and was cold enough to have to wear a jumper and have the heating on, and the final quarter light closed for cats to escape, thus leaving just the flap for them, and the possibility of Mulder and Scully ambushing the kittens. Though they're not actual kittens.

The day slid by, slowly. I pack up and watch some stuff on YouTube before cooking dinner and telling myself I needed a glass of wine.

I sent a second down to keep the first one company.

As you do.

Jools came home, I serve the food, we toast. We eat.

And then we gather our strength for the clearing up, all to be done before quarter to eight as England were playing.

Greece have never beaten England. Nor scored at either Wembley Stadiums. So it should be no surprise to hear Greece won, deservedly, 2-1.

In the picture, no matter how we try to rid the garden of passionflowers, the bloody thing returns every year.

Wednesday 9th October 2024

Wednesday.

And another day, or night, of excess sleep, meaning I get up at six with over eight hours rest, and feeling fine.

What can I say about today I didn't say about yesterday?

Not much if I'm honest.

There is work, as always, but having got back in control of work, I now have to wait. And then wait for the morning rain to stop, evaporate so I could do some gardening.

Gardening involves the mowing of the long grass detailed yesterday, though that could wait until the afternoon so I could decide if I was up for some manual labour and actually get the mower out.

That said, not much else to report. It was sunny enough that the hawk moth was still basking, though not doing much, and Mulder and Scully more than happy to sit beside me and paw at my elbow to stroke them.

For feline killing machines, they can be quite gentle when the mood takes them.

Jools has painful heel issue, so goes to the clinic in Canterbury after work, leaving me here to hold the fort and feed the cats dinner until she returned.

She returned just before eight, so we had pizza and beer. Or cider. And another quiet evening passed and we went to bed at a Sensible time.

Tuesday 8th October 2024

Life seems to be long periods where not much happens, interspersed with brief periods were interesting stuff happens.

As in the military, where it was 99% waiting and 1% running around like headless chickens shooting at shit.

The shot a day project nearly ended last year as I was finding it hard to come with something during the long dark days of late autumn and winter, and so here we are again.

I mean, how many pictures of cats, the lawnmeadow or sunrises do we and you need?

And days when it is dark, rainy, where there is nothing in bloom in the garden, and I don't cook some glorious meal or bake a fabulous cake, what then?

Next year we plan to retire, but not until August, so we shall see if the project lasts until then.

This is day 2,837 of the project, which isn't bad. A shot every day since 1st January 2017. I would like to do a decade, but let's see.

Work has returned to being relaxing, peaceful and quiet. And enjoyable, which is far better than I thought it could ever be again. But the events of this year have shown me that work and mental health can be changed for the worse by a simple change in manager.

So it goes, so it goes.

That being said.

I woke up after ten hours sleep, and felt like a million dollars. A million dollars with a bad back, obviously, but was in sparking form as I said goodbye to Jools and logged on for work.

I am tackling some outstanding work, with meetings set up now with stakeholders.

So I make a second coffee and wait for mails to tumble in.

Cats sleep, I work, the radio burbles and I keep the kettle nearly boiling to provide me with brews.

Out in the garden, I see that the grass along the sides of the meadow is lush, so needs trimming. After yet more rain its too damp to mow that day, so I add it it "tomorrows" list.

There is a forth Elephant hawkmoth caterpillar in the fuchsia by the patio, so hours can be spent watching it bask, eat or pump out huge pellets of caterpillar poo.

Dinner was Caprese, and using some old rolls, make garlic bread with some home made garlic butter. It is almost a triumph, just needed five more minutes, I think.

For there evening there is cup football, Football League Trophy, which on a wet and windy wild night, made for some farcical games, but entertaining. Otherwise, its international break, so England play later in the week.

Monday 7th October 2024

It is now, clearly, autumn, and weather at best can be changeable. Bright sunshine in the morning, heavy rain in the afternoon, with more rain in the evening.

It is unseasonably warm at night, meaning I slept poorly, so the day was a battle to avoid migraines and falling asleep in the afternoon.

I promised myself an early night that night, as it is an international break week.

I now have no fear about logging on for work, so once Jools leaves, I begin, and find little happened over the weekend, as I dealt with the only mail when it came in on Saturday morning when on the train to that London.

Not much else to report, if I'm honest. At times it was warm enough to sit on the patio, but butterflies were very few and far between and all failed to settle.

Needless to say, Mulder and Scully joined me as I enjoyed the rays, as I looked at the birds on the feeders.

In the beds, a double autumn flowering crocus has appeared, and so with no real competition, becomes the shot of the day.

Jools cancelled the aquacise, so I had dinner to prepare and have ready when she same home: breaded chicken, Moroccan spiced rice, corn and garlic mushrooms.

All yummy. And I cracked open a new bottle of wine.

Bed did come before eight, and I soon fell into a deep, deep sleep.