Sunday 19th April 2026

Sunday comes around again.

And this week really merits the title, Super Sunday, as there was a game at the top of the Championship, a or the Merseyside Derby and the title decider between Arse and Citeh.

But before then, much to do.

The usual: get up, get dressed, have breakfast and go to the gym for seven. Do my forty minutes, get hot and sweaty.

Finish.

Before driving to the National Trust's place on the cliffs for an orchid hunt.

Friends had visited the week before and said there were plenty of Early Spider spikes, so it was our turn to hunt them.

At ten to eight the entrance isn't manned, so we don't have to pay, and were the only car parked overlooking the port.

I get the camera out, and despite wearing just a t-shirt and shorts, it wasn't cold, so a walk down to the top of the narrow path and down it was pleasant.

I see just one spike on the way down, badly trampled and not in flower. Further on under the frame I find just one spike at first, but a second all the way along, on top of a chalk wall with a dreadful drop to the rocks below an inch or two beyond.

I'd tackle that on the way back.

Further on there was one flowering spike a metre down a sheer drop, so I just looked. I checked until where the platform of flattened grass marked where the Cliff Road turned inland, so I turned back.

With the sun at my back, spikes would be easier to see.

I hoped.

I came to the spike on the chalk wall.

I carefully crept along the sloping chalk face, that faced towards the Cliff Road so was safe, then inched on my belly to the spike.

I imagined my friend, Tony, having kittens as he watched me get my shots.

All I had to do was get back down.

I crawled backwards.

Which is when my footing slipped on the damp grass, and down I slid, grazing my right shin causing me to swear loudly.

I landed in the long grass, safe and sound, with just my stupidity for company.

I walked to Jools who had found three spikes on the edge of the Cliff Road just beyond where the narrow path started. And then on the path we saw a good half dozen spikes we had missed on our way down.

All that was left then was the walk up the sloping chalk meadow, through the gate, up the steep steps, up one more meadow back to the car.

We would have gone home for breakfast, only it was still only nine, and maybe Ange and Sean would be on the beach swimming.

And as we drove down Castle Hill, Jools asked if it was a good day for breakfast.

That it be.

Anyway, no sign of our friends down on the beach, so we drive back round to Castle Street, park and walk round to Chaplins, only to find it closed for the weekend.

No matter, just around the corner is another café, on Market Square, so we take 30 seconds to walk round, get a table and order our food.

Now what I will say is that you never know how big a new place's breakfast or meal might be. So, I order an extra sausage, Jools had tomatoes and black pudding. So, when our meals arrived they were huge.

I must remember to order meals for my current appetite not what it was a year ago!

I fail to finish the mushrooms and toast. Jools leaves her hash browns.

We were full to bursting.

Back to the car then, drive home for another brew, sitting on the patio to watch the birds in the warm sunshine. Until it was time for a shower, to be all clean come midday when the football began.

Ipswich v Middlesborough to start with. Boro' leading 2-1 going into the last few minutes when Town got another "soft" penalty.

So it goes.

Then the Merseyside derby, with Liverpool scoring late on through Virgil to take the three points at the Dicky Hill.

And finally, the big match. Citeh v Arse. And not a bad game, though Arse really didn't have a shot on goal, were chasing the game 2-1 and never looked like scoring.

And didn't.

A quiet evening, wildflowerhouring, and to bed at nine. Tired from doing nothing.

One year ago

On this day in 2025, we flew, as part of the tiger tour, back to New Dehli for most to fly back the next day, and for four of us to continue on the extension.

I reread my post of the day, and make no mention of what happened that day, but it was a day I thought I was going to die.

I mean, that might sound over the top, but when you have grown up just assuming your body works when you want it to, when something doesn't, it comes as a shock.

And when what didn't work was my lungs, it was bloody frightening.

I am sure I have written about this before since, but here goes again: I was walking off the plane via the air bridge, and was struggling, I went to breath deep, and there was no more oxygen to take from my lungs.

Jools had hung back, helped me breathe to calm me down, but from then to the end of the tour I struggled with hills and stairs. It was a shame that the next part of the tour was to the mountains, and the hotel was reached via three flights of stairs from the car park, though there was a lift.

I was mindful not to slow the others down, so I stayed back first night at the hotel by the lake.

On top of that I had ulcers on my legs, that required Jools to dress daily.

In short I felt I was falling apart.

It was the lowest point, though there would be a couple of other events that showed I had to change. And change I have.

I have lost 25Kg, 52lb, or something close. And am able to walk for hours without needing to sit down. I can climb hills and stairs, slowly, but get it done.

I wouldn't have done it all without Jools who has been a rock, and has provided a kick up the backside when needed.

I hope more weight loss, more phys, and more enjoyment out of life this year too.

Saturday 18th April 2026

It's the weekend again!

That means up, not so early at six. Drink coffee and go to the gym.

I gym it, whilst Jools swims. I struggle to do my forty minutes, but get it done, though am hot and bothered by the end.

I wait for Jools in the café, so then we can go home.

Home for brews and breakfast, before its time to test Scully again. Her insulin has been reduced, so we have to keep an eye on her.

We have the radio on, Huey playing great tunes, then a shower, all to be done for half twelve when the football begins.

An afternoon on the sofa; first watch Portsmouth beat relegation-threatened Leicester 1-0, then listen to the radio as Leeds beat Wolves 3-0, while Norwich came from behind to beat Bristol City 4-2 at their place.

There was still time for more football: Spurs v Brighton. And Spurs had not won since the 28th December, and are now staring relegation in the face.

They went into injury time 2-1, only for Brighton to level with the not quite last kick of the game.

The stadium fell silent, Spurs players fell to their knees.

So it goes. So it goes.

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.

Thursday 16th April 1026

30 years since my Dad died.

Doesn't seem possible.

It's Thursday again.

Apparently.

And so the alarm had been set, and went off at ten past five.

Cats were fed, kettle boiled, and coffee made. We had just enough time to drink that before we were out of the house.

Early mornings don't seem so early when its getting light again, but it is early.

So early the doors to the sports centre were not open when we went past, but the queue had gone by the time we parked and walked round.

I did another forty minutes at level fifteen, and getting nearer the 400 calories burnt in that time. 376 this time, and although it is getting warmer, and the session was tough, I got through it fine.

Back home for a relaxing cuppa. Then breakfast, and a shower after that.

Feeling human again.

An old friend of Jools's was coming round, Jude, for a chat, so I would retire upstairs so not to interrupt.

I read more of the last edition of Word magazine, now some 14 years old. The writing is supurb.

Of course.

Once Jools leaves I made a quick dinner of insalata. I had prepared garlic butter earlier, so the bread was sliced and put in the oven, cooked until golden brown and stinky. I also added some cheese to the butter for an added bang of flavour.

Then there was the chore of trying to stay awake for the rest of the afternoon. I made the mistake of going upstairs where it was warmer, and soon nodded off.

The expected rain didn't arrive in the afternoon. And instead it brightened up for a fine end to the day.

League 2 football in the evening; Bromley v Cambridge, with both teams going for promotion, it was an entertaining game, though goalless.

Wednesday 15th April 2026

Wednesday.

I start each post with the day of the week so I can keep track, because, quite frankly, every days seems the same.

Were it not for the gym, football and bins day, every day would be the same.

I sleep to nearly six, though it felt like it was half seven. Light enough to be half seven for sure.

Jools had her fitness class at half seven, so I would stay home as there was rain forecast for most of the day. And they got that right.

While Jools is gone I decide to do chores, which included cleaning the shower and sink in the bathroom. I spray some stuff on, wipe it off, then flush with water and is done.

Looked good.

Outside the rain arrived and stayed for most of the day.

Jools was out most of the morning, but came home laden with two Cornish pasties for lunch, which we followed by the last two short cakes, thus we would sleep through the afternoon. Or struggle against snoozing.

Jools watched a couple of shows on TV. I watched train videos and wrote some.

The afternoon passed.

Dinner was minted chicken, new potatoes, steamed cauliflower and the rest of the creamed spinach.

The potatoes were then served with the leftover marinade from the chilli beef from the day before.

Was magnificent.

The evening was football on the wireless and TV. Arsenal didn't lose, so went through to the semi-final of the Champions League, while I watched Wimbledon v Stockport from the 3rd Division. Was poor.

COVID: six years on

I read my daily blog posts from years gone by most mornings, and so I am currently reliving the first wave of COVID from March and April 2020.

Two weeks ago, I read an article on Substack by Christina Pagel summarising the COVID inquiry, which has been sitting and hearing evidence for some time now.

"However bad the first wave was in England - and it was awful - the second wave was worse. More than twice as many people were admitted to hospital with Covid in the second wave compared to the first wave."

Lessons were not learned. Lessons of the first wave for the second, as Johnson did not allow a Lessons Learned exercise take place.

Mistakes such as the delaying of lockdowns, the lack of PPE, moving elderly people from hospitals to care homes meant that tens of thousands of people died before their time. And meant that health carers had to risk their lives each and every day in trying to treat their patients.

“The healthcare systems coped with the pandemic, but only just. On a number of occasions, they teetered on the brink of collapse and only coped thanks to the almost superhuman efforts of healthcare workers and all the staff who support them.” - Baroness Hallet,

"Healthcare workers and support staff were obliged … to work under intolerable pressure for months on end. Some patients suffering from Covid-19 did not get the quality of treatment they needed and some non-Covid-19 patients had their diagnoses and treatments delayed to the point where their conditions became untreatable"

Family members died alone and unloved because of lockdown, causing untold grief on those who survived.

"There’s been about 6 or 7 instances where he texted us to say goodbye. We would try and phone or text back but, you know, his texts, because he couldn’t hold his phone very well, were often a little bit confusing to us. The other thing was he was so weak at times, he couldn’t pick up his phone…he’s bedridden, he can’t move…he can’t access any forms of communication and they [healthcare professionals] were so busy when often he would press the bell, and nobody would come."

Even worse was the second wave, which was avoidable and Sunak's "eat out to help out" created hundreds of thousands of mass tranmission events:

"Professor Edmunds, who served on the SAGE modelling subgroup Spi-M, testified that the failure to act to control the second wave “was not because of a lack of situational awareness or knowledge of how to control it. We let this second wave happen.”2 . Professor McLean, now the UK’s Chief Scientific Advisor, described it as the worst period of pandemic, saying:

“We could see what was coming and could not understand why the government did not act upon the science advice by introducing effective interventions”"

The UK was the first country to introdice vaccinations against COVID, and had that second wave been delayed or made smaller, tens of thousands of people whould have survived instead of dying. But Johnson had to "save Christmas."

I cannot understand how it is tha Johnson and other Ministers and advisors are not being tried for manslaughter at least, if not murder, for the deriliction in their duties, who grifted rather than act in the interest of public health. Some, like Johnson, should be hanging from a gibbet on Ludgate Hill.

And yet the media are largly ignoring the inquiry and its findings, meaning the population, the public are unaware of the failings of those elected to protect us, to act on science, not jut the science they agreed with.

If we do not learn the lessons of the past, we will have to relive it. Over and over again.