Wednesday 14th October 2026

It is nearly the middle of October, and yet the spirit of summer lingers on.

When days have clear skies, temperatures climb into the late teens or early twenties, warm enough to sit on the patio with cats but sans jumper or coat.

Most trees have yet to done the colours of autumn, and are still mostly green. And when the sun sines, insects like Hummingbird hawkmoths can be seen, zipping around, though their time is drawing near.

Days now begin sometime after seven, and end shortly after six once the sun has set. But the warmth will have left the day before then. Mostly.

On Wednesday, we were both up and about well before six, though Jools up first. The cats were tested and fed, coffee made, and after an hour spent online, Jools went for her class, and I was left home to make a fresh brew, have breakfast and tidy up.

When she returned just after ten, and another heartening brew made and consumed, Jools asked if we should go for a walk.

I didn't really feel like it, but had the idea of scattering verbascum seeds around the neighbourhood, so that in 18 months time, grand, yellow-flowered spikes would reach for the sky. And people would wonder where they came from.

Thing is, bare soil is hard to come by, but I do my best, scattering and stomping them into the earth.

We don't go far, up Station Road, then along the first track past the war memorial, before cutting back to Hardy and out along the lower track, before heading up to Colling wood and home.

Not much seen on the wing or in flower, but an hour wandering, scattering, and stomping was good.

Clear blue skies above, and hedges filled with autumnal fruit, at least those the farmer had so far failed to flail.

Back home we have a fresh brew, sit outside before thoughts turn to lunch and the long afternoon of the soul.

By three the day had cooled so that the door and windows were closed, and the heating turned up a notch, just in case.

For the evening there was Norwich on the telly, and Citeh on the radio. I wanted to listen to the Villa game, but it wasn't on the BBC, so Citeh it was, and were soon 2-0 down to an equally financially suspect PSG after just fifteen minutes.

It was 3-0 before half time, and Norwich did OK, until the second half were poor defending let Southampton in to score the only goal. It was an improvement, just. though five defeats in a row, and only a point above the drop zone.

Citeh lost 4-2, after improving after the break, but still, got to laugh.

Tuesday 13th October 2026

Tuesday, and phys comes round once again. Which means being up at five, and mucking in, we can do all our tasks before I leave for the gym at ten to six. It was still dark when I left, and the sports centre was getting pretty busy. But I found a place to park, and begin to listen to the latest Word podcast, which would see me through from leaving the car until I get back, including the fifty minutes cycling between.

The gym was pretty quiet, the pool busy, as usual.

By the time I was done, dawn had broken, but caused mist to rise, so the scene outside was blurry, as it was getting light.

Bad on the A2, but once I got back home the mist had cleared, and I was home safe and sound.

Which was nice.

Jools was off to the Riverside for the first of her classes. She made me a brew, so I could sit outside to cool down and drink the tea while sitting beside Scully.

Then a shave and shower, so that by ten, I was al clean and lovely.

It was time for my regular blood test and blood pressure check, so as soon as Jools came back at half ten, I was out in the car, to run chores at the vets, then into town to buy more allergy medicine.

I walked along the Dour from ASDA to the Town Hall, which was very pleasant in the now warm sunshine. At the bowls club, the grass was being cut, possibly for a new season.

And ten back to the surgery, getting back with ten minutes before my appointment. Maybe it was the 10,000 steps already done that morning, that my blood pressure was elevated, but other than that, I felt on top of the world.

So with words of thanks I left the surgery, walked back to the car and then back home.

Phew.

And so back home in time for lunch, and sitting in the garden to watch the birds on the feeders, squawking at each other in the way sparrows do.

Not much else to report, just the day chills again as the sun sinks low in the west, so dinner is prepared and cooked. I say prepare. I open the box and put the pizza in the oven.

So it goes.

For the evening there was Championship football on the tellybox, and Champion's League on the TV, with the sound turned down.

Monday 12th October 2026

The weeks fly by.

Its Monday again, but what does that mean anyway?

Needless to say, I was awake at twenty past five. I lay in for a few minutes, then am up.

When I back into the bedroom to get dressed, Cleo was there, deciding after months of not sleeping there, that this is now the place. So, making the bed would have to wait for later.

A day in which little happened. Jools went on a tip run and got a few things from Tesco and Lidl. I did whatever it was I was doing, maybe it was choosing a book to read, then sit on the top patio once the sun warmed up, and after ten, it was like summer again.

Lovely.

The birds are filling the hedge near the feeders, and hours can be spent watching them, or listening to their arguments.

The sun shone down from its low arc, soon very warm indeed.

The morning passed.

Lunch came, and we had our main meal, and all tidied up for a relaxing afternoon.

I do another search of the lawnmeadow for orchid rosettes, and find one of a Pyramidal, quite advanced, something I must have missed at the end of last week. So, we should have orchids next year, as long as there's not another drought.

Come three in the afternoon, and the sun sinks behind the hedge, and a chill builds, so sends me inside and to the thermostat to turn the heating on, even if its not really going to be that cold, even in the wee small hours.

Pastrami rolls with pickles and mustard for supper, and no booze for me as I have a blood test in the morning.

For the evening there was football, of course. Coventry v Newcastle, which was a good game, but I was tired, and decide to go to bed with 15 minutes to go, thus missing a goal from the Toon and two more from Cov, so ends 4-1.

Why bother?

On Sunday, Manchester City, aka Citeh, beat Liverpool 3-0 in the much anticipated "Super Sunday" game live on TV and radio.

Citeh are no top of the table having won all of their league games so far, and indeed the team performance was really strong, making the most of a man advantage almost straight away.

Citeh could go all the way and win the Premier League title again.

Or they might suffer a massive points deduction, or even expulsion from the PL into League 2.

Listening to the so-called pundits on TV and radio these last few days, not to mention Citeh fans, you would think that its all a bit too much, and due process is just annoying.

Without proper due process in the original hearing and consideration, as well as any appeals and the sanctioning, would leave Citeh room to appeal once again. The process will take as long as it takes.

Sadly.

The PL and other clubs would like this to be over by the end of the season, so to know who has won the league, and who will be relegated. Therefore it is in Citeh's interest to frustrate this.

And for clarification, let me restate that the appeal by Citeh cannot include any new evidence, and will be on matters of law or points of procedure. A cahallenge to either of those requires a very high bar to overtun one or more of the guilty charges.

I heard a Citeh fan state on the radio last night that the challenge to the High Court stands more chance of Citeh winning. This shows how little is understood, in that a challenge to the High Court on matters of law and/or procedure, requires an even higher bar to be cleared.

Not only that, in the High Court, statements made by witnesses for Citeh could be read out and the person(s) making those statement(s) be asked if they spoke truthfully, as the were at the orignal hearing. The difference here would be that they would be on oath, and making false statements to the court would be perjury, and likely to result in those making such false statements in prison. Very quickly.

These are very serious verdicts, and because the appendices are redacted thus far, we don't know the evidence or who said what, or who has been accused of making false statements.

For now until the process ends, the results and PL table are uncertain, and so whether this will affect the integrity of the competition, and worry commercial and broadcasting partners. What is certain, an unpunished Citeh, or a punishment that does not meet the seriousness of the findings, would cause more severe damage to the League's interity.

Wonko speaks

I am also Wonko. Wonko the Sane, as well as Jelltex.

I look out from inside the asylum to the outside and see the madness out there, and glad I am safe inside.

For some reason, views on this blog have increased ten-fold this week, and I have no idea why. But if you're a new reader, let me welcome you, and remind one and all that it always amazes me that anyone bar myself reads my prose.

It was good for the President of the USA to reveal this week what the J in his name is. It's Judas.

Having sold out Ukraine and Western Europe for two weeks deisel from Russia, now demanding there be elections in Ukrains as Russain drone rain down fire and brimstone.

Trump said some kind of truce had been agreed, where neither side would attack each other's energy installations. Neither Ukraine of Russia had been aware of this.

So Unkraine attacked several data centres, and the MAGA supporting bots on the hellsite that was Twitter fell 90%.

Anyway, welcome to the Asylum, head lunatic signing off.

Sunday 11th October 2026

Sunday.

And a lay in to six wouldn't happen. My brain waking me at twenty past five, so I lay awake until I hear the kettle on downstairs, as Jools makes coffee after sorting the cats out.

Another clear morning, with sunrise coming just after six once we were in the gym and pedalling, so that the newly risen sol cast stark shadows of us wearing our headphones against the white wall.

After working out, we drove into town to have breakfast. As is the way with family run places, and even though we don't go too often now, the waitress / co-owner remembers what we have wit us saying.

So that's good.

As was breakfast.

Not much to do this day, other than to have lunch and watch football. Though on the way home from the gym we went to see Jen, have a brew and a chat.

We should have done something outside, rather than sit and drink tea. But the morning was getting on, so other than have another shower and get changed, all ready for the Southampton v Portsmouth game.

After that there was preparing dinner, so that we could be all done for four and the start of the Liverpool v Citeh game.

The corn I bought Thursday had already gone off and mouldy, another one of those brexit benefits we were promised, I'm sure.

The game, when it started, was a disappointing one, with little happening in the first half, but in the second, once 'Pool had had a player sent off, Citeh took control and rattled in three goals to win easily.

In the evening I tried the rumtopf, which has been fermenting for four months, and will be great for Christmas. If I can resist having another swifter....

Saturday 10th October 2026

It am the weekend. Again.

Once upon a time, when dinosaurs ruled the earth, I used to be able to sleep in until ten in the morning. Sometimes into the afternoon.

But not any more.

Fifteen years in the Air Force, then almost weekly travel for work, having to catch the train to London at six in the mornings, means I am used to waking up early.

It was half five this morning. The alarm would have gone off at six anyway, but this gives me an extra half hour to wake up and prepare for phys.

No need for Tesco as I went on Thursday, so we could just go for phys, and come home and relax, drink a brew.

Which is what we did.

And also, this day saw the return of the kickyball, with the "joys" of Norwich on the tellybox at half twelve.

So during the morning, after a shower I made a huge pot of pasta salad, as I had bought yogurt instead of cottage cheese for Jools, so it needed using up.

So we have to eat early, so I could watch the game, I cooked breaded aubergine, taking half hour to prepare and ten minutes to fry. This is a recipe my first wide taught me, and is cheap, and full of flavour. And a single 69p aubergine can along with the pasta can provide a full meal.

In fact the pasta will do us for at least four meals, or as many until we get fed up with it.

And to the football:

I had high hopes for this season, after the fantastic second half of last season. But with another injury crisis, and those playing making basic mistakes, means this has been disappointing so far.

And even after going in at half time one up, City were so poor that half, with Swansea spurning a good half dozen golden chances, so it wasn't a surprise when Swansea came out turbo-charged after the break, and quickly scored two goals.

City had no answer.

But then the main games, with me listening to Radio 5 and watching the videoprinter on the BBC, for me it was a perfect afternoon. Scully lay beside me, sleeping happily.

The warmth of the day faded in the afternoon, so windows and doors closed, before the heating put on.

For the evening there was Manchester Utd v Tottenham, two clubs which have not had good starts, and a 1-1 draw pleases neither one, though Spurs scoring in injury time, means they'll be the more pleased of the two teams.