TW3

And so, after driving into the evening with just Radio 4's art review show and the Archers, and then Radcliffe and Maconie, I arrived home on Monday night. It is always good to come home, even if I had onoy been away for just over a week. I couldn't be bothered to cook anything and so made do with some microwave popcorn and a bottle of the Adnams ale I had bought in Southwold.

One thing I did notice about being home, is the lack of smoke; Mum is smoking more and more and soon enough every item of my clothing whether I had worn it or not had that nicotine smell. And once again the white ceilings in her house were taking in that light brown colour that is in most smokers houses.

Anyway, Tuesday was spent just relishing the fact of being home. The weather was pretty poor and so I sat at the computer whilst the radio burbled away in the background. Since getting back on Monday we have not watched anything on TV at all. When at Mother's its on all the time, she tapes the soaps she could not watch and so spent the next day catching up what happened in yesterday's Austalian soaps. I did sit there with her and we watched nature shows, and then I thought she might like to watch QI and of course she loved the seven hours of rugby on Saturday. But she was happy enough that casulty was on as normal.

Anyway, I guess I get into a rut easy enough as well, and think nothing of tapping away at the keyboard or messing with Photoshop; so who am to judge? I have a new toy now, a slide scanner, and so I have 20 years of work to turn into digital so I can post them online. It's a slow process, and my laptop don't like doing that and anything else, so I set up a scan and maybe read a magazine, play with a cat, or just make a cuppa.

The days pass quietly enough and too quickly. I cook in the evening and we listen to the radio once Jolls is back from work. We are trying not to plan our year too much as we don't know how the money will go, but we have been invited to a wedding in Hexham in June, which we would like to go to, and we could combine with a trip around the North East!

Yesterday I head to Tescos to top up the larder, and make it before eight and the hoards of schoolkide pile in to stock up on crisps, chocolate, fags and pop for the day ahead. I was hoping to get out to take some shots, but the weather came down and so made do with a visit to the inlaws and Nan. A pleasant surprise for them, I hope, as they thought I was still away.

In a break in the showers, I head out towards Ramsgate on a research trip there for a photoshoot, but the weather really was poor, and the light worse. So I make do with a trip to the butchers right out in the sticks. They have pork sausages with loal harvested wild garlic; so I stock up on those; some sirloin steak for Saturday night dinner, and great bit of topside for Sunday roasting. I do resist the pork scratchings though; they are great with a beer or three, but not really healthy.

I go to pick Jools up from work, and we head out to Ashford to the cineam to see Watchmen; it was ok, but overlong and wordy; doubly so for a sperhero movie. But then it aint an ordinary superhero film. Sadly, I can't see Silk Spectre's costume making to the high street though.

Anyway, we call in at a chippy on the way back for a battered sausage or two, and then rush back along the coast road home. Away across the Channel, the lights of Calais and Burlogne twinkle brightl, illuminating banks of mist. Above us Orion pointed south, I think. All was well with the world.

The cats were waiting for us, and we wolfed sausage and chips down whilst listening to more Radcliffe and Maconie.

Not a bad day.