Tuesday 22nd September 2015

Monday.

And here we are back to work, or what passes for it in the modern times, which for me is sitting at the kitchen table with the work laptop, banging away hoping that someone, somewhere will ready my mails and notice my actions. It is better than that, of course, but on dark days, one does feel a tad out on a limb, not having an office to go into.

With the day of work ahead, our first task was to rack the wine. We had left the bag of fruit suspended over a pan, letting gravity do its thing over night. Now we ad to transfer the juice collected, fermented for two weeks juice, top it up with cold boiled water, then let bubble away for six weeks. If all went well. As we had let the fruit ferment for 15 days rather than the five we should have, I was worried that me might just end up with juice of rotten berries.

Anyway, we clean the demijohns, pour in the juice, top up with water, add the airlocks and all we can do now is wait. You can see through the airlocks, so any escaping gas from the yeast would force the water round the double u-bend, causing bubbles. But before this, that the water in the lock is not level as the concentration of gas from the active yeast builds. It is just a waiting game..

So, whilst I waited, I worked. Fed the cats. Drank coffee.

At two, I switch off the laptop, as in the evening, I have to travel to London to say in the Club, as on the morrow I have a really early flight out of Heathrow to Brussels. And there was no way I could get from Dover to the airport in the morning in time to catch the 06:40 flight, in fact I thought I could only just do it from central London. But, hey, lets try, it will be an adventure.

I pack, check my travel documents, and once Jools is home, I cook burgers for dinner, then she takes me into town to the station so I can catch the 19:45 train to London. As you can see, already the day is slipping by, and I would be at the club late. I chose to do it this way, so to have as much time at home as possible.

It is dark on the way up to London, so see nothing of the countryside, only the brightly lit towns as we speed through. I am sure I closed my eyes for some of the trip, but around Thurrock, the working day was still winding down with lots of traffic about, and the crossing busy. Rain hammered down against the train windows, its grimness matcing my mood. I was just so tired, and I knew I was going to get less than six hours sleep, and then have a 19 hour day before I would be back home. Grrrr. I get off at Stratford, change to get onto the Jubilee Line, then it is just sitting whilst we travel through the new docklands, along the Thames to Bermonsdey, Southwark and to Waterloo.

The escalator brings me onto Waterloo Road, a dash over it to the club, dodging the raindrops. I show my card to get in, get my room key, and take the lift to the 18th floor. Which like many times before, has grand views looking south but if I lean out, I can see the Shard all lit up, looking really quite nice, even for a carbuncle.

The room is small, but has a bed (always a good thing), a sink, a TV and tea/coffee making facilities. It is clean, and quiet, even with the bus depot way below my room.

It is ten, and I am to be awake in six hours, best try to get my head down.