Friday 29th April 2016

Before we go on, can I ask how many of you have signed up for e mail notifications on an update of the blog, or some other such method, as according to Blogspot, I have four followers, and one of those is me! I know many more read it that that, but just wondering.

Anyway, on with the worms.

And you might get a little bored by this subject in the next 6 days, but in a week we shall be in Tokyo, it will be the middle of the night and we hope to have the jet lag beaten. I can't really say what we expect, or what I expect, other than to be amazed on a moment by moment basis. Please bear with me, and normal service will be resumed at the end of, er, May. There will no blogs for 15 days, but I plan to write daily and be able to post them when I get back, and there will be photos too of course!

Monday has been given over to be the day of preparations, making lists, packing and the other stuff we need to do. So we don't forget anything, which wouldn't be clever. Anyway, just one working day, a 3 day weekend and a day of operation cat roundup to go, and we'll be on our way to the airport.

But on with the blog:

Thursday

Outside it looks like Spring, it smells like Spring, but the temperature is anything but springlike. We had snow the other day, and it really hasn't warmed up much. Plants and flowers are still growing, but it feels parky with the wind in the north, but it might warm up a tad over the weekend, lets hope so.

Seven years ago, I was getting ready to leave Kazakhstan, you can go back to May 2009 and read my words, I did today, and it was amazing to read the things we saw cruising on the Caspian Sea. In 2011 we left to country to avoid the Royal Wedding, and so we in Germany, staying in a winery for the weekend. Still saw some newspaper headlines though, but we did have a great time of course. I suppose this shows how things have changed over time, as in 2010 I had just started at my current employer and was drowning in a sea of information. But I must have done OK as they kept me on. And so I suppose this means who knows where we shall be in two years, 5 years ten years time? And that goes for any of us.

I have some serious work to do, so serious it has to be done in silence so I can concentrate, and pop music would interfere with my brain waves, if I had any. Anyways, I have lots to do, and there are always distractions to be avoided.

I am taking a break on the sofa with a coffee, when there is a large brown shadow against the window, causing the birds in the front garden to scatter. Of course I cannot be sure, but I think it was a sparrowhawk, only the second I have seen. It got nothing I think, but exciting stuff.

By five, I have done the first part, create a document that feels like it is pretty darn good. Outside the sun is still shining, and the plan is a walk and dinner out.

Its funny, through the winter we moan that it is not light enough to go for a walk in the evening, and yet when it is light enough, we are either too tired or hungry to actually go.

The best way then might be to walk to dinner, in this case at The Smugglers in the village, walking over the fields to Fleet House, down The Dip, up the other side and then back into the village, past the pond to the pub. Where they did have a table, thankfully.

It looks warm enough, but was really cold, and Jools just wearing a cardy and shorts. THe horses were not interested in our passing, but the chickens were.

And all the time the shadows lengthened and the light turned gold.

One of the houses opposite has bought an area of the field and seems to have planted an orchard, and I certainly like the geometric lines the supports make. Will keep and eye on it for sure.

The Red Lion has closed its doors and is now for sale. Not sure if it will reopen as a pub, but we live in hope of course.

Inside the Smugglers we have Mexican food, nachos to start and something spicy to follow. And beer. And cider. And we are stuffed, but all is good.

We walk home down Station Road as dusk falls; it is colder, but we are kept warm by the power of Mexican food.