Sunday 17th April 2016

Saturday

After over nine hours sleep, I felt better. Although another hour or two would have been better, but with dawn getting ever earlier, I will take what I got. Outside the sun shone but that wasn't expected to last with heavy ran later. But with sunshine on Sunday, it was a day to relax, catch up on stuff and listen to the big game at lunchtime.

More of that later.....

I had been asked to pick up some tobacco for one of the butchers we go to, so I had to go and drop it off, and that is where I went first thing Saturday morning, out to Preston. And it then gave me the chance to buy some meat for the weekend.

However, it did mean I could call into Kingsdown to check on the Early Spider Orchids, and being before eight, it should mean that the drive down the high street should be quiet, as sometimes it can be a right battle with the road not wide enough for two cars to pass.

A heavy dew had fallen, so it was damp underfoot. I knew where the rosettes where, and with those already open at Samphire I had high hopes; but, there had been little obvious growth in the slike, and looed at least a week away from flowering. But at least I had checked.

I drove into Deal, then out through Sholdham to Sandwich and then across the marshes to Preston. The land was still wet, well it would be so low-laying, but the road was partly flooded but with traffic light on the narrow lanes meant I reached the shop before eight.

The boys were in good form, and we talked about football, travel and life in general. I did get some pies, some steak, but it was hard to get away and I was able to sneak out when another customer walked through the door. Back home, Jools takes the car to go into town, and I listen to Danny baker on the radio all part of the build up to the Norwich v Sunderland game at lunchtime.

And to the game, a must win game for both teams, but a win for Norwich would go a long way to secure safety. But after a bright opening 20 minutes, City lose their way, concede before half time, and again just after the break. No matter how hard they tried, they could not force the ball into Sunderland' net, and were always liable to be caught out on a counter attack. And indeed they were in the final few minutes, with Sunderland breaking once more and knocking in a third. An altogether bad afternoon was completed with Newcastle winning 3-0. By that time I had lost interest in sport and had switched the radio off at full time in the City game and watched the first episode of The People's History of Pop. I mention this, because it is for this series I am to be interviewed in a little over a week's time Details have been confirmed now, so something else to squeeze in before the trip to Japan.

We feast on pizza and scotch eggs for dinner, with me supping more of the silly strong Belgian beer, rounding of a fine day.