Wednesday 8th June 2016

Some 18 months ago, I developed that comedy-sounding affliction, tennis elbow. It was very, very painful and the pain dragged on for months and months affecting how I could carry things, even a camera and even changing the position I slept in. Well, thankfully, that passed in time. However, clearly life is just too dul at the moment without the allergy attacks, so my body thinks I should go one better than tennis elbow, and so I now have what can be best described as tennis shoulder. And it smarts. It wakes me up when I move in my sleep, and so even though I may have slept eight ours. Maybe seven, it feels so much less. And I disturb Jools with my tossing and turning as I try to find a comfortable position. So, we now have the dramatic action of separate beds. And with separate cats to accompany us.

I have an appointment at a physio on Friday; hope that helps.

So, I do sleep, then feel drained through the day, and at times causing a migrane to come on as I stare in disbelief at the screen of my work computer.

But that is another story.

And another story is that Wednesday was to be the last working day of the week, as we have funeral duties this week, followed by some legal matters to deal with on Friday, so I have to get all the work done in one day, feeling like shot and on the edge of a migraine all day.

Jools seems to have caught u at work, or maybe she has just given up in trying to, so she leaves for work at the more normal time of seven. Or just past, and in the fear that I might have a meeting at half seven, I turn the computer on at twenty past and am greeted with a tidal wave of e mails, all with nothing but bad news. Deep joy.

It is another wonderful day outside, but I am stuck inside, only able to take 5 minute breaks here and there when I make brews. More meetings,more phone calls and many, many more e mails. A normal day then. The afternoon is little different, more meetings, waiting minutes, making arrangements for work next week when I am to travel back to Denmark yet again.

At four, I am washed out, I can spots in the centre of my vision, the early sign of an incoming migraine attack, so I switch the computer off and take myself to the garden where I lay on one of our new lawncahairs (they're everywhere) and was soon joined by two cats, Mulder and Scully who were eager to point out that it was nearly time for dinner. Bless.

I have been in the house almost for three days, and so when Jools comes home we set out for a short walk, just to stretch our legs and to take in the wonderful colours of a Kentish Summer.

For one reason and another, mainly international jet setting, we have not been for a walk in the neighbourhood for some while, and so, after work was done yesterday, and despite not feeling too sharp, we did go out for about an hour, just over the fields to Fleet House then a way further to look along the valley in the sunshine.

There are fresh piglets in the copse, and they squealed in joy at the prospect of some food, but we were empty handed.

You know that Coldplay song, "Yellow"? Well, all in St Maggies is green right now, a deep, vibrant green, the colour of life, and a sight that makes you glad yo left the house to see it.

This is high summer.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a pack of what claimed to be Japanese breadcrumbs, so I thought that some chicken breast with said breadcrumbs on dipped in sweet chili sauce would be mighty tasty. I also cooked some spicy rice, threw some spices and lemon juice in thw ithe cooked rice then cooked the prepared chicken. And it was glorious. And two chicken breasts cut into goujons made enough for two meals. And there was rice left over too.

And that is that, I would watch Springwatch, but that has lost its thrall, as has most TV since we returned from Japan, so we sit in the garden as the sun set and cloud spread from the west. Time for bed.