Monday 17th October 2016

Autumn has arrived here in the Garden of England. Last week in Denmark, the keen easterly winds had freed many leaves from trees, and drifts of golden leaves gathered on the edge of roads or against buildings. Not quite at that stage here, but we will soon. From Tuesday, temperatures will dip, and in daytime not get about 12 or so. Winter is coming for sure.

But on this Monday morning, I have the luxury of having an extra day at home as I don't travel to Belgium until Tuesday, which means laying in bed until after six, coffee in dawn's cool light, and a commute from one seat at the dining room table to another.

Jools leaves for work at half six, as she struggles to keep on top of things until her boss returns on Wednesday. Meanwhile, I can relax until half seven, drinking coffee, having breakfast and feeding the cats before work calls.

I see at two in the afternoon, something to chill anyone's heart; webinar. We are switching from SAP to AX at work, which means just about all processes will be different, including registering travel claims. I have that to look forward to.

But before then there is the full inbox, people demanding action, and me being action man, ahem, I take action, or more accurately tell other people to take action.

Outside it is a fine, golden autumnal day, but I have no tome for that, other than to arrange a taxi so I can go to collect a hire car from town, so I could arrange my trip to Ostend for the morning. I am collected by the world's only slow taxi driver, who drives all the time in one gear too high, so acceleration when he pulls out onto the main road is too slow, and I think we would get rear-ended. But don't.

A quick coast down Jubilee Way, along Townwall Street and through the neverending roadworks, double back round to drop me off at the hire car office. All of 5 minutes for a tenner. The car is not ready, can I accept a manual? I do. So get an Astra after a while, and then there is the endless form-filling before I can take the car and drive back home. Where the car will stay outside until the morning. I see that traveling between eight and half ten counts as peak on the tunnel, and would cost my employer an extra hundred quid, so as there is nothing urgent, I book the first of the cheaper trains, meaning I have a slow start in the morning.

There is then the rabbit incident: I am in a meeting on Skype when there is a squeek, and Molly has brought in a live baby rabbit. I look at it, it looks at me and runs. With Molly on one side, me on the other we chase it round the living room until I grab it. I take it outside, but can't stop Molly from following me, and as I release the rabbit, Molly spring off in pursuit. The game was afoot. Mulder was to bring it in again in the evening, with the same result. But sad to report, the rabbit's lifeless body was found this morning. So it goes, so it goes.

The afternoon rushes by, I sit in for the webinar, then have to clear old travel claims. This means sorting through months of mails, receipts, which takes until half four. Where has the day gone?

Where has the year gone?

I pack up, and begin to prepare dinner; leftover beef and more vegetables and warmed through Yorkshire Puddings. And fresh roast potoatoes. All on a school day! We are so lucky, and it is good.

The evening is spent listening to an over-hyped game of football which it never had a chance of living up to. Liverpool v Man Utd; Klopp v Jose, whatever, ended up as a 0-0 draw, so poor I nearly fell asleep on the sofa again. But that is the weekend gone, and Monday too. Tomorrow, off to Belgium and work and training and meetings.