Tuesday 29th November 2016

Another crystal clear morning was dawning outside; there was a line of light in the south east, showing that dawn was coming, But it felt cold in the house, even as the heating clicked on.

Brrrr.

There is the smell of coffee brewing, and the sound of just-fed cats leaving through the cat flap. Means it must be Tuesday. I suppose.

Jools will have the car today, which means no trip to the station or to Hythe, instead I can sit on the sofa watching a recording of the football from the weekend, sipping the dregs from a second coffee. Just as it should be.

The commute is moving from one seat to another at the dining room table, but I have until eight, no?

As is usual, the plan for the day is soon abandoned, and instead I am fighting fights I did not see coming. Any thought of actually getting ahead is soon forgotten as the battle is plain survival.

At some point mid-morning there is lunch, warmed up chorizo hash, mixed in with eggs into what was supposed to be an omlette, but was something like could be put together to make an omlette. But it tasted good enough if i'm honest. But it would have been good with a beer or a glass of red plonk. I have coffee instead. Not as good. But the food is good, although not spicy. Spicy enough that is.

And back to work, answering mails and dealing with the hot issues of the day.

Outside, the sun is setting, and the warmth of the day, what there was of it, escapes to the sky, leaving the day cold and already frosty. The year gets ever older, the nights longer and the days shorter. Soon it will be December, with time running out, then just before Christmas, the days will start to lengthen once again. Out on the down and in the woods, orchids are stirring, rosettes forming, ready for the spring in a few months time.

But util then, work, Christmas, New Year and the long hard days of winter.

As work quietens down for the day, I decide to go out for a quick walk. Or a walk that won't take long. You know what I mean.

Just over the fields to Fleet House, admiring the long shadows cast by the low sun away in the west; a stiff breeze in my face and a little warmth from the sun on my back. THe leaves that had a fallen a few weeks back, have now been ground into the mud, and all is brown. THere are a few leaves left on trees as I near the Pig's Copse, but not many.

Actually, its not that muddy, but my back is complaining already, so a fter a quick look to the fields away to Kingsdown, I turn for home and the promise of a fresh pot of coffee. Away to the south and east, from top of the down I can see sea to the horizon, and a few scattered ships plying their way through the Channel.

I take to the sofa to rest my back, find an episode of Wheeler Dealers I hadn't seen, and so with Molly I take my brain off the hook.

For dinner, I cook kofte kebabs and fried jacket spuds, which was deep down and dirty food, and all the better for it.

That night I watch a program on Thomas Cromwell, and learn all about life in the Tudor Court.

Which was nice.