Monday 5th December 2016

I wake up with a full blown allergy attack, so take to drugs to sort it out. This will teach me, or at least I hope so anyway.

Jools makes coffee, gets ready for work, and I try to sort out the attack which has me sneezing so much, I can't in all honesty drive anywhere until it is under something close to control.

I take another dose of drugs, and wait for them to take effect. It's just horrible, but in time it susides enough to enable me to pack the car ready for the escape.

I have a Citroen C4 automatic; not bad, but the gearbox is lazy and slow to change, but it will do me fine to get to Oostende.

I leave as the sun rises away to the south east, shrouded in mist. I should have taken shots of the castle and from St Martin's Battery as I drive to Aycliffe so to avoid the port traffic. But I am single minded now to get to the tunnel and onto a train so I can get across to France.

I check in, stop at the lounge to pick up a free lunch, and then onto the train, parking behind the ugliest BMW 4X4 thing that only just makes it onto the train. I have to look at the bloody thing whilst we trundle under the sea to France. I read the FT and learn about the markets and comment on Brexit and Trump; the dual follies of the year.

We arrive and drive off the train, onto the motorway and then north, across Flanders into Belgium to Oostende. It is still a glorious day, not a cloud in the sky, and little traffic about, it was a real pleasure to relax and put my foot down and hammer up the motorway to the Oostende tunroff. By which point my bladder was telling me it really regretted not being emptied on the train.

I sped up, roaring into Oostende, round the ring road to the office, bursting in and rushing to the restrooms, ignoring all greetings.

Phew.

So the working week can now begin, with the truckful of mails to sift through, answer calls and the rest.

Outside, darkness falls, and it is time to go to the hotel to check in. THe sky is bright red overhead, and I was hoping for a sea facing room from which to watch the show. But I had another room facing into the courtyard, just above the kitchen. Darn.

So I take my camera and go for a walk, heading into the centre of town to snap the festive decorations. There are shops still open, and people about, and above attractive lights brightening the place. I get the shots I wanted, then walk back to the hotel.

At seven I meet my minions outside Den Artiest as we had a booking, so once inside we order a Chouffe and mixed grills each. Perfect.

The food is great, and we whinge and bitch a bit, but its a good evening, especially with a second beer too.

I walk back to the hotel along the quiet streets, not tempted by the flashing neon signs of the empty bars in the way.