Saturday 9th December 2017

It feels like we have reached the end of a very long journey, and all at once the weariness that we have been denying overcomes us like a tidal wave.

Mum is home, and we hope not to have to travel to and from Suffolk for a very long time. It may only be a four hour drive, each way, on a good day, but the desire to get to the end of each leg, avoid traffic and get back home at a decent time to avoid traffic at the tunnel and to feed the cats means that there is little relaxing to be done. It may be nice with the radio on, and we might even sing along, but in time, after week after week of travel, we were exhausted.

We woke at just gone seven, and listened to the sounds of morning. Here in St Maggies in December is mostly silence; but the wind jangling the fastenings on Bob's flagpole, maybe a seagull looking for food, and the gentle hum of traffic on the Deal Road. Or so I thought. We get up and have a coffee, then I take myself to Tesco for the weekly shop, not much to get, but enough.

The Deal road is closed, by an accident, and all the traffic is being diverted up and down Station Road. I find out later it is a three car crash which has left one dead. But at the time it was a curiosity as to why the road was closed. Just a sign saying there was an accident.

At Whitfield, the new Lidl has opened and already had customers. It is good the town seems to be thriving, and yet there is only so much shopping to be done in the town, and all the other existing shops and supermarkets would lose some business. In Tesco there was no croissants, which meant bacon for both Saturday and Sunday breakfast, an upside to everything.

Back home we put the shopping away, and I cook breakfast, half a dozen sweet cured streaky rashers each, and put into buttered freshly baked bread, accompanied by a fresh brew.

Lovely.

And despite it being a fine, if cold day, we feel like doing nothing, which is what we do.

After washing up, Huey on the radio, playing some cool Blacksploitation soundtracks, and other tunes to ease us towards lunchtime.

I change the radio from music to football, with games on at half twelve, three and City playing at half five. It is seven games since Norwich won, one down at half time to Sheffield Wednesday, and it being an all familiar story. But the second half, City turn a corner, and score three times and cruise to a win, and maybe, begin to head upwards again. Amazing how a win, even if you're not there, lifts the spirits. City have won, West Ham have beaten Chelsea and Spurs score 5 at Wembley.

For dinner I roast some vegetables and garlic, when cooked I whizz them up and pour the gloop over cooked pasta. Doesn't look good, but tastes fab, and is vegetables and so is good.

All seems right with the world.

Outside, the quarter moon shines down from a clear blue sky, bitterly cold night. We listen to some music as the day fades into night, and already half the weekend has gone.