Sunday 28th January 2018

This will be the last post of the month. Just so you know. I am travelling to Denmark tomorrow, and won't be back until the first of February, but I promise to write and bring y'all up to date with what's what.

It is worth remembering that since the first week of June I have had two three day trips to Denmark and a two days in Belgium and one in Harmburg. So, I have got used to being at home, with the cats, never near from a hot kettle. But tomorrow begins the start of either 5 straight weeks away, of five out of the next six weeks away. Something like that. And most of the travel is for training. It seems after eight years in the company, the old dog needs new tricks to be taught, so on Wednesday and Thursday I will be trained.

We wake up just before half seven, and still bleary-eyed after the cards, as is now usual. I make coffee, then settle down to watch the football on the i player, via the computer, as I could rewind to the start of the program. It makes sense to me, anyway. And I can pause it to go and make bacon butties and a brew.

All exciting stuff.

Any by the time we had eaten, watched football, tidied up and started on the roning, it became clear it was going to be a rush if Jools was going to meet with her friend Leanne at ten, doubly so if she was going to drop me off in Barham first. Some last minute changes meant that I dropped Jools off, then drove to orchid central in Barham. Traffic always seems to be so hectic, so it always seems like being on a race track getting to the end of the dual carriageway, then jostling for position as it begins again at Shepherdswell. mI mean, I shouldn't worry, I was going just a few miles further on, but its all a bit mad. I take it easy and cruise until it is time to turn off, down Black Robin Lane and into the woods.

I had not been here since last August when the Violet Helleborines ended, and now her we are at the start of a new season, on the hunt for rosettes and see what else is growing.

The lane is about 5 miles long until I reach the parking spot, negotiating my way round a couple of horses and riders until I pulled off. I gather my cameras and set off up the slope, trying to find a safe path through the mud that had cascaded down the slope. Horses had come down there, that must have been an interesting descent with the hooves slipping and sliding.

Up the slope, past the clump of bluebells, now putting forth fresh leaves for the new year. It could be May before we see them flower, but it seems it might be sooner. Depends on the weather, as it always does. We might yet have a cold snap, or worse.

A way further was the first of the Early Purples; rosettes of various sizes and markings, but unmistakably EPO. There are more a little further on, and on the other side of the track where the var alba ones can be found. The ground is very soft, no worries with drought this season, at least when the rhizomes are forming, so we should have a good show.

We hope.

Over the road to look at the chaos left over from the logging. I say logging, I think it was to think the canopy, but it wreaked havoc with what was growing on the forest floor. But I found over two dozen Lady rosettes, a Fly and several Twayblade. So, maybe things will recover there too?

And as sun fell through the bare branches, I had done all I wanted, so walked back to the car and drive back home, where at least the traffic was lighter and less fraught. Maybe I am overplaying this, but with the state of the roads due to lack of money, it is a dangerous place out there, especially at Whitfield where the surface is breaking up in both directions creating jarring pot holes.

Jools wasn't back, so I have a brew, then after preparing dinner, or the preparations for preparing, I do another session on the cross trainer, by which time it was two and Jools was home.

We sit down for some cheese and crackers, whilst huey plays on the i player. The weekend is slipping through our fingers again.

I watch the last of the cup ties, then cook steak and saute potatoes and garlic mushrooms. As ever, it is rather good. We eat listening to Garry Kasparov on Desert Island Discs, which was fascinating.

After showering, I pack for the week away, speak to Mum when she calls, and here we are, ten to nine and thinking of an early night. Tomorrow we are up at half four ready for leaving at ten to six. So the madness begins.

Saturday 27th January 2018

And here is our old friend, Mr Weekend, coming along to cheer us all up with his croissants, bacon butties, churches, orchids and wine and beer.

We get up at seven, just time to have a cuppa before getting in the car to go to tesco. Outside all was a white wonderland as there had been a frost, but no trouble for us, as the Corsa is parked in the car port, so all frost free.

We go round getting what we need, and a few other things, all done in a systematic way, so out at the checkout, paid and loading the car up by quarter to nine, and home having packed away and tcuking into freshly baked croissants by half nine.

We had a pause as Molly was to go to the vet for an appointment at 11, so we listen to the radio and faff, then bundle her into the box at half ten. She makes no fuss really, just accepting her fate and not one mew came from her the whole trip.

In the vets we are shown right in, and the good news is she is putting on weight; up to 3.22 in a week from 3,06, and looking good too, with a glossy coat and beginning to do the stretching thing she likes. So, all is good with and in Molly world. We all have smiles on our faces as the reality of the fact that she is pulling through and thriving. Means she is going to be with us maybe for many years as yet.

And Jools went to the pet store to pick up some food with high proper meat content, what comes as a shock for us is that the big brand, Whiskers, has such a low meat content, and can be so bad for the pets we love. I can tell you Molly has thrived on chicken breast and shrimp this week. As we all would in truth.

We take Molly home, give her some food, and after loading the car with six cameras and assorted lenses and gear, we are off out again. Last week I had seen some small yellow flowers, and some investigation online had revealed their identity, so back this week to snap them.

Along the A2, turning off to go to Kingston, ignoring the broken no parking sign. And just inside the churchyard are dozens of tiny Winter Aconites, all closed tight because it was a dull day. But I get the shots i wanted.

We then drive along the Nailbourne to Bishopsbourne so I could show Jools the tiling at St Mary. As I had the macro lens on the new camera, I got another fine selections of detailed shots from there, so more to edit and post. It really is a glorious place, and so lucky that I found it last week.

Finally, from there we follow the Nailbourne under the A2 to Patrixbourne, another fine church along its valley, and in a fine picturesque village. The church is splendid; mostly norman with a Kentish tower and spire, but inside full of fine details. I have been here at least four times before, but there is always something new to see.

I meet a nice chap who is down to see friends and using Simon Jenkins book as a guide. He was off to Barfrestone next, I advised him to go to Bishopsbourne next, but we talk for a good 15 minutes, which was always good.

And just like that, it was one in the afternoon, we were hingry, so we speed back home for lunch of ham sandwiches. Not just ham, but honey and molasses roasted ham. If you believe that shit. The sandwiches were good though.

And then there was football, Norwich on the radio, or through Twitter, whilst the rest of the teams play in The Cup. City run out 1-0 winners at Griffin Park, and our faith is reconfirmed. Such is the life of a fan, always going between the extremes of doubt and hope.

I do a 40 minute session on the cross trainer, and feel as fresh at the end as at the start. I shower and am ready for a night of card sharping at Jen's. We pick up John on the way, and a fine night it was, as it always is. We laugh, drink and eat scampi and chicken dippers. It is a good way to spend the evening. But too soon it is half eleven, and with the rain still hammering down, Jools drives, dropping John off home then take us home, arriving home just before midnight.

Phew.

Friday 26th January 2018

Pay Day (!)

And we come to the end of the week, and the end of my last week working from home for at least four weeks. I have three weeks training, and another of audits. So, better make the most of it.

THere is the usual stuff, with added travel expense reports to do. Sigh. Always not as bad as you think, but having to get the scanner out to copy the receipts and then send them to head office.

Even work is tempting in contrast.

I have breakfast once Jools has left for work, but hungry by half nine so fry up the left over stuffing and turkey, ass a couple of beaten eggs and eat what it produces. Not the most attractive of meals, but tasted darn good, but meaning I would have to wait eight hour for dinner.

In the afternoon there is a webinar, telling us how to fill in a multi-country tax form. As you can imagine, traveling all round Europe could make us liable to pay taxes in all these countries. If I end up being worse off my boss will have to deal with me saying I might refuse to travel!

And that takes me to three in the afternoon, when Jools returns from work and the weekend can begin. And all we have to do is take Molly to the vet first.

Jools said she went into the porch to get the box, and Molly must have recognised the sound, all we know is that when Jools came out with the box Molly had made a dash for the back door and was out of the cat flap. And gone. And no amount of rattling food tins or nice calling her name could persuade her to come in. So, we have to call the vet to rearrange the appointment to Saturday morning.

We both agree that we would do some phy; Jools goes first and does half an hour. I follow her on and put the machine up one level and do another half hour. Yeah, this is the stuff. And in doing so come to the end of the playlist on the i pod.

We both have a shower and are dressed; what to do for dinner? Well, curry. I call the Swingate to book a table, and we are all set.

At half six we drive the five minutes over the fields to the former pub, park up and are seated, both hungry, and the air is full of the smells of spices cooking. It is heaven.

We both order and sip our drinks as we wait for our starters. We both have prawns; Jools' are grilled and delicious, mine have been cooked in chilli and ginger and is different, but also good. And for the main course I have som pancake thing, which is different and good, but neither of us could finish the main course.

Beaten again.

But we ate less than we used too as well.

I pay and Jools drives us home, where there is cup football on TV; I settle down to watch it, but miss the whole of the second half as I sleep through it, so missing Man Utd win at Yeovil 4-0.

Of cake and Brexit

There is a new euphemism in Brussels now: cake. Whenever a minister of MEP asks something impossible of an aide, they reply, that's a bit cake, isn't it?

So much for Boris' have cake and eat it rhetoric, its now a joke. As so is the Foreign Secretary, of course.

Today, the EU leaked their guidelines for the 2nd phase of talks. Less guidelines and more like a list of demands and conditions UK will have to accept. These are dressed up as negotiations, but are anything but. And as with phase 1, Britain will baulk, bluster and then as the clock ticks down, accept meekly, trying to make a defeat sound like a victory.

DD also made a speech today, listing how he sees Phase 2 going and what he demands. These are just words, and words mainly for consumption by his party and the newspapers. The EU will be watching and laughing.

The day is getting closer when the Brexiteers in the Cabinet will have to stop the bluster and face reality. But while they are allowed to talk in generalities, they can make it all sound fine, but when pushed to a detail, almost any detail, there is no idea there. No clue. There is no plan, never was, and now with just nine months to go before the ratification process HAS to start, all we have is some vague ambitions, yet to form a clear picture.

Time is up, and when reality of what will have to be accepted to keep what is left of the economy going, will the Conservative Party survive? Other than the 70,000 member, would anyone car. I think it will split; a rump Eurosceptic part will fester and eat itself, and the rest will form a right of centre centralist party, and as for Labour; who knows? Jeremy's position is solid with the support of Momentum, but at some point they are going to have to face reality too, have policies that work in the real world, and that political dogma is not a cue all in the same way that privatisation isn't either.

And everyone will blame each other. Which will be nice.

Thursday 25th January 2018

Mum called yesterday. She has a new social worker, who is organising trips out to clubs; not niteclubs, but social clubs where Mum can mix. She also has long term care arranged, with her picking up a minimal bill, and she is getting her appetite back, but as she eats is just microwaved meals. I think she wanted us to be pleased for her, but she has burned all the good will, certainly on my side. Either she heeds to warnings. Or not.

Makes little difference to me. And as I start my travels next week, the first of five weeks on the bounce away, just as well she is.

I sleep through the alarm, Jools getting up, feeding the cats and making her lunch. I was only woken up when Scully came back up to bed and jumped on my legs. Time to get up then?

Being a Thursday, there are the bins to put out and then a meeting to attend to at eight, and be prepped. Just as well coffee has such a positive effect.

And so the day begins, but brewing in the back of my lind was my date with the radio later in the afternoon. So I work, make calls and generally manage things, at least I feel slightly more in control now.

At half two the producer calls to fill in some details, and ask about my answers; as I have her in laughter, I think this is going to go well.

Work finishes, and I fuss round preparing dinner, trying to keep busy until the phone calls at quarter to six. It rings, I am on line to the studio, they check levels, and I am put through to the DJ, and words tumble out of my mouth. I speak of dancing and of leading an audience through the broad streets of Bristol to a gig.

And it was over. All good I think.

Jools arrives home when I'm on the phone, so once I am done and finished dancing round the living room to the tune I picked, I started on dinner.

We have steak and ale pie, steamed veg and roast spuds, with a pot of gravy from Tesco luxurious range, and it was awful. We had another on Sunday and thought maybe there was something wrong with that pot, but this was as bad. Yuk.

And that was the day, drink tea, listen to some music and try to stay awake until it was time to go to bed and sleep, but tomorrow is Friday. And the weekend is close.

Wednesday 14th January 2018

It might be our imagination, but it seems Molly is less angry, less hunched up, better groomed and all round happier. We could be wrong, but we both feel it. She has been living on boiled chicken breast this week, as well as prawns, and is quite liking it. She sleeps in the bread basket by the front window, she uses the tray still in the bathroom when she feels like it. All in all, not going too bad. And this weekend we will investigate new food for all three mogs.

It is Wednesday, one month on from Christmas Eve, and feels more like six. Still, the days get longer, and the nights shorter, and we even saw the moon a little, now waxing to nearly 50%. Time marches on.

Not much to report on today, the usual stuff of getting up, drinking coffee, and me doing a session on the cross trainer, not in the evening, nor first thing in the morning, bust just about lunchtime. Would have been lunchtime but I ate my lunch at ten.

Work is the same, and with the rain dreary and overcast outside, I stay inside and work. Only bright part being a record I order was delivered.

The day continues, with the radio playing, quietly.

I get the mod that I am to be on the radio on Thursday, so I am excited, but not nervous. Details to follow to those that didn't know. In fact, I am to be on the show Thursday.

For dinner I make potato bread to go with soup. Nothing too fancy, but the bread smells delicious cooking, cheese on top melting and going crispy. We have the last of the Christmas Cake for supper, with a brew, and that is over again for another year. There is yet more football on the radio, so I take to bed to listen to it, but sleep through the whole of the second half, and wake to find the post-game phone in is under way.

Urgh.

Just time to brush my teeth and go back to bed.

The week that will define Brexit.

If you look carefully, you will see there is, mostly, a softening in attitudes from the PM and most of her cabinet, as the beliefs of the headbangers meet the hard reality of international trade.

Tomorrow, DD will make a speech where he is due to finally spell out HM Government's ambition in the end point of Brexit. It is expected to be a combination of Brexit rhetoric and reality. Leaving the EU, SM and CU but there being a transition period, in which UK will abide by the EU SM and CU rules, and will have no place in the making or rules, but will take the rules. The reality of taking back control.

Today, JRM, arch Brexiteer and head of the ERG says that the Government must talk up Brexit or it will be a managed decline.

So, the reality is the battle between the wings of the Conservative Party, who will win out, not what is best for the country. THe interesting point is that any deal struck with the EU will have to get through Cabinet, the Government and Parliament, and there is no guarantee of any of those. However, if the headbangers within the Conservative Party block a deal, it would mean, as a minimum, a leadership challenge, and with the stakes, another election. And not sure if even JRM and the ERG are ready for that, but then again he has issued threats today.

So the choice is between the CBI side and wanting to preserve trade within the EU, or the true believers of Brexit who want the hardest of all Brexits. Never the twain shall meet.

Next week the EU will release the legal framework it thinks was agreed to with the UK in December, not sure yet if this has to be ratified, or will be a glorious gentleman's agreement. What is clear that if Britain tries to backtrack from this, it will cause all the agreement to collapse and the remaining talks fail, Britain crashing out of the EU with no deal.

Huge stakes, and unclear which way the sides will go, but anything is possible. But make no mistake, the EU has the upper hand and will offer what it thinks UK should accept.

A year ago, in her Lancaster House speech, May decided that her Government policy was the hardest of hard Brexit. In years to come, people will talk whether had she softened her tone on that night, Brexit might have turned out differently. But that is a moot point, with the clock ticking, and 14 months left, six of which is closed due to the ratification process.

Former PM, David "ham face" Cameron, was recorded as saying that Brexit wasn't as bad as expected, and the right wing press sprung on this as if this was a ringing endorsement for Brexit: not as bad as we thought. Why are we doing this?

At the end of next week, we will know what Brexit Britain wants. Probably. And know what will happen if no agreement can be made. Expect lots of anger and shouting.

Tuesday 23rd January 2018

Just over a month on from the equinox, I am assured we have very nearly an hour extra daylight each and every day. It does mean the year is pressing on, even if each day we hardly notice it.

In other news, Mum is feeling better. We spoke on Sunday and she has lost the hoarseness in her voice, she sounded chipper, the opposite from what she was like the week before when I thought she had found something else I had thrown away, and thought do I give a fuck? In the end, she was just sick, so go figure. She still has not left the house since her return home on 6th December. But she is nearing the time. She has been given two weeks more free care, but the clock is running out of course, but it seems OK. Not much Jools and I could do about it anyway.

Tuesday was a grey and windy day, or was once it got light, and by that time we had both had a coffee, checked on world affairs and in a surprise move, I did a session on the cross trainer. And had a shower and shave, and was eating breakfast and a cuppa by five to eight. So much achieved already.

I start the working day with a meeting, catch up on tasks to be done, and then on with the rest of the stuff.

Nearly a year ago I met a friend, Rob, in Kingsdown for lunch and a chat, and what with one thing and another, time slipped by, so when we swapped mails last week, it seemed a good time to suggest we meet up again. He said the White Horse Inn, but that would mean having to get in and back to/back from DOver, so I suggested the Coastguard down in the Bay. It has been some time since I was last there, and Rob agreed, so all was set.

At twelve I put on my boots, waterproof coat and hat to set off to walk down and up Station Road, through the village to The Bay.

We have lived in St Maggies for nine years now, and we like it, but as you get nearer the sea, it does get a bit up itself.

No parking
Private road
No through road
No access to the Lighthouse

And so on.

It was a damp and grey day, but not too cold, the air full of sea mist. Easy going down Station Road, huffing and puffing up the other side, through the village to the top of Bay Road, where I would take the stepped path down.

I didn't count the steps down, but there were many, most covered in fallen leaves, and slippery as ice after the recent rain.

I was glad when I reached the bottom of the steps, but then had to walk on the road for the final 50 metres to the bay itself.

Some two years ago The Coastguard closed and was taken over by Shepherd Neame.

Truth is the previous owner had let its standards drop, the range of beers and whiskies was reduced, and on our last visit, we were only allowed one cheeseboard between the two of us.

We did not go back.

It reopened, and what with it being spring and then summer, it would always be full. We didn't go last winter, and so when Rob suggested meeting for lunch, I thought of here.

Glad I did as the place has been done up nice, the food good, but sadly with SN its mostly their own stuff, and with the horror that is Masterbrew. I made do with Bishop's Finger out of bottles and was happy enough. I can confirm the beer battered cod and chips was good and worth going down there for, as the fish was wonderfully fresh. Many thanks, Rob. My turn next.

Rob even dropped me off at the end of the street, allowing me to walk back home to do three more hours work to round off the day, before preparing dinner; more defrosted turkey and steamed vegetables.

Jools was late home, delayed by heavy traffic, meaning it was nearly eight by the time we had eaten and washed up. Where does the time go? And with football to listen to, writing to writ, the evening passes in a flash.

Wednesday in Brexitlalaland

Today, DD presented himself to the Brexit Select Committee, and there were the highlights, as reported by the Guardian:

Davis struggled with the first question from the committee chair, Hilary Benn, on whether there would be a draft legal text to make the pre-Christmas Brexit deal binding. Davis started by saying it would form part of the final agreement, but when pressed on whether parliament would get to see it, he said: “I hadn’t thought through when it would surface.”

Davis laughed off an article he wrote for Conservative Home in July 2016 that Benn quoted directly, which said: “I would expect the new prime minister on 9 September to immediately trigger a large round of global trade deals with all our most favoured trade partners.

“So within two years, before the negotiation with the EU is likely to be complete, and therefore before anything material has changed, we can negotiate a free trade area massively larger than the EU.”

The UK is not, and was not, in a position to negotiate new trade deals until it leaves the EU. Davis said: “I think that was before I was minister. That was then, this is now.”

Britain’s innovative jams reared their head again as the SNP MP Joanna Cherry questioned Davis over UK internal market regulations. This argument, Davis said, boils down to whether you can sell jam made in Somerset in Scotland.

In fact, much of the substance of Cherry’s questioning was about whether, in taking on responsibility for regulatory alignment in Westminster, the UK government was making a power grab of competencies from devolved administrations.

The DUP MP Sammy Wilson asked if regulatory alignment would be down to a Northern Ireland administration or Westminster. Davis replied: “It’ll be a bit of both, I think.”

Davis was confident a transition agreement could be concluded in eight weeks and expected a transition period to last between 21 and 27 months. But he then said he had no meetings set up to discuss it with Michel Barnier.

Davis rebuffed a question from the Conservative MP Stephen Crabb about where money saved from EU budget contributions could be reinvested. Davis reminded the committee that he used to be director of a public company, and would have been in breach of company law if he promised a dividend without having the cash to back it up. “I don’t talk about dividends until they are delivered,” he said.

However, in May 2016, Davis gave a speech titled the economic case for Brexit, in which he said: “Our trade will almost certainly continue with the EU on similar to current circumstances. In the highly improbable event that it will not, we can accommodate that with domestic policies using the money released by Brexit, the independence dividend.”

Davis, once again shrugging off his previous speeches and articles, said: “Basically I looked at the facts, and as the facts changed, I changed my mind.”

This declaration was immediately seized upon by supporters of reversing Brexit, people campaigning for continued membership of the single market and customs union, and those asking for a second referendum.

Conservative ministers appearing before a select committee can often expect some soft-ball questions. Not with Jacob Rees-Mogg. He asked Davis, if the UK is subject to European court of justice jurisdiction (ECJ) and paying into the EU budget on 30 March 2019, “are we not a vassal state?”

After Davis argued that accepting new rules during a transition period was not much of a worry, given that EU lawmaking was historically slow, Rees-Mogg asked: “Isn’t that a really rather weak argument?” The Tory MP posited that the EU might have an incentive to impose financial transaction taxes.

Addressing Hywel Williams, the Plaid Cymru MP for Arfon, Davis said “I remember during the cold war that the MoD classified the number of teabags it purchased”, on the basis that the figure might give away the strength of British troops. Williams had been asking for a list of Davis’s department’s work streams.

Davis told Rees-Mogg “any idiot” who goes into a commercial negotiation trumpeting their red lines ensures these will be the minimum they can achieve. Davis claimed never to use the phrase.

However, in the House of Commons in 2014, Davis asked David Cameron: “Will the prime minister tell us his intentions as [to] bringing to this house the red-line issues that will feature in his renegotiation, and can he give us a preview of some of those issues today?”

When Stephen Timms, the Labour MP for East Ham, asked Davis about the potential parliamentary obstacles to continued ECJ oversight during a transition period, Davis prompted laughter with his assessment that “it’s all been very straightforward so far, hasn’t it?”

Davis spent the final minutes stressing that he had to get to his next appointment. Closing the session, Benn wryly observed: “If you came more frequently, the sessions might be a bit shorter.”

Meanwhile, the German Government published a report that suggested that Brexit would take much longer than the two year A50 period and the extension/transition period. Interestingly, it also reported that there were German Constitutional issues with an extension, and the German High Court might have to pass judgement. And finally, it suggests that anything beyond 2019 would require Britain to pay as if it were a full member and without the rebate. I remember a clever chap talking about Hard Remain.....

As you can see from the above, May is negotiating more with her own party than she is with the EU as she strives for a broad agreement. It is likely that any agreement on Brexit or an extension/transition would be rejected by some in her own party meaning no such deal under terms set by the Eu is possible. No ratification means no deal, and that would mean if the first phase agreement is adhered to, that Britain would keep to the rules of the SM and CU without actually being in either. This is going to run and run until May and DD will have tied themselves up in knots. And still they don't know what they want at the end of it.

The BBC let a claim regarding the Brexit Bonus, i.e. the money saved from being out of the EU pass unchallenged, as no assessment thinks Britain will be better off, even a little bit.

Monday 22nd January 2018

Monday is a rest day from Phys.

Yay.

My legs ache. But not in a bad way, although Jools has a calf strain, so can't do phys.

But for me it was a day off. Which means I could lay in bed, or laze on the sofa and not feel too guilty about it.

But it is Monday, and getting enough enthusiasm to switch the computer on gets harder week after week. Outside, the rain falls down, but it is supposed to clear up later, I hope it might so I can go out into the garden. But before then, there is work to be done.

I put the radio on quietly and tap away. Molly seems to be a little better. When you see her every day it is hard, but she seems less hunched, less in pain. Although the vet assured us she wan't in great pain, a dull ache is how he described it. I cook her a chicken breast and oce done cut it up into small pieces, mix with show shrimp, and she loved it. At least she ate it all, then went to snooze in the basket by the front window. She hasn't taken up her old habit of laying on my laptop, which I guess is a good thing.

In the late afternoon, I pack up work things and go out into the garden to prune the buddleia.I see that there is a single Dwarf Iris blooming in one of the beds. It is the most incredible colour blue, contrasted by the yellow stamen. I snap that.

And the bush is pruned to the ground, it'll bounce back. But it is good being out, and warm enough to sit on the patio and watch the garden birds feeding at the bottom of the garden. Always something to see of course.

Darkness falls, and I catch up with writing, editing, and then warm up the soup for dinner, ready for when Jools comes home.

In the evening there is Only Connect and listen to the football, where Liverpool slump to lose to Swansea who were bottom of the league.

Frontline Brexit

Why do I care so much about Brexit? Well, apart from not wanting my country or fellow Brits to be poorer and have less opportunities than I have had, Dover will be frontline Brexit, and it will be here that the first wave of chaos will strike

As I write this tonight, there is a 5 mile queue of traffic waiting to get to the port, and Jools is stuck in it, this is normal. Can happen at least one night a week, turning a 40 minute commute into one of an hour or two. In the past 25 years, as the Tunnel opened, all of the other Kent ports closed as all the traffic came through Dover because the crossing was its shortest, getting to Calais in about and hour and ten minutes. In that quarter century, the process of getting to and through the port has been more and more streamlined.

All this means that the port is operating at 90% capacity most days, meaning any holdups in the port or on the other side of the Channel, or a ferry breaks down, creates instant backlogs which quickly snake up the A20 to Folkestone and then onto the motorway. In extreme cases, "Operation Stack" is imposed, where lanes are turned into lorry parks. In the worst year, 2016, there was 14 weeks of stack and as each phase was introduced, more and more lanes of the motorway was turned over to trucks waiting, until phase IV, when there were at least two lanes of parked trucks on each carriageway, and us locals got round as best we could.

Any imposition, therefore, of anything which slows the check in and immigration checks for cars but most importantly for truck would mean queues building with no hope of seeing the end of it, if a hard border is imposed. So, my desire to stay in either or both the SM and/or CU is selfish, I don't want the town in gridlock. And yet this is what is going to happen, especially as there is zero preparation being undertaken here with Brexit day being just fourteen months away. More offices, customs sheds, recruitment of officials and guards has yet to begin. It has taken DHB nearly two years to have a multistory car park demolished. The chances of the infrastructure needed for a hard or no deal Brexit is zero. It will be chaos on legs, and like it for years, potentially.

Last autumn, the UK Government promised The City a detailed position paper on Financial Services post-Brexit. It was delayed several times before Christmas, and now seems unlikely to be published at all. Meaning many companies in The City who were waiting to see what the Government were aiming for, will now have to decide whether to stay or leave using nothing provided from the Government. This is clearly incredible, but I would suspect it was only the FT that reported this, as the rest are all full of "Isn't the Brexit Lovely" stories. There is no trade deal in the world at the moment that included financial services, which means a bespoke one would have to be created. In 6 months. If Britain knew what it wanted. Or the PM knew.

This morning, the Foreign Secretary made it known he was all for demanding an extra £6 billion a year for the NHS. Depaite the treasury and Health were not his ministerial area. In normal times, he would have been sacked for this. Mind you he could have been sacked on a weekly, sometimes daily basis, as he seems to be actively undermining Government policy. A press statement said he was "rebuked". That he voted against a motion to better fund the NHS before Christmas is a mere trifle, I'm sure.

Ian Duncan Smith accused the CBI who have spoken in favour of staying in the SM, of appeasement, like Britain tried with the Nazis. He did this in The Mail. Who once had a headline "Hoorah for the Blackshorts". You really could not make this up.

Jaguar is cutting its workforce and investment due to brexit and uncertainty.

In contrast to most of the First World economies, Britain is forecasted to stagnate further while the EU, America, Japan all will surge ahead. Wonder what the cause could be.

And all the while, the phase 1 agreement has yet to be signed off.

Sunday 21st January 2018

The end of the third week of January, and of the year. And already it seems ages since Christmas and New Year, the time off spent together at home, especially as the weekend whizzes by in a flash, but it seems we are using our free time well, and with the going out, snapping, walking, exercise and so on, not wasting time. But as ever, the realisation that on Sunday morning, half the weekend has gone and Monday is looming adds a melancholy air to what we do.

With yet more heavy rain forecast, we had to be out an about bright and early, but with another late night card sharping, I was inclined to give snapping a miss, only for Jools to ask what the plan was. She got up made a coffee, meaning we were out of the door by half eight, calling in at the garage to fill up and grab something for breakfast to eat as we drive up the A2 to Canterbury, before taking the A28 out back into the countryside past a couple of familiar orchid spots to arrive at Godmersham.

This winter has been Britain and the near continent invaded by a rare bird, Hawfinch, and a colony of them had made their home in the churchyard at Godmersham, so why not try to see the little buggers as they had been there best part of a week? All I knew was that they have a larger beak than other finches, the rest I was hoping for luck.

There were two twitchers there already, or what turned out to be newbies like me, but they had seen one that morning, but with many other species flying round, trying to pick out the Hawfinch from the others was going to be difficult.

Especially when not just the Hawfinches liked to make a snack from the many yew trees, but Chaffinches, Goldfinches, various Tits and even Goldcrests did too. And as ever I reminded that snapping birds needs serious glass, I have a 400mm zoom, but really one double that is needed to make the birds appear large in the view finder. But hope springs eternal, and in the cool crisp morning, you never know. As it happened I did get a few distant shots, not good enough to publish, other than to say we were there and saw one. Mainly I snapped other birds; Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Goldcrest and various rooks and crows.

My friend, Mark, turned up with his wife and daughter to join in the hunt, and we had a good catch up, and I showed them round the church and the memorial to Jane Austen's brother which attracts visitors from all over the world.

A light drizzle had begun to fall, so I thought it might be the right time to go to Bossingham to try to see the Nuthatch. I guess it was a 20 minute drive and I hoped the drizzle was a passing thing, but it became clear it was set in for the day. At Canterbury we decided to skip the Nuthatch and go home instead. Rain was falling steadily, making driving less fun, so I think we made the right choice.

Back home the rain was harder, and fell the rest of the day, so no work in the garden either, just listen to the radio, do some writing, edit photographs, and generally, the day fades. Even the afternoon Prem game is missed, as, well, seems you can have too much football; who knew?

More reality and more denials

Another Brexit blog.

On Sunday, the chairman of the CBI, Confederation of British Industry, explained on one of the weekend politics shows why it wants Britain to stay in the Single Market. Later, Liz Truss refuted that saying he exciting new opportunities that Brexit would offer would outweigh the disadvantages, and said so with much more passion that she showed in her time as Lord Chancellor when the press were describing High Court Judges as enemies of the people. Imagine, telling the organisation representing British businesses what it should thing? And anyway this should be news to Truss or any Government Ministers as surely they had been in constant engagement with Business to get its feedback and experience on what would be best for them and the country. That would show up in the sector analysis, but, oh year, DD was supposed to have had that covered.

So, Truss says the Government will press ahead with Brexit that business does not want, a Brexit that wasn't on the referendum, which was only advisory, and which no impact analysis has been done, and they are not for changing, even if there isn't a plan and the Cabinet themselves can't agree on Brexit either.

And since M. Macron's vague words about special deal, what has been ignored by his following that up with the same line that the whole EU has been saying for 18 months or more, that there will be no cherry picking, especially when it comes to the four freedoms. Hope springs eternal, but this really is believing in unicorn stuff.

But always bear in mind that the Good Friday Agreement, GFA, demands that there should be no border between NI and Eire, and that as that border will be the only land border between UK and the EU27, that in order for the no border to happen, it has to be done in a way that not only satisfies EU rules, but must also satisfy WTO rules. And that applied to trade going both ways, as any trade that UK offers to EU it would have to do so to all other members of the WTO, so a deal and agreement is needed. And that the fallback position is that in the event of no deal being reached, UK would have complete regulatory alignment with EU rules. The EU is now putting the December agreement into legal speak, and UK will have to sign, this will be unacceptable to the hardcore Brexiteers, like the ESG and DUP, who both still want cake and eating cake, even though it is clearly impossible.

Boris also rejects calls to stay in the CU because the PM said so in Florence, and also adds that staying in CU would mean staying in the EU, not quite true, but that it would mean it would be impossible to strike independent trade deals, or of the sort Boris thinks we should be, though again he doesn't say what those deals should be or who with, but clearly he is a big fan of the US of A. So remember the tale of chlorinated chicken and how this accepting this from the US would mean the EU putting up shutters, of creating more EU red tape that you could ever think possible, and the same goes for any goods. He also says staying in the CU would mean Britain could not play a leading role in the WTO, but no one really knows what he means, other than he thinks this is just a jolly jape.

Thankfully, the internet never forgets and allows us to remind JRM that he supported a 2nd referendum back in 2011 to pass any deal that the UK might have from the EU. He is also saying that Government Policy to leave the SM and it is the job of the ESG to ensure that Government Policy is acted upon. See, May is not really negotiating with the EU, but with her own Government and party, and in the end will have to accept whatever crumbs the EU throws us. But then is still refusing to accept reality in releasing its own legal team's assessment on whether Britain could unilaterally revoke A50. Saying that as its not going to happen then there is no point in discussing it, but also is using this as an argument that will force Parliament into a Hobson's Choice on the final deal. Unless, of course, Parliament tells the PM, whoever that may be at the time, to revoke A50. As it can.

Saturday 20th January 2018

The weekend has arrived, and so we must how best to use it. But this weekend after days of cold but with unbroken sunshine, Mr weatherman tells us there were be heavy continuous rain for both Saturday and Sunday. Chances to get out will be limited, but for Mr Jelltex who has a mild case of cabin fever, he is itching to get out and take some photographs.

As ever there are the weekend chores to do: washing, shopping and cleaning. As Jools has been so tired when she gets home from work, she has not done much phys, I say I will go to Tesco whilst she does a session on the cross trainer, in what we still call Tony's bedroom.

I go round Tesco filling the trolley up; as I am in charge, there is room for wine, cider and beer. Three of the main food groups there. THere are easter eggs in stock already, in fact there have been Creme Eggs in since before Christmas. Not that I buy them, but there is a storm this week as the number of biscuits in a pack of digestives has been reduced by 5, due to Brexit. Wait until it hits to price or supply of tea which all comes through Rotterdam..... That's all I'm saying.

Back home with croissants, Jools has just finished, and ready for breakfast and another coffee. Shopping is put away, but then I have to go and do my session, then we can have breakfast. Yes, you read that right, I also did a session before coffee and breakfast, meaning that by the time we had eaten, showered and dressed it was ten and Huey time on the wireless.

Outside the rain poured down still, there was a chance it would ease up in the afternoon, in which case..... But before then, Jools went into town to have a hair cut, so I stay and do "stuff".

Jools comes back home, and after lunch I decide that whatever, I will go out to do something. I thought that two of the churches I visited early in the project needed a revist, but as it turned out, I had took four at one and never visited the other! Just as well I snapped them good then.

As the A2 leaves Dover, to the south there is a series of valley, created by seldom flowing rivers that only are seen in wet winters; these are called Winterbournes. One of the largest is the Nailbourne, that flows from Lyminge before eventually turning into the Little Stour at Littlebourne. It flows through the Elham Valley, to Bridge, all the villages thereabouts ending in bourne. It also flows through Barham, and here it overflowed a few years back, but this winter it is a dried bed again.

Just up the hill and a little further east from Barham is Kingston, and St Giles set up the valley side among some grand and gated houses. The area is plagued with do not park here signs, but outside the church that had been knocked down, so I parked there and checked the door, found the door to be unlocked.

Inside I saw a depiction of the Virgin Mary I had snapped before, but that was it, I had failed to photograph the whole church. So I got to work snapping away, and in time noticed two roof angels in the chancel beside the east window, common in East Anglia, but I don't believe I have seen them in Kent before. Anyway, I had done some snapping, but less than a mile away was another church; Bishopbourne.

Looking at my pictures of the village later, I see we never went to the church at all! Which then explains why I stood looking at St Mary not recognising it at all. Best of all were the snowdrops; there were a few at Kingston, but not out, but here there were two lush groups, just wanting to be snapped. And then there was the church.

Sadly, inside I could not get the lights to work, so it was dark and gloomy in there, but even in the semi-darkness, I saw the wonder of the mosaic tiles covering the lower third of the Chancel. It is a fine and large church, set overlooking the old village green, but these days the centre of the village is along the narrow high street around the Mermaid.

The rain hadn't really stopped, but I had snapped two new churches so near home, and on the way back to the car I snapped the snowdrops too, getting back in the car at three just as the main batch of matches were kicking off. I drove back home, one ear on the radio, getting home just as the light was really beginning to fade. Coffee and cake was the order of the day, and on the radio, Norwich slumped to a 2-1 defeat, seems like they ran out of legs, worked out from the cup game. Oh well.

At seven we go to pick up John for another evening of cards. We had ordered pizza to be delivered, so it was going to be a good night. We play for pennies, just for fun, just as well. Mind you I did scoop the jackpot last week, though was a little down last night. The pizza came at nine, and we ate them, our appetite fired by cheap red wine.

As ever it was an evening filled with joy and laughter, and Johns stories. Same time next week?

More weekend Brexit

As reality surrounds the covered wagons of Brexit, there are some, amazing Boris and Nigel, who see that Brexit is getting unsustainable, and say they can see the need for a second referendum to legitimise the whole darn thing. And there are those who will defend precious Brexit with the last breath in their bodies, but mostly by signing a letting saying the PM must honour the referendum and not stay in the SM. Ting is, of course, SM wasn't mentioned. So, round and round we go, and all the time the sands of time are slipping through our fingers.

M. Macron yesterday mooted the idea of a special deal for UK, but this was jumped upon with great joy by the right leaning press, only for his to say that there can be no cherry picking to have a defacto SM membership but without the paying and responsibility, just like the EU has always said. Not to say there is room for tinkering round the edges, but for the most part, and we can be sure of this, the four freedoms are red ines that will nver be crossed or compromised.

And then there is the fact that every time May speaks about the case for strengthening the bonds between the EU and UK post Brexit, all she does is make the case for remaining. Whic is what she campaigned for the in the first place.

And meanwhile at Labour HQ, the Shadow Chancellor is still dealing in semantics saying not member of, but access to and a SM not the SM, as it means anything other than delaying the time when Labour has to decide whether is is going to honour it's 2015 manifesto pledge to remain, or push for some ill-defined people-first Brexit bollocks he and Jezza have been saying for months now.

Make no mistake, time is sort, and getting shorter. Britain has to decide what it wants to transit to, and at the same time think about what kind of deal it is going to be able to sell to the Cabinet, Government and Parliament before then trying to stand up to the owners and editors of the papers and explain to the people Brexit was always just the promise of unicorns. And it now seems likely that the papers owners love of Brecit coincided with the EU ant0-tax evasion laws that were introduced in 2015. All this so a few billionaires could avoid some tax? Wars have been fought on less.

Friday 19th January 2018

At last the final working day of the week, and I had set myself a list of jobs to do, in ascending scale of difficulty.

This would take some doing.

And to help my tired legs, it was a rest day, or a day off from the cross trainer. I could do it, but in truth the day would be busy enough without phy.

Jools leaves me, and I sip my coffee watching the sun rise the other side of the dip. It takes its time to make its way from the horizon to clear the roofline of the houses on the other side, but just after eight a pinprick of bright light shone between the corner of a roof and chimney, and in seconds, a quarter of the sun was visible, already too bright to look at directly.

So, lets get it on! I switch the laptop on, and work my way down the list, and come midday, I have done it, meetings attended, mails sent and calls made.

I have a ham sandwich for lunch and survey my work, and I saw that it was good. To round the day off there was the monthly department meeting, then followed by two very pleasant social Skype calls, where I caught up with two friends. So good to have time to speak to people, and listen to their, and my, issues/worries.

Jools comes home and then takes Molly to the vet; not much to add, Moll was having another B12 jab, but Jools got to speak to Chris who did her operation, so got lots of background information, and ask better questions than I could. So, cautiously optimistic, and with care, Molly might be back to her bouncing self by the summer. She is a bit more chirpy, and is jumping up to drink from the bathroom sink. If the weather is inclement, she also uses the litter tray so not to get wet. So, she's not stupid either.

Many months ago we planned to go out for a meal with our good friends, Gary and Julie, but the day of the meal, Julie fell and broke her foot, and since then there was the time away with Mum for us. And then when we were free, they were going out the same night. But, with Christmas over and everywhere quieter, we arranged to meet at The Plough, a Beefeater Inn, but OK, right by where Jools and I tied the knot nearly ten years ago.

We all arrive at the same time, Gary gets the first (and only) round in and we take to our table to look at the menu and talk more.

The food is not sensational, but the ribs I had were pretty good, nearly Bones good, which is fine. We have coffee and a small piece of cake, and that is it. Time to go home, and with me having had just the one pint, able to drive us back.

And that was Friday, and now the weekend.

Building a bridge to your Brexit

Just remember, that with each passing day, Brexit Day, 29th March 2019, gets closer and the time to arrange something, anything, gets ever tighter, and with each passing day the EUs already strong hand gets stronger. The PM looks at her two of clubs, Master Bun the Bakers Son, A Skoda Estelle Top Trump car and "The Fool", and realises she is not going to win another hand, in the way that all movement over the past ten months has all been on the UK side, whilst all the EU has to do is say "Non" or "Nein".

And always remember that the negotiations being conducted are not between the UK and EU, but between May and her spit cabinet and the editors and owners of most of the right wing press, moving slightly each time in order to minimise the adverse headlines and editorials. The agreement reached between the EU and UK before Christmas needs to be legally formalised, and the grey areas will have to be clarified, and when it becomes clear what the EU thinks and will insist it means will come as a shock to the brave Brexiteers, as it is them who will have to explain to the public why they can't have cake and eat it, in fact the only cake they can have to eat will be soap.

The root of the problem is the term "most favoured nation" status, which under WTO rules allows bespoke deals to be struck. Only under the same rules, if you offer a better deal to one country under this term, then you must apply this to all who were covered by previous deal. So there is no chance of a bespoke deal, better than what Canada and Japan has, or the EU will have to grant them the same deal.

And A50 politically be extended, as there are due to be EU elections in May 2019, so the possibility that a member in the process of leaving be able to vote in the elections is unthinkable to both the EU and UK. And yet other than stopping Brexit totally, it is the only thing that makes sense.

And then there is the transition deal, which should be the next thing to be discussed, as long as part 1 is legally formalised, is this deal. But, in order to negotiate a transition deal, the UK will have to decide what it wants a transition too. In other words, the disparate parts of the Cabinet, Government and Conservative Party will have to all agree on something, and something that the EU will also have to, unanimously, agree to. A deal that is good for the Tory Party will not be good for the EU and so will not pass the ratification process, in fact it is hard to see almost any deal pass the EU ratification process of all 27 member states and up to 11 regional Parliaments.

And the best bit, is the fall back position of in the case of a no deal, that NO and the whole of UK will have regulatory alignment with the EU, ensuring no divergence so to allow "frictionless" trade; EU approved paperwork, inspections, standards and mediation, whilst the UK will be a rule taker and not a rule maker. Or not allowed to have an input in new or updating the rules.

In order to divert attention from the visit by the French President, the sometime Foreign Secretary was interviewed in the Torygraph where he suggested that a Bridge be built over the Channel to facilitate trade. Let that sink in, as he pushes for severing trade ties to Europe, he suggests spunking tens of billions on an unworkable bridge. Some said that he was kept in post to stop him causing chaos on the back benches, instead causing chaos on the front benches.

M. Macron confirmed that financial services could not be included in a trade deal, unless UK was part of the SM< and that meant accepting the four freedoms. I seem to remember this being something the EU says quite often, so one wonders when the message will get through the thick skulls of the Brexiteers and PM.

Thing about the EU is that is, and always was, first and foremost a bloc of nations sharing common ideals to prevent European conflict. Any country that tries to step outside the rule, and yes I'm talking to you Poland and Hungary, you will be threatened with being kicked out. And if they do not change their path, then the EU27 will be the EU25, trade or not, this matter more. So, Britain leaving the EU is seen forst and foremost, Britain rejecting the shared values and being part of a united Europe, and that is the cause of most pain for them. Threatening to leave the ECHR just doubles this down, on institutions set up in the wake of WWII to ensure that war and hate do not sweep through the continent. And that the ECHR was an idea of one Winston Churchill, and for trade, the SM was the idea of one Margaret Thatcher, the great Tory heroine, who one thing we could be sure of, would be hard against Brexit.

But as ever, Brexiteers, the PM, Cabinet, Government, Owners and editors of the fearless free press struggle with the demands of reality, and up to this point, try to ignore them. Kicking difficult issues intot eh long grass to fix later in the 2 year A50 process will make it more likely they can't be solved, or solved by UK giving in.

Reality is a hard mistress.

Imagine this scenario: come 29th March 2019, France has to ratify the deal between the EU and UK, if t fails to do so, UK leaves the EU as a consequence of the A50 timetable, and as a result of the phase 1 agreement settled before Christmas, the UK would have to have complete regulatory alignment as detailed above; meaning UK leaves the EU, but trade is unaffected, and EU intituations, banks, far eastern car manufacturers relocate to mainland Europe. Now tell me that's not having cake and eating it, and taking back control!?!?

Thursday 18th January 2018

This will be a Brexit free day in The Outside of the Asylum, you'll be glad to know.

Another day working from home, and a grand day outside.

Oh well. And there would no football to divert me in the evening, just as well really, as I had a dreadful night's sleep and woke up feeling like I barely slept. Outside a gale was blowing, roads in town were blocked, but it seemed fine for Jools to get to work. For me the commute from one chair to another seemed to be trouble-free. The gale did mean putting out the bins was an adventure, especially putting the paper out, but I sorted that out, so could go back inside for more coffee and breakfast.

Meetings, phone calls and more meetings. As usual, each day is pretty much the same as the previous, many times with the same issues. Which is not nice.

Outside clouds rushed from the west, being blown along by the storm, but it blew itself out by lunchtime, meaning I could go to the shop. Again. I decided to make the baked pasta pie thing from the Rick Stein book, and really needed carrots and some hard cheese; the latter a long shot in the village shop, but I live in hope.

Just a quick walk down Station Road, past the new house and up the other side. My back was complaining, as is usual this week, so bad I could hardly walk by the time I got to the top, but I made it. They had carrots, and some grated cheese, so that was good.

No trouble going down the hill, but a struggle up the other side back to the end of our road. I check the spring flowers at the end, still none out, but won't be long mind.

And I manage to get a session in on the cross trainer now that the ip pod is recharged. And I almost enjoy it, my legs pumping in time with the beat of Shoot to Thrill.

Inside, between work, I make a batch of tomato sauce, brown the meat and add the vegetables, then simmer for an hour with the sauce, red wine and seasoning added. Then an hour before Jools was due back, I cook the pasta, mix it with the ragu, sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and the cheese. And let it cook.

And it was fabulous I have to say. And it made enough to have it again over the weekend, and another pie put in the freezer uncooked to have another time.

But we are both pooped, so after a quiet evening with the radio on, we go to bed before 9 and I am gone to the land of nod.

Wednesday 17th January 2017

You will be thankful that this is a short post.

Sometimes, there is only so much you can write about being at home, working from home, sharing the day with three sleepy cats. Even with the sun shining, there was little time to go out to enjoy it, anyway, it was windy enough to be cold, cold enough to need a jacket and be thinking about a woolly hat hand gloves too.

The usual stuff, up, coffee, Jools gets ready, goes to work, I have breakfast, another coffee and begin working.

Only I lost my mojo again, and sit there unable to find any enthusiasm for the task in hand. I stare out of the window looking at birds, have lunch at ten, make some toast at lunch, and more coffee, and tea through the afternoon.

Man this is tough stuff.

I have the radio on, but that is just a distraction A good one though.

Come half three in the afternoon, and I have a meeting via Skype with people in four different countries. It is a nightmare, as one of the others is sitting in an office and every 30 seconds a truck goes by the window and drowns out everyone's words. And this lasts an hour. And is important.

I switch the computer off, go upstairs and put on my trainers for some phys; and all is going well as I power through towards 20 minutes, when the i pod loses power, meaning I have 30 seconds to go to 20 minutes, but no music to last until 30. So, and I hate to admit this, I stop. But I had done some, and was huffing and puffing, even if I hadn't heard the whole of Prick up Your Ears by Yeah Yeah Noh.

Jools came back with fish and chips, I made brews and had the bread buttered for chip butties, which it is impossible to have fish and chips without. Oh yes, it is true.

The whole evening was given over to football; Norwich playing at Chelsea in the cup, and live on TV. Kick off was at eight, and Norwich looked nervous, but grew into the game. It was nervous stuff, if you're a Norwich fan, and I am you know. Well, Chelsea scored on about the hour and that looked like that, only for Norwich to rustle up an equaliser with the very last kick of the game to take it to 30 minutes extra time.

They had two players sent off and three penalties denied, and we could have snatched it right at the end, but the header went wide. And to penalties, Norwich missed their first one, or it was saved. And that was that, out, but in glory. One year we'll get to Wembley. One year, but not this one.

A small domestic Brexit matter

Before I write any further, just a reminder to you all that what we call Brexit, the UK leaving the European Union is going to happen unless the UK Government either tried to revoke that A50 notification, or the EU stops it, or tries to. Brexit under A50 will happen automatically after 2 years from the day of notification in accordance with the clauses within it. Therefore, for a member of the Cabinet, Government Parliament, etc, accuses someone in their party, another party, or other individuals that they are derailing, or trying to derail Brexit, remember that no one, other than the PM can stop it. It is possible, that at some point, Parliament might try to instruct the PM to stop Brexit, or try to stop it, pause it, whatever. It is unclear whether she would or would have to. Or that Britain on its own could stop it.

The EU and member politicians have said many times in recent months that the UK can change its mind, and it seems to make sense that it could, but the final say on that comes down to our friends in the UCJ.

I say all this as yesterday, the once Great Repeal Bill cleared the COmmons and has been sent to the Lords for their consideration. In the last day of debate and voting on amendments, the Government won every one, in fact it won 45 out of 46 amendment votes in total. The ones last night were regarding releasing the legal opinion on whether Brexit can be stopped, whether rights can be stuck down without Parliamentary review, and so on. A bonfire of rights, with the way paved for Britain to offer lower worker, human, environmental rights that the EU and other countries. And without the approval of Parliament.

Almost all COnservative MPs voted with the whip, even the vocal opponents, and the Tory's nice friends at the DUP voted with them to ensure a Government victory.

Some highlights:

Shadow Brexit Minister Pennycook says Govt going to be in “ludicrous position” of having to amend Withdrawal Bill with Withdrawal Agreement Implementation Bill... ie temporarily repealing the Repeal of European Communities Act for transition

Grieve intervenes: “Virtual certainty”

Pennycook: “its ironic that Tory MPs who voted for Amendment 7 are viewed as having betrayed the Government, while those who actively undermine Government policy get promoted in quick succession”

“Govt cant agree what transition means; can be no clearer evidence than recent appointment of [Suella Fernandes] to Dexeu team, given her past form in seeking to actively undermine Florence policy position by encouraging colleagues to sign ERG letter objecting to crucial aspects”

Closest vote so far on a Lib Dem #Brexit amendment. Just 19 votes behind the Govt. Great to have Labour support on a New Clause which would require Govt to extend or cancel Article 50 if Parliament rejects either the Govt agreement with the EU or No Deal.

On hard Brexiteers wanting to leave EU with no deal: "The most catastrophic act perpetrated by a government in modern history"

On gov's red lines: "currently, and I fear forever, incompatible with that [EU] legal order"

Tuesday 16th January 2017

It is a sad fact that after several weeks of exercise, your mind is telling you that you should now be a racing snake, all fit as a fiddle, able to blow bubbles for half an hour or more, several days a week. It is something of a shock then when you catch a side reflection of yourself and are deflated at the lack of progress and how on earth you got into this shape. But we press on, trying to do our best. But then, rest days are as important as ones on which we phys, and Tuesday was a rest day. It is somewhat optimistic to think I would be motivated enough to do a session when I get up and before work. Might happen. Might not, though.

I am so tired these days, its the hedgehog in me that wants to hibernate, it can't be the amount of phys I do. But I sleep well, and sometimes fail to hear the alarm.

Like on Tuesday.

I hear Jools making her snap and boiling the kettle, so I get up and go down.

It is going to be a fine day, looking out back the sky is so dark blue it is nearly black, but there is a light strip along the horizon that turns orange and the sky begins to light up. I put out some food in the back garden, as the crows and magpies come to feed. It don't last long once they see it, but I can stand by the sink drinking my tea watching up to a dozen magpies. And what they miss and leave behind, the blackbirds and robins peck over during the day. All free entertainment, if I had time to watch. But there is just time to make breakfast before it is time to go and start work.

There is the list of things to do, which I intended to get working on, but as ever there is something else that seems to be more important, and the list remains undone. I decide that on Wednesday, I would set Skype to "do not disturb", no open Outlook until I had cracked the back of the most important.

A plan. At last.

We had run out of milk, so I had to walk to the shop before lunch, and with it being a rest day, I thought I would go the long way round to Fleet House, down the Dip, and back into the village along Kingsdown Road. A good plan. And I knew it would be muddy due the rain on Monday, but I went anyway, with my walking boots on, two cameras and an extra layer of clothes as the wind was set in the south west.

It was easy going out over the fields, what vegetation beside the path had either been cleared or the wind had blown to smithereens, so there was just a muddy smear to follow between the tussock grass. There were still no pigs in the copse, nor sheep in the lower paddock.

The bottom of the Dip was very wet and muddy, and the path around it was partially blocked by an ivy bush that had been blown over, but I get through and begin the climb up the other side. I would have been OK if my back wasn't painful, not so out of breath, not needing so many breaks, but my back let me know its thoughts on the matter.

At the top I looked for any flowers, I found no primroses, but there were a few leaf rosettes; not long now. Not long now until Spring and the return of the orchids.

The walk along the lane was long, into the wind, though not that strong, it was cool and made me glad of the work jumper I had put on. Here and there were a few Red Valarian, still in bloom, but no moths or butterflies about to feast upon their nectar.

Into the shop to get a pint of milk, and some crisps. And that is all, no ice cream. Not today.

And then down the hill, past the new house and up the otherside to home, where I find I had been gone over an hour. I check mails, and nothing much, so I make lunch, ham sandwiches with crisps and a good strong brew.

Lovely

. And back to work, with the cats being quiet and sleepy, I can get on doing whatever it was I did yesterday. Heck, can't remember what I did this afternoon, but whatever it was, kept me at it until four.

No phys to do, so I write, edit some shots and then begin to prepare dinner; steak and ale pie with the remaining veg from Sunday. Almost like a midweek roast, and all them vegetables. Jools was delayed by traffic, for no reason there were four mile queues to get into town, and no way of turning round, so she sat listening to the radio, but called to let me know.

Dinner eaten, we have a coffee, and I listen to some footy, going to lay on and then in the bed for the second half. I fall asleep and wake up with the game into extra time. Jools was already snoring, so I get up, brush my teeth and am back in bed, the radio off without me knowing who won.