Friday 2nd March 2018

For some reason, as soon as I lay down on Thursday night, I began to cough. I took medicine, slept for half an hour, woke up coughing.

And so the night passed. So, by the time morning came, I felt worse than ever. But it was Friday, something to celebrate?

I did try to work, I had the laptop on for an hour, others were in meetings, I dealt with critical issues, but soon enough the migraine began to build. So, I had no choice but to set an out of office message and switch off again.

Outside there was no snow, and the wind still blew and was so cold. But not cold enough to keep the icicle in the downpipe, so the shower began to drain again so we could have showers.

Even with the heating left on low all night, the house still felt like a fridge, but it was slowly warming up, or so I hoped anyway. I lay in bed, kept company by Scully who thought it was her birthday, and her brother slept quietly on the chest of drawers.

Just before what would have been lunchtime, rain came. Freezing rain, coating everything; windows, plants and the drive in ice. I heard birds singing outside for some food, so thought I would venture out with seeds for them. I got dressed, went downstairs to put on my walking boots. Filled up a cup with seeds, opened the back door and took a single step. My whole world spun, I landed on my left knee then rolled over onto by back, staring at the sky. I moved, things hurt, but not too bad. Moving my hands I felt the stones on the drive, all coated with ice so they were like glass.

I had to think about how to get up.

Using the wall, I make it to my feet, go inside to get the broom to try to clear up the seeds now covering the drive.

I felt like shot, was coughing like a consumptive and now had a crocked knee. Hoorah for Friday.

Then the snow began to fall. Big, fat wet flakes falling in ice, meant it was going to settle. Fast.

By two half an inch had fallen, and there was no sign of it letting up. Jools left work then, so she called and I checked the roads for her, telling her to be careful and get back safe. She got home at just before three, having stopped off at Waitrose for chocolate digestives, which I had been craving for two days. I made a brew, and we sat on the sofa watching the show pile up outside nursing our cuppas.

It snowed the rest of the day, in the wider world, trains were cancelled, roads were closed as it seemed the world was stopping.

We watch Fury in the evening, a realistic portrayal of life in a tank at the end of the war.

At ten, the snow had stopped, nothing moved and the waning moon sone down brightly.