Sunday 22nd April 2018

Despite the orchid season being well under way, and a species in flower I have yet see, I decided not to visit Sandwich as the orchids are on the edge of a golf course and we would have to pay seven quid to get on the estate. I plan to go to Marden at the weekend to see the GWO there, as it is a much more pleasant experience.

So, what with a late night of carding and drinking and laughing on Saturday evening, a slow start was the order of the day for Sunday, and not even any football to watch as there had been just two Prem games the day before, and one of those ended in a 0-0 draw. We listen to more Huey, then I fire up the grill for bacon butties and more brews.

There is the steak for dinner to season and rub with olive oil, and finally, make scotch eggs some sausage meat I got out of the freezer a couple of days before. Exciting stuff I'm sure you'll agree.

Anyway, once all that had been done, and washed up, showered and dressed, we had to tackle the wiring on the posts we knocked in the weekend before for the soft fruit to climb over.

We had been to B&Q the day before, and I had bought wires, hooks, eyes and tensioning equipment, all we had to do was to string the wire through the posts.

All we had to do.

All.

The wore came wrapped inside what looked like an aluminum horseshoe. No instructions on how to get the wire out. I snipped the holding wires, and that made no difference. I called Jools, the brains of the operation, as to what we should do. In the end we took the wire out of the metal horseshoe thing, and then dealt with the huge tangles birdsnest we created. Half an hour later that was sorted and I could start the threading and tensioning.

Two hours later we finished and it was time to eat the scotch eggs I made earlier. They were lovely and spiy and made with fresh eggs from Jen's hens. Yummy.

There was apparently endless football in the afternoon, Arsenal v West Ham, another FA Cup semi final and another game. Already forgotten to details. In fact I didn't listen to the last game. Apparently there can be too much football.

Dinner was huge boston rib steaks. Huge things, and with the saute potatoes, garlic mushrooms and sweetcorn, all too much even with the bottle of Deus beer I shared with Jools. Let's be honest here, a 75cl bottle at 11.5% was too much for one person. Even me.

We failed to eat all the steak, half left each I will cook again later in the week for a bonus steak dinner.

I spoke to Mum for half an hour, reminding her of the broken promises she has made, but also the need for change must come from her not from pleasing us, or me. If she can't want to change for her health, then there is no point. She has lived her life and earned the right to live out her days as she sees fit, doesn't mean I am going to support her in that, nor go to visit her either.

I told her I feel the adult in her relationship, and for someone as intelligent as she is, that can't be right. Maybe she'll change, but as I have been waiting the best part of 20 years for that, I doubt it.