Sunday 25th November 2018

Nine and a half hours sleep later, and the world seems a much better place.

Although saying that, having gone to bed at eight, i was awake at half five, but meant I could lay in bed listening to the wind and rain outside, bringing down the remaining leaves.

We have coffee and after checking on the interwebs, I put on the football to catch up on what happened the previous day. But in a major change, I watch the EFL on Quest first, as Norwich did so well, and why not. Though saying that, Norwich are bucking the trend and narrative that the big TV companies want to sell, either once giant Aston Villa, Frank Lampard's Derby County, or champions-in-waiting, Leeds. But we are top of the shop, with our free transfer Temi Pukki having scored 11 goals this season.

That watched and revelled in the glory of another four goal five star performance, I put on MOTD, pausing that halfway to make bacon butties.

Not much planned for the day, just some messing about in the garden, and maybe messing around with the sloe gin.

Outside it was cold. Not really cold, but, you know, cold to the touch. We put more soil down on the other beds, as Jools had spread a ton of manure round the beds earlier in the week. I cut the branches of the buddleia, bag those up. And we are pretty much done. I fill up the bird feeders, so we can spend the rest of the day watching charms of goldfinches coming in to feed.

After coffee, we bottle the sloe gin, then with the berries we fill the demijohns up with red wine and cognac, ready for some sloe port, ot sloe fortified wine as we have decided to call it, can mature. Half of it will be made with 2015 vintage home made hedgerow wine. It will be a beast for sure.

After that we decide to have an early dinner, or would be mid afternoon by the time it was ready, as I had got a joint of beef when we were out Sunday, so prepare it to be roasted, all coated with fresh ground salt and pepper. Would take 80 minutes to cook.

As I prepare the vegetables and Yorkshire puddings, Jools does more jobs around the house, as it fills with the smell of roasting meat.

We eat at about half two, middle of the afternoon, although outside the light was fading already. It is the time of year. We listen to Desert Island Discs as we eat and drink a bottle of red fizz. Even if I say so myself, its not a bad way to spend the afternoon, especially with ultra crispy roast potatoes that demand all to be eaten no matter how much you have already eaten. Think of it as Christmas training.

We play Cribbage in the evening, and that is it really, another weekend gone, and the working week creeping over our shoulder.