Saturday 29th December 2018

And now, the year is old, we look forward in hope to the new year.

It couldn't be as bad as this year, could it?

I'll leave that there.

Yes, the year is nearly done, and looking at the calendar we find to our surprise that it is Saturday. Again.

That means all the things that Saturdays bring: Tesco, football and cards.

We really didn't need that much from Tesco, but as we have visitors coming round on Sunday, I thought I would cook herb encrusted lamb. So needed racks of lamb, as long as they had some. Otherwise, back to the drawing board.

They did, and allowed for half a pound of meat each, though that did include the bone, so about right I believe. I go round and full two bags only, am done by half eight and back home and warming croissants through by nine.

Breakfast done, showered and dressed, it is darn warm, so I suggest that we, or I, go for a walk, round Samphire Hoe, as it is fairly flat and we had not been there for a while.

It was colder there that I anticipated, but some fresh sea air was just what I felt I needed.

Which way shall we walk, asks Jools. The path. Which path? Beside the railway tracks.

5 minutes later Jools says, there might be a train going by. I say, yes in about two minutes, the high speed service to St Pancras. Do you have the train times from Dover locked in your head?

Yes I do.

And in a minute the expected train flashes by, I snap it.

The Hoe is home in the winter to Dexter and regular cattle as well as sheep, grazing the grassland ready for the new spring growth that will soon be showing.

I take the path across the Hoe, thus cutting the walk in half, because my back was grumbling, just a dull ache, but enough to make it uncomfortable. I was glad to get back to the car, and happy enough to go home to rest.

Back home we listen to Huey, and do stuff. Jools vacuums upstairs and I mess around on the computer. And in the afternoon, there is football. Always football. City were playing Frank Lampard's Derby County (TM), and was going to be a tough game, but Norwich with several injuries was going to be harder. City were 2-0 up with half an hour gone, but concede two from corners before half time, before retaking the lead with ten minutes to go.

And then a floodlight went out.

After a 20 minute break, the game restarted and City never recovered concentration, and Derby scored two goals to win 4-3. The run had to end sometime, shame it had to be now with Leeds losing. But no ground lost then, but another game coming on Tuesday. In the evening game, Liverpool destroyed Arsenal 5-1.

We went to Whitfield to play cards, now that Sylv has gone back to Bolton, there are the usual suspects, and as John had been out drinking in the afternoon, was even more indecisive than usual. But it was fun, I drank Baileys, orange truffle flavour. It was OK on ice, but sweet, I should have stopped after one, but I have three glasses, then another of coffee flavour. It gave me chronic indigestion, not nice. Should stick to beer, wine or whisky.

Jools won the jackpot at the end, which was nice, so we went home happy, and ready for a rematch on NYE!