Sunday 16th December 2018

When I woke up, I did my usual checks of the pain in my back, and found that it hurt less than the day before, so all good.

We got up at six, as we are so used to getting up stupid early during the week, we do so now at the weekend too, I make coffee and feed the cats, and the usual Sunday morning begins, although with croissants rather than bacon butties just to keep you on your toes.

My back still twinged, so Jools said we should go for a walk. I thought about it, not keen, but knew she was right, so after I watched the football, we wrapped up war, though the glorious day outside was far warmer than it looked, with temperatures expected to reach 12 degrees later. I drove us down to the promenade, parking in one of the free slots.

I had a jumper on, a coat, and a camera strapped round my neck. I was over dressed.

We set off past the yacht club heading towards the start of what used to be the Prince of Wales pier, but pretty soon my hamstring started complaining. In about a middle C I think.

I sat down a couple of times to rest, but we made it to the watersports centre, turned round and walked, hobbled, back to the car, my back hurt so bad that I handed the keys back to Jools so she could drive back home. Yes, it was that bad.

Back home we have a brew, but it was still mid-morning, so we listened to some radio, as I tried to get comfortable on the office chair, but failing.

After lunch of mince pies with custard I decide to go to bed to read and listen to the football. Laying propped up on a pile of pillows means the pressure on my back is less.

I miss half of the Southampton v Arsenal game, waking up just as Southampton score the winner, but I was wide awake for the “game of the day”, Liverpool v Man Utd, which is less and less important as each passing week Jose makes Utd worse and worse.

Liverpool run out 3-1 winners, and could have been ten really.

We had caprese for dinner, and wine, and after, I went back to bed for more reading of Born to Run; Darkness on the Edge of Town to the writing of Born in the USA. I think I will read the one more chapter and that is it, but it is a great read, at least the early chapters.

And that is it for a very quiet and painful weekend.