Monday 25th March 2019

Monday morning, and I awake from slumbers in my goosedown bed with the sound of the dawn chorus outside my hotel room window. If I could be bothered, I could look out onto the main road through leaded windows. Or I could just stay in bed.

I put the radio on, and some time later, get up to have a shower and get ready for work.

I mean, it feels like a holiday, but isn't.

Really.

I go down for breakfast, have coffee, fruit and toast, before I go to the car and drive to the office. On the way out of the village, I pass a herd of a dozen or more donkeys making their way down to the mere for breakfast.

This is normal.

I stop off in Fawley, now spelled correctly, to get some lunch, then drive to the old power station, park at the gate and walk to the office. It was going to be a fine spring morning.

I catch up on mails, then the others begin to arrive, meaning that at nine we go to the first blade to do some inspeterising.

As I am on duty manning the entrance, and having spent the last week staring into space, I brought a book with me this time, and the time flies.

We stop for lunch, by which time it was downright warm, and then back out for some more inspecting until three, when notes are written and we go back to our hotels/homes.

I go back to the hotel to work, but end up venting my frustrations listening to the radio and editing pictures.

I should have gone out for a walk, but it is football night, England playing at eight, so I had arranged dinner for half six to be done when the game kicked off.

I have burger and a Coke. Not the most healthy, but I feel I had walked so much I deserved it.

And then to the football: England win 5-0 without getting out of 2nd gear, I watch while trying to follow the chaos in Westminster.