Wednesday 27th March 2019

And so my time here in the Guided Palace of Opulence is drawing to an end, but I would be heading back to Jools and the cats later in the day.

As it was my last day, I have to pack and check out, but a promise I made to myself was to sample their fry up once before I go.

I sit at my favourite table. and order said breakfast, sans tomato. It arrives with a sausage, two rashes of smoked back bacon, field mushroom, friend bread and a poached egg. Not that big, but full of protein, so on the way to the office I don't pick up breakfast.

Instead I marvel at the cows on the heath, all pure white and all apparently bullocks.

Bullocks to you, too.

I am in charge for the day, I have to make sense of the map of the three sites, identify the blades to visit and make sure we set out in the right direction.

Work goes well, me inspect the five blades, meaning I was free to go home at two. I hoped to get on my way before the rush hour began.

It was another glorious day, driving up the m3 in the warm sunshine, listening to Radio 6, it was all rather pleasant.

Traffic was OK until, as expected, I got onto the M25, and soon we ground to a halt for nearly an hour. The music played on.

We get moving, and crawl along, past the M23 and nearly into Kent. I have to stop at Clackett Lane for a brew and some brunch. I say brunch, it was gone 5.

That done, the final push home, and into Kent the M20 is now half closed between Maidstone and Ashford, with the coast-bound carriageway now being turned into the longest lorry park in the world, the rest of us are squeezed into two lanes each way on the other side.

I reach home at half six, time to empty the car then return it to the docks, Jools brings me back home.

And relax.

Jools has taken Mulder to the vet as he has a lump. Turns out his sweet sister, Scully, bit hom and now he has an abscess. So, he is partly shaven, and the wound is drained, and he has the collar of shame on. Only, he doesn't know, gets out of the basket and walks backwards. In a circle.

Shouldn't be funny, but it. 5 minutes later he's still walking backwards, he also can't use the cat flap.

So, we take the plastic cone off, and he is much happier. And the wound is so far up his back he can't quite reach. So no risk of infection.

I have a toasted cheese sandwich and follow the events in the Commons on Twitter.

Is this what life has come to?

Anyway, good to be home, two days at work and then the weekend, and some interesting botanising coming up.