Monday 17th April 2019

And Monday rolls round, after a belter of a weekend, and I'm on my way back to Denmark as quickly as you can say, is it time to get up already?

At half four the alarm goes off, but we were already awake because Scully had brought some poor animal into the bedroom, meowed loudly about it, then ate it, all to the sounds of small bones crunching.

Gotta love cats.

We get up, have coffee, fill up the bird feeders, feed the cats and get dressed. And we are ready to leave at quarter to six.

Jools drops me off at Martin Mill, I get my ticket and wait ten minutes before the train rolls in. It is a fine morning, and I enjoy the warm sunshine on my back.

You know the drill by now, travel up to London, on left side of the train, blah blah, but the guy in the seat in front of me managed to fall asleep in such a way that his stinking breath is deflected back to me. Quite a feat, as is is dreadful breath.

I was glad to get off the train at Stratford, and my stomach told me to go to the cafe upstairs for a chicken tikka melt and a cup of coffee.

After that, I catch the DLR to the airport, get my boarding pass, drop my case off, and then queue for security, but I am selected to go to the quick overflow line, meaning I am sitting down 20 minutes sooner than I would be, and more time to read my new book, How to be Right.

Time passes, I buy some shortbread for me colleagues in head office, then walk to the gate to wait to board, where I am back in seat 8A.

I accept breakfast, which due to the time difference I tell myself is now lunch, and all is well with the world, apart from the times we fly through clouds and the plane jumps and jerks around.

Denmark is also sunny, which is nice. And for the second time in nearly a year, I am going to head office. I have a Renault people carrier, though it will carry only me and my case to Aarhus.

I know the way, and instead of concentrating on the road, I am looking at the verges for orchids, and trees and fence posts for raptors. I see neither, nor do I have an accident.

Which is nice.

I arrive at the office, find a parking space, and after getting into the department, find a desk, log on and am told I am late for a meeting. Welcome to Denmark.

Three hours go by, and it is time to leave, I have cleared my inbox, which will fill up again tomorrow, but heck, wouldn't like to actually get ahead of the curve.

I drive down to the harbour, then to the hotel, where I find parking spaces. Another shock.

I check in, then go out for a walk to stretch my legs, walking through part of the old down, past my usual hotel, the music hall, the art museum to the smokehouse, where I get a table and order a short order of ribs with buttered corn and bacon.

Draft beer is half price!

Yay.

After putting that away, I walk back via the Highlander where I think a fine tripel would be in order, but it is closed.

So, back to the hotel, to relax, call home and stare at the cityscape from my executive room.