Thursday 13th June 2019

Sunshine!

Warmth!

Summer!

Yes, all this and work in the next exciting episode of TOOTA.

Another day in paradise, I wake up at six, have a shower and am ready for half past. I go down for breakfast, fruit and coffee, and a nutella filled roll to this time.

A quick drive to the harbour and the office, so I park in the VIP area, I mean, I am a Bishop, and go inside to claim the desk with two screens and beside the window so I could get a breeze once the day warmed up.

I settle into work, and am presented with a full set of minions. Or would be, if I were still Quality Manager. I am an assistant now, but I am here to lead and guide.

There is the weekly planning meeting with my manager, then back to spreadsheets and databases.

The day slips by.

Without pressure, life is enjoyable again, and even where there are problems, I can still smile about it.

The project team were in town, and an evening meal at the tapas place down by the harbour is the venue of choice, meet in the hotel lobby at ten to seven.

Game on.

I feel like I am catching up, so give myself an hour off to read for of the Stiff Records history. Such a factual book makes it easy to dip in and out of it, and as it is about music, is enjoyable.

I treat myself to a bottle of Coke and two small tubes of Pringles, as I had not eaten anything for lunch. I sit beside the open window of my room, and the cool,breeze made it all rather pleasurable.

At ten to seven, I go to meet Kate and Tim, for the short walk to the harbour. I see butterflies and interesting plants. I am easily distracted, but they press on, so I rush to catch them up.

Over the main road, down the steps from the bridge and into the restaurant. And we are seated in what is, effectively, a greenhouse. And we were on the west side, catching the last of the evening sun. It is warm. Hot even.

We should have sat on the benches outside, but we're here now.

I order a beer and a steak burger.

Which was good.

Kate suggested she would like a cheeseboard, which also seemed like a good idea: it wasn't. But I join her, and we much our way through four chunks of local cheese, crackers and bread.

We were all full, and sweating badly.

Tim wanted a whisky to finish: we tell him we have to leave before we melt. They'll have whisky at the hotel we tell him.

He was expecting me to join him in a wee dram, but I have to be up at half five to go to the airport in the morning, so i sneak back to my room, call Jools and lay on the bed to allow dinner to settle.

It was already half nine.

And was hotter than ever.