Monday 22nd July 2019

It is an odd feeling getting up on a Monday morning with the thought that I would be working from home. No rushing out to catch the early train to Stratford, or trekking across London to Heathrow. Just a lazy breakfast, two coffees and setting up the office.

Why then, was I awake at four my mind going as if I had all the worries of the world on my shoulders? Not a scooby.

So, I lay in bed for over 90 minutes, waiting for the dawn chorus to start, though its not as loud as earlier in spring. Still, some birds were happy to be up and about at half four, chasing the early worms.

The worms said nothing on the matter, however.

We get up at half five, Jools makes coffee and the day is off and running.

Jools gets ready and is left the house in an hour. I have another coffee, a shower and get dressed, then check the weekend work mails before having a huge bowl of fruit and yoghurt for breakfast.

Here we are. Back in the groove.

The day goes well, though my plan to sit on the sofa to watch Le Tour is scuppered by the fact it was the second rest day. So I just work, drink tea and have lunch.

It is a warm day, with the BBC telling us the week will get warmer and warmer. So, once work is done, I go outside to deadhead the flowers and try to get a handle on how the lawn/meadow is going. I see that we have our own bird's-foot trefoil growing in two spots. This is a plentiful plant of chalk downlands, but now we have it in our garden, a great food plant for the caterpillars of many insects.

Yay.

I take its picture.

Several pictures.

I start to deadhead the swathes of wild carrot we have, before they seed and we have a forest of the stuff next year, but the battle is already lost.

My back grumbles though, so I retire to the patio, and Scully churls around my legs asking if its dinner time yet?

Dinner is sticky bbq chicken and fried potatoes and Boston baked beans, which is a wonderful dinner, along with a huge brew. Though I do have a small bottle of of Belgian tripel as I cook, Graham Kerr stylee.

Cheers.

And to the hot and humid evening, we sit listening to the radio, before going outside to sit on the patio and watch the sun go down, and bats come out to catch flies and moths.

Its a hobby.