Monday 11th November 2019

Monday.

And another day, at the end of which, I will be in another hotel room.

But first, pre-course work and reading to do.

And somehow, we were awake at half five. No idea why my brain feels the need to bring me back to the waking world so early. But it does.

Jools was having a half day at work, so leaves for the office shortly after six, leaving me home with the cats and a huge pile of stuff to sort through.

I have breakfast, watch some Only Connect then get down to some prep work for the course I am on the rest of the week. Heath and Safety.

Eeek!

That done I tackle the day's mail from Mum's house, then the pile of stuff we have, namely a box of photos and albums. I mean, they should all be kept, but for whom? I have no one else to leave them to, I barely know who many of the people are, most just photos of my parents on holiday, drinking or smoking with people they met, or out with friends from home, smaking and drinking. I am seeing a pattern.

And then there were the pictures of my two ex-wives.

I hold no grudges, but the look of sheer bitchiness on my first wife's face; hadly smiling, looking as though she was planning something. She was only smiling in one, Jools noticed, when she had a cat on her lap. They all went out. And my second wife and her son; well, even more painful memories of a relationship on the rebound. Was never going to end well, and this ended very badly indeed.

I have lunch then wait for Jools to come home, so we could go to Jen's for Bet's birthday. I pack and double check everything. Except, apparently, my mobile and allergy medicine. I would find out too late.

Jools comes home, we write in the card, load the car with my case and work bag, then drive to Whitfield.

And there is a houseful. Not just Scott, but Jen's family from Bolton, including children. And then more family arriving from Welsh Wales.

I took Scott o bottle of Chimay Special Reserve to share, and it was sensational. Shame it was just the one, but it was a litre, and strong enough to make both our heads spin.

Time passes, we sing "happy birthday", Bet sleeps, wakes to smile then nod off again.

At five, I have to go. So we say goodbye to people, most I have not met before, nor will meet again. Probably.

Jools takes me to the station, and there I am, waiting again.

I took the slow train to Charing Cross, though I realise too late I could have taken the Javelin, got off at St Pancras, caught the Thameslink to Blackfriars and been in the hotel within two hours.

But the Javelin pulled out, and I waited for the slow train to depart.

You may recall I have no mobile phone. I say this as I had to memorise my route to the hotel, I have written detailed directions, and feel I was in control. But I was to be proven wrong.

I get out at Waterloo East. Now, if I had left by the correct exit, I would have been two minutes from the hotel. But it turned out there are more than one Ibis hotels in the area, and all my directions were to the wrong place.

I then took the wrong street, so was going to get totally lost.

I wandered for an hour in the end. At least with The Shard you always know which was is east, or I did, but trying to work out where the hotel was.

After half an hour I see a hotel, an Ibis.

Yay.

I go in, they could not find my reservation. I show them the confirmation. That's for Blackfriars, this is Southwark I was told. Go down to the traffic lights, turn right and walk for ten minutes.

She failed to mention turning right at some point, but I guess the right way when I reached the end of Blackfriars Bridge, two minutes later and I have found it.

It was half eight.

I check in, drop my bags in the room, then go down for dinner, and a beer.

Two beers.

£6.50 each for a tiddly bottle.

But the company is paying. But it still rankles.

Dinner is lentil dahl, I leave the rice.

And I am done.

Back to the room to check on details in the morning, and I decide as there is an underground station two minutes walk from the hotel and another two minutes from the course venue, I would train it in the morning.

A wise choice.