Tuesday 4th February 2020

And let's be honest, days are falling into a bit of a routine, now that travel is not so frequent. I mean, with it being winter still, going for a walk isn't that attractive when the wind blows from the north, then most days are spent in the house, working or some other stuff. And finding new ways to write about the same old squit gets difficult.

Tuesday, for Jools, is like Monday but with less yoga. And for me, just the same.

Get up, drink coffee and once Jools has left do a session on the cross-trainer. During which I find that I Feel love, the extended version, has a great beat for the work out.

It is now getting light at half six, and by the time I have done my session, it is broad daylight, and the birds are singing for there are seeds in the feeders and the cats are asleep.

Time to cool down, make breakfast and second coffee before assembling the home office, log on, and find there have been no mails.

Eat breakfast.

And work. Just getting stuff done. I mean, it's all in the preparation.

Lunch is leftover home made humus, and I find that Jools had not used the mixer, instead the back of a fork, which explained several cloves of raw garlic that I ate.

I am assured to be safe from vampires the whole afternoon.

Which is nice.

I go out to measure the middle patio as we have some plans for changing things. I make a plan, but abandon further ideas about doing some light gardening as it was bloody cold.

I go back inside to ponder our plan and have a warming brew.

Dinner was to be boiled chicken and rice. Now, this sounds dull and yucky, but in fact is marvellous. My first wife was from the Balkans, and taught me this, which I have slightly adapted.

Ingredients:

four chicken thighs, skinned.

Diced smoked bacon.

One large onion

rice

olive oil

salt and pepper

Method.

1. Fry diced bacon for a new minutes to release flavour, add to a large pan, add the chicken thighs, top up with lots of water. Season well. Especially pepper.
2. Bring to boil and simmer for an hour, removing scum from surface as it forms.
3. After an hour, in a separate pan, fry the sliced onion and rice until the onion is soft and rice starts to change colour.
4. Add rice and onion to pan with chicken, bacon and water. Bring to boil and simmer until rice is cooked and all water has been absorbed.
5. The final part will require constant stirring until all water is gone.
6. Serve.

Jools gets home at half six, I serve dinner, and from the pan, let's be honest here, looks like slop, but smells and tastes great. Nice and hearty. And Serbian.

We watch the second episode of Good Omens, then there is cup football to follow, which I watch while sipping pints of port. Sorry, a glass or port. Two glasses of port.

OK, some glasses of port, as the game goes to extra time, by which point the bottle is empty, and Jools has gone to bed.

But football!

And port.