Thursday 16th April 2020

Thursday.

And a day in which I would earn my crust. Probably.

As usual, as we go to bed at nine now, we are both awake at five, laying in bed listening to the blackbirds singing their hearts out.

It seemed too nice to stay in bed, the day outside was cold but clear. But as the clock ticked round towards six and sunrise, a mist rose in the valley below, and sea fog rolled in over the cliffs, shrouding the just risen sun and turning the bright morning into something altogether different.

As usual, Jools makes busy doing chore after chore, while I drank coffee, then once she has gone for her walk, I make my breakfast and get ready for the working day, as there wouldn't be enough time as I had a day FILLED with meetings. I should be in Liverpool this week, and in Birkenhead on this very day, to carry out an audit. But like most things, it has been re-arranged, so it can now be done via Skype.

No, not Skype, instead we are switch to MS Teams, which has a clunky user interface, but once you get to it, works OK, and IT assures us takes half the bandwidth of Skype.

Jools leaves for work at the same time I log into work and am all ready for the morning's team meeting, where news of yet more loosening of restrictions, though I am told pubs and bars, Kro and Pubben, are to remain closed.

I give the dustmen, the postman and the other team of dustmen the short cakes I made the day before. They were taken, no news on what they thought. I will see if our bins are emptied next week, I spose.

And then, for the main event. The audit.

But I get a call.

Can we start later?

Yes we can.

So, start is put back to ten, then half past, as people attend meetings in dealing with the virus.

It happens. So I lurk around a bit, looking outside until the mist clears, then going out to take some snaps and am followed by Scully who wanted to keep her eye on me.

So, at half ten I am online and join the meeting and so the audit starts.

Doing an audit by remote is not ideal, but better than nothing, and as there is no hotel and travel to arrange, flexibility in late changes in times and dates can be made.

Anyway, the audit last until four, the sun tracks across the south side of the house, the temperature in the house going from very warm to bloody cold, but I can't get up to close the back door, so get colder and colder.

At four I am done, and I am cold. I should have gone for a shower, but turn the heating on, close the windows and make a coffee.

Still cold.

I am still cold when Jools comes back

For dinner I make breaded chicken, pan fried in olive oil, and served with curried rice and the left over creamed spinach from last weekend.

All good.

We tidy up, make a brew, but resist the shortcakes I saved for us, one each. There will be time over the weekend.

Night falls, we grew tired, we go to bed at nine again, but were soon woken by Mulder bringing in three mice, and making a right song and dance about how clever he thought he was, and that he deserved kitty kibbles.