Friday 3rd July 2020

The month is already dragging. Strong winds and clouds making macro photography hard to impossible. And its going to get worse over the weekend, apparently.

We had agreed to meet friends at PGD to show them the Musk Orchids, but that was to be scrapped due to one reason or another. Meaning that another day went by without leaving the house, no wildlife or macro shots. Just the humdrum life of working from home.

I do a session on the cross trainer as my shoulder was feeling pretty good, it did stiffen up as I finished, but did the twenty minutes. Jools had gone into town to do soe yoga. It felt too cold to do stretching and stuff outside, but she went. Afterwards the class were to go swimming in the harbour.

No phys in the afternoon planned, so I have a shower after cooling down, and am all dressed and making breakfast so I would be all ready for starting work at half seven.

The wind had yet to build, and the sun was pouring in the kitchen windows; it felt like summer again. In Denmark my colleagues say it is cool and breezy, as it would be here once the cloud rolled over. It felt too nice to be sitting inside, at least for now, but as usual, Friday morning brought solid meetings until half twelve. Four hours of meetings, unless I could make them finish quicker.

Jools returned from swimming, looking like she had swum the Channel, rushing to get in the shower to warm up, and once she comes down, makes me a refreshing fresh brew. The meetings continue.

By half eleven, I am hungry so Jools makes toast and yet another brew, meaning I can eat and carry on being a pain the arse. Which is my job.

Meetings done by quarter past twelve, I mean four and three quarter hours of listening to others speak. But things have moved forward, and it seems I will have a trip to the New Forest and the Isle of Wight in August, if I can get a hotel.

I make breaded chicken flatbreads and sweet chilli salad for lunch, it is a meal of kings.

Outside the wind had built and was blowing hard, hedges and trees were swaying in it, and it meant there would be no butterfly shots the rest of the day.

I pack up work as I have to go to the physio, to have my shoulder worked on again. As usual, I drive down to the surgery, wait in the car to be called in. Then after washing my hands Florence looks at how progress has gone, and its pretty much good news. But Florence thinks some more heavy work is needed, and for a small woman the can target force right where the strain is.

That brought tears to my eyes, but at the end we agreed that I would see how the weekend went and would only make a new appointment if I was still in pain.

Back home for a refreshing brew, before we were due to go out to PGD to meet up with friends to show them Musk Orchids. But with the weather and a tiring week for them at work, they bail, which means we have three hours to kill before we have to leave for Jen's.

The post brought the contract for the sale of my parent's house. The final act, really. I review the clauses, sign the front and we post it on the way to Whitfield. I have never posted a more valuable letter before.

We collect John on the way too, arriving at Jen's and the table was set, laid with a green baize table cloth, making it all look quite professional.

We pay, chat, drink, laugh and later, eat too.

We come out even, and for the first time in months, Jen wins the final pot, scooping something near to three pounds.

We leave with her smiling.