Tuesday 7th July 2020

Mulder is an enigma.

He is the sweetest boy, so gentle.

Unless you're a mouse, bird or vole.

He also suffers from compulsive washing. His belly and inside his legs have, at times, been almost furless.

He seems happy. Dotes on Jools. Is frightened of rustling plastic bags. And, apparently, misses Molly like heck. But it has been two years.

So, we were contacted by the animal behavioural expert at the vet practice, and suggested a catnip toy.

Now, Mulder seems to be immune to catnip.

Scully, however, is not.

Mid morning, the postman delivers the days post, and in it the catnip infused toy to lure Mulder out of his habit.

I present it to him, he sniffs, and then demands more kitty kibbles.

I give Mulder kitty kibbles, the toy is thrown on the floor and forgotten.

Time passes.

Scully comes in, has kibbles and is walking to the stairs when she smells something.

CATNIP.

She finds the toy and plays with it. Licks it. Plays with it. Pausing to look at me as an addict looks at her pusher; why'd you bring this drug to me?

I take it away, and she start cold turkey right away.

Otherwise it was a normal day.

Up at half five. Coffee. And Jools asks what the exercise plan for the day was?

Double session on the cross trainer, and little else.

So it begins. I do my 20 minutes, Jools goes for a walk then does her 20 minutes on the cross trainer.

Then we have breakfast, second coffee, and it is time for breakfast.

It seems there is a Government requirement for all employees of UK based companies to prove all their employees have the right to live and work in the UK, so need a signed statement from someone with the scans of my passport and driving licence. That I have travelled on my passport using their travel app for pre-approval, and licence details to speed me to car hire counts for nothing, apparently.

I need to go to an office site to get someone to sign a scan of my licence and passport.

This is madness, but then it is Brexit.

But I get on with work, inbetween trying to work out what it is HR actually want. They don't seem to know.

Jools goes shopping as I have meetings; she gets rills for lunch. And Portuguese tarts and chocolate. But mainly rolls.

We have the leftover ham in the rolls and fresh brews for lunch, and wonder when the time would be right to think of dinner.

Who know.

Outside it is a bright, if windy day. Signalling a major change in the weather with a day of rain to follow on Wednesday. I make the most of it by taking some snaps of the flowers showing, especially as the passion flowers were in bloom.

At four, I do another session on the trainer. Not easy, but get the session done, and as JOols does her 20 minutes, I prepare dinnerl fish cakes, stir fry and cous cous. It was all yummy, as I made a nice dill sauce to go with the fish cakes. Though that was tempered with following the latest Norwich game via Twitter.

And Norwich score first!

But soon let the lead slip, and Sturridge, who hadn't cored in two years, does an overhead kick into the top of the net.

Goodnight Vienna.

Sigh.

We are now just one defeat from certain relegation, Hope has long since sailed.

I tried to watch the evening game: Arsenal hosted Leicester, and in pouring rain it was an OK game. Arse score, but with no crowd, it lacks a certain passion, and I give up on the hour, so miss a red card and an offisde Vardy goal which levelled the scores.

I was asleep by then.....