Monday 28th September 2020

Well, here we are, the new normal.

I am working from home, even though I should have gone to Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and Jools is going to work night shots four nights a week at least until the end of October. Meaning from quarter past five to quarter to seven the next morning, I am home alone with just cats and kittens for company.

Over the weekend, Jools has been going to be an hour later, so by Sunday night she stayed up to midnight, in order that she did not fall asleep at work. I stayed up Saturday night to eleven, watching train videos on YouTube, other thubes are available, but Sunday I was pooped.

She set the alarm for half five Monday morning, with the intention of going to bed for a snooze in the afternoon. But packed her morning with all sorts of chores, from walking before sunrise, to a tip run, collecting drugs from the surgery and some shopping.

I drank coffee, ate breakfast and then went to work.

Jools was more productive than I was.

It was a cold and dull day, not much photo action to be done, so I made do with just working. Its what they pay me for, isn't it?

It is.

We have sandwiches for lunch, then Jools goes to bed, shutting the door to keep demanding cats and kittens from sleeping on the bed with her. The did take turns to scratch the door, before giving up. To keep them quiet, I fed them at regular intervals.

Jools slept on, and outside, the sun came out. I rush out with the camera, with a posse of felines following me. Mulder was very insistant I listened to him meow, probably asking why the kittens were still here.

At the other end of the garden, Poppy hides on a shrub, hoping to catch an unsupsecting bird. She might just do it.

Meanwhile, butterflies emerge from their roots to take advantage of the late afternoon sun to get some scran in. I take their shots, or this one Small White, feasting and basking.

Dinner is fish cakes, freshish corn and slaw. All very nice.

I have wine, Jools doesn't, because as soon as she had eaten, she had to head to work. The cats wonder where she had gone, but soon focussed on me.

I fed them some more.

They were happy with that.

After cleaning up, I make a coffee and take to the sofa with Poppy and Scully sleep nearby, its all rather cosy.

I was there to watch yet more football. Good games, with lots of action, but I barely manage to stay awake until the end of the Liverpool v Arse game.

I saw, out of the corner of my eye through the window in the front garden, and saw some black and white, so wondered which one out of Scully or Cleo was out mooching. It was neither, as the badger turned round and looked right at me, before shuffling off, snuffling for peanuts on the ground before trundling off into the night.

Then to bed, where several cats soon joined me.