Thursday 19th November 2020

I have made many friends since I got online in 2000, much of my hobbies and passions were started, fed relit by people I have met online, and they became friends.

I have been lucky enough to meet many of them, at least once.

One of them was Peter from near Norwich. Peter had a long life full of interesting stories and meeting people, and had a way with words that I don't. He also loved churches, and had visited every Norfolk church except four; the four in the STANTA battleground. Which is whay a couple of years ago, I arranged to go on one of the rare tours.

Sadly, Peter was recovering from a bout of illness and decided he wouldn't be able to go. Unbeknown to me, he has had terminal cancer, and yesterday he slipped away, surrounded by his family. Peter never got to go to Tottington, Stanford, Langford and West Tofts, he asked me to take pictures, which I did, when I went.

Thanks to Simon who let me know, who I thinks reads these pages.

Life goes on.

As they say.

Thursday, and after two days pumping lard, it was a rest day, even with the one session on Wednesday, my legs did ache, but I felt better in myself, which is the whole point.

But a day's rest is always good. So there was a lazy morning, once we had got up after the alarm went off at half five. Outside it was dark, and the overcast skies made dawn late. So it goes.

I come down to a fresh coffee waiting for me, all cats had vanished after being fed.

The big event was that we were getting a smart meter for our services fitted, so we can see power usage in real time.

More of that later.

Jools did a yoga session upstairs, I joined our morning meeting. Still no news, which is what I expected.

At half nine the guy arrived, all masked up and laden with tools and kit.

I'll have to turn the electricity off, he said. Now, normally not a proble, but we had our first really cold morning of the winter, and it was still nippy. But it needed to be done, and electricity powers the pump for the heating. The gas went off too anyway.

So for two hours I could do nothing; no work, make no brews, make no toasties. Nothing. So I read the latest Rail magazine by the front window as we couldn't have a light on, of course.

The electricity went on, so I make a brew and see the usage needle climb from the green to nearly red as the kettle began to draw power.

Eeek.

After anothe rhour, the gas was done too, and we could turn the heating back on and we could have lunch, eating at the dining room table as the guy worked outside doing the last tweaks.

And I could go back to work, of course.

Of course.

It did brighten up later in the day, and amazingly, spring bulbs are already showing green growth, at least those in unmulched beds. I take a photo, becasue picture of the day. I am followed again by Mulder and Scully as I take snaps.

And I have a triumphant day at work, clear some outstanding issues, submit them and in half an hour all we accepted and the major task of the whole year had been completed.

I'll take that.

Dinner was courgette fritters, which I made without using the recipe for the firt time, which explains how I forgot to put seeds in, but there was plenty to feast on anyway. I wash those down with a bottle of Old Ale.

Which was nice.

I round the day off by beating Jools at Uckers are coming from two losing positions.

Yay, me.