Tuesday 10th November 2020

Nine yeats ago, my empoyer was starting a new round of job losses, and I wrote in a post that I did not know if it would affect me. Those cuts lasted another year or so, before things picked up. I got nine more years work, which is good, but now we were entering a new period of uncertainty. I don't know what the future will bring, I suppose none of us does, but just when I thought things had settled down and I had my last few working years planned out.

Shows what I know.

And yet I could be right, things might not change that much. We still have customers, contracts and so on, some, most will keep their jobs, others might be asked to do something different.

But for now, we carry on.

For Tuesday, Jools was back at work for her second and final working day of the week before her 5 day weekend. She would like to do more, of course, but for now, it is just 16 hours a week. Which means that we get up at five, and get ready for the day ahead. Jools makes coffee then gets ready before shooting off to work at quarter to seven, and I go on the cross trainer.

I will do a second session I say.

Once done, I cool down and go to make breakfast and the all important second cup of coffee.

Outside it is a bright day, I might go out for a walk later. Or might not.

I have things to do, so having set time in the day to get the tasks done, I actually do them.

I have second breakfast of toast even though I said I wouldn't. What can you do?

The day drags by, but I am all caught up by three, at which point I decide to go for a walk, just to the top of Station Road, to the navigation marker, and back down the hill. Carrying my camera I get odd looks from a woman doing her garden, but I walk on.

Its not cold, the breeze had gotten up, but we have had no frost this year, which means there are a few hardy plants still in flower: Common Groundsel, Borrage, Annual Mercury and lots of dandelions. I snap them and walk on. And once I reached the top of the hill, I walked back down again, back home to check on mails and then do another promised session on the cross trainer.

Which I just about complete, but done the two, this is the hardest part, thinking about it. Now done. Just got to do it again on Thursday now.

Dinner is damn fine aubergine. THe fruit are quite soft now, and tricky to peel. But once seasoned, I egg and breadcrumb them and near to when Jools is due back, I start shallow frying them.

It is dark by five of course, dark by half four realy, so by the time Jools comes bac at ten to six, it is night, but a plate of crispy, golden slices of vegetable goodness is perfect. I open a bottle of tripel to wash them down with.

Somehow it is seven, and on the slope towards bedtime. NO football to follow as it is international break, which means three games for most countries, England play on Thursday, though the idea of dozens of national teams criss-crossing Europe during a pandemic doesn't sound too bright to me.