Monday 7th December 2020

And to Monday, and just nine working days left in the year. Which is nice.

Jools was up and about nice and early, I laid in bed guessing what she was doing by the noses she was making downstairs. Some cat was eating on the stairs, when the kettle is switched, I know I have five minutes, so get up and ready for the day ahead.

Jools has a four day working week this week, and she is on a good mood when she left the house at twenty past six, and I go to do a session on the cross trainer, before I can think of a reason not to.

I am done, make a second coffee ready for work, but have no breakfast as I was still full from dinner on Sunday afternoon. We are both trying to eat just twice a day this week, but having eatra at dinner isn't the plan for every day.

We have the morning meeting, then there is time to deal with the mails that had come in.

I had to take some time out to walk to the post office to collect some stamps as I had cards and some documents to send out. From dawn, a mist had risen and that had turned into fog, so I put an exxtra layer on and headed out leaden with mail and a camera or two.

Not much to report, down Station Road and up into the village, seeing no one, so talking to no one.

I am 4th in line at the post office, so wait 20 minutes for my turn, pay for postage and that is it.

Back down the hill, and a detour into the big field to take some more shots of the bales before walking back home for a brew, breakfast and get back to work.

Time drags.

At the same time as working, I cook a tomato sauce as base for a ragu, then fry up onions and minced beef to add, top up with a litre of the beef stock, bring to the boil and simmer for two hours. The house smelt good.

Even better was when I started warming the remainder of the roast beef which we were going to have for dinner that night. Fizz was chilling in the fridge.

I prepare the vegeables, mix the Yorkshire pudding batter, and was all ready to go when I look at the traffic for JOols and it was jammed. So all systems stop, and I mailed her to take her time and get home safe.

I waited, and then Jools called thanks to the clever car as she drove to say she was through the traffic, so I could put almost every ring of the cooker, both ovens and the fryer on.

And at six, we sat down to eat another wonderful roast dinner, the meat only slightly less wonderful than on Sunday.

And relax.

There was football to watch on TV, of course, Brighton v Southampton, which was ruinded by VAR, of course.