Tuesday 19th January 2021

Batten down the hatches!

Because it was the first of three days storms, each day to be worse than the previous. Meaning I won't be going far.

If anywhere.

Just as well, there's a lockdown on!

Not only is it to be windy, but Tuesday dawned cold, but it would warm up, as warm as anything can be with a gale howling.

Each day is pretty much the same now, not much in my diary, just the occasional meeting. Saying that, there was a sudden department meeting, which raised the hopes of some actual news.

We shall see.

I am awake when the alarm went off, but laid in bed while Jools got up, so not to be in the way. I lay and listen to the sound of the house waking up, until I hear the kettle boiling. That's my cue to raise myself and get dressed before going down.

Sitting on the stairs is the always bright face and sparkling eyes of Cleo. She loves to follow Jools round, and me, something. But after breakfast and before bedtime, she in exploring mode, looking at all cupboards and drawers to see if she can get in and see if they might make a good place for a kitty nest. Meanwhile, Poppy is filling out, she might get to be Scully's size, in fact sometimes its hard to tell her from Mulder, but it is her huge eyes that give it away. And she is still spooked by contact, unless you get to her when she is in a deep sleep, or busy eating, then she accepts a stroke or two. But no picking up.

Jools goes for a walk, I make another cup of coffee; more sugar when I do it, and so the second is always better than the first. I listen to a podcast, make Jools' tea for her to drink on the way to work, and once she has come and gone to work, I make breakfast, a third coffee and begin to feel human once again.

And to work.

I actually got a reminder to complete an expense report, as the hotel in Hartlepool and cancellation got a £3.00 charge, this was my second such report in ten months! I had trouble remembering how to do it. But I find the e mailed receipt, and it is done.

Phew.

The weather was grim, and I knew I would struggle for a picture of the day. I remembered that there were a couple of daffodils nearly in bloom at the end of our street, so if there was a gap in the weather, I would venture out. And such a gap occurred just after lunch, so I put my coat and shoes on, and after grabbing my camera set off down the street.

The first clump were still in bud, but just into Station Road, on a bank was a single spike, just having opened. I take the shot, just as well, as the dark clouds that had been threatening towards Dover, swept over the fields, and the wind was flining the first raindrops at me. So, I beat a retreat back home, making it in just as the rain started in ernest.

I put the kettle on, have lunch, check the mails and watch another train video on my home PC with the work one next to it.

And so to the most exciting part of the day, travel expenses notwithstanding, was our intergaration planning meeting.

Well, and you will not be surrised to learn, is that there wasn't really much news. It was not our department's intergration, just our company's, and I suppose good there is a plan, but still no news if any of us will be part of it.

The meeting breaks up and go back to my video of a rack railway in Switzerland.

Dinner was something different: the butcher gave us a couple of small beef pies when we went last week, so I made some gravy with the leftover stock from Christmas, and still have a litre of it in the freezer. Anyway, to complete the meal, I opened the frozen carrots and cauliflower which are a Brexit store against empty shops, just to see if they were any good. They were OK, and something if the shops get empty.

Dinner was fabulous, and the pies were wonderful, chunks of prime steak in thich gravy with onions, and pies were stuffed with meat.

Yummy.

And as usual, there is football to watch, the second half of the Derby game, played in a torrential downpour ended with a 1-0 win for the home side, then it was Leicester v Chelski, and the Foxes were stunning, with Madders running the whole show. What a class act he has become since leaving us, he scored the second goal with a fine half volley.

And that was that.