Tuesday 27th April 2021

We are all getting older.

There can be no avoiding this.

As we get older, our bodies begin to fail, and when we get aches and pains we dread it is something terminal. Or when we get something like a sore shoulder, rather than get it sorted, we just learn to live with it.

This is about me and my gammy shoulder, which has been giving me jip for over six months now. As long as I can sleep, I'm fine, but when the pain began to wake me every time I turned over, I went to the chiropractor and he did some good, but it got bad again and again.

So I had to call the doctor and request further action, which meant scans on Wednesday and Thursday at different hospitals.

All of which, and why I'm telling you this is:

1. not to worry.

and

2. I had to finish my data analysis by the end of Tuesday.

Which meant slaving over a hot keyboard and not getting distracted.

THat was the plan.

It was a glorious day outisde, even from sunrise, with a faint mist rising along the Dip from Westcliffe and through the farm below the house. Jools was busy as usual, getting ready for work, but not as quick as she norally is, so doesn't go for a walk after all, and leaves for work just after seven leaving me with my work computer and two spreadsheets and a database.

And so I knuckle down, and get the work done. I plough on through the morning, inbetween calls, but I turned down meetings too so I could get the job finished. Gosh, makes me seem so important, doesn't it?

I have breakfast, break for brews and an early lunch of warmed up mushroom stroganoff, which was still nice.

In the afternoon, I musltitask and make a loaf as well as join a meeting, when I have to interrupt to get the loaf out lest it burned.

But by half three all work was done, the meeting over and I got news my gout pills were ready for collection, a good reason to go out for a walk then, and taken in the fine, if cool weather.

I stride out across the fields to Fleet House as usual, then past the still empty pig's copse, turning down Norway Drove to the Dip, which was dry and the mud had turned to concrete.

Up the other side, I tried to stop as little as possible, so to do some keep fit of a kind.

I get to the top, puffing, but happy enough.

Along to the top of Otty Bottom Road, then over the cliffs where I was hoping to find some of the Dense-flowered Fumitory I had been searching for in vain near our house, and I found just one, but large clump beside the path. I snapped it good.

I then carried on over the fields, where tractors had flattened any kind of growth that might have though forming a hedge, so there is just a dusty track to separate the fields.

Then up the final slope to the Monument and cliff edge, where I hope there would be some Early Spiders open.

Sadly, there wasn't, just four trampled rosettes, but looking good for next week.

I snapped them anyway.

I sat on the bench for 20 minutes, giving it time for the surgery to oepn to pick up medicines. It was cool, but sunny. I did my coat up to the neck and was warm enough.

I turned inland, over the common and to one of the "private" roads that lead to the centre of the village, and would lead to the doctor's. I met an elderly couple who had been out picking other people's rubbish, just as Jools does. We have a long natter about the village, the war (in the village), nature and birdspotting.

I leave them to walk home, and I walk down the slope to the junction, beyond which is the surgery.

I ring the bell, tell them what I want, and in 5 minutes they find it. I can go home.

So, down the footpath past the school, into the village peoper, past the duck pond, before walking past the old Red Lion, now a house, and onto Station Road, and so down the hill.

My toe was throbbing. Badly. I looked at my watch, it was half five, if I was right, at some point Jools would return home, and if she spooted me would pick me up saving me the slog up the last hill to home.

Which is what happened. She stopped at the bottom of the Dip, waited until I got in, then took me home. I didn't even put my seatbelt on for the 30 second ride, and the car got very angry, making three different kind of chiming noises, each one louder and mose insistant than the previous.

We got home without an accident. Which was nice.

Once inside I cook the asparagus in butter, slice the bread, butter it and grate some cheese. WE were eating within ten minutes of getting in, all washed down with some cold squash.

Still no beer or wine for me. But I now have the proper gout pills, so should be getter better really soon.

He said.

Jools made some chocolate cups, a mousse thing, which is very nice, and not that naughty. I made some two weeks back, Jools made them last week, and again now. THere is enough for four ramekins, and we eat one each with them still warm and runny with a fresh coffee.

Aaaah.

We listen to the radio, I write and edit shots.

It gets dark, the full moon rises, partially hidden behind clouds, the shots not worth posting.

Sigh.