Friday 18th June 2021

Friday supposed to be the day the thunderballs and lightning arrived, and would stay for 12 hours. Like all over the world, weather sometimes does its own thing, and so here. We woke up at five, not to the clear blue skies we were expecting, but fog as thick as guts. WHatever that means. In fact, something me dear old Dad used to say. Mind you, he used to say a lot of stuff.

So, out the back was just a bank of fog, and from Dover we could hear the mourneful blats of the fog horn. This is not usual weather for high summer.

And it seems that the bank of fog helped push the thunderclouds and storms that formed over France and drifted up the coast into Belgium and then Holland, huge stoms that looked amazing, but none here in Kent.

The fog did clear, kinda, but cloud cover was only just above the trees the other side of the Dip, it was cool and grey all day.

As usual, Jools had lots planned: yoga at half six, swimming at eight and a blood test at half nine, and she squeezed shopping into that too. Meanwhile I had meetings.

Good news is that the COVID situation is easing in India, with some restrictions already lifted, and others on MOnday. there was clearly a lighter mood in the meeting, more so than since we joined the department to be honest. And that was really, really good.

In fact I had three hours of meetings. They dragged by, but by eleven, they were done, and Jools came home with shopping, and we found ourselves having pizza for brunch.

That done, I do some last minute tasks and make sure that emergency plans for Monday are in place when the first part of the IT merger happens. Well, it happens over the weekend, so we hope that come Monday our files have transferred to the new system.

That done, I close the compter down for two days and settle down to watch yet more football. First up was Sweden v Slovakia, which was a poor game, the poorest of the tournament so far, though as it turned out that Engalnd and Scotland had something to say about that. Croation played Czech Republic, that eneded up 1-1, but I missed most of the second half as it was music quiz.

And in shock news, I WINS!

A lucky guess meant I was the first to identify The Beastie Boys, and the points are all mine, mine.

So, Jelltex, what is your real name. And as I initially logged on using my Facebook credentials, I have to say "Bishop Brian Jones". As part of the subscription, I am to be the subject of a podcast, first item will be my multiple IDs I would imagine.

Anyway, on to the "big" game, one England would easily win, no?

No.

England were dreadful, slow and with only one plan. Scotland were better, just and could have nicked it. That's 96 minutes I won't get back, mind.