Thursday 29th July 2021

40 years ago, the UK took the day off the celebrate and watch the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles. It was a fairy tale, or so it seemed, though one which would soon turn bitter and end in tragedy.

I remember it being a hot day, one spent on the beach at my friend Simon parent's beach hut near the Clarement pier. A much better use of our time I believe. I had already become jaded with the diea of the Royal Family, a stark contrast to some eight years before when we had a day off schoold to watch Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. The grandparents came round to watch it on our colour TV. I saved newspapers of these Royal events for years, weddings, births and so on, but one day, when I was in my little house in Oulton Broad, I threw them all out.

I now try to sell the Royals to my Danish colleagues as they seem to have a high opinion of their Royal Family, so maybe they could have two; one for weekdays and one for Sunday best?

Just a thought.

I marked the anniversary by going to work. I say going to work, I waited in for the deliveries of various cables and hubs so I could work and type without making mistakes and swearing.

Jools left for work, and I made a second coffee and logged on.

And all was going well until about nine there was an update, another update which the computer suggested would take some time. So, after saving my works in progress, I let it do its thing, and I went for a walk.

It was due to get breezy later, so I hoped I would see some butterflies. And that meant walking up to Windy Ridge. It is the point of the year when growth seems to be at its peak, paths that were tracks are now barely passable and paths have vanished, especially the one over the fields to Fleet House.

I walk beside the field, as everyone else dones, and notice that the wheat is ripe and pretty dry, just waiting its turn to be harvested.

There was no butterflies at the passageway, and the glade is now so overgrown that you can't get into it to inspect for Brown Argus and other blues. Teasels tower and are in flower, creeping thistles have finished flowering and the seed heads turned to cotton.

I walked down past the farm and up the slope the other side, looking at the butterflies in the hedgerows: Common Blues, Large and Small Whites, Red Admirals and lots of Gatekeepers. Up to Windy Ridge and along the track outside the wood, and the treeline was a butterfly magnet as hoped, although most were flighty.

I saw something unusual, a Lage White in cop with a Green Veined White, the larger Large White dradding the other round by its abdomen.

A single Common Darter zipped by, but settled right in front of me, allowing me to get some close ups.

Nice.

And then it was simply down the hill back to Collingwood and down the track connecting that with our street, and back home for ten, with the computer still updating away.

So, I made toast and smothered it with nutella, made a fresh brew and waited. In fact the USB hub arrived first, then an hour later the new screen lead. I set everything up, powered the laptop up once the update had finished, and the screen lit up, twice as big and clear.

Sweet.

Now there was no excuse for work.

He said.

I finish up at four, a day's work done. Kinda.

I rustle up a batch of courgette fritter batter, all ready to cook once Jools is home. Soon the kiten is filled with the scent of curry power and chilli flakes. Everytime I make them, the taste is different, and these were awesme, of course.

Outside the wind had got up, as expected, and clouds whipped across the sky, making it dark before it should have. At least I had the new WSC to read that this month came with not one, but two bonus magazines.

It doesn't get much better than that.