Monday 13th September 2021

And just five more days until the next adventure.

I say "next", I mean we went to London in JUly, I travelled for work to Middlesborough in June, before that it was when I drive Sylv back to Manchester last October.

But an actual trip away, with staying in a hotel and everything.

Here is the big announcement:

In 1973, not only did my parents take me on a seven day coach tour round Belgium, Holland and a long day trip to Paris. As well as that, my Grandparents got a week's tickets to travel round East Anglia by train, me travelling the whole week for 50p or something.

We visited Norwich, Sherringham (where I visited the North Norfolk Railway the first or second year it was in operation, and poor Granddad tried to tell me about J15s and so on. We also went to Felixstowe (my only visit), and we went to Cambridge.

Every day for lunch, I had sausage and chips, even from a place in Cambridge that was posh, I seem to remember going down some steps to a basement where although they didn't have them on the menu, they rsutled up some bangers for me.

And despite living in East Anglia for twenty five years before I joined the RAF, and five years when I came out, and despite driving past the city dozens if not hundreds or times on the A45 or the A14 back and forth from my various postings, I have never been back to the city.

So, on Sunday I will catch a train to the fair city, armed with cameras and a list of churches, and do three days of stomping round, eating and drinking before returning on Thursday for a long weekend. Hotel is booked, but train isn't, yet.

But before then, we have five days at work, a wedding anniversary to celebrate and maybe a haircut, cards at Jen's and baking another limoncello and grappa tart.

Its all go.

It was Jools' last day in doing two people's work, so she left fot the factory just after six, leaving me to catch up on two new podcasts. It was quite light when we got up at twenty past five, but on a cloudy day, it would be nearly dark. As we would find out on Tuesday.

Work was quiet, I caught up on my mails, then prepared the audit checklist for four major audits next month. That kept me quiet through the morning and over lunch.

By two I was done and sent it off for comments, I think that is the best piece of work I have done since rejoining the company. We had at least five meetings agreeing the scope, objectives and what was to be audited. Which is why it came as a surprise to receive a mail asking by the person who requested the audit and whith whom I agreed the scope and so one as to why I had done it like that.

Five months work, on and off.

I was so angry, I went for a walk. PLanned to have a long walk.

The sun was out, the sky was mostly blue, but no one else was near, so I went for a walk, hopeful of Clouded Yellows and maybe a Queen of Spain.

The ground is bone dry now, although I didn't go down the Dip to check on the swamp.

Across the fields, past the butterfly copse (all grown over with teasels and creeping thistle), past the (empty) pig's copse, down past the farm and up the climb to Windy Ridge where there were dozens of butterflies.

They were all Speckled Woods though, and most on the track in front of me.

The wind had got up, so cut it short and walked back via Collingwood rather than walk all the way to Station Road.

No butterflies snapped, but was another great walk.

I was back in time to make a brew before packing work stuff away and making dinner, which was chorizo hash, which I had without wine. I decided three days in a row was enough, and I didn't really miss the wine, although as I pointed out to Jools I have to empty the box in two weeks.

And I always do what I'm told.

Ha!

For the evening I watch Everton v Burnley which was bloody painful, as Burnley play joyless football, so it was good for Everton to score three quickfire goals in the 2nd half to win 3-1.