Wednesday 10th November 2021

Where has the year gone?

Oh yeah, lockdown, everything closed, and now we just pretned everything's OK.

Which it is in Chez Jelltex, with it being mid-week, I had done the audit for the week, and had to just write the report.

Easier said than done.

Jools is getting behind at work, so leaves before half six, leaving me here along. So, I do what any bloke does when left home along: make bread for lunch!

I did have some leftover aubergine, but really fancied a buttered warm crust with nutella, and let's be honest, who doesn't?

The morning was enlivened by Poppy, tiny Poppy actually stalking and catching a Jay. Its hard to say who was more surprised, me, the jay or Popps. Anyway, the Jay seemed to come round and flew out of Popp's mouth and flew off, leaving Poppy dancing round on her back legs wondering where the fresh breakfast has gone.

It didn't put her off, the jay escaping, so she spent another hour stalking and chasing.

I start work and get writing. Truth is I wrote the template last week, and just changed the text, copying from my question sheet. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I am so ahead of the curve, I stop to pop the bread in the oven to bake, it already looked wonderful.

After the bread is baked, I put on my boots for a walk.

Not far, up Station Road to the top track, then along to the woods at Windy Ridge. Horses had made the track muddy, so I had a bright idea climbing a barbed wore fence, a low one, to get into the field where it would be less muddy and there would be more wild plants to investigate.

One leg got over, but the second got tangles in barbs of opposing angles, so I was stuck.

For a while.

I got a scratch for my trouble, and then saw nothing new.

So it goes, so it goes.

I walk back down to Collingwood, then along to the footpath and back home for a brew and some fresh crusty bread. The crustiest. The crust.

Back to work, put the finishing touches to the report and send it out for comments.

I make a fresh brew and put on a podcast.

The day was muggy and grey, as it has been for 48 hours now, almost no wond, and poor conditions for butterflies of Vagrant Emperors.

Sadly.

I work through to four, then put work away, prepare dinner of shoarma chicken, curried rice and steamed corn. Simple but wonderful.

I time it so its ready for when Jools arrives home, shattered still doing the work of two.

There is no football to watch, so at eight I go up to read more of JCC's book, and Jools heads to sleep.