Friday 17th December 2021

Lets get the big news out of the way first, I didn't get the new job.

Apparently, I wasn't enthusuastic enough.

What?

I mean, as I explained to the agency, they needed to sell the job to me, really, which they failed to do.

And, I admit, I have been very pissed off these past few weeks, but OK now, and not because I'm on holiday, but I have a major new task next year, and I am enthused by that.

Not sure I could get that excited about tripods.

Not even military grade ones.

Anyway, all a moot point now. I have also withdrawn an application for a quality manager role in Ashford, so I think I will see how the current job pans out.

Onwards and upwards.

And, after the alarm had gone off, and I had fed the cats, and the coffee was brewing, I decided I was rather glad that I had gone shopping on Thursday, as I could laze aorud the house until it was time for work at seven.

I didn't find out about the job until late in the afternoon, so when I joined the weekly "how are you" meeting, only six of us joined, what with holidays and audits, and for Franks and myself, this was the last working day of the year.

Engage smug mode.

The rainy season is over, and Omicron hasn't reached India yet, so my colleagues there are in good spirits. In Denmark things are bad, not as bad as here, but close. All bars have been closed for a week, most are working from home, and the booster rollout has now reached two of my old friends.

So, good news lighting the edge of these very dark clouds.

I am all up to date, so monitor my mails until I have a meeting with Henrik where he is to show me how the travel expense system works.

Its not easy.

But after half an hour I had created a report and submitted it.

Jools was delyed on the way home by a train fire in Wakefield, apparently.

I have the other half of the baguette stuffed with warmed up sausages.

Mmmmm, sausages.

One fnal meeeting with my boss at midday, where we agree to disagree, and I close the discussion with, let's see the data in sixmonths and see if I was right in my doubts.

Seemed to work. We wish each other Happy Christmas, close the meeting and close the laptop down.

It is Christmas.

I get a text from Jools, she will be back in Dover at twenty to three, I will be there.

I tidy up, though there's not much to do, and at quarter past two I drive to the station, finding a place to park and wait.

She leaves the station, walks up to the car and she indeed looks tired.

Lets go home.

The day never really got fully light, very dull and grey, and what counted for daylight was already fading as we drove up Jubilee Way, took the Deal Road to home.

Mulder and Scully were waiting, and I am sure Mulder perked up when he realised the love of his life was back.

Let's have a brew.

And that was really that.

Bag unpacked. Have a shower, ready for bed.

I cook the remainder of the chicken for dinner, add stir fry and fried potatoes. A veritable feast.

And as a bonus, I have the first of the Christmas Belgian beers to wash it down with.

We do nothing during the evening, listen to the radio. Jools sits to read and has three cats within arms reach of her.

I think its fair to say the cats are happy.

As so am I.