Friday 28th January 2022

In another life, we would have been flying from from New Zealand, via Australia, on Friday.

I realised this, as when I logged onto Outlook, a reminder to catch the flight popped up.

We are planning on going this year, and have accommodation booked, but there's not point in booking flights yet.

We have all got used to the new normal, where our lives are on hold, we tread water, just survive from one day to the next. Although, we had it better than most of course. It will get better.

At some point, maybe just not this point.

We shall see.

So, to this Friday in this timeline, and that brings work, and I actually achieve stuff and that.

Which is nice.

Jools had yoga, so was rushing around getting ready to be out of the house by ten past six and driving to the studio down by the beach in Dover. We had our weekly social meeting at 07:00, its five and a half hours later in Chenai, and so their weekend was about to begin.

There have been two public holidays recently, and many of my colleagues went back home to visit their familes, and then had to travel back, some via overnnght sleeper train.

At least COVID is reaching its peak now, and people are relaxing, but there is a shortage of the booster vaccination, with many of them having to wait nine months after their second jab to get it.

Once that was finished, I get down to write two reports, one on audits carried out and conclusions, the second yet more document reviews and how I see the next steps. Its not going to win many friends.

And somehow that took me to one in the afternoon, and just an hour to kill before I could finish for the day.

It is greatpacking away for the weekend at two in the afternoon, then have a coffee and wait for Jools to come home from work, via Tesco as we both had stuff planned for Saturday, so there would be no time to do it the next morning.

She came home at just gone three, so we put the shopping away and have a coffee and some posh chocolate.

Jen came home on Thursday, and made no detours on the way back from Manchester, so that meant our cards evenings are back, and for this first one, we left early to spend time with her and Sylv who had also come down, for a month.

Sylv is great, but is pure chaos. But that is how she got through life, and it seems to have worked. She's happy.

Can we fix her Kindle?

Can we fix her new i pad?

She had screwed the Kindle up good and proper, and that took two hours on Saturday to fix, we left the i pod for another day.

Jen has a new TV, and is frustrated that her Sky remote doesn't work it like the old one. I said you just have to set it up, there's a button in the remote, or used to be, I said.

My mate's been a TV engineer 40 years, and he says it can't be done, says John.

Of course it can, says I. And walk to the living room to proove it. I hear John telling Jen to come along to watch as it would be fun.

John was right, there was no slider or button in the remote, but I thought it was all done in a sub-menu of the Sky box.

John was having a high old time lauging at my expense, until I found what I was looking for.

A list of TV manufacturers: which make is your TV, Jen?

Samsng, says Jen.

I scroll down and select that.

Use the volume on your remote.

I did and the box detected that, and all done.

To prove it, I turned off the TV with the Sky remote.

But the box won't come on now, will it?

Jen switched the telly back on, and the box came on too,

I'll accept the appology in writing, I tell John.

We order a Chinese takeaway, and that is delivered at half five. We eat and drink well.

Then play cards.

Sylv wins one jackpot.

Bah!

John wins the second.

Double bah!

We give up and come home, Jools driving as I had drunk a large bottle of tripel.

Goodnight all.

I slept well.