Wednesday 5th January 2022

Christmas already seems so long ago, and I have fallen into the old patterns of the day.

1. Coffee with Jools

2. Jools leaves.

3. Second coffee.

4. Set up office and turn on laptop.

5. Check mails, make calls.

6. Sigh.

7. Breakfast and third coffee.

8. Work. The cats are fed so once I am up I am left alone to get on with what work I can find to do. Outside, the sun rises into a cold clear blue sky.

I take photos.

Of course.

After five hours work, I can feel a migraine coming on, so decide to go for a walk. A break of half an hour should reset my brain. Either that or a sixteen pound lumphammer.

Anyway.

For a change I take the big lens with me, hoping to see some rare migrant bird like a hoopoe. That or a raptor or two. I hope.

I put on my boots, coat and wooly Razorbacks hat, and off I go.

The trees and phone lines are full of brids either singing or looking for food or singing about looking for food. Or something.

It is several weeks since we had any rain, so the ground is firm under foot, and so my boots didn't collect mud and become heavier than Herman Munster's boots.

Across the field, where there are a good dozen black headed gulls looking for food. Despite being black headed gulls, they have white heads because they are in winter plumage. Beautful plumage the black headed gull. Even sunner they don't get black heads, more like darkish brown. So, as I have the big lens I try to snap them. And get a couple of reasonable shots.

I waslk past Fleet House then down the slope past the farm and through the mudbath at the lowest point of the track. I walk up to one of the tracks that run parallel with Windy Ridge, where I disturb a buzzard from a tree, but I manage to rattle off a few shots.

And that was that.

I walk back home, via Collingwood, talk to a couple of dogwalkers and two young ladies on a hack with their ponies.

All very pleasant.

Back to work, and no migraine. Which was nice.

Come half four I am done for the day, I pack the office away, watch the daily train video from Jaw Tooth and then get ready to cook dinner.

Dinner was fishcakes, stir fry and curried rice, and the first time I have weighed the rice and there was no leftovers.

It was Jools' first day back, and wasn't too hectic, but it will be soon. So, she heads to bed at half eight, and I watch some League Cup semi final between Chelski and Spurs, in which were quite Spusy and scored both fo Chelsea's goals for them.

Which was nice.