Thursday 25th August 2022

As a child, my birthday would coincide wit Oulton Broad Regatta, ehich meant that on Bank Holiday Monday, the Red Arrows would grace the skies above our house.

Of course, I would kid myself that they came really to celebrate my birthday. I would stand at the field and wave to the pilots of the gnats as they flew over at about 100 feet, or so it seemed.

So, my birthday was something I would look forward to, and yet it also meant that the apparently endless summer school holiday was coming to and end, and the next week, or a few days later, we would go back and have to run around in mud pretending to be Kevin Keegan or Peter Lorimer.

So, bitter sweet.

When I was up and sipping the first coffee, Jools said maybe we should have our birthdays off from now on.

I think she was right.

So, she got ready for work, and as Donna had the week off, she went in earlier to ensure she kept up with work and mails.

I was in a good mood, logged on for work after my second coffee, and there was a mail brom my boss's boss, and in it he rejected, it total, the work I have been doing for eight months, and for added measure stated he expected it to be redone in a week, and professionally this time.

That hurt.

Bad.

I write more about work these days, so to show what it really is like, not to say how shit it is, but things I have to deal with. There is more. Much more. Much worse I could say, but don't, just what I am doing in my day to day stuff.

My boss, unaware of that wished me happy birthday and expressed surprise that I was in work on my birthday. I said I would log off when I had done my work for the day.

I decded that would be sooner rather than later, so arranged audits and made calls, and at 11, logged off, made lucnh of fried aubergine, which I ate with one then another glass of red wine.

Then, with the radio on, I lay on the sofa and went to sleep. Or snoozed.

We were supposed to have a day of rain and storms. But what storms there were drifted northwards to the west of us, and none formed over France then came our way. The skies cleared and the sun came out.

Jools came back at half five, she had a shower, changed so we were all ready to go out at half six, for the short drive to the Swingate Inn for curry.
Waiting outside was Jen, laden with a present of three large bottles of beers.

Cheers.

We went in, and were shown to the table near the kitchen, which being open plan meant we could look in as ours, and other's meals, were cooked.

I had lamb kebab with some minty yogurt sauce, which was very nice. That was followed by a really spicy lamb dish, the hottest they do, with rice and garlic naan.

Yummy.

We left at half ight, back home in ear darkness as the year marches on, back home to sit in the garden, where I sip sloe gin as we watch planes passing overhead.

Quite the day.