Monday 20th February 2023

Back to work.

Of course.

I slept through the alarm, and woke up as Jools came back up to get dressed.

The house was cold, but at least the weather was much milder than it could have been. But at least the engineer was due sometime after eight, and hopefully he could fix it.

Jools left, I made coffee and checked on the world: still mad.

I set up the office, so to be ready for the start of an audit I was witnessing, which started at eight in Germany, sadly, seven here in Dover.

I would be rooted to the office chair most of the day.

The engineer would call between eight and one.

He rang at quarter to eight, and arrived at ten past. I told him the problem, he went to work with a full toolbox, and got working.

Was a fault with a relay, or something, but he replaced the heating motor, set it on continuous, and soon began to warm up. Although not that cold, it had seeped into the bricks and took several hours to feel proper warm.

But heating fixed.

I celebrated with crumptets and a huge brew for lunch, then back into the audit, which ended with a good, if not brilliant, result. But good enough.

I celebrated with going out for a walk.

I had a feeling I would find Alexanders in flower up on top of the down beside Station Road. I just knew. So, set off up the hill, and shortly after the last street, beside the horse paddock, two plants with a flower head just about open.

I went to the last of the tracks leading east to Windy Ridge, and three quarters of the way along, a single bright yellow Lesser Celandine shone in the late afternoon sunshine. I have been looking for one in flower for two weeks or more, now.

I took more shots.

From there is was just a stumble down the hill, past the horse paddocks filled with four indifferent horses, up to Collingwood and then back home.

Once home I realised that for the frst walk in ages, I had had no back pain.

A cause for real celebration.

To velebrate I made fritters for our tea.

And we had wine. Or I had wne, Jools had cider.

And did I mention the house was toasty warm?

It was. We celebrated further with an extra square of hazlenut filled choclate with our post-dinner coffee, before I settled down to watch the foty on the tellybox. I bailed at half time with Watford 1-0 up and not very good. So, I missed the goalfest in the second half, which ended 3-2.