Monday 6th February 2023

Welcome to the working week.

Again.

And apart from work, the main isse this fine day was a blood test at the surgery, which would get me out of the house and get me near my target steps for the day.

Which would be nice.

Although, when we got up at just gone five, thick fog blanketed the village meaning that the sunny start was invisible, and that dawn, although it comes earlier each day, would be subdued.

And Jools' boss, Andy was back at work this day. Some 17 months after feeling ill and being diagnosed with bone cancer, threatment has been a success, so is to return four days a week, four hours a day. I was in Cambridge, just having lunch near the market place when Jools called me to say she had been called back into work as Andy was in too much pain to drive into work, so her week off, to be spent at home, was cancelled and she took up the work of two people.

That seems like a lifetime ago, and must feel like it for Andy.

He was the the only helathy person in the household, so the others had to take up some of the slack as his treatment made him ill then isolate. He is clear, but very weak, but wanting to return to work so to get some normality back, and we think get out of the house.

He has a new job, and things in the office have changed without him, although no one wishes him ill, but hope is that he sticks to his new job, not the old one.

Jools used to send him pictures of places we were visiting, so to engage him, now he has the chance to do stuff again.

Welcome back to the working week, Andy.

I had some stuff to do, before breaking off at ten to walk up Station Road then through the village.

Its a bit of a slog up the hill, but not so much as it was. Or that's what I tell myself, and apart from my sore back, it was fine. I cut through past the pond, and took five minutes rest, which fixed my back, so that for the rest of the wak up the hill to the surgery and back home, there was no pain.

Which was very nice.

Just before that final climb, I spied a kestrel in a tree above the path. I only had the compact, but no worries, I thought. It'll fly away before I get there or as I walk underneath it.

But it stayed put, so once on the other side, used the compact to get a shot, not using too much of the zoom, and it came out OK.

At the surgery I had a 25 minute wait for the nurse. She took my blood pressure, blood and weighed me.

Serious thought must be given to the weight. Smaller plates or something I think.

I walked back down ito the village, past the school with playground full of screaming children. I call in at the shop to buy some onions and cream. Somehow a bag of crisps fell into my basket too.

Back home for lunch of warmed fritters and crisps and pop.

And then back to work, getting on with my new mini-project.

Time flew.

I wrapped up at four, had a brew, then set about preparing dinner which was chorizo hash. And wine.

Not much to report. Hash was a triumph, Jools had made extra choclate desserts on Sunday so we polished them off for supper with a coffee.

At which point I was summond to the sofa by Scully to stroke her and watch the footy.