Tuesday 5th December 2023

Another day of rain, only not as heavy as Monday. Or Sunday.

Still too wet or yucky to actually put a cat and boots on to go for a stomp.

One day, maybe this week, I shall stop the Kentish turf once again.

And when I say turf, I, of course, mean mud.

Mud, glorious, cold, sticky mud.

So, what to tell.

Well, we didn't put the alarm on again, so it was that we slept in to twenty to seven.

That is, twenty minutes before I was due to start work. No one actually watches me log on or monitors how much I work, but I feel that if I worked until three, then I should start at seven.

Six weeks ago, a colleague lost his Mother.

A dreadful loss that most of us will face one time or another. Then, this last weekend, his Father passed away too. Meaning he has lost both parents in a very short time indeed.

Life can be, and is, cruel.

Got me thinking back to when I lost my own Father, he died in April 1996, and three days later I lost of Grandfather too, 40% of my blood relatives lost in half a week.

Being the only child of two only children, it fell on me to get the admin and tasks done.

How did I cope, I have been asked many times?

You just do, you don't have time to stop and think, or I didn't.

The Christmas before, I had been reunited with my family after several years of arguments, and being in Germany and having some disposal income, I bought my Dad this stein.

He loved this and it takes a litre of beer, so he filled it every day.

That Christmas was joyous, but also the last we had as a family. This sits on a shelf, but is a reminder of that reconciliation and one final, wonderful Christmas.

As it happened, I worked to half four thanks to meetings, so I could have lollygagged some more.

Jools was late leaving for work, but she has enough hours done, and checks mails before she leaves so is on top of her game.

As for me, I did more of my audit report, and took calls, attended meetings. In short, the forces of evil kept distracting me from my task.

I do have until next Wednesday to get it done, so no pressure. Yet.

Other than that, the day is quiet. The cats sleep and sometimes try to convince me its dinner time at half midday. I give them a handful of kitty kibbles and most of the time they're happy.

Highlight was the delivery of Christmas beer and cider which a kind East European chap brought.

The day grew dark before three, so I listen to some music and prepare dinner: steak and red wine pie, roast potatoes (done in the air fryer: not a disaster), steamed vegetables and gravy.

And beer. Or cider.

Was very nice indeed.

And for the evening there was live football on Amazon, which Jools has, so I "beamed" the feed from her laptop to the tellybox and watched one and a half games. Beside me, Scully was very happy indeed.