Thursday 19th December 2024

After 18,000 over two days, my back suggested, in the strongest terms, that for Thursday we should take things easy.

With the wind shifting to the north and now having an icy edge, it wasn't a hard decision to make.

I said I would do chores which would include hoovering and doing something for dinner, other than that, not much planned.

Jools asked one last time if I wanted the car for the day. I declined, so she sped off into the still dark morning, and I made a fresh pot of coffee.

Dawn showed well in the south east, almost worth going out to snap, but my back sighed.

So, with the fresh coffee I put on a podcast and the day began to slip through my fingers.

Cats slept, and indeed the sun shone brightly outside, birds, including a Jay filled the garden, but it was bitterly cold.

Not actually bitterly cold, just felt like it.

I keep an eye out for the postman, so to give his his Christmas box, but get no mail. So the bank note stays in my wallet.

As we near the solstice, light begins to fade from about half two, maybe a bit later, so I grab a shot of the long shadows and go for a shower, thus delaying the cat's dinner time to nearly four.

For dinner I make Spanish chicken. Chicken as it contained chicken, and Spanish as it contained chorizo, smoked paprika. I put in onions, chickpeas, tomatoes, Moroccan spice, honey and preserved fruit.

I put it in a pot and broil for two hours with rice and water added.

It came out pretty good, and as a bonus made enough for three more meals to be put in the freezer.

Delicious.

Then there was the madness of the Spurs v Man Utd game: seven goals, no tactics but 100% excitement and madness.