Friday 12th September 2025

Today would have been my parent's 61st wedding anniversary. But Mum is nearly six years gone and Dad over 29.

So it goes, so it goes.

Today is Friday: bin day. Gym Day. And the first day of the nine day Heritage Weekend.

I set my alarm for six.

Woke when it went off. Went back to sleep. Twice. Woke at ten to seven to find Cleo snuggled up beside me.

I sigh, and get up. Jools hear me, start boiling the water for coffee, so that once dressed, in my sports shorts, there is a cup of coffee ready.

We talk and then put the bins, put on our pumps all ready for some phys in Whitfield.

Friday is crazy busy on the roads, but we reach the car park safe, walk to the entrance to find IT has crashed again, so we were waved in.

Both bikes free again, I settle down to ride for half an hour in Patagonia whilst listening to some early 21st century indie music.

We do half an hour, coming a day since we were last here, feels about right. So back home for breakfast and another brew, so that Jools could leave the house for her craft meeting in the village library at half nine.

I tidy up whilst se is gone, also have a shower, bring in the bins which have been emptied.

Once she is back we have a rushed lunch of a stale roll and peppered roast beef which I turn into Rubens with mustard and pickle.

Yummy.

And then out for a quick visit to Ramsgate to The Grange and Pugin's church next door.

Augustus Pugin built his family home on a plot of land he had bought, and next door, in time, he built his perfect church.

His home, The Grange, is owned by The Landmark Trust, and is only open to the public on Heritage Weekends, and as it had been a decade since I last visited, it was time to go back to record some details, and then visit the church to take shots of the glass in his church.

We drove to Thanet on the teeth of a squall, dry for us, but looking across Pegwell Bay we could see the sheets of rain sweeping towards us.

I parked the car, leaving Jools to read in the car, so I scampered the hundred yards to The Grange, had my name ticked off and was allowed to enter.

The Landmark Trust helped renovate The Grange, all working hard to ensure that the fixtures and fittings, colours were aligned with what Pugin had installed originally.

I visited mainly to photograph details in the library and Pugin's study, not going back upstairs. I took my shots, talked to a couple of the guides, then walked the hundred more yards to the church.

The Catholic Shrine to St Augustine, as it is now called, is the family church of the Pugin's, with Augustus's tomb in the south chapel.

I had the church to myself for the most part, so snapped a few general views, I concentrated on the glass, all high quality.

Outside the squall arrived, rain hammered down on the roof. Jools texted to ask if I wanted to be picked up: I rode my luck and by the time I left, there was a small break in the clouds and no rain was falling.

I got back to the car just in time, as the rain began as we drove back south to Dover.

We stopped at Richborough for petrol, and ice cream. Then back home as the rain hammered down and the wipers struggled to cope with the volume of water falling from the sky.

We arrived back home, where it was sunny once again as the clouds had cleared.

After feeding Scully at midday, she now settles down for a few hours to sleep as her blood sugars are, while not normal, are getting better.

Jools had a short notice appointment at the chiropractor at half five, so I stayed to feed the cats and prepare dinner of chicken salad and baby new potatoes.

Which I cook once Jools arrived back at half six.

Football was back, Ipswich v Sheffield Utd, and Town ran out easy 5-0 winners and have a large and deep squad which is going to take some stopping if this performance is anything to go by.