Wednesday 10th September 2025

Before we retired, people told us, you'll be even busier than when you worked.

We laughed.

But Monday, Thursday and Friday are gym days, Jools does aquacise on Tuesdays, I now have bridge on Wednesday and Jools has her Qigong too, Friday has yoga and her art group for Jools.

This week there was the added kick off meeting for the churchcrawling group, and the visits will start every other week from the 24th.

Its all go.

We would go to the gym on Wednesdays, but there isn't time. With me dropping Jools off just after eight in town, then me getting back to go out at nine to the house where the bridge club is sitting that week.

So, Wednesday was busy.

I decided against the gym, so cancelled the alarm I had set and slept in to ten past seven.

Time to wash and get dressed, down the first coffee of the day, and be ready to take Jools into Dover.

Then back along Townwall Street, up Jubilee Way to home for a quick breakfast, change and out of the house at nine to drive to Kingsdown to find the house in the middle of a previously unknown estate.

Must be called the Brigadoon Estate or something.

I was joint first to arrive, and a few minutes after the forth person, as we were playing just one table this week.

And no pre-defined hands: just shuffle, cut and dea.

And bid.

Me and my "partner", Jenny, got most of the good hands and we won by an absolute country mile, though we play for pleasure not points or pennies.

I drive back home to find Jools back, so we have a brew, measure Scully again, and have a breather before Jools is to drop me off in Walmer for my meeting.

The meeting was in St Saviours Church, just five people turned up, so I talked about churches for an hour and a half, found out what they wanted. Kinda, and explained why I was doing visits in the order I had set out.

I talked about the Saxon Kings and Queens of Kent, of St Augustine, William the Conqueror, Thomas Becket, Henry II and Henry VIII, of Edward Hasted and of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin.

I think its going to be a great deal of fun.

Once we were done and the keyholder came to lock up and ensure I hadn't left any fires burning, I took myself to the Berry where Jools was to meet me.

I ordered a pint of chocolate coconut stout and took a seat in the window.

A perfect day.

Jools arrived, so I bought her a cider. And then the landlord, soon to be ex-landlord, Chris, arrived, so we wished him well on his new career path.

The Berry won't be the same for sure.

I drove us back home, where I quickly made crispbakes in rolls for supper, as darkness fell early, it being dark by half seven.

The rains came, the wind blew. It felt like autumn,

I slept like a log.