Tuesday 24th March 2026

You know the drill by now.

Being a Tuesday, it's off to the gym on my own first thing, leaving home at ten to six, so to arrive at six when the doors open. Up to the studio, on the bike and listen to the latest Word in Your Ear podcast while I peddle.

I was done by ten to seven, so nip to Tesco for a few things, and a few things we didn't need, and stuff we needed but I forgot.

Anyway, enough supplies to the end of the week, and back home at twenty past seven, where there was a fresh brew waiting.

Jools was out for several hours, so she left at twenty to eight, and I am left with more stuff to sort out, including a big box of family photos that were mostly doubles, triples.

Even with already having copies in albums, it feels wrong to throw pictures out that have been kept in some cases for 90 years or more. But with no one to leave them to, and I doubt if I will look at the albums more than once a year, if that, why not just clear them away.

So, a large box with the photographs, and five years of WSC as the drawer beside the bed where I keep them is now full. I don't read copies other than the season previews more than once, so out they go too.

The other task is to bottle the sloe port.

Sloe port is what you can make once the sloe gin is decanted, refilling the container with a mix of 75% red wine/25% fortified wine, plus some sugar.

This produces a wonderful drink, and is very pleasant straight from bottling.

So I get busy, and do it in about an hour, and for a change, make no mess with split port. I save a glass for us to try once Jools is back, then clean the demijohns and jugs, and pack stuff away.

Jools has found my stamp collection. Mostly collected by my Dad when I was a baby and toddler. It is a joy to see the bold stamp designs for the swinging 60s in Britain, and from around Europe and the world. I even find some stamps with orchids on!

Missing is the pre-war German stamps from the 1920s, which Mum insisted I return to her. Which I did, and so when she passed, they ended up as landfill. Not that they were that valuable, but of historic interest, as many had been double printed with new values as hyper-inflation took hold.

We have pie, roast potatoes, steamed vegetables and gravy for lunch-cum-dinner, along with a bottle of fizz!

And normally we would be done for the day. Except we had a chaise longues delivered for a place for reading in the bright bathroom.

It was delivered as we were having dinner, so once we were rested, we unbox it, and transport the bits upstairs.

It has just seven parts, and four of those are the short legs. And it went together OK, but was awkward, but after half an hour was done. Mostly.

I'll post shots tomorrow.

With no football on TV, I read an old music magazine in bed before turning in at half eight.

Pooped again.