Wednesday 1st April 2026

And just like that, it's April.

First thing is to turn over the three calendars, see what the month has to offer by way of appointments.

And set about making coffee and feeding the cats.

It is bright and almost warm first thing, but that was to change soon after ten. So, the plan to go to Earley Wood for some orchiding was postponed for 24 hours, mainly because due to other stuff, there just wasn't enough time.

And being retired means there's always another day. And later means more chance for more orchids being in flower.

Jools leaves at eight for her class, and so I am all alone. I have breakfast, tidy up and do the feeders, as usual.

But it is warm enough to sit outside and read, so Scully joins me. But by ten the sun was covered with passing clouds, and each time it, the temperature dipped.

I had got shots of flowers in the sunshine before then, so back inside and upstairs to look through more boxes of stuff.

I found the assessment reports from my fitter's course in the RAF, as well as my signed oath of allegiance from the day I took the Queen's shilling, and my life changed.

Other than that: more family photos to be sorted and put into albums, postcards from Grandad when he was fighting his way across Europe from northern France, postcards from when he joined of the place he did basic training.

What to do with it all?

And magazines too. Dad's Eagle comics from 1950 to 53, Marvel and other comics from the 60s, Picture Posts from King George VI death and Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.

What to do with all those too?

But the box of things to keep has less space, but it is just one box. And most of that is Dad's collection of tram and bus models he started collecting in the decade before he died, and his electric train model of Sir Nigel Gresley.

I'll keep those.

There's also a Biggles novel. All about a German invasion of Essex, quite jingoistic, but they had just come out of world war of attrition, so to be expected. This was covered in Dad's writing, so I don't really want to throw it away.

So is kept.

When Jools comes back, we have Caprese with fresh bread I bought when I went to Tesco that morning. I finish the wine Jen and I left on Sunday.

And that was the afternoon, after which we watched three more episodes of The Beatle Anthology, and it is quite wonderful.

Another day without Alien Earth.