Wednesday 18th October 2023

And so to Wednesday.

The last day of this working week, and at the end of it, a four day weekend will begin.

Yay.

As with most working days, it was of a familiar pattern.

I did have a number of lose ends to tie up, most importantly, the travel expense report for my last two trips, totally nearly five grand, I kid you not.

The computer has been sending me angry reminders every two days.

I have to:

1. Photograph the receipts with my phone.

2. Download them from the phone to my home computer.

3. Send them via 6 mails, so the total does not exceed 25MB in each mail, to my work e mail address.

4. Wait for the mails to arrive.

5. Download the pictures, edit them so they'll all below 5MB each.

6. Attach each to an open entry on the company credit card.

6. Fill out VAT rate, country issued, city issues the receipt.

And so on.

Submit reports.

That took three hours.

It was lunch, so I had something to eat, then tackled the inbox, agreed dates for the audit in France next month, set out of office message and

Done.

I remember at a talk given by a friend I had agreed to give a talk in the village on orchids of the UK. I heard nothing since, so the telegraph pole on Station road is is where the society puts their schedules for talks.

And there I was, January 12th.

I have prepared the talk, collected the photos and so is pretty much ready to go.

Just as well the talk is going ahead, then.

I make some focaccia to go with Caprese for dinner, which came out the best yet. Crispy on the outside and spongy inside.

For the evening, we go with Bev and Steve for the monthly quiz at the Lighthouse in Walmer.

Only its throwing it down outside, and blowing a gale. And had been all afternoon, but we braved it. Bev did well to steer the car through the standing water into Walmer, and then find a place to park outside the pub.

We were early, but it filled up quick, tables a little too close really, but fin and lively.

And good that we did, we came 4th, just our lack of knowledge of Stephen King really let us down and prevented us from winning some cold hard cash.

Still fun though.

And they had a green beer on, though now coming to the end of the season.

So, goodbye then, Twitter

I have been on Twitter nearly 13 years, but I have not posted there for two weeks now.

I can no longer stay knowing what the Space Karen has done to the site, remving checks and balances so that hate can thrive, and the oppressed either are scorned or they leave.

Twitter wasn't always bad, but it wasn't all good either.

But it is a bin fire now, with rumours of people having to pay to use the site, but even that would be a buck a year, it would mean giing the Space Karen your bank details.

I tried to make Mastodon work.

I have been on their ten months, and I never got on with it, never got engaged with anyone, really, as no one ever responded to my posts there. Yet when I said I was leaving, a guy responded to say he loved my train pictures and would miss them. He never liked to reposted any of them. I stayed on for two more days then dropped off.

For good.

I am now on Bluesky, which is like how Twitter used to be. Simple and friendly. Its on beta at the moment and you need an invite code from an existing member to join. A friend sent me a code, I joined and had more interaction in half an hour than I had in ten months on Mastodon.

I could point out what is wrong with Twitter, but you can read that on other, better written blogs and articles.

One billionaire man-baby destroyed the site in a year, just so he could allow racists and nazis back to taunt. To own the libs.

Tuesday 17th October 2023

Tuesday, and day two of my three day week.

I like that.

The days are getting ever shorter and the nights longer and colder. I put a blanket on the bed the night before, and found Cleo had slept on it and me all night.

Bless.

Up at half five, quarter to six. Makes no difference as its still dark, though light is beginning to appear. Through the day the temperature will rise and winds will increase, and into Wednesday when the wind will howl and the rain will pour.

But for now its quiet.

And bright.

I am now at an age when the medical profession takes more interest what comes out of my body than it should.

Or maybe I am being sensitive.

I have been called in for a whole series of tests: blood work, blood pressure, flu vaccination, and so on. This was the blood pressure which revealed I have high blood pressure, which is why I take pills.

Due to the automated way these are done, rather than have the test done in the village, I have to get to Dover and one of the two side by side medical centres just along the river from the middle of town.

For this, I ask Jen to take me down, she then waits in the car as I sit in this room waiting to be called.

We were asked to mask up, but only I do.

Jen then runs me back home, back home for four and time to prepare dinner before it gets dark.

I was going to do some gardening, but don't, in the end.

The evening was filled with football: England v Italy, in a repeat of the Euros from two years back. Close in the 1st, which ends 1-1, but England get better after the break and cruise to a 3-1 win.

Monday 16th October 2023

I only have a three day week this week, so back to the 1970s for me!

Although the truth is that I am owed time from when I went to Denmark, was away for a weekend and a 16 hour days when I came back.

So, some stuff planned, but I shall leave that as a surprise for when you read it at the end of the week.

It was another cold and bright morning, the sun now rising over Kingsdown Way the other side of the valley, turning the sky red with its early morning anger, and then is behind clouds, the day brightens and we begin our day.

It was a day of meetings and writing reports, phone calls and ignoring the demands for action on travel expenses and overdue IT equipment to be returned. How much can a three year old i phone with a cracked screen be?

These are only system generated messages, delivering what it called a final and red warning.

Not sure what comes next.

I tell my boss I'll deal with it, and she leaves it at that.

I take shots of the garden. All is pretty much done now for winter, Jools took the raspberry canes out when I was away, so we have a large border to fill, and if you look in the lawnmeadow, the wintergreen rosettes of orchids and other spring plants are already forming.

Jools does some aquafit on Monday evenings, so we have a snack when she comes home after that finishes, and just a brew at half five when she gets back from work.

Its dark just after six now, and at the end of next week, the clocks go back and the real darkness takes over.

I have bacon butties at half seven, and make ones for Jools when she gets back. I did not have the heating on and the house felt cold. I put a blanket on the bed before I get in it, just to be sure of staying warm.

Sunday 15th October 2023

And so followed Sunday.

Usually a day of rest and football, but with the international break, I'd have to make do with egg-chasing later.

But after getting up at half six, having coffee, then fruit and more coffee, we climbed into the car as I needed a haircut. As the one I had in Canterbury wasn't harsh enough, so needed a major pruning.

A glorious sunny, if cold morning, just too warm for frost again, but enough to make you wish you'd put a coat on. Jools said it was lovely and warm in the sunshine.

Not really the whole truth with a keen breeze blowing, so once we had parked at Radnor Park and I had walked up the Old High Street, past the cinema to the barbers, I wasn't that hot.

And as I reached the shop, as if by magic the door was unlocked and opened for me, allowing me to be the first in the chair.

He got to work, and soon I could see my head again, and to complete the job, eyebrows, nose and ear hairs were trimmed too.

I walked back down to The Old High Street, where Jools was talking to Mary, and sharing a coffee. I joined them in the aptly named Steep Street Café then sat down to chat.

However, time was short, as I had invited Jen for Sunday dinner, and John was coming too, so I had to put the joint in the oven.

Off we went, over the cliffs back up to Capel and along back to Dover, then up to the Duke of Yorks to home.

I weighed the beef: three and a half pounds. So I seasoned it, dusted with flour and worked out the cooking time so it would all be ready at half one.

Potaoes were boiled, then I put in to roast next to the beef, I had found a recipe from Heston and said crispy potatoes. It took time and needed to understand the science. They came out not perfect, but crispyish and tasty.

I was an oven shot for Yorkshire pudding, but Jools suggested using the meat tin once that was cooked, so I made the batter, added some oil with the juices, poured in the batter and set on high.

It roast wonderfully, and went very crispy at the edges, while the flatter parts took on the flavour of the meat.

Yummy.

Add steamed veggies, and lashings of gravy, and it was a fine, fine meal.

They clear away, and we play cards, but I fail to get good hands, and lose with a record high score. As Jen said it was good it wasn't a penny a point.

So, we were done, and so I could watch England in the rugby. I must have watched a different game from the experts, as I thought England lethargic and failed to press the ball carrier.

The evening game of France v South Africa was a different kettle of fish, with high skill, high energy and lots of tries. South Africa knocking the hosts out by a single point. Phew.

Saturday 14th October 2023

It is the weekend, and with the orchid season over and still with a couple of hundred or so shots from Heritage Weekend to post, what could we do to fill our days?

And as it is international break weekend, there wasn't event a disappointing football match to follow.

Autumn did arrive, with temperatures ten degrees down on Friday, and almost cold enough for a frost. We laid in bed until nearly seven, had a coffee and then went to Tesco.

It is a bit of a bind to go shopping on a Saturday morning, but the shop is pretty quiet and we can go round, get our stuff and get out.

Which is what we do.

So, back home to put the shopping away and to have breakfast, then head out for a wander round Faversham.

Why Faversham?

Why not?

Faversham is a fine old town, dominated by the Shepherd Neame brewery, which takes up a lot of the town centre, but there are cobbled streets, timber framed houses, coaching inns and churches among the shops and market stalls.

Getting to Faversham is easy. Getting into the town from the A2 is another matter, especially as there was the town carnival on later, with threats of many road closures to come.

We followed the sat nav to a small car park by the creek, then walked back through the modern brewery and to the market square where there were dozens of stalls selling local goods and produce.

We bought a sausage roll and a cuppa, sat on some metal chairs and ate and supped, people watched.

I had streetviewed the town, and saw that there was an abbey in the town, and some of the buildings show they were once part of the complex, and being church-focussed, we really hadn't done a "tour" of the town, not for a long time, if ever.

Once out along Abbey Street, crowds thinned, and the dead end lane to where the abbey once stood is quiet and filled with grand houses out of our price range.

I took shots, ten walked back along Abbey Street and up to the fine church to re-photograph the painted pillar, which is the outstanding feature of the church.

My work was disturbed by a large guided tour coming into the Nave, so having got the shots I wanted, we left, wandered back to the market square and down through the brewery and over the narrow bridge to the car, and found that the tide had come in over the two hours we had been there, and was now threatening to spill over onto the meadows lining the creek.

We had parked by a pub, so we went in for a swifter, sitting outside to sup in the now warm autumnal sunshine.

Back home via Preston to get some burgers before they closed, getting there just in time as the guys were cleaning up. Burgers were from the freezer, so we created no mess.

And then home.

Jools went swimming, while i messed around, and then cooked dinner, warming up leftover ships from Friday and cooking chicken Kyiv and steamed corn.

All was ready as Jools returned home, so we sat down to eat as the clear skies caused what warmth there was of the day to escape, leaving it a cool and dark evening.

There was rugby to watch, the World Cup seems to have going since August, but now reached the quarter finals, with the NZ v Ireland game game as the late game being a cracker, with NZ just running out winners.

Friday 13th October 2023

And so, to Friday.

Its been a long three weeks, and for nearly a month, no travel to plan for in the next week.

There is a pile of admin to do, travel expenses, but there are also reports to write too.

The weather is changing this weekend, a blast of Arctic air is coming down, bringing us frosty nights and cold days, the beginning of winter, really.

We have been spoiled, even in Denmark it was warm enough not to have a jacket on, but not from tomorrow.

As usual, Jools went to yoga and I put the bins out before the wind brought the rain we had been told to expect.

Through the morning, it was so cloudy and dark I had the lights on, but into the afternoon when the clouds cleared, the sun broke through.

My attention had been caught in the morning by a brown bird. I know what it was, a sparrowhawk, it had landed in the bush with the feeders, then flew to the fence at the bottom of the garden where it preened for ten minutes before swooping in one last time in the hope of getting some breakfast. It didn't, but stayed long enough on the lawnmeadow for me to get a few shots, before it flew to the shed roof.

I could have stayed all morning, watching the garden, but time was getting on and there was the department meeting to fall asleep in.

We should have gone to Jen's in the afternoon for cards, but it seems she and John were going to Folkestone in the evening to see Manfred Mann in concert, so just playing for an hour didn't seem worth it.

Jools had gone to Canterbury from work, she came home at four with a bag of fish and chips, so we had an early chippy tea, no need for me to cook and little to wash up after.

Main event of the evening was England v Australia in a football friendly. England were dire, won 1-0, but that's 90 minutes of my life I won't be getting back....