Brake!

 There was no need to wake up early today. Zoe had a day off, so Ellie would not be dropped off. I wandered around in time to join the walk to school. I didn't go for a walk immediately after the school drop-off, I headed home for breakfast.

After breakfast, I took the car to the dealer. Two weeks ago, the service pointed out that the brake fluid needed to be changed, as did the spark plugs. They didn't have the parts at the time, so today was the first convenient opportunity for us. Dropping the car off, I plugged my AirPods into my ears and walked home via the old highway from Shripney to North Bersted.

Back home, I returned to the accounts. I completed the transfer of funds to the ISA and then updated the master spreadsheet. With that done, I updated the MacOS on my MacBook and then spent some time checking the settings on all my Apple devices to try and remedy an occasional problem with syncing messages.

A message came through. The car was ready. I grabbed some lunch, then set off to walk back to the car dealer. It was a lovely temperature for walking, but still grey and dry. When I got home, I found the EE Smart WiFi had been delivered. In fact, they had delivered two! I configured one of them, then settled down in the Orangery with my Kindle.

Back to school

 We were up early so that Ellie could be dropped off on Zoe's drive to work. She was a little subdued for a few minutes, but quickly snapped out of it. We took Ellie to school as usual, and then Di went home, while I headed off for a short walk before breakfast.

After breakfast, I started on some domestic chores while Di pottered upstairs. After I finished and the floors had dried out, I settled down with the accounts. I decided that I was going to move some funds from one savings account to an ISA. I hadn't realised what a faff that could be. I ended up moving the funds from one bank's savings account to its current account; from there I moved it to another bank's current account, and then to that bank's ISA account. They don't make it easy!

I headed out for another walk. My audiobook was playing as I wandered one of my frequently used routes.  It seemed remarkably quiet considering it was dry and mild. However, I like it when it's quiet.

We had an afternoon with our Kindles before Diane went off to collect Ellie and take her straight home to await Zoe.

Wrong

 We had a lazy start to the day. It was grey, dry, and slightly cooler than the last few days. After breakfast and wandering through the news and social media, I decided to install the replacement "Smart WiFi Plus" that EE had sent. I unpacked the box and realised that they had not sent the WiFi Plus unit but had sent a "Smart Hybrid Connect". I already have one of these and do not need another. I phoned them. Having selected the correct sequence of menu options, I was informed that I was in a queue and could expect to wait 45 minutes. Whoopee-do! I finally got through to a human from the Newcastle call centre. He was very nice, but couldn't help me. He would transfer me to the technical department. I was on hold for a further 20 minutes before a call handler picked up and we, hopefully, resolved the situation. A new Smart WiFi Plus is being sent and a bag for the return of the "Smart Hybrid Connect". That was 75 minutes of my Sunday gone in a flash.

Di wanted the leaves cleared from the front and back garden. We have a machine for that. I grabbed the leaf vacuum and worked my way around the front garden and then the back. The leaves were sucked up and shredded into a fine powder. It didn't take too long as the dry weather had stopped the leaves from being all mushy.

With the gardens clear (until the next windy day), I headed out for my walk. I wandered further than usual down a couple of the roads while listening to my audiobook. It's nice linking up a few more lines on my mental map of the area. It was cool, but it was pleasant weather for walking. By avoiding the main roads, it was amazing how quiet it was.

Once home, I settled in the Orangery for some Kindle time before stirring myself to prepare dinner.

12K

This is a momentous blog post. It is the twelve thousandth entry in this blog since I started it in 2004. It's a shame that there isn't something of huge importance to report or discuss!

Ellie slept well overnight. I was up well before she emerged, and Zoe came to collect her soon after eight o'clock.

After I finished breakfast, I started to unpack a self-assembly bedroom unit for Ellie's room. Di, meanwhile was getting ready for an appointment at the hospital. I laid out all of the components and checked the inventory. It wasn't quite as straightforward as some I have built recently. This is because they hadn't numbered each part, so they had to be identified by the pre-drilled hole positions. When I had everything ready to start assembly, it was time to head to the hospital.

The appointment was at Worthing Hospital rather than St Richard's in Chichester. Because of the parking problems, I dread visits to Worthing but having said that, there were no problems today. In fact, it was remarkably quiet. We found our way to the correct department and I waited while Diane had her check-up. She got a clean bill of health. When we had finished in the department we stopped off in Costa for a coffee before driving home.

Once home, I returned to the assembly of the unit for Ellie's bedroom. It went together quite easily, with the exception of the doors. The hinges were a bit fiddly, but eventually, they clicked into place. The unit now sits at the end of her bed and holds the TV. (The TV gets its signal via the Amazon Firestick over WiFi so I have created a schedule whereby the WiFi switches off at 20:30 and doesn't reactivate until 06:30 - this is the same schedule used for her iPad).

With the unit in place, I set off for a walk. I managed about a 5.5 km loop before settling down in the Orangery for Kindle time.

Chancellor

 I was up first, followed 45 minutes later by Diane. Ellie remained in bed but picked up her iPad to watch some YouTube videos. By the time I had finished my morning ablutions, Zoe had arrived to collect Ellie. 

My morning was spent sorting out the TV we had decided to install in Ellie's bedroom. The Firestick was working downstairs, but would it still get a signal in the bedroom? To make sure, I thought I would install a WiFi extender upstairs. Unfortunately, the extender wouldn't pair with the router so I then spent an hour on the phone with EE and they eventually agreed to send me a replacement. As it happened, the TV was able to pick up a signal anyway. With that working, the next issue was to find a suitable unit on which it could sit. We didn't have anything suitable so I spent time online and ordered a suitable unit that should be delivered by the end of the day.

Zoe brought Ellie back at lunchtime. She was feeling under the weather, so a quiet afternoon would do her good. I headed out for a walk.

I looped around the lake and Willows Edge, then up Berry Lane to North Bersted Street. I then headed across the bypass and down to Shripney, before turning back and retracing my steps. As I walked back, I passed the field with some old horses and the pen with the goats. As I approached, I could hear a donkey baying. I couldn't help but think of our Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Once home, I joined in the quiet afternoon - though this started with Ellie wanting to make a sweet concoction from melted marshmallows and Rice Crispies. It was messy and had the texture of Gorilla Glue. It was, however, quite tasty... even if Ellie didn't have more than a teaspoonful.

145

There was no need for the alarm clock this morning. Ellie was spending the day with a friend at a local pumpkin farm and wouldn't be dropped off until mid-afternoon. We had a quiet breakfast before heading to Sainsbury's for the weekly shop.  We had the usual issue with Zombies blocking the aisles, but being Halloween, it was to be expected.

Once back home, Diane set about a pile of ironing. I went out for a walk. I was out for an hour or so and finally finished the Jason Bourne audiobook I have been listening to. I started a new one. This new audiobook is from the "Bosch" stable by Michael Connelly. When I arrived home, I had completed over 145 km this month - that's 90 miles. I was very pleased with the amount of exercise I have managed this month.

Mid-afternoon, Ellie was dropped off by Tammy. She was only here briefly before I gave her dinner, and another friend and her mum arrived to take her out "Trick or Treating". She'll be back soon and will be staying with us overnight.

Space

 Zoe had the day off, so Ellie was at home today. We had a lazy start to the day.

Once all of the morning ablutions and minor chores were complete, we donned our jackets and headed to the bus stop. We were going into space. Lift-off was uneventful and flight through to Chichester was remarkably quick and we did not experience any periods of weightlessness. Getting off the lander at the Sea of Cattle Markets, we made our way across the cratered landscape (damned potholes) to the Cathedral.

The Cathedral (where Gustav Holst is buried) is currently exhibiting Mars. This, like the previous exhibit of the Moon, is a 7m orb with detailed photos of every aspect of the planet which have been stitched together and rotates slowly in the nave.

It was a brilliant display. We had planned to visit yesterday with Ellie, but she said she wasn't interested.

(It was clear that the photos were taken part way through the process as they hadn't yet coated it in chocolate).

We left the Cathedral via the cloisters and made our way to South Street to find the new "Piccolino's" restaurant. I used to eat at their branch in Bristol and found them to be very good. This branch opens next week so we will have to give it a try.

We wandered back via Crew Clothing (where we were waylaid and only able to leave once we had selected a bag of new apparel) before stopping at Cote Brasserie for lunch.

Back home by early afternoon, we settled down with our Kindles for a while. Before it got too dark, I headed out for walk and then returned to my book in the Orangery.

Staying In

I was up early to greet Ellie, who cycled around with Zoe driving as an escort. There was no rush to get ready for school, no hurry to get out, just a relaxed breakfast and start to the day. We had planned to go to Chichester with Ellie, but said she wasn't interested so we stayed put.

During the morning I got on with some admin and then scanned some documents. Ellie was up in her room reading, and Di was pottering about prior to Lottie's arrival. Just after Lottie arrived, Ellie and I set out for some fresh air. Ellie rode her bike, and I walked. We made our way around to the postbox to mail some birthday cards. We then looped back around by the lake and stopped at the park for Ellie to let off some steam.

Leaving the park, we looped back around the lake again and this time stopped at another park where Ellie played on the climbing apparatus and balance beams.

We headed back home for some lunch. Ellie wanted to watch the TV in the Orangery. I hadn't used this TV since we installed the new router. I had to reset the network settings to get it working, but it was soon providing YouTube Kids to keep Ellie happy.

We all spent most of the afternoon in the Orangery until Zoe came to collect Ellie just before five o'clock.

Repair

 It is half term week. Ellie had a sleepover with Ariana last night and as a result, we didn't have to get up early for the drop-off. In fact, it was about nine o'clock before she was dropped off. The weather was mild, dry, and very grey. We had to hope that it would stay that way. We had an outing planned.

We picked up Ellie's friend, Neve, and headed up through Chichester to Singleton to spend the day at the Weald and Downland Museum. Our first challenge was to find a car parking place. All the car parks near the entrance were full so I dropped Di and the girls off, went to find the overflow car park, and then hiked back about 19 miles to meet them.

For those not familiar with the Weald and Downland Museum, it is an outdoor museum where historic houses, barns, mills, and shelters have been rebuilt in a vast parkland setting. A trail of shadow boxes had been placed around the park with letters hidden inside. The girls wanted to find these boxes and then form a word from the revealed letters. This ensured that we did make our way around all of the exhibits.

After a comfort break, we headed past the lake to the old mill where a miller was showing how wheat was ground.

The Museum is the home of "The Repair Shop" which has been a popular TV show where craftsfolk repair old family heirlooms. (They ask you not to photograph the Repair Shop "to keep it as a surprise" which is pretty daft as the credits for the programme clearly identify the Museum as its location). 

As it approached midday, we headed for the restaurant and sat down for some lunch. By arriving early, we had no difficulty finding a seat and ordering our meals. By the time we left, families were queueing out of the door. Also by the time we left, it had started to rain. It was a fine drizzly rain, almost as if we were in the cloud itself. It didn't take long to get us thoroughly soaked. We headed up the hill and looked at the various houses and barns as we walked.

As we walked down one steep path, Ellie noticed a chap lying on the ground. She and Diane went over to check he was all right. Neve and I saw them disappear and went after them. The chap (who was a big unit) had slipped in the mud and twisted his (recently replaced) knee. We stayed with him until he was comfortable enough to try and get up, then helped him onto a bench where he could rest until venturing onwards We did offer to get and get help, but he declined.

We continued the quest for the next shadow box. I think the girls were quite surprised when they saw the conditions that people lived in. They were intrigued by the beds and the toilet facilities... and how dark the homes were (though I did point out they would have had candles or maybe even oil lamps - even if they didn't have WiFi and YouTube).

We stopped at one house where an Apothecary was allowing the children to make some potions. We had to wait for a while, but Ellie and Neve managed to create a potion made of black pepper, coffee beans, lavender, sage, and various other ingredients This all had to be mashed down in a mortar and pestle. Then the finished potion was wrapped in muslin and tied with twine. The girls both brought home their prized potion.

We moved on to the market square and then back to the restaurant for a drink and a slice of cake, and to dry off a bit. While we were there, we worked out the word that was formed by all of the letters shown in the shadow boxes. It was "Bonfire". We submitted the answer when we went across to the shop.

When it was finally time to leave and head home, I left the girls in the shop and started my hike back to the car. It was pointless for all of us to get wet again, so I brought the car around to the entrance and collected them there.

It didn't take too long to get home. We dropped the girls off at Zoe's and then came home where we settled down for a quiet evening.

Fall Back

 In theory, we got an extra hour in bed as the clocks went back last night. The theory is all very fine but doesn't necessarily apply to my body clock which insisted that I woke at the usual time. I managed to stay in bed for a little while but as I started to fidget, I decided to get up rather than disturb Diane. An hour or so later, she emerged and we settled down to breakfast and the overnight news.

It was while we were reading the news that we heard a huge bang and Diane went to check what had happened. An Audi S3 car, driving past our house had been t-boned by an Audi Q3 SUV coming up the Boulevard. Fortunately, nobody was hurt but the A3 was severely damaged. The Q3 driver hadn't even tried to turn the wheels and just ploughed into the A3. It all seemed a bit dodgy when the brother of the SUV driver turned up and offered to pay cash for the A3 there and then. After the exchange of details and lots of photos, the Q3 drove off, leaving the elderly couple with the A3 to wait for recovery. (The police were not interested as nobody was hurt). After a while, I took them a cup of tea and they commented that they thought she was on the phone and were hoping their dashcam footage would show what had happened.

After some domestic chores, I went out for a gentle walk. I managed about 4km without too much discomfort, though my knee did give me a few wobbles. I stuck fairly close to home, looping around the lake and through Willows Edge. The sun was bright and the temperature was very comfortable in the mid-teens. It was ideal walking weather.

After lunch, I noticed that our crash victims had obviously been collected and the car removed. We settled down for some Kindle time before I started preparation for tonight's dinner.

Lie in

 I slept particularly well last night and treated myself to a long lie-in. It was nearly 07:20 before I emerged and fired up the coffee maker. I caught up on the overnight news and then, once Di had come down, I treated myself to some breakfast and prepared for the call with the Empson cousins.

The Zoom call followed the usual pattern of banter and news combined with various discussions about issues, plans, and family. It all seemed to come to an end so quickly. 

During the morning Di and I walked into the village. She had a birthday present and a card to post and collected her latest batch of meds. We took it gently, but even still I found my knee was quite unstable. I decided that I wouldn't venture back out once we got home.

We had some Kindle time after lunch before Di started on some Goldwork and went to cook up a new batch of curry. I must say that the few "on the fly" tweaks that I made to my usual recipe were very successful and the finished article was delicious. Better still, I have three further portions tucked away in the freezer for the next few weeks.

Kneedless

 I was up early for Ellie's drop-off. She has a new bike so she cycled around to us (with Zoe driving alongside). She exploded into the house and couldn't wait to cycle to school... but had to tolerate having breakfast, getting washed and dressed, and waiting for the clock to tick around to 08:30. Considering it is a big bike, she cycled very well. Leaving her in class, I walked the bike back home (I wasn't going to chance leaving it in the school bike shed) and locked it away in the garage.

Di went off to the Cardiac Rehab session. I had my breakfast and then went out for a gentle walk. Unfortunately, my knee discomfort is getting worse. It isn't painful, but is quite unstable.

I sent a message to Jane to see how she was feeling. She was ok - though her local Sainsbury's had reorganised some of the shelves and that had put her blood pressure up.

Much of the rest of the day was spent with our Kindles until it was time for me to collect Ellie. She was only with us for about an hour until Pete came to collect her for the weekend.

Monitoring

We received a call from Trevor. Jane had been suffering from some heart discomfort. She spent much of yesterday at the Royal Berks Hospital, having blood tests, ECGs and so forth. Eventually, she was allowed home but will have to wear a monitor for a few days. It was a worry... but it was good to hear from her today and hear that she's feeling more stable and her blood pressure has lowered.

I was up early to greet Ellie when she was dropped off. She was very chatty and chirpy and eager to get to school. We walked her around at 08:30 and left her as she ran into class. I went for a short, gentle walk. Unfortunately, my knee was still proving troublesome.

Diane had an appointment for her annual MOT at the doctor's surgery. When she got back, we headed off to Sainsbury's for the weekly shop.

After lunch, we had some Kindle time. I finished the first of the Chichester mysteries and must say that it was an excellent book. I have just started on the second book. (At this time, there are only two in the series).

Mid-afternoon, I went out for another walk. Again, I kept a gentle pace and limited my distance to monitor the impact. My knee was still unstable but by reducing the pace and distance, it wasn't too bad. So far this month, I have walked over 75 miles.

Joints

 I was up early, though there was no pressing need to greet the day. After some coffee and a romp through the news, I walked around to Zoe's and joined the walk to school. Back home, I settled down for breakfast as Diane collected her things and headed off to Angmering for her Pilates session.

I completed some admin and then headed off for a walk. The rough plan was to take a long zig-zag route around the neighbourhood. My audiobook played in my ears as I deliberately avoided any noisy roads. Unfortunately, as I approached the farthest point, my knee started to trouble me. It wasn't too painful, but it was uncomfortable and I was concerned that it might be the start of something more unpleasant. It wasn't the joint itself, it seemed to be the ligament at the front of the knee. I slowed my pace and took a direct route home. Once I was back and just pottering around the house, the discomfort disappeared. I decided to try a shorter walk later in the day.

After lunch, we settled down for some Kindle time. My current Kindle book is "police procedural" (as the Americans call it) which takes place in and around Chichester. This makes the book seem quite real as the author includes local roads, sites, villages, and landscapes.

Di headed off to join Zoe and collect Ellie from school. I used this as an opportunity to take a short walk. It was clear that the knee was still giving trouble so I only managed a single lap of the lake.