Printer

 It was 05:30. The Gorse Fox was wide awake. A cursory check of the plumbing made no difference. He tried to relax and drop back off to sleep. His brain, however, had gone into overdrive - how should he prepare the potatoes for dinner this evening? - has he checked the page headers for the blog extracts? - why is Jasper already up and about? Is that the first heavy aeroplane en route to Gatwick this morning? That's how it continued until, giving up, he grabbed his Kindle and started to read. This is how it continued until 06:45 when he got up and made his first coffee of the day and started reading the news.

Once the day had started properly and the Silver Vixen was up and about, the Gorse Fox returned to his study. The 2006 extract had been sent for publishing/printing last night and this morning, the 2007 extract was also sent off for processing. 2008 is stacked up and ready to go but 2009 needed a further pass through the editing process. That has occupied much of the day.

The Silver Vixen has been pottering in the garden throughout the day. Some old faux ivy has been removed from the trellis by the garage so that it can be replaced with black-eyed Susies.

Honesty

 It is so nice to see honesty in action. On Friday we took Ellie's scooter to the school when we collected her. She grabbed it as soon as we were off the premises and scooted off towards the park. She discarded the scooter and headed for the swings. Meanwhile, the Gorse Fox and Zoe were still trying to catch up. After twenty minutes or so, we called Ellie and headed home. The scooter was forgotten. Another school kid noticed it and took it home. His mother put it on FaceAche and Zoe was alerted. The scooter has been retrieved. There is Peace on Earth (well, this little bit).

Under Pressure

 The Gorse Fox's morning started with the (now traditional) cousins' call. Simon, from Australia, joined for the first time in several weeks. The banter was well up to scratch. Tim the Red reported that he and his wife Joan had been out dropping leaflets for their local Labour candidate. The Gorse Fox resisted the jibe. He did, however, leave the call briefly (several minutes later). When he returned he explained that he had been distracted by the commotion outside as the Labour candidate was being tarred and feathered.

The weather was glorious. The Silver Vixen was eager to get into the back garden. There was some serious pottering to be done. Particularly as her Buddha mask had fallen and smashed during the night. (No doubt it will reincarnate as hardcore in a future existence). The Gorse Fox went out to provide some help in retrieving all the bits of Buddha, then grabbed the jetwash to clean the patio and the paths.

The rest of the day has been spent on the journals. The Gorse Fox now has 3 years that are "print ready".

The keys tap on

After the morning school escort duties and some breakfast, the Gorse Fox completed some domestic duties before returning to the study. The Silver Vixen was pottering in the bedroom and in her sewing room.

Finally, the editing of 2006 was completed and a print-ready file was created. Then, the Gorse Fox returned to 2007 and did a final pass before creating another print-ready file. This is easy to say in two sentences, but practically it has taken most of the day.

Urban-cub had her "talent-team" interview with a new potential employer. This seemed to go very well and she is being lined up to speak to the Regional Head. It all sounds very positive and the possible salary sounds more than adequate. Our collective fingers are crossed.

Done

 The Gorse Fox has finished the first pass of editing the 2006 blog. My goodness it was tedious - both as an exercise and in some of its content. He is now halfway through a second pass trying to eliminate many overtly political rants. The page count is rapidly dropping.

Other than that, we have had a fairly typical Thursday. Ocado delivered (but late because the previous delivery had been delayed by a customer's inability to open her electric gates). Then we had a quick whizz around Sainsbury's.

The Gorse Fox has also performed daily security escort duties to and from school.

Delete

 There is very little to report. In our self-imposed semi-isolation, the only exceptions have been the Gorse Fox's security escort duties for Ellie's walk to and from school. The Silver Vixen spent the morning in her sewing room and the Gorse Fox has spent the balance of the day editing and deleting extracts from old blogs. 2006 is now under 400 pages... but November and December still need to be processed.

Coaches

 According to this evening’s “One Show” a new initiative has been launched to get more people to become football coaches. It seems to the Gorse Fox that should be as simple as removing their teeth and installing rows of seats.

Gorgeous

 It has been a gorgeous day, here on the South Coast. The sky has remained cloudless but a cool breeze dusted the day. The Gorse Fox started the day with his escort duty for Ellie's walk to school with Urban-cub. Then it was back home for breakfast.

The Silver Vixen spent much of the day sorting out her wardrobe and swapping winter and summer wear. The Gorse Fox returned to his editing. Analysis of the 2006 blog extract tells the Gorse Fox that he had developed a pathological hatred for the government of the day and particularly the execrable John Prescott. As he edits, he is having to remove huge tracts of text which, though accurate, have no part to play in a family journal. The raw text (processed up to the end of August so far) stands at well over 400 pages still. There's a long way to go in those final few months!

Cousteau-cub popped in briefly at lunchtime. She was on her way back from the doctor's surgery, so stopped to say hello and deliver a 3-dimensional card for the Silver Vixen. She didn't stop long as we are all very conscious of keeping the Silver Vixen free of any infections that could delay her treatment.

Gorse Fox went along with Urban-cub to collect Ellie and her friend Theo. They were having an after-school playdate.

Strange

 Somehow it seems strange. We are used to Ellie being dropped off soon after 07:00 several days of the week.  Not this week. With Urban-cub at home, we can get up when we wake up and have a quiet coffee before the Gorse Fox wanders around the corner to provide an escort on the walk to school. This goes a stage further. We are not required to do the school pick-up either, this week.

Silver Vixen spent the morning on the phone with her friend Marilyn while the Gorse Fox continued working on the journals. He certainly had a bee in his bonnet regarding the execrable, incompetent, bloviated John Prescott in the year 2006!

This afternoon we had a Zoom call with a German chap, Jens. This had been set up by the Gorse Fox's cousin Ellen. Jens has had the same operation and implant that the Silver Vixen awaits. The idea of the call was to chat with him about his experiences and the aftermath. The call went really well and the Gorse Fox thinks it reinforced the decision that the Silver Vixen had made regarding the particular type of implant and also eased any concerns regarding the immediate and long-term aftercare.

Nada

 There really is nothing of importance to report. We had a very quiet day. The Silver Vixen spent several hours on the phone with her friend Pauline. Urban-cub, Darren, and Ellie went to Sidlesham to meet with Darren's brother Lee for lunch. He has a role that Urban-cub can fulfil (in VIP Events Management) until she gets a new job. No doubt we will hear more of this in the immediate future.

This afternoon the Silver Vixen has been reading in the warmth of the Orangery while the Gorse Fox has started editing and formatting the extracts from 2006.

Family Visit

 It seems like a long time since we have seen the Silver Vixen's sister, Denise, and even longer since we have seen her brother, Paul. Today they escaped from the Midlands of Cambridgeshire and Buckinghamshire to come and spend the day with us.

They arrived before midday and we Urban-cub turned up with Ellie soon after. We had great fun catching up with all the family news before Urban-cub had to leave so Ellie could get to a play date with classmate Theo.

Lunch was the curry that the Gorse Fox cooked yesterday. It went down very well.

After a very leisurely lunch, we decided to stroll around the locale and then stop at Urban-cub's to say hello to Darren.

Back home, we carried on chatting and going through old family photos

We also caught up on the "hen-do" and various events leading up to Emma's wedding.

It was a lovely day and it was a shame to see them leave mid-evening. 

Curry

The Gorse Fox was up and about soon after 07:00. News was consumed along with coffee and then he went around to Urban-cub to join Ellie's school escort service. It was during this that Urban-cub revealed that she had handed in her resignation from her current job. The stress has been ridiculous and it was beginning to affect her health. Enough was enough. After dropping Ellie, the Gorse Fox brought her home to tell the Silver Vixen - who heaved a sigh of relief.

Much of the afternoon has been spent preparing a curry We have the Silver Vixen's brother and sister visiting us tomorrow so it seemed sensible to prepare something special. The Gorse Fox started on this at 13:00 and has just decanted it at 18:00. Hopefully, it will mature overnight.

Meanwhile, the Gorse Fox is remiss in not reporting Ellie's loss of her first front tooth yesterday. She was so excited... and delighted to report, this morning, that the tooth fairy had been.

Cheek

 The Gorse Fox thought he was being scammed. A text arrived saying payment had been declined on his debit card and details would follow from another number. They did. Should he reply? He never replies to phone numbers in unsolicited text messages. He looked up the bank's Fraud Department's phone number and called them. Just as he finished traversing the menus and got put through to a call handler, the call dropped. He would call back later.

A minute or two later he received a call from the bank's fraud department. We went through some mutual questioning to ensure we were both who we claimed to be. We then looked at the declined transaction. It was right that they should have declined it. It was part of an elaborate scam by an Insurance Company called "Go Assist" purporting to be an appliance maintenance contractor. You phone them, as the Gorse Fox did last year, and they dispatch an independent contractor to fix the problem. They charge you an extortionate sum and give you a year's cover for that device. They also set up a recurring payment on your debit card to take another year's cover on the anniversary of the first. The Gorse Fox asked for his card to be cancelled and a new one sent out.

The Gorse Fox also phoned "Go Assist" and gave them a dressing down, demanding that his details were removed from their systems and that if he had any further attempts to debit his account he would report it as fraud. He wonders how many people are caught out like this and pay these premiums unwittingly.

Chichester

 After sorting Ellie out and taking her to school, we returned to have some breakfast. The Silver Vixen wanted to go to the shops to get a birthday present for a niece. The obvious choice was Chichester, so soon after 10:00 we parked at the Cattle Market and strolled into town.

The first stop was our favourite jeweller. Jasper had caught the Silver Vixen's necklace and broken the chain. It was too fine to be mended. It had to be replaced. He had just the thing and we left clutching a bag with the replacement chain. W then hit a couple of shops before finding Pandora. There, the Silver Vixen found just what she was looking for.

Back home, we had a quiet hour or two before the Gorse Fox went to collect Ellie and bring her back via the park. She is staying with us tonight.

(Editing has been continuing and the printed book has revealed several modifications that must be retro-fitted to the files created so far).

Don't Cry Out Loud

We heard this evening that the Elkie Brooks concert we were due to attend on Friday, has been postponed. Apparently, due to illness, the concert will be rescheduled for October. 

This is the 3rd time we have been scheduled to see Elkie Brooks and the concert has been postponed. Never mind, hopefully, she will make a swift and full recovery.

Sample

 Ellie was (unexpectedly) with us overnight. Urban-cub had a change of plans requiring her to work an early shift. As it happens, that worked in her favour as she had an unannounced Council food inspection which she passed with flying colours.

After dropping Ellie at school, the Gorse Fox took the Silver Vixen to the hairdresser and then stopped at the chemist to collect her prescription. He also arranged for them to deliver the prescriptions in the future. The sour-faced lady behind the counter seemed very put out by this request and grudgingly filled in our details.

Guess what? The Gas man came! In fact, he was here on the dot of midday. He also did the most thorough boiler service we have ever had. In an attempt to upsell, he also tried to convince the Gorse Fox that we should consider upgrading to a more efficient boiler. This is more relevant because the current push from Westminster is likely to ban the sale of gas boilers before too long. The Gorse Fox will research this and see if it is worth the expenditure... but we won't be getting it from British Gas!

The postman delivered today's mail. The sample blog extract from 2010 had been printed and bound. The question was, is the quality adequate?

Yes, it was. The Silver Vixen was very impressed and the Gorse Fox was delighted. There was no "bleed" of the photos from one side of the page to the other. The text was crisp and clear, and the layout looked really good.

Now that the Gorse Fox has had a chance to review it in detail, he has made a few notes that he will retrospectively apply to the extracts that he has already processed. He will also edit the extraction program so that the few remaining extracts are easier to handle.

Twas on the Monday Morning...

Actually, it wasn't. Or rather, it started well...

At 07:30 British Gas sent a message to confirm that the Gas man cometh.

This was fine. This was expected. He was due to perform the annual service this afternoon, sometime between 12:00 and 18:00. The Gorse Fox cleared the relevant section of the garage so that he could access the boiler.

At 14:00 British Gas sent a message to confirm that the Gas man cometh.

He still hadn't arrived at 15:00, so the Silver Vixen had to collect Ellie from school by herself.

At 16:00 British Gas sent a message to confirm that the Gas man cometh. 

At 16:30 British Gas phoned to tell us that the Gas man couldn't be bothered. Would we like to re-book?

Somehow the Gorse Fox managed to maintain decorum. He has agreed that the Gas man better cometh tomorrow afternoon. 

Locked in

The Gorse Fox is not saying that it has been quiet, but the front door hasn't been unlocked since last night. The Silver Vixen has spent part of the day pottering and then reading in the Orangery. The Gorse Fox has been editing again.

What became clear was that 2007 involved a large number of individual blog posts. Many could have been combined. As the editing process continues, the Gorse Fox is condensing these posts. This, however, takes a lot of time and effort. Even after 4-5 hours he has only just started on the May posts.

The dearth of watchable TV(*) on BBC or ITV has forced the Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox to make better use of the various streaming services. Last night we discover The Chelsea Detective on Acorn TV. This was a very good and very watchable program. We look forward to further episodes.

(*) Watchable TV means that it isn't "gritty", it isn't political, and it doesn't pander to those impressed by bad manners, shouting, and threats. It is just enjoyable and may make you smile or better still, laugh.

Even quieter

 Almost nothing of note to report. The cousins' call went ahead as usual but there was no real news - just banter.

The Silver Vixen has been doing bits of laundry and some sewing.

The Gorse Fox has been editing old blog extracts. What became clear during this process, was that the subtle nicknames he gave to people or places were sometimes too subtle. Now, 15-16 years on, he has forgotten the real names or locations behind some of the nicknames. Doh!

Quiet

 It has been quiet, so quiet.

The weather has been grey and wet and we had nothing specific planned. The Silver Vixen spent the time in her sewing room going through all of the documents that she has received from the hospital and trying to extract the nuggets that were important,

The Gorse Fox has been finishing the editorial work on the 2008 blog extract. On completion, he recognised certain patterns of activity that he could shortcut by re-writing part of the extraction program. 10 minutes of coding later, he re-ran the extract for the next year.

Other than that - Nada, Nothing.

Not Shy but Retiring

 The started as a typical Thursday. Ocado arrived with the main delivery and then we popped to Sainsbury's for the top-up.

At lunchtime, we met with Jane, Trevor, Urban-cub, and Ellie at The Oystercatcher. The plan was to have some lunch and then return home for some tea and cake. Now that Trevor has retired, arranging things for during the day is easier.

Service was incredibly slow, but Ellie behaved impeccably throughout. She was a bundle of joy as she chuckled, laughed, and teased.

As time wore on, glaciers melted, continents drifted apart, and black holes consumed stars Trevor retrieved Ellie's Birthday present from the car to keep her occupied until the next course arrived.

To be fair, the food was excellent. We all enjoyed our various selections... and now that we are retired (well, not Urban-cub but she was on holiday) the long wait was not an issue.

We returned home and were soon joined by Darren. The kettle went on, then went on again, and continued to go on for a couple of hours. We had a lovely time and it was a shame when it all broke up.

Wisdom

 In January 1972, T. Vincent Learson (Chairman of IBM) sent a note to all managers. The note was to be followed up with posters for all employees…

Business Ecology

Bureaucracy is your worst enemy because it:

POISONS the mind

STIFLES the spirit

POLLUTES self-motivation, and finally

KILLS the individual

This is as true today as it was in 1972. What a shame that Starfleet never learned that lesson.

Stormy Wednesday

 Somehow "Stormy Wednesday" doesn't have the same ring to it as "Stormy Monday". The morning followed the forecast and was bright and sunny. Soon after lunch, though, the wind picked up and blew furiously across the coastal plain. Garden furniture was redistributed around the garden and a huge tarpaulin blew into our garden from the neighbour's patio. The Gorse Fox passed it back to him as he explained, apologetically, that it had been tied down but was no match for the wind.

Knowing the forecast, we stayed in. The Silver Vixen sat in Orangery, reading, while the Gorse Fox retired to the study to continue editing and formatting the 2008 blog extract. We have just finished dinner and are settling down for the evening. The wind has died down and hopefully, it too will have a quiet evening.

Arundel

 It had been planned for a few weeks. Arundel Castle holds its annual tulip festival at this time of year. The weather, however, was looking a bit threatening. Forecasts, however, suggested that the rain would hold off until the early afternoon.

We met up with Cousteau-cub at the gates of the castle. Urban-cub and Ellie were originally due to join us. Ellie had banged her head yesterday and was still a little under the weather so they stayed at home. As we bought our tickets we were warned that the tulips were not yet at their best and it might be several more days before they peaked. We decided to go ahead anyway.

We strolled, slowly, through the walled gardens passing the imposing walls of the Castle itself. Trees were in blossom and painted splashes of colour against the grass and granite backdrop.

Once in the walled garden, we were surprised that it was quite quiet and it wasn't too difficult to take pictures of features.

Whilst the tulips may not be out yet, we still had a wonderful sweep of white daffodils circling the lawn and carpeting the area in front of the Cathedral.

We wandered back and forth, examining the views from every possible aspect. It really is a lovely spot and well worth the entrance fee.

Leaving the walled gardens we visited the Fitzalan Chapel. This private chapel is where the Fitzalan-Howard ancestors have been interred since the 1500s. It was the first time we had explored the chapel and was quite intriguing.

We strolled back towards the Castle and made our way up to the restaurant for a coffee and snack. As we left, it was starting to spit with rain. We headed back to the cars and returned home. As we got in, the heavens opened. We had timed it to perfection.

Sales

 The Gorse Fox was up before 7:00. No particular reason - just wide awake and needing a coffee. It was an hour or so before the Silver Vixen emerged, but even then we spent time wandering through the online newspapers and munching on toast.

Mid-morning, the Gorse Fox got a message from Old Bill. He was interested in the Air Fryer that the Gorse Fox had been discussing the other day. Could they come and see it? Well, of course, they could. Old Bill and Lady Penelope arrived soon after 11:00 and the Gorse Fox took them through the (sales patter) features and functions of the Air Fryer (and made a cup of tea). We sat and chatted over the tea. It seems fairly clear that they will order the Air Fryer as a result of the visit.

The Silver Vixen sat and read in the Orangery this afternoon while the Gorse Fox edited blog extracts before starting dinner. For dinner he had decided on chicken, cooked in the pressure cooker, with potato rostis. The problem was that he had no muslin or cheesecloth to squeeze the shredded potato dry. He tried using pressure in a fine sieve. This did a fair job, but not as well as the muslin would have done. The air fryer cooked the rostis, and they were quite tasty. In the future, however, the Gorse Fox will make them thinner. That might make them a bit more crispy.

Er what?

 The Gorse Fox has just seen a headline in the Apple News aggregator:

“Bottom Painting Shopping List”

He hadn’t realised that that was a “thing”. He assumes it is the next step after tattoos.

Easter

 Happy and Peaceful Easter to you all. May your spirit be suffused with peace and contentment and may you and your loved ones be happy and healthy for another year.

We have had a fairly quiet Easter with the Silver Vixen pottering in the garden and the Gorse Fox tapping at his keyboard. When Urband-cub called to say that Ellie was home, we popped around to spend an hour with them and see Ellie for the first time in over a week. The Gorse Fox cannot express how much he misses her when she isn't around. (Even if she can drive him to distraction at times).

This afternoon we had a long video call with Cousin Ellen. Her experience with Canada's "Heart Valve Voice" was an asset that we had to mine for the Silver Vixen's upcoming procedure. It was an interesting 90 minutes and confirmed that the Silver Vixen was on the right path with her planned treatment.

Slap and Fiddle

 It has been a gorgeous day here on the South Coast. The Gorse Fox started with his usual cousins' call on Zoom. Young Tim revealed he would be visiting Granada and the environs next week. The Gorse Fox dug out his journal from 2006 and sent him the synopsis of our trip and also the link to the photos from the trip. Hopefully, they will have fun and enjoy it as much as we did.

The Silver Vixen girded her loins (if you are allowed to do such things nowadays) and headed out to potter in the garden. The Gorse Fox retrieved the decorating materials and finally fiddled managed to remove the pelmet and Venetian blind. This meant that he could slap a second coat of paint on most of the walls, and a first coat on the window wall.

While the paint was drying, the Gorse Fox got started on a beef curry. This is based on a recipe from Nadiya Hussain... with a few tweaks. It takes a good hour to prepare the sauce and then, adding the beef, cooks for a further 3-4 hours. It is rich and sumptuous... and made enough for 4 separate meals.

Once the curry was on the go, the Gorse Fox was able to return to the painting. A final coat was applied to the window wall and a bit of touching up was completed. Masking tape was removed and the wall furniture re-installed. Done!

Gra Pao

 It was a gentle start to the day. The sun was up and the sky was clear but for a few dabs of cloud left by a cherub's paintbrush.

Our plan was to pop into Chichester for a bit of shopping and then to meet up with the Sonning Crew for lunch. Chichester seemed quiet. Maybe people were making the most of a long weekend and the good weather. We found our way to Lakeland, in North Street. The Gorse Fox wanted a butcher's steel so that he could better hone his kitchen knives. While in the shop he noticed a couple viewing and debating the display of air fryers. He chipped in with his experience and spent 10 minutes with them. He suspects they left the shop clutching a nice new appliance.

We wandered back to Giggling Squid. It was the first time that the whole Crew had been out together since last July because of Old Bill's health troubles. With everything on the mend, it was great to get back together. As usual, the discussions were far ranging - health, cars, Falmouth, air fryers, mandolins, grandchildren, children, and so forth. Before we knew it a few hours had leaked from the continuum and we were full of fine Thai food (Red Thai Curry for the Silver Vixen, and Chicken Gra Pao for the Gorse Fox).

Back home, it's been a quiet afternoon. We made the most of the Orangery (with the doors open for the first time this year). Then the Gorse Fox retired to the study to index the 2009 blog extract.

Flat

The morning was occupied with the usual shopping experiences. This was, again, less enjoyable than usual. Possibly it was the hordes of zombies shuffling around Sainsbury's, or it could have been busier because of the run-up to a holiday weekend. Either way, they didn't consult with us to make sure it would not be an inconvenience. Absolutely no consideration!

Once home the Gorse Fox attacked the downstairs cloakroom with masking tape. He removed the mirrors and other wall furniture then headed to the garage to get the paintbrushes and rollers. Well, that was the theory. In practice, access to the shelf with the painting tools demands that the car is moved. The car hasn't been touched for weeks. The battery was flat. Fortunately, Two Hats had a jump kit. This allowed us to start the car and the Gorse Fox left it running for a while to allow the alternator to put some charge in the battery.

Painting tools were recovered and the painting started. It was fiddly but didn't take too long. There is one more wall to finish when the Gorse Fox can work out how to remove the Venetian blind (the usual hinged unit is there, but the hinge is obscured by a snap-on pelmet - the snap-on pelmet won't snap off). For the sake of his sanity, he has left it for another day.

The car is back in the garage on a trickle charge.

Matching

 The Gorse Fox forgot to report that the Silver Vixen’s cousin, Jon is getting married to his lovely partner, Caroline this summer. It’s nice to have positive some family news and a wedding that we should be able to attend. (The Gorse Fox’s cousin, Michael, is getting married to Emily in May, but the Silver Vixen’s impending procedure prevents our attendance).

In the stands

 The original plan for today had been the completion of the decorating. The Silver Vixen, however, wanted to meet up with her cronies after their Pilates session. The Gorse Fox drove her across and then went on to watch the football.

It was frustrating watching the game (from the virtual stands), but not participating. The Gorse Fox had fun chatting with the ref., Gary, and acting as VAR for any contentious decisions. While the game was in progress, his phone rang. It was Michael (from the South of France). He was phoning to check on the Silver Vixen and wish her luck for the next few weeks. What a nice gesture.

Once home, we had some lunch and the Silver Vixen buried herself in her book in the Orangery while the Gorse Fox returned to editing the 2009 blog extracts. It was while doing this that he realised how much more useful these would be if the Gorse Fox created an index of significant events throughout the year. He has now returned to the start of 2009 to provide the relevant markup.

Really?

 So we learn today that a woman has complained to Sainsbury’s over the “Big DaddY Steak”. She says it is sexist and demands that the rename it. The Gorse Fox demands that she grows up and stops being so utterly pathetic.

Books

 There is a reason that the Gorse Fox has been editing and formatting old blog extracts. He has concluded that the cubs and Ellie will never be bothered to look at PDF files. However, sometime in the future, some descendants may be interested in their ancestors and may wonder what life was like in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. The Gorse Fox would love to have a written record from his ancestors. He is now looking at getting these (heavily edited and corrected - the Gorse Fox apologises for all of the typos) blog extracts printed.

Investigating print options, the Gorse Fox found a number of possible organisations, but on examination, these were likely to cost over 100 GBP per volume. Online he noticed that many people were using "lulu.com" to print the Family Tree books. He decided to investigate. He is impressed. He has managed to commission a 248-page book with a hard-back cover for about 20 GBP. He is treating this as a draft so that he can see the quality and whether he needs to wind up any of the production choices. It seems that the worst (or is it, best) scenario would still be less than 50 GBP.

It should take about 10 days, so the Gorse Fox waits with interest.

Loos in White Satin

 The Silver Vixen wanted the downstairs loo decorated. The Gorse Fox, after 2 trips (so far) to Wickes, has spent the morning cleaning, sanding, caulking, and eventually painting the woodwork. It’s looking very crisp.

The walls can wait for tomorrow.

All keyed up

 The Gorse Fox used to have a small, foldable keyboard that he could connect to his phone. In years gone by, he would often use this to blog from the train or a hotel. Said keyboard is long-defunct. It was, however, very useful and, because of its size, very portable.

Today he received, thanks to Mr Amazon, a replacement. When folded, this is about the length of his phone, and slightly wider.

With the magic of hinges, it unfolds and provides a usable keyboard which will pair with up to three separate devices... for example, iPhone, iPad, and Android tablet.

The battery provides up to 90 hours of continuous use, and in sleep mode will last for 200 days.

When it has finished charging, the Gorse Fox will give it a try.

Out

It has been a lovely day. The sun shone and the sky was blue. There was, however, a chilly breeze which took the edge off things. The Silver Vixen wanted to do some shopping and as she is not really meant to drive at present, the Gorse Fox was happy to accompany her.

We worked through her list, popping into one shop or another as we progressed through Chichester. The Gorse Fox took the opportunity to book a table for lunch at The Ivy as we wandered by. Eventually, the shopping bags were full and the list was exhausted. 

We made our way back to The Ivy. We were seated in the area they call the conservatory. It was bright and airy and afforded a view across the whole establishment.

The Gorse Fox started with a smoked haddock and salmon fishcake, but the Silver Vixen skipped the starters. She then had the Salmon as a main dish while the Gorse Fox went for pasta with goose, lamb, and duck ragu. Both dishes were excellent. The Silver Vixen then finished off with some frozen berries with yoghurt sorbet.

A perfect lunch.

Eh? or is it AI?

 The Gorse Fox now has links to some of the recent Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. Controversy rages over whether they are a threat and whether they are accurate. The Gorse Fox decided he would try them and see whether they were useful. Over the past week, he has used ChatGPT, Google's Bard, and an app for the iPhone called Perpexity. So far they seem pretty good, but only time will tell.

Nada

 Absolutely nothing to report.

The Silver Vixen has been pottering and the Gorse Fox has been working on the 2009 blog extract. In a nutshell, that summarises the day.

Diversion

 We heard this morning that Sue and Trevor had a slow drive home last night. A car was on its roof between Bognor and LA. The Police were turning people around and redirecting them up the A29 to Fontwell. 

Visitors

The day was very quiet. This was in honour of the Gorse Fox's brother-in-law, Trevor. Today is the first day of his retirement. As such, it should be treated with a hushed reverence - and a check that he isn't yet bored, and isn't yet getting under Jane's feet.

The Silver Vixen pottered and the Gorse Fox started editing the 2009 blog extract. This was how we filled the day until about 16:00. That was when Sue and Trevor (yes, that's a different Trevor) arrived.

We had arranged this catch-up a little while ago. We hadn't seen them since before Christmas, so there was plenty of family news from both sides. We had some tea and biscuits while we chatted and then ordered an Indian takeaway for delivery. While we awaited the fine foods of the Indian sub-continent, the Gorse Fox cooked some salmon, new potatoes, and peas for the Silver Vixen. (She has given up on Indian food). As usual, when we order from Habib, the food was superb and there was plenty of it.

We retired to the lounge and continued our wide-ranging chat. We covered grandchildren, phonics as a way of learning to read, ecclesiastical music, basketball, football, and church politics. It was a stimulating evening. They left for home at about 22:30 and after a brief wind-down, we went to bed.