Real Progress

 Choir practice for Jasper started at 03:12 this morning. This was a full-blooded aria, not a lullaby. Jasper was shouted at. All went quiet. I went back to sleep.

Once the day had started properly, I exchanged some messages with Diane while enjoying my coffee and then set about the chores that needed attention. The washing was done and hung up to dry. The floors were vacuumed. Ellie's toys were tidied away. The seats in the Orangery were cleared of cat hairs. I was on top of things. Later in the morning, I headed for M&S. We needed to get something by way of a "Thank You" for the staff at the hospital. Suitable boxes of biscuits were selected, along with some cards.

I left for the hospital a little earlier than usual. Traffic reports were not favourable and there was no escaping the chaos around Chichester. I arrived at the hospital at 13:40 but found that Diane was asleep. I settled down quietly in the chair and left her to slumber.  After about 20 minutes she rallied around and we had a couple of hours or so of chatting and joking among ourselves and with the nurses. During this time, Diane received a call from her brother Paul and they chatted for a while. He is hoping to come to see us at home, next week. 

Diane has completed the checklist set by the Physios and the Cardiac Surgeon. She is set to come home tomorrow. She started to pack all the things that would not be needed in the next 24 hours. I'm surprised she didn't offer to do some dusting and hoovering as she tidied up her things. The car was suitably loaded and I headed home.

I have just finished dinner and will probably settle in front of the TV soon.

Delivery!

I received a message yesterday. "Your delivery will arrive on 30th May between 8:45 and 10:45". Brilliant thought I. As the morning wore on and I still hadn't received the delivery, I checked the online status tracker. My delivery would arrive today, sometime before 18:30. Well, that was inconvenient but as long as some neighbours were about, it was manageable. Arrangements were made and a sign was attached to the door. Sorted.

Zoe came to collect her car and pop to the doctor's surgery. Ellie stayed with Grandpa for an hour or so. Some form of fragmentation grenade seemed to go off in the Orangery during that hour. I will have to clear the debris when I get a moment.

Zoe and Ellie came with me to visit Diane this afternoon. It was the easiest way to put their minds at rest and for Ellie to realise that Nana was on the mend. She was indeed looking very well. When we arrived she had already walked 2 full circuits of the hospital (200m each) and had 2 further circuits planned for later. She is still a little breathless but is looking very well considering it is only three and a half days post-op. We stayed with her for a couple of hours before making our way home.

On the way home, FedEx had the gall to text me and say that my delivery was scheduled between 8:45 and 12:45 tomorrow, 31st May. Actually, I'm not that bothered whether it was yesterday, today, or tomorrow. What winds me up is the fact that they sent a message with a delivery notification that was clearly wrong. That's just amateur.

The latest news from the hospital is that the Consultant, Mr Tsang, has suggested that Diane might be ready to come home on Thursday (a day earlier than expected). This means that I will have to go into a cleaning frenzy for the next 48 hours!!!

Walking

 I woke with a jolt at 7:30. That's not like me. I'm usually awake well before that. The morning was filled with domestic chores, fielding messages, and calls regarding Diane's progress. Denise and Dom were driving down from Buckingham to see her.

I set off just before 13:00 and had a very quick run through. It only took 50 minutes to get to the hospital and Denise and Dom were still there when I arrived. They didn't stay for too long and then Diane and I had a quiet couple of hours chatting and joking. By 16:00 I could see she was flagging so made ready to leave. The nurse was prepared to take her for another walk, so I hung on to join them on their trek down the corridor.

I had a good run home and popped into Zoe's to say hello to the wider family who were there for a BBQ. I didn't stay for long but did manage to consume a beer and some BBQ.

Sweet Release

 Jasper was exceptionally vocal during the night and woke me several times. On top of this, my knee was giving me a lot of discomfort and that all added up to a poor night. I was up at seven and with coffee in hand sat down at the computer to continue editing the journals for a while.

Diane phoned. She had slept very well overnight but she remains in Critical Care for now. The only patient in CCU.

I got on with my chores through the morning, and also continue my editing. Lat morning I got a call from Diane. She had been sitting up in a chair since breakfast, the consultant had visited, and further X-rays had been taken.

I popped to Sainsbury's to get her some fruit juices and smoothies, then headed off to Southampton. It was a wonderful run-through, with no traffic delays at all. When I arrived at the hospital, I headed straight to the CCU. She was fast asleep, but the nurse gave me an update on her progress. She is clearly doing well and has managed a walk. Later she will finish her time in CCU and return to her room.

She woke up soon after I had finished talking with the nurse. We had a couple of hours chatting and joking but again, I didn't want to outstay my welcome and wanted to ensure she rested. Since getting home she has called to say that she is now released from solitary confinement back in her room.

Slick run

 I managed to speak with Diane in the Critical Care unit at the hospital. She had experienced a disturbed night (I guess a 4 a.m. X-Ray will do that to you), but was feeling fine. She would, however, be staying in CCU for another 24 hours. It was so nice to chat with her and find her quite chirpy.

Kim turned up at the door soon after the call. She had dropped Jon at the railway station so that he could go up to Wembley and see the play-off between Luton and Coventry (courtesy of his brother who had a spare ticket). She stayed for about 40m minutes and we had a lovely chat. As she disappeared, I returned to my chores and got the washing done before hitting the study and the 2021 edit.

At lunchtime, I cooked a batch of rice and put it in the fridge for later and while doing this, Zoe popped in with a couple of pork joints that were surplus to her requirements - these are now resting in the freezer for the right moment.

I headed out on the King's Highway to visit Diane at the hospital. Google Maps provided advice and guidance and I managed to get there within a couple of minutes of the projected time. Diane was in the Critical Care unit but was quite alert and chirpy. We had a bit of a laugh with the Staff Nurse (who kindly provided us with tea). I stayed for a couple of hours and oversaw a couple of phone calls (not wanting to tire her). She seems to be very positive and "on the mend". She should be back in her own room tomorrow.

Very slick run home (50 minutes). I then sent off a few messages and texts to update friends and family before firing up my curry (from yesterday) and the rice (from lunchtime). It was perfect... accompanied by a beer.

Headlines?

 What a bizarre notification! My phone just received a summary of recent news headlines:

The Legacy of Tina Turner - Why Orcas are sinking ships.

Tina Turner was clearly more influential than we thought. 

That was Unexpected

 I have just phoned the hospital for an update. I was pleased to hear that Diane is doing very well and is now awake, though very drowsy. That was great news. What was completely unexpected, however, was when the nurse handed the phone to Diane and I was able to have brief chat with her. Quite an emotional moment.

Tenterhooks

 It has been a strange day. Diane phoned just before 8 o'clock. She was sitting in her hospital room enjoying the morning sunshine and waiting for the build-up to commence. She seemed pretty relaxed and chatty. I wished her luck and left her to the unfolding events.

I walked around to Zoe's and escorted Ellie to school. She was very chirpy this morning (even though she had lost another tooth yesterday).

Back home there was the best part of the day to fill before I could expect any news. I started preparing a big batch of curry. This took about an hour to get properly underway, and then I could leave it to simmer. I retired to my study and continued with the editing of the 2020 blog extract. This took the rest of the morning. 

At lunchtime, I switched off the curry and went to meet with the Sonning Crew. They had arranged to take me out for lunch to The Gribble. We sat out in the lovely Spring sunshine and quaffed a very tasty beer and ordered some lunch. I chose the crispy chicken baguette. This proved to be an excellent selection, with a huge tiger-loaf baguette stuffed with katsu-style chicken and salad and served with a side order of chips. The rest of the Crew went for fish and chips, or ham, egg, and chips. I think I chose well.

Back home after a couple of hours, I fired up the curry pan again to allow it another hour on the simmer. I again returned to the study and continued editing.

At ten minutes to four, I received a phone call from Amanda, the Sister in the Critical Care unit. Diane was out of theatre and was nice and stable. There's been no opportunity to hear from the surgeon as yet, but she suggested that I call back this evening for a status report. My plan is to go and visit tomorrow afternoon.

Company Trolley

The exciting news today, which came in just as we arrived at the hospital, was that Zoe has been offered the job at Sainsbury's. She starts in about a month and has an initial 12 weeks working at the Horsham store. The hours are less than Lidl (by a lot) and the salary is more... sounds like an exciting win, win situation!

(It's not clear whether she gets her own shopping basket or trolley).

Helpless

 Having had the excitement of the weekly shopping yesterday the morning was limited to the school escort duties. Ellie seemed a little subdued but went into class without any fuss.

We had a fairly quiet morning as Diane prepared all the bits and pieces she needed to take to the hospital. We had a lovely phone call from Kim as she finished night duty, and Zoe popped in during the morning to wish her all the best.

We set off at lunchtime and whistled across to Southampton. That's where the whistling stopped. The roads were almost gridlocked and it took 45 minutes to do the last couple of miles. This delay did give us the opportunity to take a phone call from Di's brother, Paul. He wished her luck and explained that he would actually be working in the Southampton area next week. Hopefully, he'll get a chance to pop in and visit when she is on the mend.

Diane checked in at reception and a ward assistant came to collect us and take us up to her room. It was a lovely airy room with a view over a large stand of trees. The room was spacious with a couple of visitors' chairs and its own en suite. Within a few minutes of our arrival, the Consultant arrived and sat down on the bed to take Di through the consent forms, to discuss the procedure, and gave us the chance to ask any questions. Then we had the cardiac nurse doing blood tests, ECG, blood pressure and so forth and asking lots of background questions. The ICU nurse also came in to have a chat and get information regarding how Di wanted to be addressed, any phobias, and so forth. It was very thorough and I was immensely impressed. I might feel helpless but I know she is in the best of hands.

I left her soon after 18:00... I won't see her again until Saturday afternoon. I told her to get better because I expect at least another 50 years of marriage before she can get rid of me.

Dreadful drive out of Southampton to the motorway, but then a very quick run through to home. UFO for dinner while fielding phone calls from Zoe and Auntie Margaret.

Shaking thing up

 I decided to shake things up a bit. That had to wait until the morning security detail was complete and Ellie was delivered to the school.

Back home, caffeinated and breakfasted, I announced that I would do the Sainsbury's shopping today instead of Thursday. Diane was shocked. She checked the rule book. There was no rule preventing it. It was allowed. The list was compiled and I headed to the local store. Supplies were duly selected and paid for and I returned home. We now have now commitments that might interfere with Thursday morning. I know! I'm living on the edge, but you only live once.

The rest of the day has been fairly quiet as Diane prepared for her hospital admission tomorrow. Late in the afternoon, a few phone calls and messages trickled in to wish her luck.

We are now, quite definitively, on the countdown.

Exec

I had a remarkably good night's sleep. I usually sleep fairly well, but last night I excelled. That was a good start to the day. The usual school escort protocol was followed and Ellie was delivered to the door without incident.  I strolled back with Zoe, and as we parted wished her good luck for her scheduled chat with an Executive from her possible employer.

Back home we finished breakfast and pottered around doing domestic chores while waiting for news. The phone rang and I put it on speaker so that Diane could also listen. It was clear that the call had gone very well and the Exec seemed satisfied. Zoe now awaits something in writing.

I had a delivery of three further printed journals, so the collection is beginning to look quite impressive. I will have to find shelf space in my study to accommodate the collection. 

I collected Ellie from school. Zoe was a bit busy with a neighbour at the appointed hour, so Grandpa collected her from school and took her along to the park.

Keeping things short

 I had some trouble overnight with my hip. This disturbed my sleep and while trying to find a comfortable position my mind wandered through some of the great imponderables of existence. The most pressing of these, which needed an answer, was "Is it Sunday or Monday?"  It took a lot of concentration but I finally concluded that when I got up, it would be Monday. With this filed away, the world could continue to spin on its axis.

I had the usual school escort service. Ellie was a bit subdued but perked up as we headed for school. Back home I finished my breakfast with Diane then, being on the cutting edge, walked into the village to get my hair cut. There was no waiting around and I was home within 40 minutes.

The rest of the day has seen Diane complete some ironing and both of us spend some time with our books. I have also started the editing process for the 2019 blog extract.

After school, we stopped off at the park for a while and then moved on to another park so that Ellie could play on the climbing frame and roundabout.

We obviously wore her out because she didn't want to stop off for a biscuit on the way home.

Hard to believe

 It's still hard to believe that Angela has gone. She was one of the pillars of certainty in my life. I may not have seen too much of her but she was as much part of my fabric as my parents - because she was there for so much longer. It must be so hard for my cousins, her sons.

We had a call from Zoe. Apparently, Ellie was unwell overnight and it required a call to NHS 101. We spoke to Ellie later in the day and it was clear that she was fighting off whatever had troubled her. The battle may not be over but she was running with it (and baking a cake for Nana).

Today has been quiet. Diane has been pottering and I have been working through the 2018 blog extract all of which is now complete).

Journals

 The work on the journals has continued. Six were uploaded to "Lulu" and set ready for printing. They are now being processed and should take 10 days or so.

Chieftain

 My dear Aunt Angela completed her journey here on earth, today. She was my father's sister and the oldest surviving carrier of the family genes. She was a wonderful woman having 7 sons (and a stepson). She was smart, she was immensely funny, she was as sharp as a pin. In later years, however, her sight was failing as we some of her organs. At 93, she had completed a solid innings. Her sons were with her when she passed away and she will be dreadfully missed by all of the family.

That means that I am now the oldest carrier of the family genes and de facto patriarch. I just need to get all of my cousins to swear obeisance and agree to raise an army should I so require it.

Tock, tock, tock

 Another quiet day in semi-isolation. The Gorse Fox performed his statutory escort duties for the school run and then returned home for breakfast.

Soon after breakfast, Kim phoned. Diane spoke to her and commented on how well and chirpy she seemed. (She has just finished a run of night duties). We have a slight concern over a health anomaly that Jon exhibited recently - and he really should have gone to the hospital or at least the GP. He declined.

Ellie has been suffering from eczema and Zoe had managed to get an appointment to see the doctor. Zoe went back to collect her from school to attend the appointment. The doctor appeared to be very thorough and Ellie now has a selection of unguents, ointments, and tablets to help with the problem. She was dropped back into school for the rest of the day.

Diane has been cutting out a large and complex pattern during the day. I have been editing the 2017 blog extract.

Tick, tick, tick...

The day started with the school escort service. However, this was interrupted when Ellie fell off her scooter (two doors from home). Zoe had to rush back and get some plasters to cover the invisible blemishes that Ellie had identified. Once sorted, we continued on our way.

Back home, being Thursday, we had the Ocado delivery and I went to Sainsbury's for the top-up. Then it was back to the usual background pottering.

Zoe had received a call regarding her recent interview. Could she make herself available for a "sit down over coffee" chat with one of the Execs? She agreed and that is scheduled for next week. She immediately phoned Dad to ask if this was likely bad or good news. I responded that it was unlikely to be bad news. They wouldn't escalate upwards for someone they doubted would fit.

Meanwhile, Darren has finished redesigning and reconfiguring the front garden at No.23. After we finished dinner we strolled around the corner to have a look at the finished job. I must say, it looks very good (but I forgot to take a photo).

A Degree of Certainty

 It was a bit of a rush this morning as I was slow to get going. I performed the statutory school escort along with Zoe and her neighbour.

Back home we finished breakfast and started to potter about. The phone rang. It was the house phone. It was a Southampton number. It was the hospital. Diane then had a long chat with the nurse at the other end and we now have some clarity. She is to be admitted to the private clinic next Thursday and will have her surgery on Friday. If all goes well, she will be home the following Friday.

This is a huge relief. It is so difficult just waiting, but now we have a date we can start a countdown. We can also start letting all her well-wishers know.

As it happens, Diane was also at the local surgery this morning for some annual blood tests... and Zoe was there later for an ECG and the results of some blood tests.  The day has had a definite medical focus.

Still ticking

 I had my instructions. Zoe called last night to ask that I turn up early for the school escort service. A friend was in the middle of a painful split and both she and her daughter would appreciate joining our little caravan as we cross the deserts of Bersted towards the school. I was happy to help and so I set off a few minutes early. We formed a column as we left Zoe's and then knocked for her friend as we passed. They joined the column and we completed the run to school.

Back home it was another very quiet day. Diane pottered and I edited the 2015 blog extract. Mid-morning the nice man from UPS arrived clutching a parcel. It was the latest three printed and bound journals. There are three more in production and by the end of today, I have three more ready to go.

We finally heard from the hospital. Unfortunately, it was because they were chasing a report, and not because they were giving us an admission date. Diane provided them with the information and they are going to call back tomorrow (we hope).

Ticking over

 There is still no news from the hospital so we continue to tick over in semi-isolation. I think we are all getting frustrated with the wait.

I wandered around to Zoe's to provide the school escort service. Ellie had been up early and had written a story, without any prompting, and planned to take it to school to show her teacher. (I'm very proud that she has, effectively, written her first blog post!)

During the day, Diane has been pottering with some patterns and a large sheet of fabric. She also managed to have a long telephone conversation with Lady Penelope. Meanwhile, I received a phone call from our car dealer to see if he could tempt me to come and buy a new car. I left it that I would consider it. I have also been editing the blog extract from 2014. That's about all there is to report.

Nothing

It has been a tranquil and relaxed day. It was a little grey to start with but brightened up later. Diane made the most of the weather and once she had finished a few chores, she sat in the garden with her Kindle for a few hours.

The Gorse Fox has been editing the journal extract for 2013. It's nearly finished and will be ready to stick on the print conveyor.

That's it.

Conveyor

 The Gorse Fox had his usual call with his cousins, this morning. The Australian contingent wasn't participating today, but the rest of the usual suspects were dialled in. It was a good call with plenty of banter and laughter.

After a few domestic chores, he returned to the editing. It took several more hours, but finally, the 2005 extract was complete. As he had two further volumes stacked up and ready to go he uploaded all of them to "Lulu.com" and now has three further volumes scheduled for printing (on top of the three he is expecting at the end of next week). Now he needs to do a second pass on 2013 and the following years so that he can get more sent off next week. He's building a sort of conveyor belt of journals.

Gorse Fox thinks he will set up a genealogy book for one branch of the family, as an experiment.

Diane has been making the most of the lovely warm sunshine and sitting in the garden listening to the radio through her earbuds.

Strop

 Ellie is generally a bubbly, chirpy bundle of joy. Now and then she has a moment! This morning was one of those moments. When the Gorse Fox arrived at Zoe's, Ellie was in a full-scale sulk. Nothing was right. No suggestion would appease her. She stomped around the house until it was time to leave for school. Even the walk to school made no difference and she really would not interact with any of her usual friends. We handed her over to the teacher - and wished her good luck!

Back home it was another semi-isolated day at home. The Gorse Fox edited journals and Diane pottered. Late morning, Zoe phoned. She had heard some more regarding the interview. There was still no confirmation regarding an offer, but they were asking her to select which stores would be best for her to complete her training. As the Gorse Fox said yesterday, the omens are good.

The postman rang the doorbell. Two nicely packed parcels were handed over. The first two years of the Gorse Fox's journal were handed over.

You will know that he had previously processed 2010. That was an experiment to see how it turned out, whether the photos bled through the paper, and how the editing could be improved. This was a very useful exercise because it changed the approach.

These two books are the first books printed using the new approach.

I'm very happy with the cover (and the back of the book has a quick summary of the year's highlights).

Inside, the photos have been standardised so that they fit into left and right columns and have room to overlap where the text allows.

The index also seems to work well and helps the reader find specific people, places, or events that have been featured.

The Gorse Foox has continued to process the raw data for 2005 today. He is hoping to get that finished over the weekend and then send 3 more books off for printing. (Currently, the printer is working on 3 years that he sent last weekend).

A Frisson of Excitement

 The Gorse Fox was up early. He had agreed to go to Zoe's to help get Ellie ready for school. Zoe would be distracted by the day's interview. As it happens, Ellie was more than capable of doing what was needed and Zoe was well ahead of schedule. There was no panic.

With Ellie deposited at school, Zoe returned home to get changed and head off for her interview. The Gorse Fox returned home for coffee and breakfast. Then the shopping arrived and after that was stowed, he headed to Sainsbury's for the top-up.  Everything was going smoothly so far.

We have had a loose door handle. The Gorse Fox decided to fix it. The mechanism was taken apart and lubricated before being reassembled. That was where things started going awry. Essentially it should be an easy task to screw a long machine screw into a female housing. The difficulty is that there is very little play in the holes and lining them up is a task that would try the patience of a saint. The Gorse Fox is not a saint. His patience was well and truly exhausted after the first ten minutes. It actually took nearly an hour to get it right and reassemble the whole mechanism.

We heard from Zoe. It sounds as if the interview went well. She was certainly buzzing. We must now wait and see if she was successful, but the omens seem positive.

Just Pottering

The Gorse Fox is tempted to say "Ditto".

There is really nothing new to report. The Gorse Fox did chat with Zoe, at length. She has a big interview tomorrow and he was keen that she was suitably prepared. Having chatted with her several times during the day, he thinks she is ready. My fingers and toes are crossed for tomorrow.

Other than that, the usual security escort duties were performed to and from school. Books were read and more editing was completed.

Not much

 There is very little to report. The Gorse Fox performed his usual escort duties to and from school.

Diane had a long chat on the phone with Jan, this afternoon. The Gorse Fox steam cleaned the hard floors and then returned to his editing. Progress is slow but steady. 

Did manage to have a chat with Paul in Connecticut over WhatsApp. They are getting ready for Michael and Emily's wedding. Their plan is to drop into the UK for a few days on their way home from Portugal. Hopefully, we will be in a position to meet with them. I was sorry to hear that cousin Claire has had some problems again and is probably concussed after a recent car accident. Let's hope she makes a quick recovery.

Not much is expected to happen until we get a date from the hospital.

Unremarkable

 After the events of the weekend with the Coronation in Westminster, and the Coronation Concert in Windsor, neither of which Diane and the Gorse Fox were invited to, we have had a quiet day at home. The highlight of the day may well have been the arrival of a stream of emojis on Diane's phone, from Ellie. They had a brief text-based conversation and then Diane was dismissed.

The rest of the day has been spent with Diane catching up on her summer-wear ironing and the Gorse Fox editing blog extracts from 2005.

Unremarkable!

Semi-Isolation

 Our semi-isolation continues as we try to ensure no pathogens are brought into the house that might delay Diane's operation. It does mean that we have to amuse ourselves with household chores and personal projects.

Today, Diane wanted to get a pile of her "stuff" ironed and ready for packing. The Gorse Fox continued with his editing of the 2005 blog extract. This is proving immensely time-consuming. Clearly, 2005 was the first full year of blogging and the Gorse Fox was still trying to find the most suitable way to record his completely random thoughts and activities. This means that, in retrospect, a great deal of editing, re-formatting and deleting is required. It has taken several hours today to process February and March for that year. In the end, the Gorse Fox was going boss-eyed. He retired to Orangery and finished his current book, then started a new one (that's 26 books he's finished this year).

Coronation

What a historic day. Diane and the Gorse Fox have been glued to the TV coverage of the King's Coronation. It was good to see it go off without a hitch despite the threats from the "Just Stop Oil" morons and the "Not My King" republicans. If only the police would take such immediate and decisive intervention when they block roads and bridges and stop normal people going about their daily business. Reading social media today it is clear that a lot of the anti-monarchists are desperately joyless individuals.

The Gorse Fox, as long-term readers will know, is no fan of Charles. That does not mean that he doesn't support the Monarchy. Our King or Queen is the latest part of our history stretching back over 1000 years. The Gorse Fox fully supports that historical position and is thankful for the continuity it provides. This is particularly the case when you see the antics in other countries as the rich and powerful vie for presidential status every few years and stoop to underhand tactics to discredit their opponents in order to gain their position.

The Gorse Fox's day started with his cousins' call and one particular cousin embarking on a rabid anti-monarchic rant. His sister pointed out that if he didn't like living in a monarchy he could always live somewhere else... as he lives in Turkey,  the point was moot. His tack changed to the fact that the House of Windsor was not English but was Germano-Greek. The Gorse Fox interrupted "I don't care" and bizarrely that defused and shut down the whole discussion.

God Save the King.

Red, White, and Blue

 Ellie's school had declared that the children should celebrate the King's Coronation by wearing red white and blue today. They also had a competition for those who wished to participate to make a crown. 

Ellie was up for the dress code but not interested in the crown. So it was that the Gorse Fox was greeted by Ellie's uniform for the day.

There was face paint...

There was the ribbon entwined plait...

and, of course, the red, white, and blue dress and cardigan.

She was very excited and couldn't wait to get to school. As the other children arrived it was clear that they had all entered into the spirit of the occasion.

It was clear they were going to have a good day and were excited by the Coronation. The Gorse Fox is old enough to have been alive at the previous coronation - but being only 1 year old cannot claim to have any recollection or major part in the ceremony!

Voting

 It was the local election day. The media are proudly espousing a significant disaster for the Conservative candidates. This is partly because people want to whip the Tories for after-effects of the furlough scheme and the fact that Putin has prosecuted a war on Ukraine and they think we should be insulated from the financial consequence. There are, however, Tories who will not vote because of the Westminster coup perpetrated by Rishi Sunak. 

The Gorse Fox thinks that anyone voting in these elections who cites either cause as the reason for their vote is probably a moron and shouldn't be allowed to vote. These are LOCAL elections. Councillors will not be able to impose a windfall tax on oil companies, they will not be able to stop the influx of illegal immigrants, and they will not be able to pay the NHS more. They are LOCAL elections. They have NO impact on any items espoused by the labour leaflets.

The Gorse Fox and Diane went to our polling station and voted. We chose the candidate that, week after week, has been out and about in our community checking for potholes, lobbying for our green spaces, and picking up litter. He is the best councillor we have ever had.

Coronation

With the Coronation of King Charles scheduled for this weekend, the Gorse Fox is horrified at the vitriol and hatred that is being spouted in (un)social media regarding this great occasion. The Monarchy provide an anchor of stability across the years and is a long-term asset for our country. The country has been a Monarchy for over 1000 years. If you don't like it then please leave and find a republic that suits your mindset - don't try to enforce that septic view on the rest of us.

Nursery

 The usual escort duties were performed and Ellie was delivered to school. A leisurely breakfast followed, but Diane was wanting some bits and pieces from the nearby nursery. As she isn't currently allowed to drive,  she asked the Gorse Fox to come. He was happy to help but in the end, wasn't needed.

Zoe called. She has been asked to attend a final interview for a new job on Thursday, next week. We are all very pleased for her and hope that it goes well. It sounds as if it should be well within her area of expertise. While she was talking to Diane, the subject of the nursey came up. She leapt in and said she would go along and Diane could go with her. Though it was about 11:00, the Gorse Fox (knowing what they were like) warned that dinner would be ready at 17:15. The trip went well and Diane got the items she was wanting.

The Gorse Fox, meanwhile, has completed the second edit of the 2011 blog extract. It is now ready for printing.

Back to work

 No. Not really. There is, however, a buzz that retirees experience on the first day after a Bank Holiday. That buzz says to you "Not my problem anymore. Let's go back to sleep".

The Gorse Fox went round to Zoe's to meet her and Ellie before school. Ellie lost her second front tooth over the weekend. It doesn't seem to trouble her in the least. She was ready and eager to get to school so the Gorse Fox performed his usual security escort to the classroom door. (It is not so much that she needs a security detail, it is more that everyone else does when she is hyped up and ready to learn).

Back home, suitable caffeinated and filled with toast and honey, the Gorse Fox and Diane planned a quick trip to the charity shop to deliver some clothes and shoes. This was to be followed by a stop at the pet store to collect some cat litter. The former task was completed, but the latter failed. They had none. Back home, the Gorse Fox checked another local branch. They had some but it couldn't be reserved without using their Click and Collect service. The Gorse Fox logged on and tried to buy two bags. He was denied. Their system said they had none in stock. He hopped in the car and drove to Chichester, marched to the back of the shop and picked up two of the bags they didn't have. Sorted.

Much of the rest of the day has been focused on the 2011 blog extract and preparing it for printing.

Pseudonyms

 The Gorse Fox has decided that in most cases, there is no real need to hide people behind their pseudonyms any more. From now on, most people will be identified with their real names.

Print Ready

 The Silver Vixen had a poor night's sleep last night. As soon as the Gorse Fox was awake, he snuck downstairs and tried to keep Jasper quiet while enjoying his first morning coffee.

The Silver Vixen spent the morning pottering in the bedrooms. The Gorse Fox returned to his editing. By the end of the day he had completed the re-edit of 2010 and now has 3 years' worth of extracts ready to send to the printer.

The Gorse Fox isn't saying it has been quiet today, but the front door is still chained and bolted. The weather has been mixed. We have had the odd shower, but much of the day has been sunny and bright. The Orangery was the ideal place to make the most of this.