Searching

Ellie pottered into our bedroom soon after 6:30. "Grandpa, where's my school iPad?" The last time I saw it was on the console table on the landing, but Di had moved it downstairs to the kitchen for some reason. So at this ridiculous time of the morning, I was wandering around the house looking for the iPad (which isn't an iPad, it's a Microsoft Surface). Finally, clutching the errant tablet, Ellie returned to her room and I returned to bed for another 25 minutes.

We had the usual morning protocol - coffee, tea, empty dishwasher, fruit for Ellie, ham for Ellie, bread and jam for Ellie, then ablutions and dressing for school. It was very wet so we sloshed through the puddles to get her to school before returning for our own breakfast.

Being Thursday, which is, traditionally, our shopping day, we headed for Sainsbury's. It wasn't urgent this week as I had shopped on Monday, but there was a list of items that would be needed before next Thursday. With our local Tesco still underwater, Sainsbury's had a lot of additional customers. Many of them clearly do not have the requisite etiquette for Sainsbury's stores or car parks. It was quite obvious who were regulars and who were interlopers.

Accounts were updated and I answered some emails before settling down for a quiet afternoon with the Kindle. Diane went along to join Zoe in meeting Ellie from school. I stayed put with the Kindle.

Walk on the Wild Side

It was decidedly grey when I got up. Rain was forecast, but not until the afternoon. ~I strolled around to Zoe's and escorted Ellie to school, with Zoe. She has a partial day off but has to work in the Horsham store overnight to help with their stock take.

Diane's Pilates had been cancelled. The organizer had come down with COVID-19, so the girls had the morning off. Arun Amblers had football arranged, but I had not put my name on the list. I am a bit fed up with the politics, inconsistency, and occasional hypocrisy regarding the interpretation of the rules. I decided I could get as much (or more) exercise by walking along the promenade. Diane debated whether to join me, but decided she wanted to process the pile of ironing instead.

I pottered off and left the car at West Park. I then walked through Marine Park Gardens to the promenade. 

I headed east along the promenade (which was deserted). There was a weak and watery sun, but it was bright enough for me to wear my sunglasses.

As I approached the pier, I dropped down onto the beach. The tide was on its way out and there was a large expanse of damp sand just begging for my footprints.

I ducked down under the pier and grabbed this view against the wishy-washy sky.

My walk along the beach continued until a stretch where the tide had not yet receded far enough for me to continue. I climbed the shingle bank to the promenade and continued up to where the walkway is blocked at the mouth of the Rife.

I turned around and headed back. By the time I arrived at the car, I had been walking for nearly an hour and completed nearly 6km.

The early afternoon was spent with our Kindles. Zoe collected Ellie from school and dropped her off with us before heading for Horsham. Ellie will be staying with us overnight. Since getting in from school she has done a lot of maths practice and completed a project about the Arctic.

Nothing of Note

It was a cold night. The temperatures had dropped to 2C and, though bright, it was chilly when I walked to Zoe's to take Ellie to school. 

The morning was uneventful. Carl came to do the windows, I updated the accounts, and I prepared the Travel sub-folder for our November break. I did spend some time researching Anti-Virus offerings for the Mac but did not come to any firm conclusion. I will revisit this later. I did spend some time browsing the virtual shelves of Amazon's Kindle Unlimited Library. This resulted in several more books being downloaded to my Kindle in preparation for future reads.

We spent a few hours with our books before collecting Ellie from school. Once back home, and she had finished raiding our snack supplies, she settled down with Nana to work on her times tables until dinner was ready.

Zoe has just collected her, so were are preparing to settle down for a quiet evening.

A Semblance of Normal

We are back to a semblance of normality. Zoe was on a 09:00 start which meant she had time to drop Ellie at school. In turn, this meant that I didn't have to get up at 06:45 and could stroll around the corner at 08:20. A relaxing start to the day. (Though the northeast wind was bitterly cold).

As soon as Ellie was dropped at school, I headed off to Sainsbury's. Having not shopped last week, and having run the fridge down to empty, a major restock was required.  It took me about an hour to fill the trolley with all of the items we required, but I was soon home.

It was time to collect Jasper. Mark had called to let us know his drive was flooded and we should alert him when nearby, and then he would bring Jasper out to us. It all went remarkably smoothly and we managed to talk to him about a booking for late November. Back home, with Jasper patrolling his domain, I phoned The Victoria and managed to change the dates we had reserved last week, The change means that we all get the rooms we prefer.

Trevor's iMac arrived, so we exchanged various messages about setting it up. He now seems pretty well set.

We met Ellie from school and she has spent an hour or so on various aspects of maths homework. Zoe has just been along to collect her.

And Home

The wind had howled around the hotel throughout the night. It was a bleak start to the day.  A Yellow weather warning was in place for all along the south coast today.

We had done some preliminary packing before going to bed last night. We finished it before breakfast and I made several trips to the car to load the boot. As I came back from one trip, I stopped at reception to settle the bill. A little old lady was settling up next to me. She was complaining that she couldn't find the final total on the bill. The receptionist patiently showed her the total on the second page, to which the old lady complained that it was a stupid way of presenting a bill. She then went on to complain that the newspapers, she had requested had been itemised and charged. I had the feeling, as I walked away, that she was trying it on.

We had breakfast and then said our goodbyes and set off on the King's highways. Jane and Trevor headed for Dart's Farm and then the M5/M4, and we headed for the A35/A31/M27. Despite the weather, we had an excellent run-through and were home in under three hours,

We were soon unpacked and spent a quiet afternoon with our Kindles.

Mixed Bag

We both had a good night's sleep and woke refreshed. It looked a bit grey at first but the sun came out just before I took this photo. By the time I had grabbed the camera and opened the balcony door, it had hidden itself behind the morning clouds. The forecast suggests we will have some light rain for the next hour or so and then it will brighten up.

The plan (always subject to change) is to spend the day here in Sidmouth.
 

We had a leisurely breakfast and then went our own ways. Diane and I walked down into town intending to look for a Birthday card and wander around some shops. We spent quite a while in a gallery/shop called Azure. This had some lovely artworks and ceramics but nothing that tempted us. We carried on window shopping and then decided to grab a coffee in "!4 Miles East". No trip to Sidmouth is complete without a stop in the toy shop. We ended up with several jigsaw puzzles. Two for Ellie, and one for Diane.

We decided to drop our purchase back at the hotel. This proved to be a wise move. As we entered the foyer, it started to rain. The rain didn't last long,  and we set out for a walk along Jacob's Ladder and through Connaught Gardens. 

We were somewhat surprised as we left the hotel to find three Harris Hawks perched on the lawn, preparing to scare the gulls from around the hotel. They were drying themselves in the sun before being allowed to fly and wreak havoc.

The walk along Jacob's Ladder was lovely in the warm sunshine. There was a large number of people on the beach, and on the walkway, making the most of the weather. I dropped down onto the sand to take some photos before rejoining Di on the path.

We walked on as far as the West beach then walked up the slope to the gardens. We picked a bench and sat down to enjoy the warm sun. That didn't last for too long as we were mercilessly attacked by an errant shower of rain. We headed for one of the shelters and sat watching the sea as the shower passed over.

We completed our walk around the gardens and then headed back down to the esplanade where we walked up as far as we could to the mouth of the River Sid. Strolling back, we stopped for an ice cream - again just missing a shower of rain. By the time we emerged, there was a vivid rainbow painting the cliffs to the east of us.

When we got back to the hotel, my new Kindle had arrived so we sat in the lounge with a cup of tea while I set it up.

We met up with Jane and Trevor in the bar before sitting down for our final dinner of this trip.

Brighter

We had a brighter start to the day. The sun was straining to gain ascendance over the ragged clouds. Diane had slept well and I had slept lightly (the hotel rooms are hot and I find it dries me out). 

Today's plans are not set in concrete, but the likelihood is that we will go to Lyme Regis. The one firm plan, however, is that we are meeting up for breakfast at 09:00.

During breakfast, I ordered a replacement Kindle which should be delivered to the hotel tomorrow. Using the iPad as an interim alternative is all very well, but it's a bit big and a bit heavy when lying in bed trying to read.

We decided that the trip to Lyme Regis would go ahead and met up by the car at 10:30. Trevor was kind enough to do the driving today and we drove along the coastal road and over the border into Dorset. We took a quick tour around the town before finding somewhere to park but then strolled down and along the river bank to the Town Mill. 

From there we dropped down to the seafront and took a gentle walk along the promenade towards the harbour and the the famous Cobb. The sun was still trying hard, and we stopped for a coffee, sitting out in the February sunshine and enjoying the view.

With the requisite amount of caffeine coursing through our veins, we continued to the harbour and walked along the wall to look back at the town nestling beneath threatening clouds. Some light rain started to fall but the sun had not conceded the fight. A rainbow was cast protectively across the pastel shades of the town.

We slowly made our way back and stopped in the High Street to look in the shops. Di and I popped into the Old Red Lion Hotel where we stayed some 30 years ago. By the time we came out, it was raining heavily. We scampered across the road, but the kerb was very high so I tried to help Diane up, unfortunately, she twisted and ended up on the floor with a very wet backside. Thank goodness she wasn't hurt.

We went into the Fossil Shop to allow Di to wipe herself down a bi,t and shelter from the rain. We took the opportunity to have a good look around. It really was a treasure house for dino-philes (if there is such a word). We spent about 30 minutes in the shop and then went back through some alleyways to meet up with Jane and Trevor back at the Town Mill.

We decided that a drink and a snack was the order of the hour, so snuck into The Ship and made ourselves comfortable in the corner. We ordered our food and Di disappeared to the Ladies' room where she was found, by Jane, trying to dry her leggings by poking her backside at the hot-air hand drier. Jane provided assistance by waving her hands under the sensor that kept the drier blowing. If only there had been CCTV!

Talking of strange goings-on, as we finished our food, a man walked into the pub with a white parrot on his shoulder. (It sounds like the start of a joke). I couldn't resist and went across to ask if he would mind if I took his photo. He replied, "Better than that..." and put the bird on my shoulder. It felt like the start of a Monty Python sketch.

From the pub, we made our way back to the car and came back to the hotel for a pot of tea in the Lounge. Then we had a quiet hour or so back in our rooms before meeting up for a drink in the bar and dinner.

It had been an excellent day and we were all quite taken with Lyme Regis.

Greenway

I was up at 07:00, shaved, showered and dressed and sat down at the MacBook with Diane still fast asleep.  Slowly she stirred, and I made some tea and coffee to jump-start the day. Looking out of the window revealed a murky start to the day. While Di was getting washed and dressed itook the opportunity of opening all the wonderful Birtday cards that I had been given. I am a lucky man, indeed.

We had agreed to meet for breakfast at 08:45 as we needed to get on the road by 10:00. It all worked very well, breakfast was done and dusted, and we were ready by the car in plenty of time.

We set off toward Torbay, which meant a loop up via Exeter, then a drive down the M5 and A380 towards Kingswear. This meant traversing the ring road around Torquay and Brixham, which must have more traffic lights than central London. Eventually, we popped out the other side and turned through Galmpton towards Greenway, the holiday home of Agatha Christie.

We parked the car and made our way through the rain to the house. At the house, we were greeted by one of the National Trust volunteers who gave us guidebooks and a short briefing about the house. We then made our through the various rooms which had been left exactly as they had been used when the family lived there.

It was a charming house with stunning views over the River Dart. When the family lived there, however, they allowed the trees and shrubs to obscure the view in order to ensure their privacy. We chatted with a couple of the volunteers as we worked our way around with a long chat in Agatha's bedroom regarding her wardrobe's contents and another long chat in the library regarding a mural that had been painted by US servicemen who were billeted there in the run-up to ~D-Day.

From the house, we made our way to the NT Cafe where where Trevor treated us to a cream tea. This was the perfect interlude because the rain seemed to finally give up and the sun started to venture out.

We walked down through the gardens to the little boathouse on the river bank. There were a few steep stretches but we managed them without any drama. The path was well-signposted and the rhododendrons, camellias, and magnolias decorated the route as we progressed. Some of the views were quite enchanting as we looked downriver towards Dartmouth or upriver to Dittisham.

We retraced our steps, climbing back up the path to the house. After a comfort break it was time to head for the car and make our way home. Diane and Jane were given lift to the car park in an electric buggy while Trevor and I walked.

The journey back to the hotel took us just over an hour but once back, we settled in the lounge for cup of tea and a beer, and Jane and Trevor, kindly gave me a Birthday present.

Back in our room I had calls from both Zoe and Kim to wish me a Happy Birthday.

We went down to the bar for aa quiet drink before dinner and then made our way to the dining room for the usual sumptuous repast. My ice cream dessert cam on a decorated plate and the band played Happy Birthday as it was delivered.

We sat and chatted in the lounge for a while and then headed for our rooms. It was there that the first problem of the day arose. My Kindle would not switch on, nor switch off. It just sat there with its metaphorical tongue out. It has provided great service over the years, but methinks it is time to order a new one.

Sidmouth

Ellie was dropped off soon after 07:00. She had forgotten her school bag and trainers! Darren had to drop them off to us when he was ready to head off to work. Ellie pottered around helping Nana get ready for our little break. While they both pottered, I checked the screen washer on the car and then started to load the boot. By the time we dropped Ellie at school, everything was packed. We did the school run and then headed home for a final comfort break before the journey.

The weather was foul as we headed west. The rain, spray, and surface water spiced the journey with a good shot of adrenalin. The first part of the journey was not helped by the failure of the automatic cruise control to engage. We eventually got to Bridport for our customary comfort break. We had tea and a blueberry muffin before I filled the petrol tank, and we set off on the final stretch. This last 30 miles was plagued by flooded sections of road. None of these floods was deep enough to prevent cars from getting through, but they were deep enough to cause slow single-file traffic. At one point I thought I saw a pilot boat preparing to help, but it may have been my imagination.

We arrived at The Victoria just before 12:30, checked in, and settled down in the lounge for a drink and a sandwich. Jane and Trevor arrived about 45 minutes later. 

After an initial chat, we decided to take a walk into town. This meant that the girls (and I use that term loosely) disappeared into the knitwear triangle. The rain had stopped and it was drying up nicely. Trevor and I continued our walk and watched the angry waves crashing against the cliffs and the breakwaters. After a while, we headed back to join the girls but were caught by the Crew Clothing black hole. This sucked us in and we found the only way to escape the gravitational pull was to purchase a sweater each. Eventually, all of the shopping gods were sated and we could safely leave the knitwear triangle and head back to the hotel.

We met up in the bar for canapes and a drink before dinner and then moved on to the restaurant where we had several more courses with a bottle of wine. Eventually, we wandered into the lounge for some tea and coffee. We chatted on until about 22:00 then headed back to our rooms.

Getting Ready

Zoe had a late start this morning. This meant that I could stroll around the corner and meet up to escort Ellie to school. Zoe has an Excel spreadsheet for work that she wants to amend, so she showed me the basic structure so that I could give it some thought and then help her next week.

With Jasper at the Spa we had an undisturbed night. Once I had finished breakfast I started to gather the clothes I would need to pack for our tip. I'm sure I have packed too much, but I have catered for most eventualities (given the nature of our weather). Other than some last-minute items, everything is ready for the car. We plan to drop Ellie at school and then head off immediately. The forecast is dreadful, so it is likely to be an unpleasant drive.

Talking of the car, I returned to yesterday's attempt to update the SatNav. I downloaded the update material again and, on my Dell laptop, unzipped and copied all the files to the same SDCard as before. The SDCard was inserted into the requisite slot (like yesterday), and the Nav system was started. It immediately recognised the update, and I told it to install. I had to sit there while it processed the update because the car's security system wouldn't let me leave it running. An hour later, it was done, and the car now had a sparkly new set of maps.

We collected Ellie from school, and she stayed with us for dinner. I received an email from Saga Cruises regarding our planned river cruise in the Spring. jane and Trevor had also received a similar email. To make sure we got the excursions that we wanted, we decided to strike while the iron was hot. Diane and I went through the options and selected our preferred excursions. We compared them with Jane and Trevor and found that they matched pretty well. I went online and booked immediately.

Inset Day

Ellie was dropped off soon after 07:00. It wasn't the usual school run today. The teachers have an Inset Day which means the school is closed. Ellie would be with us for the bulk of the day. She was her usual chirpy self as she had breakfast and went to get washed and dressed. She had a play date arranged for the morning so at 09:00 I walked her along to Lorraine's where she would play with Maddie for the rest of the morning.

We finished our breakfast and waited on tenterhooks to see where Jasper would hide. We had him fooled this time. He swaggered into the kitchen for a snack. We closed the door behind him and I brought the carrier in and left it open. We left him alone for 5 minutes or so, allowing him time to quieten down a bit. H~e scooped up and placed in the carrier and the carrier was loaded into the car. An hour later we were home and Jasper was settling in for his latest spa break with Mark.

Ellie arrived back at midday. She was a bit "hyper" but soon calmed down at the sight of lunch. She seemed to eat nonstop for an hour or so, then settled down with Nana to do some homework and start preparing for a forthcoming school project.

While researching interference on the DAB radio in the car, I discovered that there was an update for the SatNav. This occupied far too much of the afternoon., without achieving anything. The SDCard is prepared for another attempt in the morning. (This is the 3rd time I have prepared the card). Let's hope this works.

There has been another breakdown in communications between the Hospital's AntiCoag clinic and our local Surgery. For the second time in a couple of weeks, Diane has received a text from the Surgery claiming she last took an INR test in November and that they will stop prescribing Warfarin. This, of course, is both worrying and absolute tosh. She, again, phoned the AntiCoag Clinic and they, again, confirmed that they send a monthly report to the surgery with the relevant information. She then photocopied the results from all of her INR tests, took them around to the surgery and told them how upset she was that they clearly didn't check the information from the hospital. The (very nice) receptionist explained that the Pharmacy Technician had gone home but she would leave all of the relevant information for her to collect and action in the morning. (We also heard from the AntiCoag Clinic who had sent a stroppy email to the surgery). Hopefully, this will be resolved.

Quotas

 I'm not saying that it was wet overnight and this morning, but there is a Fisheries Protection vessel patrolling the fields beyond the North Bersted bypass, keeping a close eye on a fleet of French trawlers and checking they don't exceed their quotas.

Fighting through the flooded roads, I drove to the Arena for football. We had a 6-v-5 turnout today. For once, I was on the team with 6. It still looked like we would get a sound thumping, but we dug in. We didn't dig deep enough. We were 2-0 down within a couple of minutes. It took us a while but gradually we got a grip on the game and ended up 13-9 winners. Unfortunately, towards the end, Paul tackled me, tripping both himself and me. He went down first, and I landed on top of him with my knee crunching into his ribs. He tried to play on, but it was clear that he needed to go off. We swapped a player for the last few minutes while Paul looked on.

This afternoon, enjoying the sunshine in the Orangery, I finished reading my latest book but realised I didn't have any new ones ready to go. I spent an hour or so looking through the offerings from Kindle Unlimited, downloading a selection of new books and making a list of others that had caught my eye.

Harking back

Another grey start to the day - and I'm not referring to the colour of ever-diminishing hair. I consumed the jump-start coffee and the online newspapers then prepared for the call with my cousins.

Like last week, we had another new face on the call. Simon's son Dominic dialled in from Western Australia. He's in the Australian Navy but is back home at the moment. It was a good call with plenty of teasing and banter.

The nice man from Amazon arrived with my new charging cables, plugs, and storage boxes. I grabbed my label maker and set about separating all the cables into their respective boxes and labelling them. I even found a good place to store them. Very satisfying.

The rest of the day saw Diane in her sewing room and me watching old videos from the 1990s. This has helped me fill in more gaps in the 1990's journal. It has also provided some still frames where normal photos don't exist. Progress on the journal is slow, I have just started to process June 1991. There is a long way to go! I have just realised that another data source that will help fill in some gaps is the collection of emails and letters I have archived. It is a good job that even in the 80s and 90s I was already making sure that I retained my various communications.

Cables

There had been rain overnight, but it was drying up when I ventured downstairs for a coffee. I do enjoy these leisurely mornings when there is nothing in the diary. It wasn't quite the same for Diane. She had her Cardiac Rehab session at the local Community Centre.

Left alone, I finished reading the news and social media and then started to think about our forthcoming trip. We had decided to visit Greenway, the one-time home of Agatha Christie. Car parking is limited and needs to be pre-booked, so that was my first task. A suitable slot has been selected and our name is on it!

The thing about travel in the 2020s is the number of devices that we take with us. Each of these needs some form of charging device and an associated cable. Standards evolving, as they do, have left us with USB-A, USB-B, USB-B Mini, USB-C, and Lightning (1-4) connectors on the various charging cables. This means that at least one of each requisite cable type must be packed to keep the devices ready for use. I spent a couple of hours sorting through all the cable types I had accumulated. I then considered the charging devices (plugs) and sorted them. I decided I need some small, stackable boxes (Diane's idea), in which I can keep them all separated by type. The nice man from Amazon has promised to deliver them to me on Monday.

We frightened the car when Di got back from her exercises. We gave the interior a thorough clean. The car must think it's a birthday!

We had some quiet time with our books, and then Di returned to her sewing while I pottered about until it was time to start preparing dinner.

But It's a Dry Heat

At least it wasn't raining when I awoke. In fact, though grey, it was bright and the sun poked through later in the morning.

Once we had broken our fast and topped up our caffeine, we headed off to Sainsbury's (no longer having to wait for Ocado). It didn't seem to take us too long but the boot of the car was full by the time we set off home.

There was a bit of admin to clear. The meter readings were logged and the accounts were updated. Diane had retreated to the sewing room so I returned to my study and opened the 1990 Journal to continue with the editing. The focus was our holiday in the August heat of Arizona. I reviewed the old video masters and was able to piece together the story of the trip. Many outings were not supported by suitable photos so I had to perform frame grabs from the videos. This worked well, and by mid-afternoon the post facto journal of the trip was complete.

I settled down with my book for an hour before starting to prepare dinner. As I put the Kindle away, Zoe and Ellie arrived. They had just returned from their trip to Legoland. Ellie was clearly tired from the excitement, all the walking, and the travelling. She had enjoyed a wonderful day and was eager to provide us with a commentary on all the photos that were taken during the day. (I wonder if I can convince her that it is never too early to start writing a journal).

Always Check

We had several phone calls yesterday evening - all from Zoe, Ellie, or Darrren. Once Ellie was in bed, Zoe phoned, she was greatly excited that Darren had managed to score some tickets for an overnight stay and entrance into Legoland for an incredible price. It sounded almost too good to be true. We wished them a good time and returned to our TV programme. Fifteen minutes later, Darren called back. They had started looking into the details of the offer (which they had already purchased). There was a fly (or should I say flight) in the ointment - the tickets were not for Legoland in Windsor, they were for Denmark. A few frantic phone calls were made, and they managed to get a refund. It did send me off to bed with a chuckle.

The alternate pillow was much better last night. I slept well. I woke to a grey, wet morning with persistent rain forecast for the rest of the day. After a quiet breakfast, we got ready for our Wednesday sports. We drove to Angmering, and I dropped Diane at her Pilates session. I then carried on to Worthing for football. It was pretty miserable out on the pitch, but we played without goalkeepers so that nobody was left standing still. The game was great fun, made better by ditching the 3-touch rule and ignoring the "walking" part of the game. The final score was 8-7 (to the other team), but I felt that I had played well and stopped a lot of attacks. I was, however, soaked to the skin. I'm getting back into the swing of it.

Back home, a quiet afternoon was planned. Diane returned to her sewing after a frustrating session trying to sort out a problem with Amazon. I was called into action to collect Zoe from the local tyre fitters. They were fitting 3 new tyres to her car and it would be a while. She didn't want to wait, so Dad's Uber was summoned. Back home I settled for a bit, knowing the return trip would be needed. The call came through and I took her back. Finally, I could settle with my book - which I finished.

Vet

I did not feel rested when I awoke. I had a new pillow and it evidently does not suit me. I felt as if my neck had been stretched all night.  We have another spare, so I shall try that tonight. If that doesn't work I predict a trip to John Lewis. 

The main excitement for the morning was taking Jasper to a new Vet. He was wandering around us right up to the time we needed to put him in the (hidden) carrier. At that point, he disappeared under Ellie's bed. We had to move the furniture and then move the bed in order to get him out. Unfortunately, he chose this moment to have a wee. We got him into the carrier and loaded him into the car. Ten minutes later we were at the Vets'. He had his initial consultation, had his claws clipped, and had a lump checked (and drained). We were given some antibiotics for him and soon had him back home.

Back home we returned to Ellie's room, cleaned up the mess and then moved everything back where it belonged.

Diane returned to her sewing and I spent a little time with my book. Mid-afternoon, Diane had a long chat with Jan Mabbott over the phone. I returned to my journals. I now have a chronological list of what we did while in Arizona and I'm slowly going through recording my recollections of each and selecting suitable photos to illustrate the text.

Mind the Gap

I had a very lazy start to the day, not rising until 07:45. Coffee called and I had to respond. We heard from Zoe during the evening yesterday. Ellie hadn't lasted at the sleepover. Two of the other guests were playing about and wouldn't let Ellie get to sleep, so she asked to go home. I trust she had a lie-in this morning.

After breakfast, I gathered up detritus that had accumulated (mainly in the garage) since Christmas. It was time to visit the local "Household Waste Recycling Centre". The car was loaded and I headed for the tip. It didn't take long, but in the end, I disposed of Xmas wrapping paper, boxes, old shoes, a saucepan (that leaked) and various other items for disposal. It was very satisfying. 

I returned home and settled back into the task of editing the 1990 journal. Progress is slow. I have, however, just arrived at the start of our holiday in Arizona. The problem with this is that I didn't keep a journal during that wonderful holiday. There is a huge gap in my diaries and notebook. I did, however, take a great deal of video while we were there. I have been trawling through the videos intending to list the major things we did during the time we were there. I'll also try to create a few photo collages to illustrate it. (Note to self: if you get the chance to use a time machine, go back to the summer of 1990 and take notes during the family holiday).

Diane spent much of the day on her sewing machine. I spent the afternoon with my latest book enjoying the warmth as the sun beat down through the glass.

Useful

I had a full night's sleep but didn't feel I had slept deeply. Never mind, there was coffee and toast to consume before I headed off to football.

We had a strange game today. It was a straightforward 5-vs-5, but at first glance, the teams seemed a little lop-sided. Within the first minute, we were 1-0 ahead. Within 3 minutes, we were losing 1-3. Within 10 minutes, we were losing 1-7. Then we started to find our MoJo (though I hadn't realised it had been mislaid). By halftime, the score was even at 10-10. The second half began and we went ahead, then they caught up. We went ahead again. They caught up again. The final score was 15-15, so clearly, the sides hadn't been lop-sided after all. It had been a great game, and I had provided assists for 6 of our goals, though didn't score myself. For the first Sunday game since returning, I felt I had really contributed and had played well.

Back home, Di had been pottering and was preparing to return to the sewing. I caught up on some social media and then submerged myself in my latest book until it was time to start on dinner. Zoe popped in a couple of times during the afternoon. Firstly to borrow our vacuum cleaner and then to return it. She has a new one on order. Ellie was due back from Pete's at 15:00 and was then heading off to a sleepover for her friend Bonnie's birthday.

Deliveries

It was 07:40 before I saw the light of day. We had both had a good night's sleep probably due to Jasper having an undisturbed night.

After the usual start to the day, I had the Cousins' Zoom call. We had a new participant today as Cate, the daughter of Simon, joined the call. She has just sold her car, is leaving her job, packing up her house, and preparing to come to the UK for an indeterminant period. Her idea is to settle in Inverness. I suspect she will notice the marked difference in temperature between Western Australia and northeast Scotland! It was a good call with plenty of ribbing and banter all around.

Yesterday evening, as we were watching TV and Jasper was snuggled on Diane's lap, he suddenly stood up and vomited. Di managed to catch most of it on his blanket, but some inevitably hit the floor. This morning I set about the residual stains with the carpet cleaner. We were lucky. Our quick intervention last night prevented any permanent discolouration.

The rest of the morning was spent working on the journals for the 1990s. I have now completed 47 pages and have 130 to go. 

As I tapped away at the keyboard, the doorbell rang. It was the postman delivering the printed version of the Journal for the 1980s, a package for Diane, and the new shoes I ordered. I unpacked the Journal and skimmed through it. It looks great. I unpacked the shoes and tried them on. They were a little stiff but I have been wearing them all afternoon and they are breaking in nicely.

The doorbell rang. It was the EVRI delivery driver with a package from Amazon for Diane. She was busy with her sewing pattern but interrupted her progress to check the package.

I settled down and finished my book during the afternoon. The doorbell rang. It was Amazon's own delivery driver with a pile of packages for us. Several of them were for Diane, and one was a new pair of trousers I had ordered during the week. I tried them on - perfect. I don't think we are expecting any further deliveries today.

Day Off

Oh yes, I forgot. I'm retired and every day is a day off. Not that I'm gloating!

After my morning coffee, I wandered around to Zoe's. Ellie was not exactly bubbling. Today, after school, she had the Valentine Disco. Clothes were selected and bought, and the outfit was settled on Monday. This morning, it was "all change". She still looked as cute as a button, but there had evidently been some stress involved in the final selection. Zoe and I walked her to school, and by the time she was there, she was back to normal. 

I came home for another coffee and some breakfast while Diane headed out for her Cardiac Rehab session. While she was gone, I tried to solve a niggling problem I had been experiencing with the SIM in the car. When working, this should keep me in touch with the latest travel data and Skoda's various "connected" services. I had my notes and was ready to pounce when Di returned with the car. As it happened, there was very little to do. I re-seated the SIM card, and everything burst back to life. I suspect it had shaken loose as I traversed the potholes that make up the local road surface.

After lunch, the sun had come out and the Orangery was beckoning. I grabbed my Kindle and settled down to read. Within a few minutes, Kim arrived. (As explained earlier in the week, she has some vacation days to use up). She settled down with us, and we had a lovely couple of hours catching up on her news, her recent break in the shepherd's hut, and Jon's trip to see his Mum.

After she left, we returned to our books until it was time to collect Ellie from the Disco. Clearly, all the kids had enjoyed themselves and were now looking forward to half term. By the time I got home with Ellie, Pete was waiting to sweep her up and take her home for the weekend.

Overall, it was a quiet day - a day off.

YOLO

Yep, You Only Live Once (unless you are Buddhist), but we'll come to that in a minute.

There was a lot of heavy rain overnight. Though the rain didn't disturb us, Jasper decided at 4 am that a full recital of Wagner's Ring Cycle would brighten our morning. He was wrong. Diane cajoled him and eventually, he quietened down and we dozed until it was time to get up. Ellie was dropped off soon after 07:00 and we went through the usual schoolday agenda, dropping her at school and arriving home for breakfast (soaked, in this case).

Back to YOLO and the fact that even retirees can live on the edge, we had cancelled the Ocado delivery. We marched into Sainsbury's with our combined list and wandered the aisles hunting the required comestibles. We could hardly contain our excitement. Remaining calm, as befits people of our age, we paid for the shopping and headed home. We had survived, and thus far, don't appear to have forgotten anything.

We had our usual quiet hour or so with the books before I ventured back into the rain to collect Ellie. Talking of rain, I have realised that my waterproof (GoreTex) shoes leak. They are quite old and have provided good service, but it is time they were replaced. I spent a stupid amount of time online looking for some suitable smart casual shoes that were waterproof. I hope that I have been successful but won't know until the package turns up.

Zoe came along at about 5 pm to collect Ellie.

 

Back and Forth

Zoe had a day off. This meant there was no need for Ellie to be dropped off, so we had a brief lie-in. We couldn't laze around for too long as I still had to escort Ellie and Zoe to the school.

Back home, I changed into my football gear and Diane was already wrapped in her Pilates kit. We headed off towards Angmering. The roads were lovely and clear and we whizzed across in no time. I dropped Diane and then went on to Worthing for the football.

The game started as a 6-v-5. I was on the yellow team with just 5 players. We had no recognised goalkeepers on the pitch, so I played in goal for the first half. It was a good game, and we were 3-2 ahead at the halftime whistle. Ross, one of the orange team, had to drop out because he was having some trouble with his asthma. This evened up the sides. I played on the pitch for the second half. In the end, we won with a convincing 5-3 scoreline. (No goals from me today).

I headed back to Angmering and collected Diane. We drove home and as we started to unload the car she asked "Where's my coat?". Oops, it had been left behind at the Community Centre. I showered, changed, and we headed back to Angmering. The coat was retrieved and all was well.

We had a quiet afternoon, though Di went to collect Ellie and take her home, where Zoe was still with the hairdresser.

I've just had a call from Ellie. "Grandpa, someone is trying to spook me and Maddie," I asked a couple of questions to check that this was not some online contact. It wasn't. She continued "I have lots of evidence written down on two sheets of paper," I told her that was good and that she should show me in the morning. She responded, "I must go now, I will continue to investigate."

I look forward to her apprehending the miscreant.

The 1990s

It has been a mild, grey, dreich day. Ellie was dropped off at the usual time and munched her way through breakfast before going up to wash and dress. Once ready, she returned to the table to read some more of her book to Grandpa before school. 

Once back from the school run, we dropped into our mental list of chores. When they were out of the way, Diane returned to her sewing pattern and I updated the household accounts. With the accounts out of the way, I returned to the journal from the 1990s. I worked through until lunchtime but have only got as far as page 34 out of 178. I think this will take quite a while, but it is fun reminiscing as I read the letters we exchanged during my trips.

The afternoon was spent finishing my latest book and starting a new one. We collected Ellie from school, but she was only with us for about 10 minutes before Darren came to collect her.

All Change

Kim called us last night. Jon has had to go to Spain to see his mum (who is very ill). Kim has some holiday to use up, so she has booked a shepherd's hut for her and the dogs for a few day's break. She sent us some photos and it looks idyllic.

Today was Zoe's first day at the new store. This meant that, with a 07:00 start, she didn't need to leave home until 06:50. It's relatively civilised. It did mean, however, that Ellie was still dropped off just after 07:00 by Darren on his way off to work. Ellie was her usual bubbly self, and once fed, washed, and dressed, she sat down with me to do some reading before school.

Once Ellie had been dropped at school, Diane prepared to go out and meet her friend Angie for a coffee in Littlehampton. This left Jasper in charge, but he slunk off and went to sleep somewhere. That left me in charge. After some domestic chores involving the steam cleaner, I headed off into the village to get my hair cut.

Back home, feeling decidedly chilly around the ears, I headed for the study. The 1980s Journal may have been put to bed, but the 1990s were waiting in the wings. I made a start. The early part of the 90s seems to be documented primarily in letters sent when I was on business trips, or sent to my cousins in the US and Canada. There is a lot of work to do on this.

Di arrived home at lunchtime, and after a snack, we took up our positions in the lounge and managed an hour with the Kindles until it was time to collect Ellie. With Zoe working just around the corner, Ellie wasn't with us for long and by 16:30, she had gone, and a calm descended on the house.

Stand down

We couldn't muster sufficient players for football today. This meant there was no hurry to get going and I allowed myself the luxury of a lie-in until 07:45. I grabbed a coffee and read the news until Di emerged an hour later.

Once the day had started for real, I returned to Ellie's bedroom carpet and had another session trying to clear the stains left by Jasper last week. Whilst they are better than they were, there is still some faint, residual discolouration.

My journal from the 1980s was next on my agenda. In fact, I spent the rest of the day finishing the main edit and then going back through refining the index. It was finally complete and I have sent it off for printing. Next, I will start on the 1990s - a great deal of which is documented in letters rather than diary entries.

Di, meanwhile, finished some ironing and then spent the rest of the day working on a sewing pattern. This occupied much of the kitchen work surface - which is ideal for projects. She finished just in time for me to start on dinner.

Spooky or Coincidence

 It started as a typical Saturday.  I wandered downstairs a little later than during the week, grabbed a coffee and read the news. When Diane came down, I went and dressed and then prepared for my call with the cousins. The call followed the usual storyline of news, reminiscences, banter and general good humour. They are a nice bunch.

Last week, Jane had given me a bunch of old letters and papers written by my mum and dad back in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. I set about scanning these and filing them in my genealogy folders. As I filed each letter, I read it, and where no date was included, tried to work out from the content or the handwriting when it was likely to have been written. (Are you with me so far?)

One letter, written when Dad was about 7 years old, asked his aunt and uncle "Have you seen John Rickerby?" This was a name I had never heard before and I thought no more of it. I was trying to use other context from the letter to determine its date. I needed Dad's sister's birth date. I fired up a browser and logged in to Ancestry. My Home page was displayed. There was a band of recent DNA matches near the top. The first entry was a Laura Rickerby, who is apparently a distant cousin. I was gobsmacked. Rarely has my gob been so smacked! What are the chances of me finding a reference in a 1930s letter to a name I had never previously known and the first website I look at after that claims someone with the same family name is in fact a cousin?

I immediately wrote a message to Laura and now wait with eager anticipation for a reply.

The rest of the day has been spent doing some chores in the garden and cleaning up after Jasper in Ellie's bedroom. I also managed to finish my latest book and have downloaded a new one.

MOT

We were up in time for Ellie to be dropped off. She was very chirpy this morning but wasn't interested in doing any schoolwork before we took her to school. This was fine as she was up-to-date with her homework. 

Back home, Diane got ready for her Cardiac Rehab session at the Community Centre. I had a quick breakfast and prepared to walk to the local surgery. I have probably mentioned that I was intrigued that everyone I knew was subjected to an annual health check (MOT), yet I was never called. This year, I have been. It started with a request to complete an online questionnaire which I submitted last month. Then I had an appointment for a face-to-face follow-up. I walked to the surgery for my 10:00 appointment (arriving early, as I always do). I was soon called into a consulting room where the nurse took an armful of blood, and then I was dismissed. Everything else had been covered in the questionnaire. At 09:57 I started my walk home. It had not been what you might refer to as "intense" or "thorough". I now await the results of the blood test.

Following up on my comment from yesterday, we decided to terminate the Ocado deliveries. It really doesn't make sense as we have to go out anyway for the "top-up". Cancelling the Ocado deliveries triggered some tinkering with the spreadsheet used for the accounts and some editing of the online shopping list. (I have managed to get "Siri" to put items on the list from any of my Apple devices, Watch, iPad, iPhone, etc.).

After an hour or so of reading in the lounge, we collected Ellie from school. She wanted to stop at the park, and as it had turned into a lovely sunny afternoon, we allowed her to let off steam with her school chums for a while. Back home, she did some maths homework and reading until Pete came to collect her for the weekend.

Spring?

It was a gorgeous day. It was clear and the sun shone unhindered. Ellie was dropped off at the usual time and once she had eaten breakfast, and washed and dressed, she settled down for some more maths practice on the iPad before school.

Back home, after dropping Ellie, we had a quiet breakfast and awaited the Ocado delivery. That turned up early within the allotted time slot, but because of a leaking milk container, it took a long time to clean up and square everything away. We headed off to Sainsbury's and completed the "top-up". I have been considering whether this two-supplier scheme really does us any favour. I am tempted to cancel the Ocado deliveries and pick up all our shopping from Sainsbury's.

The sun continued to shine and we made the most of the lovely afternoon by sitting in the Orangery reading our Kindles and enjoying the 25C temperature.

We collected Ellie from school and spent time listening to her read and then asking questions about the story before her dinner. Zoe has just been along to collect her and confirmed that she has been given a new store. As of next Monday, she will be the Deputy at the Sainsbury's store in Shripney (Bognor Regis). Given that this is only 2 miles from home, it could not be a better location. We are all delighted.