Grand Tour

 Like the gentry of old, we have embarked on our Grand Tour. We had an early start so that we could be ready for the driver to collect us. The doorbell rang and as I opened it, I did a double-take. I looked at the driver and he looked at me. "Are you...?" we both spluttered. The driver turned out to be Steve, who is married to Gillian, Pete's sister. We loaded the carriage and set off for Heathrow, chatting about our families the whole way. It was a convoluted route chosen by the SatNav, but the drivers are not permitted to deviate from the route selected by the magic box.

We arrived soon after 10:00 and whistled through the check-in and security procedures before making our way to one of the lounges to await our flight. We suffered the usual inconvenience of being bussed to the aircraft and then settled down in our seats for the flight to Vienna. We hit some serious potholes as the plane climbed out of Heathrow, but most of the journey was fine (though the seats were dreadfully uncomfortable). At Vienna, we were met by the SAGA rep and taken to our transfer coach... where we waited and waited while two stragglers were eventually herded onto the coach and we set off through the rush hour traffic. We were dropped by the gangplank of our our home for the next week, boarded, and were shown to our cabin.

We are sailing on The Spirit of the Danube, which is only 2 years old. It is quite delightful and very long! It has 95 cabins and a crew of 48. We dropped our stuff in the cabin and headed back to the bar to settle down with a cold beer with Jane and Trevor. We sat and chatted until it was time to go for dinner.

Dinner was excellent with a coconut prawn cake to start and a wonderful pork tenderloin for the main dish. We followed this with a Rum Baba. The wine waiter kept our glasses topped up throughout the meal. 

Finishing dinner, it seemed like time for a walk. We met up by reception and disembarked to walk along the dock passing all of the river cruise boats lined up for the night or awaiting their passengers. 

We turned back and headed towards our boat. The Cathedral was floodlit and shimmered across the road from the dock.

FInally, we returned to the boat and explored the top deck before retiring for the night.

It has been a good first day, though the travel consumed most of it.

Great News

 Ellie must have been tired. We were both up and about before she emerged - though she was in a great mood when she did. After breakfast and her ablutions, she sat down to practise her times tables. We dropped her at school and then Diane returned to perform and report her INR test and I settled down for some admin.

The phone rang. It was Kim. She had finished her interview with Portsmouth University regarding a place on a course in the next academic year. After about 20 minutes they decided to call the process to a halt and offered her the place then and there. This was great news and we are absolutely delighted for her.

I switched my focus to packing. All the relevant clothes were laid out on the bed, reassessed and in some cases rejected, then folded and stowed in my suitcase. Diane went through a similar process this afternoon. We are just about set. Our driver has phoned to confirm our pickup time in the morning. It's getting exciting.

I collected Ellie from school and she stayed with us until Zoe came for her. Zoe also had good news today. The stock take for the store, performed yesterday, came well within target.

Afternoon tea

 The rain beat down against the front of the house all night. It had stopped by the time I went downstairs, but it remained very wet for a few hours. We had a few quiet hours during the morning as I started to gather plugs, adapters, and chargers that might be needed when we are away. At midday, Diane headed off to Chichester to collect Kim. They were meeting with Denise, Emma, and Becky for "Afternoon Tea" at Goodwood House.

I grabbed my AirPods and jacket and headed off for a walk. I stayed in the general neighbourhood but explored some streets I hadn't previously been down. I was out for about 90 minutes and realised that I had been so engrossed in my book that I couldn't remember the route I took to get home.

I spent the afternoon with a Kindle book and then prepared a chicken casserole for dinner. This was big enough to cover this evening's and tomorrow's dinner. Ellie is with us overnight as Zoe has a stock take tonight.

Tomorrow I must focus on packing.

Spa Break

I was awake early, much earlier than was necessary. Rather than disturb Diane, I snuck downstairs, made a coffee, and started on the day's news. It was another hour before I heard Diane moving about. Once we had settled into our morning routine, I headed to my study for the weekly Zoom call with the cousins. We had Dominic on the call today. He is currently stationed on an Australian Fleet Auxiliary vessel in Sydney Habour.

Once the call was over, we had some preparation for Jasper's Sap Break. We got everything ready and grabbed him. He was deposited in the carrier and we drove him to the cattery. He wasn't as vociferous as usual but still had plenty to say as we made our way to Sidlesham. Mark, as usual, greeted him (and us) with open arms. Jasper was settled in no time and we headed home. 

We've had a quiet afternoon with Diane pottering in the garden for a while and I finished off a couple more books (that's 50 completed this year - with 2 more on the go).

We have a quiet evening planned.

Excited

 While it wasn't sunny, it was at least warmer this morning when I went to collect Ellie. She was quite excited. They had been asked to bring their dancing gear so that they could perform in front of the school at the Assembly

Once home, I had breakfast and prepared for a busy morning. Well, I expected it to be busy but it turned out to be fairly relaxed. We have the heating engineer coming to sort out (i.e. replace) the boiler and heating controls. He is due to start the day after we return from a short break so I needed to clear stuff out of the way for him so that he could work safely. I expected this to take an hour or two but had finished in about 45 minutes.

After some admin, I set out for a walk. I took a slightly different route to encompass a new development. I had watched these houses going up but had never really explored the site. I must say that there were some very nice homes on the development.

Di had spent the latter part of the morning adjusting a jumpsuit for Ellie. I provided cups of tea regularly before stopping for lunch and retiring to the Orangery with my latest book. When Di had finished and grabbed lunch, she too joined me with her Kindle.

Lorraine was collecting Ellie from school so that she could enjoy a playdate with Maddie. We just had to get her back here in time for Pete to collect her for the weekend.

Not much to report

 It was a quiet start. Ellie slept through until 7:45. This gave us a quiet hour before the usual morning tornado emerged. We dropped Ellie at school and then headed home for breakfast.

Diane had an appointment at the hairdresser, so she headed off to Felpham and I stayed put to start the admin. I then got distracted thinking about Kim. She said she was having laptop troubles and she would need a new machine if she is accepted on her new University course. I started to research possible solutions and that is how I lost an hour or two.

When Diane got back from the hairdresser, we headed to Sainsbury's. While there, we bumped into Zoe who was walking the store and talking with various members of staff.

Ellie was signed up for "Craft Club" which would take place after school. This meant that we had an extra 45 minutes of reading before collecting Ellie. She wasn't with us for long as Zoe finished soon after 16:00.

Dance

 Today's theme is "Dance". 

It was a grey and chilly start to the day but when I went to collect Ellie for school, she was very excited. Today was the dance show that she had been practising for weeks. She had her dance gear stowed in her backpack and her packed dinner in a separate handbag. The group would leave school after lunch and head for Worthing where they would have a couple of run-throughs, eat their packed dinner, and await the show.

Diane didn't go to Pilates. She had a poor night so she wasn't feeling the vibe. We had a fairly quiet morning pottering around the house and I grabbed time for a walk.

After our usual time with our books, Di got ready for her evening and I got ready for Ellie's show (though I avoided glittery shoes, a leotard, and rhinestones). We were heading in opposite directions. Diane was collecting Kim and then heading to Southsea to see Giovani Pernice - tickets that were booked many months before Ellie's show was announced. Zoe and I were heading for Worthing to watch "Dance House". This seems to be an annual celebration of dance for schools and colleges. Having parked the car we strolled along the prom towards the pier and its Pavillion Theatre.

We arrived in plenty of time and managed to sit down for a drink before heading for the auditorium. The show comprised dance routines which had been put together by each of the 14 participating schools. Each routine lasted about 5 minutes - a few were excellent, most were pretty good, and a few were dreadful. Even though the age range was from about 6 to 17, the age seemed to have little influence on the quality of dance. Ellie's school's routine was 2nd on the schedule and was very good, getting an excellent response from the audience. We then had to sit through all of the rest. It was 21:10 before it all finished. We headed back to the car with Ellie clutching her dance medal.

Because it was so late, I suggested she sleep at our house tonight there than have to get up early to be dropped off here at 7:00 in the morning. This was accepted as a good idea and she was tucked up in bed soon after 22:15. It was another 30 minutes or so before Diane arrived home, having thoroughly enjoyed her show. We spent a while catching up with each other's evening and then hit the sack.

Early start

 It was an early start as Ellie was dropped off soon after 07:00. She had only just woken up and was wrapped in a warm onesie. She burst into the house, shed her shoes, and charged upstairs to see Nana. I sheltered in the kitchen and prepared her breakfast while making tea for Diane and a coffee for me. Ninety minutes later we dropped her off at school and headed home for our own breakfast.

Di had a phone call scheduled with her friend Marilyn. I took the opportunity to go out for a walk. I headed around the development and then down North Bersted Street towards Shripney.  I was stymied by the flooding though. I could get almost as far as the bypass, but the stretch of path leading to the crossing was still underwater. I turned around and headed back.

Arriving home, I bumped into Ian, from next door. They had just returned from a long weekend in Sidmouth and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. He commented that he wished they were still down there. (we understand the sentiment).

We had our usual "Kindle hour" after lunch and then went to collect Ellie from school. She wasn't here for long as Zoe finished soon after four this afternoon.

Chilly

 There was a chilly breeze today and when I went to walk Ellie to school it felt quite damp. Having said that, we didn't get any rain until late in the afternoon. Ellie appeared tired and a little under the weather but by the time I collected her from school she was her usual mischievous self.

Diane went out for the day, meeting with Kathie at West Dean Gardens. She had a really good time and completed over 13000 steps - which she couldn't have done this time last year.

I went out for a walk during the morning and stopped off at the barber shop while out. The route just took me around the neighbourhood but, with my audiobook playing in my ears, I wasn't worried by the lack of landscape.

Back home, I completed some admin and then returned to a Kindle book (I usually have one Kindle and one audiobook on the go at the same time). As the time approached to collect Ellie, I set off for another walk with the aim of arriving at school as the gates opened. This worked out pretty well, though I arrived a little earlier than I had planned.

Diane arrived home just before 17:00 and we all settled down to dinner. With dinner over, Darren has just come to collect Ellie and take her home.

Surface

 We had a very lazy start to the day. There was nothing of note. Diane did, however, have a telephone call planned with Jan. This meant that a) she needed to be prepared, and b) I would have an hour or two of relative quiet. Well, that's what I thought. As it happened Zoe called to ask if Ellie could stay with us while she and Darren went to the garden centre. I, of course, said that would be fine and Ellie was duly dropped off to look after Grandpa while Nana was on the phone.

It became clear that her Microsoft Surface (Windows 10) was not behaving as designed. The keyboard was not working at all, and the touch screen gave us the cold shoulder. I left her to play with various bits and pieces while looking for suitable replacements for the Surface. Zoe suspected that it was a charging issue and took it home to recharge. I am less than convinced. We'll see once it has been fully charged. I may have to replace the device.

The afternoon was spent with our books in the Orangery.

The doorbell rang. It was Ellie and her friend Neve. They had baked us a chocolate brownie each, covered with "sprinkles". They looked delicicious and I can confirm that they tasted delicious as well. Now, I just need to teach Ellie how to make a good curry!

Stream

The day started with the mandatory coffee and a bowl of porridge. The Zoom call with the cousins was next on the agenda and was blessed by Sonia and Mel joining the call from Adelaide where they are staying with Rolly. We had the usual cheerful banter and we were all embarrassed (if not surprised) to hear that Tim had attended a rally with Keir Starmer and loony left stormtroopers during the week.

Soon after the call Zoe called in to collect Diane. They were off to the shops in Bognor to exchange some school shoes for Ellie. 

I took the opportunity to head out for a short walk. I wandered around the lake (see picture), up Berry Lane and then down the old road between Bersted and Shripney to see if the flooding had subsided sufficiently to walk the Shripney loop. I could get a lot further than the last time I looked, but there were still sections that were underwater.

Back home I completed some admin (have I said that we have a date for the replacement of the boiler and controls?) and got on with a few chores.

You won't be surprised to hear that the afternoon was spent with our books in the Orangery.

Normal TV (i.e. the terrestrial channels and main satellite channels) is dreadful on Saturdays so we usually watch something we have recorded or find something we can stream. This evening we found a series called "Unforgotten" with the brilliant Nicola Walker as a detective. We binged on the whole six episodes of series 1 and had an excellent evening as a result.

Feeling Tyred

 For the first time in several weeks, I had my alarm set. We we expecting Ellie to be dropped off soon after 07:00. She bounced in and demolished the breakfast I had prepared before going up to wash and get dressed for school. We walked her to the classroom door and left her as she ran into her form room.

Once home, I had some breakfast and read the news while Diane headed off to the Cardiac Rehab session at the Community Centre. When she got home I updated her on the admin (I had accepted the quote for the complete switch of our existing boiler and all of the thermostatic controllers. This is scheduled to start in May). I then headed off to get the front tyres on the Skoda replaced.

While the mechanics were working on the tyres, I took the opportunity to go for a walk and listen to more of my book. The tyre change took about 40 minutes and it was nice to drive home knowing they wouldn't need replacing for another 4-5 years.

After a bite to eat, we settled in the Orangery. I read (and finished) my current book, and Di did some sewing. Just as it was time to go and collect Ellie, the heavens opened and we had a real downpour. I convinced Di to stay put, and I collected Ellie by myself. Once home, she started on some homework until Zoe came to collect her.

Revert to Default

 We reverted to our default setting today. After some coffee, I popped around to Zoe's for the school run. Zoe was already at work, and Darren was waiting for my arrival so he could set off for work. Ellie decided she didn't trust me to do her hair in a ponytail, so we had to stop at a friend's house so that Lorraine could fashion her hair into the required coiff. With her hair sorted, we carried on to school and I left her at the classroom door and headed home for breakfast.

We had our usual trip to Sainsbury's and were delighted to find we had arrived before the bus turned up with the pre-corpses and zombies. We were in and out in no time without them to clutter the aisles.

Back home, I completed the day's admin and we had some lunch. We then settled down with our books until it was time to collect Ellie. It was delightfully warm and sunny in the Orangery and it was clear that Di was very comfortable. I told her to stay put and I went to collect Ellie and take her to the park to give her a bit more down-time.

Zoe collected Ellie when she finished work, but we will have her here for breakfast tomorrow.

Different

Today was out of the ordinary. There was no need for the school escort service. Ellie had an approved day off.  Zoe and Diane had a surprise planned.

I drove them to the train station and left them to catch the train to London. I then drove to West Park and left the car to go for a nice long walk along the beach. The shingle that had been deposited by the recent storms had been cleared away for the most part, so I was able to go further than last week.

When I got home, I checked on the girls' progress. They arrived in Victoria and then found their way across to Covent Garden where they planned to have lunch. After lunch, they headed for The Lyceum where they had tickets for "The Lion King".

I spent much of the day catching up on some admin and reading. 

The performance was due to finish around 17:00. Trevor sent me a message. He and Jane were waiting outside the theatre to say hello as the girls came out. Fortunately, it worked out and they managed to meet for a chat and a photo.

They timed their arrival at Victoria to perfection, getting on the the back of the 18:05 and then walking through the carriages. I met them at the station and heard all about their wonderful day. (Ellie didn't like the Underground trains, but everything else was "good").

Service

 Ellie slept through the night and didn't stir until 6:45, by which time we were already awake (if not up). She was very good and finishing her breakfast, went up to wash and get ready for school.

Once we returned home from the walk to school, I took the car to the Skoda Dealer to have the emissions control problem fixed. I had checked in online, so just had to drop the keys and leave them to it. I plugged my AirPods into my ears and started the walk home with a new audiobook playing in my ears.

Once home, the morning was filled with admin. I checked the documents and details for the forthcoming river cruise. I checked my foreign exchange card (and yes, it does cover the countries we will visit). I then cancelled my current service contract with British Gas. It was clear from the survey that was done a couple of weeks ago that their annual service has been shoddy and had missed a long-term leak.

We had a quiet hour with our books before going to collect Ellie. As soon as we were back, I left them to it and walked back to Skoda to collect the car.

We got a video health check from Skoda. I had to chuckle as I watched it. The engineer clearly was having a problem with the technology and ended up cursing and swearing before he had switched the recording off. Ooops! Anyway, he did point out that our front tyres needed attention so I have booked the car in for two new front tyres on Friday. Meanwhile, the emissions control system is now working again and all warning lights have been extinguished.

Back in the Swing

It was the start of the Summer term today. I wandered around to Zoe's and escorted her and Ellie to school. Back home I had breakfast and read the news. Diane was getting ready to go out. She had to get to the pharmacy and then head into Chichester for some shopping for our forthcoming break. 

While Diane headed out, I stripped the family room and went about steam cleaning the floor and the main hallway. Di had phoned - her meds had already been dispatched for delivery to us. I stayed put so I could receive them, though I should have gone for a walk. In the end, it was lunchtime before they arrived, but I did manage to finish my current book and my audiobook (that's 40 books I have consumed this year).

Di got back from Chichester at lunchtime. In the hour we had before collecting Ellie, we sat in the Orangery and I started on a new book. We collected Ellie from school and she has been a bundle of joy since getting home. She's in the batch at the moment but should be in bed by seven.

Chillin'

 We had a very quiet day. I should have gone for a walk, but couldn't stir myself into action. I was in a frenzy of inaction.

Diane, Zoe and Ellie are off to London to see a show on Wednesday so I did spend some time sorting out their train tickets and explaining the route from Victoria, by Underground. I then showed Di how to use Google Maps to plot walking directions to the theatre.

I realised that I seemed to have misplaced a case of wine. This meant a search around the house to see where I had hidden it. I confess I'm stumped, I have no idea where I have stashed it and will have to schedule a more concerted search later in the week.

After a spot of lunch, we sat in the Orangery with our books until it was time to start on dinner. Dinner was simple. We had plenty left over from yesterday. All I had to do was dish it up with some new potatoes.

Ellie is back to school in the morning and will be staying with us overnight, tomorrow.

Just Visiting

 After the initial coffee, I headed to my study to attend the weekly Zoom call with my cousins. It was Simon and Sarah's Birthday so we obviously wished them a Happy Birthday along with all of the expected banter that accompanied the weekly call. Tim is off to Lanzarote in a couple of weeks and asked if I had a journal for our trip back in 2006. It only took me about 15 minutes to produce an extract and send it off to him. Hopefully, he will find it useful.

With the call complete, we had to prepare for today's visitors. The garden furniture was retrieved from the garage in the hope that the day would be warm enough to sit outside. Floors were vacuumed, Jasper's litter tray was moved to the Orangery and much of the detritus we had been saving for Ellie's next school project was shifted to the garage. I made up a couple of huge bowls of salad,  and we settled down to wait. Denise and Dom arrived at about 13:00 after a dreadful journey down from Buckingham. Drinks were provided and we settled down to a light lunch as we caught up on all of the latest news from the family.

Su, Trevor, and Jean arrived late afternoon. The chat widened and we caught up on their news and the various family tensions regarding Tim and Beth's forthcoming wedding. (We were invited, but can't go). It does sound as if there is a need for some "chill pills" in the vicinity of Cambridge, it seems astounding how people can get so worked up over small things - particularly when they have the completely wrong end of the stick.

We ordered some Indian food for delivery and I cooked some salmon and new potatoes for Diane and Jean. I timed it to perfection as I had just started serving the salmon when the doorbell rang and Indian food arrived. As usual, from Habib, the food was excellent and even Sue found it to her liking. We stayed chatting around the table until it was time for Denise and Dom to head home. As it happens, they had a really good run back, fortunately. The others stayed a while longer and the discussions strayed onto cruises (clearly a no-no for Trevor who suffers from dreadful sea sickness), vertigo (which again, affects Trevor as well as Diane), Vienna, Florence, old photos, and goodness knows what else. They left soon after 21:00 and we finished tidying up before sitting down for an hour in front of the TV.

Jigsaw

There was a gentle start to the day as Di's alarm tinkled us into consciousness at 07:00. There was no need to get up immediately, but we did have to watch the time as Di was due at the Cardiac Rehab session. As it was such a nice morning, I left at the same time as Di and went for a walk around the neighbourhood. Within a few yards from home, I was again engrossed in the next part of "The Girl in the Spider's Web". As the book moves inexorably towards the conclusion, the tension builds up and I become even more intrigued by the story.

Once home, there was some admin to complete, and as lunchtime approached, I had to go and collect Ellie from a playdate with her friend Sophia. Zoe was having her nails done, so Ellie and I played until Zoe was free. We played cards, we did noughts and crosses, we played follow my leader, we did some colouring and drawing, and we started on a jigsaw of the United Kingdom. Eventually, Zoe arrived to collect Ellie, and peace returned.

Diane had gone out to meet with Kim and go to the tulip festival at Arundel Castle. They had trouble with traffic, trouble parking, and found that the tulips were past their best.

I spent the balance of the afternoon in the Orangery with my latest Kindle book.

Nothing

 A very quiet day. There is almost nothing to report.

We did our normal shopping trip and because we were later than usual, the free bu had already delivered all the pre-corpses and zombies to Sainsbury's before we arrived. This meant that by the time we left, I was feeling homicidal. If I ever get to the same point of mental oblivion as these shoppers, I willingly give permission for you to put me in a straightjacket and lock me in a padded room.

Once home and with our shopping stashed away, we had some lunch and then spent some time with our books.

Shingle

We had to set the alarm for this morning. Diane had Pilates on her schedule, and I planned to go for a walk. It had been cool overnight, and it was overcast at first. 

We both left home at the same time. Diane, driving across to Angmering, and I walked to the bus stop to catch a ride into Bognor. My AirPods were plugged into my ears and my audiobook was switched on. I started by walking westbound to West Fields where I did an about-turn, and retraced my steps and headed up past the Lobster Pot towards Middleton.  The recent storms had swamped the walkway with shingles from the beach, making progress slow. I decided that enough was enough and turned back. I had been walking for about 90 minutes when I arrived back at the bus stop. As before, I had timed it to perfection with a bus waiting at the stop and the first drops of rain starting to fall as I walked to our front door.

Diane went into Chichester with Ellie and Zoe. I stayed put and my Kindle provided the backdrop to the afternoon as I finished my book and started on another. I was waiting for the heating engineer to return. He turned up as Di arrived home. He had come to explain the options that I had requested for changing not just the boiler, but also the heating controls. We chatted through the design and he went to check some aspects of the existing pipework. He's now going to come up with a new quote.

Afternoon Tea

There had been strong overnight winds. The River Arun had burst its banks in Littlehampton at high tide and a caravan park near Selsey had to be evacuated. We seemed to escape the drama, for which we are very grateful. 

Once we were up, had broken our fast, and were dressed I headed out for petrol and a trip to B&Q for some pan-headed screws. I had to finish off the shelving unit in Ellie's room by fixing it to the wall (for safety). That done and the accounts brought up to date, I returned to the YouTube videos explaining the features of Trading212.

I heard from our heating engineer. He had completed his research and was ready to come and explain the details of the design for new heating controls. His email summarised the design but it was very complex and I want to understand the design decisions behind the proposal. I agreed to meet with him tomorrow.

We picked Zoe and Ellie up from their house and made our way to Port Solent where we met with Emma, Remi and Louis. They had been on a long weekend break in Selsey so we chose this location as it was on their way home. We had a lovely couple of hours sipping tea, eating scones and chatting. We parted at 16:00 as the tea room closed. They headed towards the A34 and home, and we scooted along the A27.

Own Devices

 Last night was quiet and peaceful. There was no external disturbance to wake us. In fact, for a change, no internal disturbance from either Jasper or my bladder required attention. A good night's sleep all around.

Diane, Zoe and Ellie had plans. They were going shopping at West Quays in Southampton. Jasper was left in charge when they left at 10:00. I retired to my Study, assuming Jasper would ring a bell if he needed anything. I made the most of the time to look further at various ISA offerings, watching some YouTube videos and also chatting with Trevor. In the end, I took a small leap of faith and opened with Trading212 with a massive investment of £100.

I couldn't leave the house for a walk. We were expecting a delivery from IKEA. This finally arrived just as I finished my lunch. Being heavy, I unpacked the components and carried them upstairs bit by bit. I then set about assembling a new set of Kallax storage shelves for Ellie's bedroom.

Was this finally an opportunity for a walk? No, it started to rain quite heavily so I settled down with a book. Next thing I knew Diane and the girls were pulling up on the drive.

Excitement

 That was an "interesting" night. We went to bed at the usual time, read for the usual time, and went off to sleep as usual. At 01:50 I was woken by shouting and screaming from outside. I listened for a moment and when my ears tuned in, I realised someone was screaming threats down a phone as he headed for Bob's house (whoever Bob is). He then carried on shouting at Harry as the two of them headed through the estate. The threats sounded real and unpleasant. I decided this could not be ignored, so called the 999 and reported it to the Police. By the time I headed back to bed at 02:10, I saw a Police car drive by. It took a while to settle back to sleep and there have been no reports or feedback during the day, so I don't know the outcome

Diane had a big day planned. She would meet Kim and drive to Southampton where they would find a suitable spot for some lunch before attending a show by Johannes, from Strictly Come Dancing. I started to program the location of the nearest car park in the SatNav but soon realised that a huge number of roads were closed in the area. It was no use just picking the location and hoping the SatNav would find a route, I would have to set the whole route. Fortunately, the Skoda Connect app allows me to plot a route online and download it to the car. It took a couple of tries, but the route was plotted. Diane has reported the route was great and they whistled straight through.

I went for a walk around the wider neighbourhood. Listbet Salander's story continued to play through my AirPods as I walked. I'm 75% through the audiobook now and will hopefully finish it during the week. Once home, I had a snack for lunch and settled down with my Kindle. My book was finished and another started. It was so warm in the Orangery that I had to move to the Lounge.

ISA

 Saturday started in the traditional fashion. I consumed my first coffee and the online news, Diane came down after a while and had her first tea of the day and then I went and prepared for the Zoom call with the cousins. We had a good turnout on the call and it jump-started the day with good humour and banter.

I delved into the Accounts Spreadsheet, it being the first day of the new tax year. After a quick review, I decided to research some ISAs. The rest of the morning disappeared in a flash. The decisions are moderately simple for me, but for Diane, there are a number of considerations that deserve some further thought. I will sleep on it.

What this research did reveal was the Accounts Spreadsheet was very simple to adapt for new accounts. All of the work refining it over the past few years is really paying off.

The afternoon was spent with the Kindle, finishing yesterday's book, and starting a new one.

Diagnostics

It was a gentle day. There was a strong wind, but it was warm and dry. Whilst there was no need for an alarm clock, we did have to leave the house at 09:00. I dropped Diane at the Cardiac Rehab session and then took the car to the Skoda dealer for the diagnostic checks to determine why the engine management light was displaying. As usual, I was accosted by a salesman trying to convince me to replace the Karoq with something else. As usual, I listened politely and declined the offer.

I plugged my AirPods into my ears, switched on "The Girl in the Spider's Web" and started to march home. Diane arrived soon after me and we had a quiet few hours with the news and our books.

At 15:45 I walked back to the dealer to collect the car. it was not finished. In fact, other than being washed, it hadn't been processed. I impressed on the receptionist the fact that I needed to collect the car and get to a pharmacy before it closed. Thirty minutes later, I was presented with the news that some canister and a valve needed replacing (at a cost of £550). The part needed to be ordered so I sat down and we agreed on an appointment for the fix. 

Keys in my pocket, I raced to the pharmacy for Diane's meds. After explaining why I was there I was getting concerned as they searched for the package. In the end, they checked their workflow system and it was clear the prescription had been filled but was awaiting a cross-check. That done I headed home, we had some dinner, and have a quiet evening planned.

Decisions

 The heavy overnight rain didn't materialise until it was time for me to put the bins out. It had been a very leisurely start to the day and my computer reminded me to free the bins just as the rain started. It rained on and off throughout the morning.

We had our usual shopping spree, which was surprisingly painless this week. Clearly, the bus which usually delivers the zombies was running late.

When we had unpacked the shopping and sat down with a cup of tea, Di chased the Anticoagulant clinic for a response to her email while I went back through the quotations we had received for the replacement of the boiler. I asked AI to compare the two boilers and it came up with a good analysis that confirmed my gut feeling. I then asked it to compose a letter declining one of the quotations. The text was excellent and only required a few minor tweaks before I sent it. I then formally accepted the quote from the other supplier. It was more expensive, but I felt far more confident about the professionalism of the company and was impressed by the extensive feedback that was available. 

We had a quiet afternoon. Another book bit the dust and a further tome was started.

Headwind

 Today saw another leisurely start. Diane was heading off to her Pilates session and I was intending to go for a walk. This meant that coffee was out of the question. With tea, I would not be pressured to stop at convenient public loos. The only real problem was that there was a penetrating drizzle driven by strong winds. The phone said it would stop before 10:00, so I took a waterproof jacket as insurance and headed for the bus.

At Bognor, I walked down to the Esplanade and started my usual route to West Park. It was hard going. There was a strong, blustery wind blowing straight in my face. I consoled myself that when I got to West Park and turned around, it would be helping me. My audiobook was chatting away in my ear as I marched - maybe because of the weather, the Esplanade was very quiet and I had it to myself, but for a few intrepid dog-walkers.

Walk finished, I headed for the bus stop. My bus was not waiting, this time, but one soon arrived and I hopped aboard. It was only as it diverted from the normal route that I realised I had hopped on the wrong bus. I hopped off at a convenient stop, took stock, and decided to walk home from there. It had been a good couple of hours and I was pleased with the exercise.

Once home, I grabbed a cup of tea and some lunch then settled down with my book until Di called to say she was on her way. I got some tea ready for her and we both retired to the Orangery with our books.

A Day of Two Halves

 Another gentle start to the day. With breakfast over, I headed off to the Skoda garage. The service chap came and looked at the errant warning light He reassured me that the car was safe to drive until we could get it booked in for a diagnostic session. Relieved, I returned to reception and got the car booked for Friday morning.

Back home I had some admin to complete and Di was awaiting the arrival of her friend, Pauline. I used her arrival as the trigger to go out for a walk. The sun was shining and it provided ideal conditions. I stuck to the general neighbourhood but extended some of the limits to increase my distance over recent walks. I was out for about 75 minutes and devoured another chunk of the audiobook "The Girl in the Spider's Web". I love the underlying theme of technology and AI that is central to the story.

Soon after I got home, Di and Pauline headed out for lunch at Runcton. I made do with some salad and smoked mackerel and then settled down with my latest Kindle book. The morning's bright sunshine was painted over with dark clouds, the rain started and turned the second half of the day into a wash-out.

Gross Tonnage

 We had a gentle start to the day. Our furry alarm clock was barely awake when I got up, but he did stumble downstairs with me and sat by the garden door waiting to be let out. The weather forecast for the day was mixed. In fact, it was optimistic as we had some unexpected rain showers just after putting a freshly washed duvet out to dry.

I have mentioned in the past that Ellie's sleigh bed weighs about the same as HMS Prince of Wales (but has no hangars or flight deck). A new bed was delivered last week, but today I had to dismantle the old one. The plan is that it will go to Zoe's and be used there. This meant that it needed disassembling carefully and in a logical sequence. As I worked, I photographed each step. This way the reassembly process should be a simple matter of playing the photos in reverse chronological sequence. It was quite a workout, but the components are now stored in the garage. The new bed has been assembled and Diane has "had a sort out". At least, if Jasper hides under this bed, I can lift it!

No walk today. I got more than enough exercise sorting out the beds.