Impressed

I was up early so that I could greet Ellie when she was dropped off at 6:35. It was so early that my first coffee hadn't finished brewing when she burst in the door. She was no trouble. After our traditional cuddle, she went up to see Nana, and they both trundled back down the stairs just after seven. I wanted to go out for a walk, but it wouldn't have been fair to abandon Nana with Ellie first thing.

As soon as the clock ticked around to nine, I started looking for potential solutions for Ellie's broken iPad. I made some calls and got some quotes. One, a place in Chichester, quoted a good price, a 2-hour turnaround, and they had the part in stock. I leapt in the car and joined the traffic jam heading for Chichester at that time of the morning. I dropped the iPad off, and they promised to call me when it was fixed. I went back home for a cup of tea.

An hour later, the phone rang. The iPad was ready for collection. I finished what I was doing and headed back to join the traffic jam again. When I arrived at the store, I checked that the iPad was working, then paid the repair cost and headed back into the rain and drove home. Ellie now has her iPad back and has hopefully learned an important lesson. I must say that I was very impressed with the service.

We had a quiet Kindle afternoon during which I finished another book and, of course, started another. The front door burst open. It was Ellie and her friend Natalie coming to show us their outfits for tonight's "Trick or Treat" session. They were so excited that I suspect they were already on a sugar high. I wonder how much sleep they'll get tonight once they have topped up their sugar stream!

They will be dropped off here at 6:30 tomorrow morning. I will be interested to see how alert they will be.

As I write this, the only Trick or Treaters we have had so far are Ellie and Natalie. They have just left. 

Repair Shop

There was a lovely start to the day. After a quick trawl through the news and a cup of coffee, I headed out for my morning walk and the next instalment of my audiobook. Though the temperature was only 8 °C, it felt a lot warmer by the time I arrived back home for breakfast. As I settled down with my porridge, Diane left for the surgery and her latest blood tests. She wasn't gone for long and was soon back for her breakfast.

We completed the weekly shopping list and then raided Sainsbury's. We had quite a lot to get, but we were done in about an hour.

The afternoon followed its usual pattern with Kindle time until it was time to start on dinner. Just as we were finishing our tortellini in cheese and bacon sauce, Ellie blew into the house like a tornado. She had clearly missed us while away at Pete's and was desperate to come and say hello and give us a cuddle. It was lovely to see her, even if she brought her broken iPad with her, hoping Grandpa could weave some magic. There is no magic that Grandpa can weave - the screen sensors are broken and the screen is displaying a random static pattern. I will have to look into repair options tomorrow.

Wet

There was rain overnight, and it lasted through most of the day. I was up just before seven and was reading the news and sipping on my coffee when I heard Di moving around, so I made her tea. She was heading off to Pilates in Angmering this morning. I had to hang around until I knew when my DHL delivery was due (not that Pilates was on my agenda).

The delivery tracker was activated as the driver left the depot. I am drop number 101, so I realised that I had plenty of time. I changed into my waterproofs and headed out for a walk. I became so engrossed in my audiobook that when I got home, I continued listening to it for another hour or so. While the book progressed, I started on my accounts spreadsheet for 2026. This always takes several days to reset for a new year, as each budgeted item has to be reviewed and adjusted for the coming year. It's also an opportunity to review expenditure and cull items that are no longer needed. It always feels good to start the new spreadsheet.

As the rain continued to pour down, Diane and I settled in the lounge with our Kindles. The only interruptions were the occasional yowling from Jasper and his demands to go out (which he didn't, because of the rain).

Diane had a nice long catch-up with Denise on the phone. We plan to meet up with her at the beginning of December. 

As I sign off... my parcel still has not arrived, but I am next on the list!

Vet

I had another lazy start to the day. After my coffee and a trawl through the news, I showered and went out for my morning walk. Then, back home and with breakfast inside me, I settled down at the computer to deal with an email from an old genealogy contact.  He was trying to make contact with another of my correspondents. I was worried that I had lost her address and expected a lot of searching. As it was, I went straight to it - task closed!

We had to take Jasper to the vet for a blood pressure check. He was, of course, hiding under Ellie's bed, but we soon retrieved him, bundled him into his carrier, and set off. The vet was very good and was happy with his health, suggesting we shouldn't need to return for at least three months.

Before lunch, I sat down and ordered another batch of the curry sauces I have been using. With the pouches I have left from the last order, and the new pouches, I should be stocked up well into the New Year.

After a spot of lunch, I used the carpet cleaner to address the areas where Jasper had thrown up overnight. At least this happened just as we went to bed. It could have been worse; he could have woken us in the middle of the night. The carpet cleaner did its job, and all is back to normal.

I may have mentioned it before, but recently, Google Maps, when used with CarPlay, has been displaying the map with a permanent North orientation. In the past, this would track with the direction of the car such that the car always appeared to be travelling up the map, and the map swung round accordingly. I finally found the setting that is causing this and managed to reset it. Now I need to see if the setting sticks, or whether I have to do it every time I use the maps.

We had our usual Kindle time this afternoon.

Pottering

There was no need to get up early, so I had a lie-in until nearly seven o'clock. I took Di a cup of tea and then settled down with the overnight news and a cup of coffee. The sun was making inroads into the morning gloom, and all seemed right with our little footprint on the world.

After breakfast and sufficient time for my coffee to percolate through my system, I went out for a walk.  It was quite cool, but lovely and bright. There was a strong breeze, but it didn't trouble this intrepid ambler. My AudioBook progressed past the preamble and started to expose the underlying story. It was a shame that I had to stop, but my route was complete for the day. Once home, I grabbed the car keys so that I could fill the fuel tank on the Skoda. I had let it get down to the point that it was warning me to fill up. This is not something I usually do, but I needed a good tankful to qualify for the extra Nectar points offered by my shopping voucher.

Once home, I updated the accounts, grabbed some lunch, and then settled down for some Kindle time. Di joined me, but she was sewing rather than reading.

First Desk

The clocks changed overnight and for once, Jasper remembered to reset his paw-watch. I was up bright and early, but he was very tardy. Though it was a bright and sparkly start to the day, there was no walk for me. We had to get breakfast and prepare for a day in bandit country.

We had a lovely drive up to Odiham, even if we did follow a horse box at about 35 mph all the way from Selborne to the bottom of Jan and John's road. It was lovely to see them again. It seems to have been a long time since we last got together. We sat down with a coffee and started our usual update on family, health, and general news. We also chatted about the river cruises we both had planned, for us, the Moselle, for Jand and John, the Douro. We also chatted about sea cruises. Jan has never had the opportunity, and John has only sailed with "Grey Funnel Lines" (the Royal Navy).

For lunch we drove across to Rotherwick where we had a table booked at "The Falcon". The last time we were at the Falcon was for Diane's 41st birthday party. It was interesting to see how it had changed. They have built an extension, redecorated extensively, and changed ownership several times. The new owners have only been open for a month, but judging by the throng that met us as we opened the door, it is already very popular. We all chose the Sunday Roast for lunch, and the dishes turned out to be very healthy portions. I must say that it was very good value for money - certainly a lot better than the restaurant we visited last time we came up to see them. We chatted with the owner and I showed him some photos from our last visit, 31 years ago. 

Returning to Jan and John's we sat down for some more chat and pie and custard. (When we visit each other we tend to eat the main course at a restaurant, but have dessert back home). We sat and chatted at the table for several hours watching as the daylight was replaced by the dark. That was the signal for us to get a bit together and say our goodbyes.

We had a good run back, even if the journey started in light rain. That soon dried up and it was a comfortable journey home.

We sat down for a quiet evening in front of the TV. As we watched the latest episode of “Slow Horses” on Apple TV, I couldn’t help but reflect on how many Senior Managers, VPs, Project Executives, MPs, and Civil Servants  that I have met (across industry and Government) who behave exactly like “First Desk” - blinded by their own self importance and totally unaware of their ignorance and inadequacy.(Rant over)

Dark Days

Today was the last day of "British Summer Time" (BST). The clocks change tonight, and though we gain an hour of sleep, we lose an hour of afternoon daylight. Dark days are ahead.  I don't think we should change. We should stay on BST all year round.

I was up soon after seven, and Di came down just before eight. We had a quiet hour before I joined my weekly Zoom call with the cousins. There was no outstanding theme for the call today, but we did discuss quizzes and electronic calendars (separate discussions, I should point out).

With the week's call finished, I headed out for a walk. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and, though it was nippy, it was ideal for walking. I was out for over an hour, finishing my AudioBook and starting its sequel. 

Back home, Di was just tucking into the ironing while I pottered about doing various inconsequential chores. After some lunch, I settled down with my Kindle, and Di came out to join me when she was finished.

Called off

I had another lazy start to the day as Zoe wasn't due at work until lunchtime. As usual, I joined her for the walk to school with Ellie. It was the last day before half-term, so the children were excitedly winding down (or was it up?).

Leaving Zoe, I headed out for my walk. The air was crystal clear, and there wasn't a single blemish in the sky. It was cool, but that made it gorgeous walking weather. My audiobook chatted away in my ears as I walked, and the book moved towards its climax. By the time I arrived home, there were less than 30 minutes left to play... but that can wait until tomorrow.

We were expecting Chris and Maureen for coffee and biscuits this morning. Unfortunately, Maureen had a last-minute appointment for some medical tests, so they had to call it off. We'll rearrange for another day.

We had the usual Kindle time after lunch until it was time to collect Ellie. She was very pleased to have received a certificate for her reading, so I laminated it when we got home. She wasn't with us for long. Pete turned up to collect her. She should be with him until next Thursday.

I reported recently about the problem we had experienced with the locks on our suitcases. I decided to write some feedback on Amazon for the case in question (American Tourister Bon Air Spinner). It is clear from the feedback that I am far from the only victim of this problem. It's too late to return the case, but also a bit expensive to replace. I have ordered some padlocks for future use.

Waterproofs... no need

  There was heavy rain overnight and quite a bit of rumbling thunder. There was no imperative that would insist I rise early, so I lay around in bed until nearly 7:00. Zoe had the day off, so I wandered around to her house and joined the walk to school. We were still under a yellow weather warning for heavy rain, so I was wearing my waterproof gear. Dropping Ellie at school, I set off for my usual walk. Not a raindrop fell. Though it was a little nippy, it was dry and breezy. The waterproof gear was entirely superfluous.

Once home, I had breakfast and completed the shopping list before we headed out to Sainsbury's. There was a small outbreak of zombies, but not enough to cause serious irritation. We were soon done and back home, unloading.

I returned to my photo-filing problem of yesterday. I am pretty sure it was a network error, and I had temporarily lost access to my NAS. Reconnecting the NAS seemed to solve the problem, and I went through the remaining photos without incident.

After lunch, we had some Kindle time before I had to collect Ellie from school. She was with us for dinner today, and had asked for "Grandpa's Curry". We had bought a fish pie for Diane this morning, so I cooked that for Di and made curry for Ellie and myself. Ellie lapped it up and, despite the huge portion of rice I had dished up, she asked for more. It's nice to have a happy customer!

Photos

I was up early and somewhat surprised when Ellie arrived, already dressed and her hair done. She was in a chatty mood, and after our cuddle, she went to see Nana. While she was having breakfast, I went for my shower, and when I came back down, she was reading to Nana. Nana handed it over to me, and I sat and listened to her for the next 15 minutes. She decided to switch to her maths practice, and, grabbing her flashcards, asked me to test her on the times tables. It didn't matter what I threw at her; she responded instantly with the correct answer. She's doing very well.

Having dropped Ellie at school, I went for my usual walk. It was bright and sunny, but there was a slight nip in the air. This made it very comfortable walking weather. As I strode around my usual route, I was surprised that there didn't seem to be as many people out and about. We have bad weather forecast for the rest of the week, so I expected people to be making the most of it today.

Di embarked on a Spring Clean (Autumn Clean?) in the Orangery. I went to the study to start processing the unfiled photos from the cruise. There were nearly 500 photos and videos to be filed. I have cracked through a third of them, but I seem to have hit a problem whereby Lightroom Classic (the library manager that I use for photos) kept crashing. I will return to this later in the week. At least, now that they are filed (if not processed), they will be replicated out across my in-house backups.

The afternoon was spent with my Kindle, though Di went along to join Zoe in collecting Ellie from the girls' football session. Ellie was very proud to tell me that she saved 5 goals and didn't let any in.

Sunshine after the Rain

I had a more relaxed start to the day as Zoe was not due at work until 9:00. After the statutory coffees, I wandered to Zoe's and we walked Ellie to school. It was a gorgeous morning. The sun was bright (though low in the sky), and it was pleasantly mild. Leaving Ellie at the classroom door, I set off for my walk. It was so much nicer walking in the sunshine after the walk in yesterday's deluge. I followed my usual route and enjoyed another hour of my latest book.

Back home, Di was just leaving for her annual MOT at the doctor's. She wasn't gone long, as she had anticipated all of the questions she would be asked and went armed with a sheet of paper containing the answers.

We had an item of furniture delivered yesterday. It is a flatpack dressing table for Ellie for Christmas. I had to shift this into the garage so that she wouldn't see it after school. Fortunately, we bought a sackbarrow earlier in the year. This was the perfect solution to the problem of shifting this heavy container out of the hall and into the garage.

After lunch, we saw some Kindle time during which I finished one book and started another. I hadn't got too far into it before I had to collect Ellie from school. Though we had had some heavy rain at lunchtime, it had dried up and the sun was shining. This meant that we could stop at the park on the way back.

While I was preparing dinner, Ellie and Nana played with the "Magic" game that I had bought while on the cruise. She has already mastered a couple of the tricks, having practised them several times. Zoe came to collect Ellie soon after we finished dinner. She'll be back bright and early in the morning.

Dripping

As it is Monday, I had an early start. Zoe dropped Ellie off soon after 6:40. We had a cuddle before she went up to see Nana, and then the normal morning sequence of events began. It was a pretty foul morning, weatherise, so I insisted Diane stay at home while I walked Ellie to school. As it happened, the rain actually stopped for the duration of the school run.

The car was booked in for its MOT and annual service. I headed straight back out to the service centre and dropped the car off. I then started the walk home. The rain gods had been watching. As I left the service centre, the heavens opened and I was pounded by heavy rain the whole route home. Fortunately, I was wearing my waterproof trousers and new waterproof jacket and Gore-Tex walking shoes. I may have been thoroughly soaked on the outside, but I was bone dry underneath.

We had a fairly quiet morning after that. Diane had a call with Marilynn, and I spent some time looking at stateroom options for cruises. (Isn't YouTube wonderful?). After lunch, I had some Kindle time while Di put together some accessories for Ellie's Hallowe'en outfit. We managed to find a break in the weather when it was time to collect Ellie, and we took her straight home.

As we left Zoe's to walk home, I got a message to say the car was ready for collection. I left Di and headed back down the old highway to Shripney. The rain had spotted me and kept up a steady paradiddle on my jacket as I splashed my way to get the car. There were no problems reported, and we have an MOT Certificate for the coming year.

I've just been summoned by Z~oe for some help with something, so I won't be settling down yet.

Carved Up

I had another delightful lie-in. Again, it was 7:15 before I emerged from bed to wander downstairs for my first coffee. I started on the overnight news - delighted to see that 7M Americans marched against the current administration and the corrupt, lying sleazeball that purports to be President but actually festers in the White House, demeaning everything the USA has stood for over the years.

We had a very lazy breakfast, and I was just beginning to stir when Ellie phoned to ask if I would carve their pumpkin for them. I agreed, put on my rain jacket and walked around to do my bit. What Ellie hadn't told me was that they were in Sainsbury's and hadn't yet bought the pumpkin. I walked home. Wet. Ten minutes later, I got the message that they were just leaving Sainsbury's, and then another to tell me they were home. I put on my rain jacket and returned.

I have never carved a pumpkin before. I used a mixing bowl to mark around the top where the "skull cap" needed to be removed, and set about sawing my way through. (Zoe had bought a pumpkin carving kit with a fin fretsaw and a scraper - these proved to be invaluable). Ellie helped by scooping out the seed and pith, and then I started on the eyes, nose, and mouth. I guess the whole thing took about 20 minutes, but the finished result was quite adequate.

Diane spent the afternoon shuffling the Summer wardrobe items to storage and retrieving the autumn/winter collection. I sat downstairs with my Kindle. As I read, I had several interruptions from Band of Brothers friends, the most interesting being a request for recommended authors. I dug out some of my favourites and passed them on.

Dinner is done, the dishwasher is loaded and humming in the background, Jasper is fed, and it's pouring with rain. That's it for today.

A Quiet Day

 I had a luxurious lie-in. It was nearly 7:15 before I emerged from bed and pottered downstairs for some coffee. There was nothing on today's agenda beyond the call with the cousins.

We had the usual call with lots of discussion about nothing. Several cousins were travelling and missed the call; others were out at the pub (in Australia). We stalwarts chatted about the iniquitous cost of travel insurance and provided hints and tips for those who don't travel much.

Diane headed out to the back garden, while I went for my constitutional. I was gone for more than an hour, but when I returned, I did some heavy lifting for her.

Zoe had called last night. She was having trouble understanding how the parking sensors were activated on her new car. I spent some time looking at YouTube and then went to show her. I took about 30 seconds, and she was delighted that she now had them under control. She then spent time trying to get to grips with some of the other features and functions.

This afternoon, we indulged in some Kindle time, and I finished another book. A new one is already on the stocks, ready to start tonight.

Journée ordinaire

After another night interrupted by Jasper's yowling, I got up at 6:30, ready to greet Ellie as she was dropped off. She was in a better frame of mind this morning, and we chatted for a while before she went upstairs for her morning cuddle with Nana. Once she was fed (scrambled eggs again this morning), washed, and dressed, she did some reading and some maths practice before school.

Dropping her off at the classroom, Di went home, and I set off on my walk. It was the start of a new audiobook this morning. This one takes place in Kent in 1941, and although the story itself hasn't fully kicked in, I am now familiar with the dramatis personae.

Returning home, I grabbed breakfast, and then we made our way to Sainsbury's for the weekly shop. We had decided to spice things up a bit and ignore the usual Thursday trip, slipping it to Friday. Although the Zombie bus was unlikely to dump its cargo at the door, there still seemed to be a lot of ditherers and aisle blockers. Nevertheless, we were finished fairly quickly and headed home to unpack.

I was pleased to hear that, after my complaint of last week, the staff member had been spoken to and admitted that the coleslaw had not been moved months earlier. Indeed, she claimed I was about the 10th customer to ask her the question that morning!

After lunch, we had some Kindle time until I went to collect Ellie from school. She had had a good day, even if PE had been cut short by the arrival of an adult swan in the mix. We stopped off at the park on the way home. We didn't stay for too long and arrived home just as Zoe was pulling onto the drive to collect her.

A quiet evening is planned.

Pompey and Circumstance

 I was up early to greet Ellie. Ellie, however, didn't want to be greeted.  She went straight to the lounge and lay down on the floor behind the sofa. Apparently, she wasn't happy because she hadn't realised Zoe had a 7am start this morning. I left her to it, knowing that Nana would sort her out when she came down. She was as right as rain by the time we had to leave for school. We left her at the classroom and returned home.

There was no early walk for me. I had arranged to go and collect Kim and take her into Portsmouth to retrieve her car and enjoy another riveting day at the University. The traffic on the route across was benign, and we were soon dropping down into the City. The roads on Portsea Island were empty. We hardly saw another car as we looped through, passing the Naval Base, and on towards Gunwharf Quays. There was a huge sigh of relief when Kim spotted her car, and it hadn't been clamped! I left her in the car park and returned home.

Later in the morning, I set off for a walk. The route had to include the village as Diane had some meds to be collected at the Chemist. I wasn't out for long, but it was long enough to finish my AudioBook and listen to an episode of "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue".

After lunch, we had some Kindle time. I started another Kindle book and lined up another AudioBook for tomorrow's walk. Diane went with Zoe to collect Ellie at the end of her after-school club.

We have another early start tomorrow.

Card Trick

Zoe had the day off, so there was no need to get up early. I stumbled out of bed just before 7, only to be greeted by the unmistakable odour of a well-used litter tray. Jasper had left me a foul-smelling package that had to be dealt with before anything else this morning. Once this was cleared, and I could gasp some clean air, I set about making the first coffee of the morning.

I went to join Zoe on the walk to school with Ellie. She was dressed in all black and looked like a Ninja. Being Wednesday, she had PE and after-school football, so the outfit seemed somewhat appropriate. I headed off for my morning walk. The audiobook is reaching a climax, but it will be tomorrow (I think) before it's finished.

Back home, there were the usual admin chores, and late in the morning, I helped Di, who was tidying the front garden. A shrub was beginning to take over and needed a serious haircut. Out came some shears, and I set about hacking it back.

My replacement debit card arrived from the bank. I pucked up my courage and tried to add it to Apple Wallet. With fingers firmly crossed, I pressed the "continue" key and "voila", it went straight in without an issue. The problem with the previous card had clearly been an error in the bank's provisioning software.

We had a quiet afternoon with our Kindles, before Di went to join Zoe and collect Ellie from the after-school football. Ellie had, again, been awarded footballer of the week (having played in goal). I hope she sticks with it; she has always had good ball coordination and seems naturally athletic. 

Autumn Lunch

I had a day out planned. It was time for our Band of Brothers Autumn Lunch. I was up early as usual. I prepared phone, battery pack, keyboard, Kindle, and even my Android tablet (in case it was needed). After grabbing an early breakfast, I then set off to provide my escort services to Ellie on her walk to school.

Di gave me a lift to the station where I found my way to the first-class cabin and settled down for a couple of hours’ travel. It was then that I realised I had left my AirPods at home, so would have to make do with my Kindle, not the audiobook. No matter. The book was soon finished and another started. The two hours whistled by and before I knew it, we were pulling into Victoria Station. Well used to the route now, I set off to walk to the restaurant. Buckingham Palace Road, Green Park, Piccadilly, Air Street, Brewer Street, Lexington Street, Broadwick Street, Poland Street, and finally D’Arblay Street. It was a pleasant 30-minute walk (2.7km). I stopped into the restaurant to say we had arrived, but were meeting in the pub along the road and would be back in 30 minutes.

We settled down in The George for a quick pint before heading back to the restaurant. We had a new attendee this time (Paul McNally), but one of our regulars (Richard Butt) only managed to dial in from the airport as he prepared to fly to Vancouver. The meal was delicious (I started with mozzarella wrapped with pancetta, and then had linguine with a beef ragù); we chatted and reminisced for a couple of hours or so. It always amazes me how these lunches remind me of so many aspects of my youth and reveal things that I had not realised at the time. At the end of the lunch, we said our goodbyes and drifted into the anticyclonic gloom of the afternoon. I promised to arrange another lunch for the spring.

As I headed back to Victoria, I again passed Buckingham Palace. A cluster of TV cameras were jostling for position. I was confused; I had not leaked my route, why would they be stalking me? As I marched past, a number of Japanese sumo wrestlers in the dress kimonos photo-bombed me and I watched as the TV cameras melted away in their wake. I could relax, it wasn't me they were after.

I was able to get an earlier train than expected, and had a good run back to the coast. Di was waiting for me and whisked me back home from the station. I then heard the full story of Kim’s dreadful day - the early start to get Jon to the station, the long traffic jam to get to uni (because a car fair had closed the A27), her morning in class and the realisation she had lost her car keys… followed by the journey back to Chichester on the bus.

Grey

 I was up early to greet Ellie. There had been some rain overnight, but as it started to get light, it became clear that the rain had stopped; but it was likely to be a very grey, overcast day. Ellie was chirpy, and the usual morning protocol was followed. There did appear to be a bit of a tantrum (probably regarding her hairstyle for the day), but I wasn't involved!

Dropping her at school, Di walked home, and I set off on my morning hike around the development. My book is moving towards its climax (only an hour or so to go), and that tempted me to do an extra circuit. I resisted. I was craving my porridge by then.

We had a quiet morning. Di worked through some ironing (predominantly hers and Ellie's), and I caught up on various trivial bits and pieces. I did spend an inordinate amount of time working with one of my bank accounts. I had been warned that the password had been exposed in a data breach. It was only when I logged in that I realised this account doesn't really have a password. It has a series of passcodes and biometric identifiers. I decided to leave things as they are.

The afternoon saw the usual Kindle time until we had to collect Ellie. We took her straight home, where Zoe was waiting to whisk her off to Chichester for an appointment.

Our neighbours, Lawrie and Sandra, are off to Tenerife in the early hours, so Lawrie knocked to let us know and apologise if they disturb us as they leave. We had a nice chat on the doorstep before I wished them a happy holiday, and he went to finish packing.

Kim's Jon lost his father over the weekend. He hadn't been well for a long time. Jon is off to Spain to meet up with his family and attend the funeral (Jon's dad had lived in Spain for the last few years). It's never easy to lose someone who has been so integral to your life. We wish him and the family all the best for the next few days. We will be thinking of them.

G-Force

There was a change of plan. Ellie had been at Pete's and had been excited to be in her "new house" (Pete has just moved into a new rental property). On Friday night, she was so excited that she video-called me to give me a tour of the house, and on Saturday morning, she called Diane to give her the same tour. Mid-evening, yesterday, however, she was in floods of tears and wanted to come home. After some discussion, Pete brought Ellie back to Zoe's, and she then wanted to come and have a cuddle with us. Finally, she went and slept at home.

At 06:30 this morning, I was downstairs ready to greet Ellie and give her a cuddle as she was dropped off on Zoe's way to work. She sat with me and, after a while, announced that she would like some scrambled eggs for breakfast. I was a little surprised, but I immediately snapped to attention and scrambled some eggs for her.

For the rest of the morning, she amused herself, requiring little input from us. I, on the other hand, could have done with some intervention. One of my Raspberry Pis was only accessible through the WiFi network, not the wired Ethernet. I spent several hours trying to get to the bottom of this, fruitlessly. This is one to sleep on.

After lunch, I managed to get out for a walk. The dull anti-cyclonic grey was trying to break up, and we saw a few minutes of sunshine here and there. When I arrived home, Ellie was playing with some friends out the front, and Diane was doing some tidying in the garden.

Zoe collected Ellie late afternoon. We waved them off, and I started on tonight's dinner. It was meant to be Lamb Shanks, but I had (mistakenly) only bought a packet for one, so I had to defrost some chicken to cook alongside it..

Travel Broadens the Mind

We had a nice, quiet start to the day. I had the cousins' call for the first time in several weeks. What became clear was that we have the travel bug. We had just returned from our cruise, Tim had just booked a Christmas cruise, Chris had just returned to his home in Turkey after a month in Switzerland and southern Germany, Rolly (in Australia) had just booked a beach holiday in Fiji, Simon and Sarah (from Australia) were island hopping in the Aegean, Sarah and John had been to the Apple Store in Tunbridge Wells, and Maggie has been shopping in Margate!

No sooner had I finished the call than Kim arrived at the door. She had just finished at the chiropractor and was due to get her flu jab... as were we. We had an exciting family outing to the surgery and had the jab (all the time I was thinking "Stuff you, RFK").  Back home, we had a couple of hours to chat with Kim and catch up on her university course and Jon's trials and tribulations at work (which seem to be settling).

After some lunch, Diane headed upstairs to do some laundry and pack some clothes away. I took the opportunity to catch up on the ironing. Other than that, it has been a lazy afternoon. What I did do, however, was look at the practicality of flying to St John's (YYT) in Newfoundland, then taking a two-week road trip across to Montreal or Quebec. With the help of AI, I optimised the distance each day, decided on stopovers and also on things worth visiting en route. It was an interesting exercise. I'm not sure whether it will come to anything, but it was worth the effort.

Push back

 Zoe had a day off today, which meant that there was no need to get up early. After a suitable coffee intake and morning ablutions, I wandered around to join the walk to school. Ellie had her school photo today, so Zoe had to spend extra time doing Ellie's hair just how she wanted it.

With Ellie dropped off at the classroom door, I headed off for my morning walk. An hour later, I returned home for my morning porridge and final check of the week's shopping list. We raided Sainsbury's. Everything was going smoothly until I went to grab the coleslaw. They had moved it. I asked a staff member, who told me it was in "Aisle 2". I commented, "Oh, they've moved it", and she turned her back on me, saying, "It's always been there, for at least the last 6 months". It hasn't. That's why I maintain my spreadsheet so that I know where to find things. I thought her attitude was poor, so we mentioned it to Zoe when we got back. She instantly knew who we were talking about and asked me to send an email of complaint so they could act on it. I obliged.

With all the shopping unpacked and stowed away, Diane sat down for a telephone chat with Jane, while I updated the accounts. After some lunch, we settled down with our Kindles. It was too cool in the Orangery, so we made ourselves comfortable in the lounge.

Di went along with Zoe to collect Ellie from school. A while later, Zoe popped back. Ellie had gone off to Pete's for the weekend, but Zoe was feeling a bit upset and needed some time with Mum.

A Bit Slow

Today seemed slow. I had to get up early to greet Ellie, who entered the house like a whirlwind, eager to tell me about her latest water bottle! (She seems to have an obsession with water bottles, and Zoe will soon have to build an extension just to store them all).

Diane had an appointment at the hairdresser's, so I left her to get ready while I walked Ellie to school. With her safely deposited in class, I headed off for my morning walk. Di left, soon after I got home. No sooner had she gone than Lottie turned up. We had a chat before I headed to my study to get on with various items of admin, and I had to change a light in the bathroom.

Now, a regular reader may wonder when we were going to do the Sainsbury's shop. When Di returned from the hairdresser's, we decided to throw caution to the wind and leave the shopping for tomorrow. I know! How could we be so reckless?

We had a quiet afternoon with our Kindles before I returned to cruise-hunting. I am coming close to concluding that there is very little that would suit us at a price point that I am happy with. The requirement for a "suite" is what tips the balance. I haven't written it off yet, but I certainly need to think some more.

The Final Frontier

We let Ellie wake up in her own time. This meant that we had a quiet start, and she emerged well rested. Zoe came to accompany us on the school run. After dropping Ellie at the classroom door, I set off for my morning walk.

After breakfast, Diane and I went into Chichester. I am still struggling to get one of my bank cards into Apple Wallet, so I decided that I would present the problem to the local branch. The assistant was immensely helpful and went through all of the same procedures I had followed. He got exactly the same results. He then checked the online status of the card and confirmed that there were no flags nor inhibitors that would prevent the card being added to Apple Pay. He concluded there had been a problem provisioning the card and marked it as damaged— thus triggering a replacement card being sent out. He is hopeful this will sort the problem; if not, he has given me the branch phone number and that of HQ to phone and discuss.

While I was sorting this out, Di was mooching around M&S, which was where I met her. We then stopped at a couple of stores looking for some gifts and cards for upcoming celebrations. We stopped at Crispin's for lunch (knowing we would be out later). Leaving Crispin's, we stopped at a jeweller's where we managed to find the stud earrings Di had been looking for.

We had a quiet afternoon, though Di joined Zoe to collect Ellie from football practice. 

We had an evening out scheduled. We drove across to Worthing and parked in the new Civic Centre car park, which was right next to the Assembly Halls. We were early enough to sit and have a quiet drink in the bar before the show.

We had an evening with Major Tim Peake. This was a superb evening where Tim took us through the history and expected future of space flight.

We loved it. It was the best evening's entertainment I have seen in a long time. I found it very nostalgic; going to a school taught by Americans right in the middle of the "Space Race", it all seemed very real to us at the time and we followed every nuance of the successes and failures.

I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Just to bring the event to a perfect conclusion, we were home in 30 minutes. Perfect!

Attacked

 Zoe had a late shift today. This meant that we could get up late, as we didn't have to greet Ellie first thing. I wandered to Zoe's in time to join the walk to school, and we dropped Ellie off at the classroom. Zoe headed home, and I went for my morning walk.

After some breakfast, I got on with various administrative tasks brought about by the expiry of one of my credit cards and the knock-on impact on subscriptions against that card. It always seems such a palaver. It was soon after this that I was attacked. Jasper was due at the vets. We took his carrier upstairs to provide his luxurious transportation. Unfortunately, he wasn't where we expected; he was behind the drawers in my study. The chair was moved, the drawers were moved, and he emerged looking for somewhere to hide. I stooped to pick him up, and he bolted. I lost my balance, lost my glasses and bashed my forehead against my old iMac, leaving a cut across the top of my eyebrow. This concerted, two-pronged attack by Jasper (the decoy) and gravity, the perpetrator, left me feeling pretty daft to have been suckered in like that. What's worse is that it has spoiled my boyish good looks.

I spent some more time looking at possibilities for future cruises. To be honest, nothing really grabbed me, and I started to consider some longer river cruises as an alternative. I haven't managed to find any obvious candidates, so far.  

The afternoon, as usual, involved some Kindle time before we collected Ellie. We stopped at the park on the way back, but once she was home with us, she got on with her homework. She is staying with us overnight, as Zoe doesn't finish until 21:00.

Back to work

If I hadn't retired, I would be going back to work this morning. Well, you know what you can do with that concept! 

Ellie had decided she didn't want an early start this morning, so she slept here last night. I was up just before seven, but we let her sleep until half past. The normal procedures were followed to ensure she was up and about, washed, dressed, and fed. We walked her to school and left her at the classroom.

Diane went home, and I went off for my walk. This gave me the chance to listen to the second chunk of my latest audiobook, "The Critic" by Peter May. I must say that I'm hooked already. I was out for almost an hour, then returned home for breakfast.

Diane started on some ironing while I arranged the annual service and MOT for the Skoda, booked my railway tickets for next week's Band of Brothers lunch, and caught up with some bills. Trevor called; the travel agent had been on to him and suggested a couple of particular cruises for 2027. He was driving, so I said I would have a look at what was on offer. Exchanging messages with him later, I think we both concluded that, though the ship was right, and the suites were right, the cruises in question didn't float our boat, so to speak. I think more research is needed.

After lunch, we managed to get some Kindle time before going to collect Ellie and take her home.

Back to normal

I was up soon after seven. We had slept well, other than the 4 or 5 arias from Jasper dispersed across the night. 

Diane spent much of the day clearing the laundry from the last couple of weeks. The washing machine isn't quite sure what hit it.

I got on with some admin, the most significant item being the update and review of our accounts for the last few weeks. After that, I had to rest the TV, which hadn't been working properly. In the end, this was solved by replacing an Ethernet cable, which had evidently been giving errors. I also remembered to order some more coffee from Nespresso, as we are getting dangerously low. I spent some time looking for my next audiobook. Though I had several in my Wishlist, I chose "The Critic" by Peter May. I had enjoyed the first book so much that this one seemed like a good choice.

Now that I had a new book, there was no excuse not to go for a walk. I donned my leather jacket and set out into the stiff breeze. It was so nice to be able to walk at my own pace and not have to keep stopping because some walrus had got stuck in a narrow alley or whatever.

The afternoon saw some Kindle time and some time with AI discussing cruise options for the future. This is something that I will refine over time, but the research that has been done so far seems impressive. I forwarded a copy to Trevor.

Home Again

 We were up at 06:30. Tea and coffee were drunk, and hand luggage was packed.  

Bizarrely, considering the weather forecast, there was bright sunshine over Southampton - even if the view was less than inspiring.

We congregated in the Red Bar and were then disembarked in batches of about 50. We were in the first group (Suite passengers get priority). In the luggage warehouse, we went to the correct area for Deck 10 and grabbed our cases. By 08:10, we were outside and ready. Unfortunately, we had told our chauffeur to collect us at 09:30. He ignored us and turned up at 08:50. Good Man!

We were home by 10:00 and started the usual process of unpacking, checking mail, and generally faffing. Zoe and Ellie returned from swimming at 11:30, and we had an hour or so with them, catching up on the last couple of weeks.

When they had left, we finished with our suitcases and settled down in the warmth of the Orangery with our Kindles.

We had a Sainsbury's delivery mid-afternoon and much to my horror I realised I had forgotten to order some fresh chicken breasts for the curry I was planning tonight. This forced me to get in the car and put right this omission. Diane had salmon with some chips and peas, and I had a chicken bhuna with rice and a naan. It was more than I would usually eat on a Saturday evening, but we didn't have breakfast or lunch!

The evening was spent with some initial catchup of missed TV shows... and then an early night.

Day 14 - Safe Harbour

We had a very comfortable run overnight. When I got up at 07:00, we were just south of the westernmost tip of the Isle of Wight. We should be snuggled up in Southampton before things get ”interesting”.

We joined Jane and Trevor for breakfast and finished with a group photo with our waitress, Julie.

After that, we went along to the theatre for the last of the talks by Linda Sage. This one was “Criminal Profiling” and explained the background to the technique and the reality of how it is applied in the UK. Unfortunately, halfway through the talk, there was a medical emergency as someone collapsed in the auditorium. The talk was suspended while medics were summoned, and the chap was taken away to recover. The talk continued, but it was clear that people were still concerned for the chap.

We met up with Jane as we left the theatre, and after a brief chat, we headed off in separate directions. They went to walk on the deck, and we returned to our suite to complete our packing. As we finished, we were pulling into Southampton Water. We stood in the misty gloom watching as the tugboat, like a good sheep dog, helped ease us up to our berth.

We met up for lunch at the buffet before returning to our suite to continue reading on our Kindles. Watching on the “Mast Camera”, we saw Iona coming into a berth in front of us. She was due into dry dock and a refurb after their cruise, so didn't really have to worry about the weather that was sweeping in.

It was a dreadfully dull afternoon, weatherwise. We made the most of this by reading our Kindles (I finished another book). The mist drifted in and then dispersed several times. It looked as if the ship at the end of the dock was disappearing completely.

We all met up for a drink before going down to dinner. When we sat down in the restaurant, there was a bit of a party atmosphere.

We settled down for our meal. Di chose melon (as usual) while I had Golden-fried Salt and Pepper Squid with Sweet Chilli Dip. Trevor had some credit left on his "on Board Credit," so he bought the drinks to ensure that he was as close to a zero balance as possible. I was way beyond my limit because I had bought the Internet package while on board. For our main dish, Diane chose the. Roasted Chicken Breast with Sauce Chasseur, I chose the Murgh Mahkni (butter chicken), which was superb. Before we left the restaurant, we made sure we had photos with "Papa" Jose and "Lheny", our waiters.

We made our way to the Arena theatre. Simeon Woods was on the bill. Again, he was superb, though I did think the flute was over-amplified and that was causing some distortion. Unfortunately, young sound engineers don't understand that volume and quality are not the same thing. (I did, of course, mention this to the Ents Manager).

Leaving the Arena, we headed for Havana, where the Headliners were performing a show called "Made in London". This was an opportunity for their vocalists to exercise their vocal chords without worrying too much about choreography. The music was all based on its London heritage - Fleetwood Mac, Adele, Elton John, Phil Collins, Ed Sheeran, and so forth. It was a good way to finish the cruise.

We retired to our suite and Diane finished her packing. It was nearly 23:30 before we went to bed.

Day 13 - Run for Home

As explained yesterday, though we should be in port at La Coruña and visiting Santiago de Compostela, we are in fact running for home to try and beat the incoming Atlantic storm. This is expected to cause serious weather in the Western Approaches and P&O have decided that safety is their primary concern and we aim to arrive in Southampton ahead of the worst of the weather. 

Overnight, we sailed north, passed the north westerner of Spain, and entered the Bay of Biscay. The sea was a little lumpy, but not uncomfortable.

We met up with Jane and Trevor over breakfast. As usual, we sat and chatted and were among the last to leave the restaurant. After a quick comfort break, we headed for the Arena Theatre where Linda Sage was giving the third of her talks. This one was “Life in Prison,” discussing what it is really like inside the prisons, rather than what is portrayed in the media and on TV dramas. Obviously, we may have more of an insight than most, having heard stories from Pete and Zoe about what goes on, but it was still a very interesting talk. The theatre was full, so it had stimulated a great deal of interest.

I went straight back to our suite and sat down with my Kindle; Diane had stopped at the shops as there was a clearance sale today. She wasn’t far behind me, not having found anything of interest. As the morning wore on, I moved back off the balcony and decided to start packing my “washing”. I allow this to accumulate in a large drawstring bag during a trip, then sort it all out before going home. That’s now done (with the exception of clothes for today, tomorrow, and overnight). The main packing will be done tomorrow.

There is a pizzeria on the ship, and after two weeks, I had still not tried it. For lunch, I nipped up to deck 15, forward, and grabbed a few slices of their pizza, then swept through the buffet to collect a baguette for Diane, before returning to the suite. The pizza slices were very good, with a delightfully thin crust. A good dusting of chilli flakes improved them further.

Now, I should point out that each day there is a full schedule of "things to do" on board, should you wish. There are talks, presentations, dance lessons, shows and goodness knows what else spread across ll the public venues on the ship. There is no excuse to ever be bored on board. We, however, enjoy the peace and quiet of reading on our private balcony on the stern, overlooking the wake. If we wanted to be sociable (or do missionary work with the passengers from up North), we could, but we like our peace and quiet. (We get a daily bulletin, called Horizon, detailing all the activities and shows for the following day - this gives us plenty of time to plan).

We had a gala get-together before dinner this evening. This was an opportunity to meet the Captain and some members of the crew. This is usually done as a “Welcome” party at the start of the cruise, but the weather was such at the beginning that they had to defer it to the end of the cruise. The Captain was very entertaining in his address and informed us that we had steamed over 4,000 nautical miles, with 2,981 passengers and 1,189 crew. The galley had served over 160,000 meals, and during the cruise, we had six weddings, two Captains, and 940 cruise virgins (first-timers). At the end, I stopped to shake his hand (touched elbows, actually) and thank him for the cruise. We then made our way to the restaurant for dinner. Di started with the Smoked Salmon Mousse, and I had the Galician Empanadillas de Polo to start with. These were delicious and had a wonderful tangy sauce. For the main course, Diane chose the Sirloin of Beef Stroganoff, while I chose Roasted Gallina Piri Piri (a chicken dish). Dinner was excellent, and it would have been easy to just sit there chatting all evening.

There was a show to get to… we had the second show from Manuel Martinez. We thought he was good when we saw him the first time, but he excelled this time and had the whole audience both enthralled by his tricks and rolling around laughing from his interactions with the audience and his stories. I particularly liked his reference to the seal colony around the pool and all the flesh that was on show. He was truly talented and worth watching out for if he tours at all.

We left the theatre and made our way to Havana, where there was a tribute to Glenn Miller. We watched for a while, but it isn’t really Di’s sort of music, so we headed back to our suite. Soon after getting back, there was an announcement that a helicopter was inbound for a medical evacuation, so the decks were closed, and people were warned not to go out to their balconies because of the downdraft. We just hope the guest is successfully treated.