Gusty

 It has remained dry throughout the day. It has, however, been very windy.

We wandered round to Urban-Cub to collect Ellie and take her to school. She was full of the joys of Spring, and was charging around when we got there. She has the after-school "Outdoor Play" club today so she will get a chance to run it all off.

The Silver Vixen had no Pilates today. She stayed home and spent the morning cleaning. The Gorse Fox was booked for football. He pottered lazily across to Worthing and got changed. The lads trickled in over the next 15 minutes.

Today's game was a 6-v-7-v-6 game. Our team was the team with 6 in the first half. We held the score to 0-0 for the first 15 minutes but then conceded. The Gorse Fox managed a goal, but that was scrubbed off as it was deemed that he was running too fast! He would argue that it was the gusty wind and he was trying to slow down. What with the wind and the rotation of the earth he didn't stand a chance. By half-time the score was even at 2-2. One player switched sides. This game us the man advantage in the second half. This worked well as we took the lead then started to open up a bigger gap. Including a penalty for the Gorse Fox we ended up 7-2 winners. It was a very good game and the Gorse Fox felt far more mobile that yesterday (and his sore back had settled down overnight).

We collected Ellie from school and walked her round to Urban-Cub. We stayed for a chat but then left them to it. The Gorse Fox will return in the morning to take Ellie to school.

No Comprendo

 The Gorse Fox is confused. He drives much the same way, week in and week out. His little Fiesta typically get about 47 miles to the gallon over a tankful. He filled up about 10 days ago. On this tank he is achieving 54-55 miles to the gallon. That's a significant improvement - and he sees no logical explanation for it. Long may it last.

Oooof

It has been a day of mixed weather. Beautiful sunshine, bubbly clouds, and several periods of torrential rain. Fortunately, none of the rain showers coincided with either of us being out.

We got a message from Urban-Cub first thing. She wasn't well and would not be going in to work. She dropped Ellie off, but then returned home. We sorted Ellie out and got her to school as usual.

As soon as we were back, we switched the cars round and the Gorse Fox headed off to Worthing for football. It was looking as if we would have to play 9-v-9, which is dreadful; fortunately two further players turned up and the teams were re-shuffled so that we had 4 teams of 5. We were slightly hamstrung in the first two games by one of our number consistently under-hitting the ball and presenting it to our opponents. This cost us 2 goals in the first game (which we lost 2-1), and on goal in the second game (which we drew 1-1). In the third game he seemed to wake up and scored 3 of our 4 goals - but then went and conceded a penalty. Luckily the final score was 4-2 to us.

Football injuries can be troublesome things. The Gorse Fox survived another session without incident. He drove home and went up for a shower. He then managed to tweak his back while drying his feet. He is feeling immensely stupid! Hopefully, he will shake it off overnight so that he can play tomorrow.

Alex, the Alumni Relations person at the Gorse Fox's old school, has now sent out the invitations for his proposed reunion in September. Let's hope we get a decent turn out.  

Quiet

 It has been a very quiet day. There was some rain overnight, but it has been dry and quite warm during the day.

Ellie was dropped off, as usual, and was still barely awake. It didn't take too long, however, for her to roar into life. She was full of the joys of Spring by the time we headed off to school.

Back home, the morning involved domestic chores and some maintenance of the window locking mechanisms (which had become very stiff). Once that was done, the Gorse Fox prepared the invitation for his next attempt at the Band of Brothers reunion. This has now been sent to the school to distribute. The restaurant is reserved... we now wait.

Urban-Cub finished work early and was able to collect Ellie and hour earlier than usual. Ellie had eaten by then, and was halfway through her homework. Hopefully, she will finish the rest with Urban-Cub.

Lucky?

 It has been a fabulous day. The temperature hasn't been silly, but the sun has shone throughout the day. 

The Gorse Fox even opened up the bifold doors on the Orangery before breakfast this morning. Had he been wearing something other than his PJs, he would probably have sat out in the garden to enjoy his morning coffee.

We have had the rill pump switched on and the gentle tingling of the water throughout the day has been so relaxing. The Silver Vixen spent time pottering in the garden. The Gorse Fox returned to the family tree.

The family tree, as sometimes is the case, was a bit tragic today. The Gorse Fox was looking at two parts of the family; one had moved from Cambridgeshire to Derby, the other had gone to Australia on an assisted passage. The family that went to Derby had 8 children, 4 of whom died within a year of birth. Another was involved in a traffic accident and killed when her bike was in collision with a bus. The family that went to Australia saw one of their daughters marry and move to New Zealand. There she gave birth to her first son, became pregnant again within months, then lost her husband in a mining accident, all in the same year. "Lucky" was not their middle name!

Spurs have won their final game of the season. Despite being 2-0 up at half time, the Gorse Fox never took it for granted that they couldn't still cock things up. They didn't. The final score was 5-0... and that sees them finish 4th in the League and should assure them a place in the Champions League next season. Better still, they came above the Forces of Darkness (Arsenal)... again.

Family

 Ellie was with us overnight, The Silver Vixen reckons she had switched on her tablet at 5:45, though the Gorse Fox didn't hear it when he went to the bathroom around 6-ish. Around 7 Ellie padded into our room but the Gorse Fox suggested she grabbed her tablet and went back to her room. She was happy with that and lasted a further 25 minutes before deciding it was time that Nana and Grandpa were up and about.

Urban-Cub turned up around 10:00 to collect Ellie. She will be with her for the rest of the weekend as Pistol Pete is on duty this weekend.

The Gorse Fox had his usual "cousins' call" this morning. It was clear that the cousins, having never preciously met the Silver Vixen, were very taken with her, commenting what a lovely person she was and is now considered one of the clan. (Given that we have been married nearly 49 years, the Gorse Fox would have hoped so, but to be fair on these cousins, they only met the Gorse Fox for the first time in the last year or so).

The Silver Vixen has spent much of the day in the garden, the Gorse Fox helping out where sheer muscle was required. The Gorse Fox has spent the day working on the "Law" side of the family tree... and confirming that recent additions, made by another cousin, were incorrect.

No football tomorrow morning. Littlehampton (LA) are playing at Wembley for the FA Vase. Most of the population of LA and the staff of the Arun Football Arena are going. The football arena is therefore closed. Lazy morning is planned.

The Gas Man Cometh

 There was a lot of very heavy rain over night. It hadn't stopped when it was time for the Gorse Fox to head round and escort Ellie and Urban-Cub to school. Fortunately, a good rain jacket and an umbrella were protection enough to get the job done.

It was a quiet morning. The Silver Vixen started on the twice yearly migration of clothes between the wardrobe and storage. Summer clothes emerged, winter clothes went into storage or were set aside for the charity shop. 

The Gorse Fox, meanwhile, did the week's accounts and then buried himself in the recent photos. He realised, last night, that handling the facial recognition was easier from the iPad than from the iMac. Once sufficient filing had been checked, he downloaded the photos to his Lightroom library.

After lunch we awaited the man from the gas board. He was here for the annual service of the boiler. Fortunately, it passed with flying colours and still has the highest eco-rating. (For those of you that haven't heard Flanders & Swan's rendition of The Gas Man Cometh he recommend following the link).

The sun had finally broken through and it was quite warm by the time we had to collect Ellie. We stopped off at the park on the way back and let her have a good run around. She's now fed and watered and is just settling down to sleep,

Meanwhile, Cousteau-Cub is in the air. She has a long weekend in Gran Canaria, staying with some friends. Hopefully, she'll have a good break.

Suits You Sir

 As we went to bed last night, the forecast thunderstorms that had rattled around during the evening, became much more intense. There was the pad of tiny feet and Ellie appeared at the side of the bed. "Nana, it's too loud!" she informed us. The Silver Vixen quietly explained that there was nothing we could do about that, took her to the loo, popped her back into bed, and that was the last we heard from her until we were both up this morning.

The rain cleared and the sun poked through. Ellie was dropped at school and we returned for coffee and to receive the Ocado order. We did the quick Sainsbury's run, then headed into Chichester. We both wanted to raid M&S. (In Chichester, the Food Hall and the Menswear is in one shop in East Street, the Womenswear is in North Street). We parted ways. The Gorse Fox was rather pleased with a nice light coloured linen jacket and trousers for the summer. He then wandered round to wait for the Silver Vixen.

Once she emerged, we decided to stop for lunch. We always like Crispin's. It's good food and it's good value for money. The Silver Vixen had scrambled egg, salmon, and avocado. The Gorse Fox had a crispy chicken breast in a bun with salad, coleslaw and fries. Really good quality food, good portions, and decent price. What else could you wish for.

The Gorse Fox has been fiddling around with the facial recognition on Google Photos this afternoon. He has to conclude that, compared to the early attempts when Picasa was the tool, it is dreadful. It is neither accurate, nor user friendly. He is glad that the facilities he uses on Adobe Lightroom are so much better (if not automatic).

Under Seige

 It was a warm day but not as sunny as yesterday. High cloud tried its hardest to blot out the sun, but the sun wasn't having any of it and kept bursting through.

Ellie was dropped off t the usual time and we followed the usual procedures and got her off to school without any fuss. Back home the Silver Vixen gathered her Pilates gear and the Gorse Fox changed into his football Gera and we both headed off towards Worthing.

Arun Amblers had a good turnout with 7-aside. AT first glance we were concerned that the teams were unbalanced in favour of the Oranges. The Gorse Fox is getting used to this and our Yellow team focused on stout defending and sensible passing. We were soon 1-0 down. Not a good start. We were working hard and making some key interceptions and blocks at the back. Our passing began to come together and we clawed it back to 1-1. By half-time we were ahead (though the Gorse Fox cannot remember the score). In the second half, the Oranges changed their formation. This proved to be a bad decision. We got more goals. They didn't. A good win.

Back home we had some lunch and then put our feet up for a while. The Gorse Fox then retired to the study to examine some family tree records that a cousin had submitted. Unfortunately, of the 9 records she added, 2 were the wrong people completely. The others were ok, but the Gorse Fox already had their details (in fact he had more details).

Ellie had after school club. This was outside play, supervised by her teacher. We have no idea what she got up to as she was unclear what they had done. Since getting in from school she has been eating almost non-stop, so whatever they did, it gave her an appetite.

Boots

 what a stunning day! It has been bright sunshine and but skies until late afternoon when some high cloud crept in. Now, as the Gorse Fox writes, there are some rain clouds gathering, but it is not clear whether it will come to anything.

Ellie was dropped off at the usual time. She hadn't really woken up and it was a few minutes before she sparked into life.Fed, washed, and dressed we took her to school and watched her charge into class as soon as the door opened.

The Gorse Fox had football. He took a leisurely drive across to Worthing, signed in, and changed into his boots. He was on team "Blue-2", one of two teams of 6, whereas the 2 other teams had 7 players. The first game (against 7) started well and though we had to work hard, we managed a 0-0 draw. Our attack were moving around well and passing well. As long as the Gorse Fox and Mo, at the back, did their job, we had a chance. The second game (against the other team of 6) was more open. Again it was hard but we managed a 2-2 draw. The last game was back against 7. This team looked the most potent and scored quite early on. Our attack kept probing and trying to overload the left wing. This left the right wing deserted. The Gorse Fox snuck up and waved at Jamaica-Mark. He pumped the ball across the pitch and the Gorse Fox trapped it then planted it firmly into the goal. We were level. From then on, our passing and recycling of the ball made the difference and we managed 3 further goals without reply. A very satisfactory morning.

The journey home was a bit of a pain. There are roadworks on the A29/Shripney Road. These caused a tailback right back along the Bognor Regis Relief Road - this took 25 minutes to traverse (it would normally take 2 minutes). Never mind.

We collected Ellie from school. She wanted to play for a while in the park. It was such a nice afternoon that it made sense to let her run off some steam.

We stood and chatted to another grandparent as Ellie charged about from one bit of apparatus to the next. She is very sure footed and very confident on all the different frames, rope bridges, parallel bars and so forth. 

We gave her dinner after we got home and then worked with her on identifying triangles, cones, pentagons and hexagons. The Silver Vixen also read with her (even though there is no homework this week).

Urban-Cub has just been along to collect her.

Smart

 The started with a few showers but it soon brightened up and we had a sunny and warm afternoon. Urban-Cub dropped Ellie off, as usual. She had only just woken up and still hadn't quite switched into gear. It didn't take long, however, until she war usual sparkly self.

It was a fairly quiet day. The Silver Vixen had to collect some prescriptions from the pharmacy and then got on with some ironing. The Gorse Fox had to catch up on a few chores then check the meters. This was the first time since the switch to Smart Metering. The numbers were plugged into the spreadsheet and, with the adaptations he made last week, showed the consumption in the required manner. The Gorse Fox didn't want to start from scratch with the new meters as he had nearly 8 years of data. One comparison the spreadsheet handles is the current month's consumption in comparison to the same month in the previous year. It was good to see that both the consumption of both gas and electricity was down on last year.

We collected Ellie from school and had a couple of hours with her before Urban-Cub collected her. The Silver Vixen helped her with some more reading while the Gorse Fox prepared her dinner. She is making good progress and beginning to sound out words that she has never encountered before.

Treadmill

 The beautiful weather of yesterday collapsed into rain today. Having said that, by late afternoon we were beginning to see some sun poking through the clouds.

The Gorse Fox started the day with football. He was eager to play but once on the pitch, he felt a bit stiff and lethargic. For the first time in ages, he failed to score during the Sunday game. Today was a 6-vs-5 game. The Gorse Fox and the Coventry Hobbit were both on the same team in the first half and as the 5-man team had our work cut out for us. We went in 4-3 ahead at half time. We changed the team around so that we had the man advantage in the second half. It became clear immediately that we were unbalanced as we scored a handful of goals without reply. We changed personnel again. They started to score a few goal, but we kept pace. The real difference was our passing and mobility. The Gorse Fox has no idea of the final score. We were so far ahead that we stopped counting.

Back home the Gorse Fox was expecting a message. An ex-neighbour had made an offer for our running machine (treadmill). As we rarely use it any more, it seemed like a no-brainer. Her husband turned up and the Gorse Fox game hime a quick demo before helping him shift it to the door and bury it in the back of his car. The latter task being a real challenge! We did manage it in the end and he drove off into the afternoon rain with the treadmill on board. This has freed up a chunk of space in the Orangery, which is nice. For now it seems to have become a parking garage for Ellie's scooter, pram, and buggy.

Gathering of the Clans

 It was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining, one or two white fluffy clouds punctuated the sky and we had a day-out planned.

We got going early and popped along to Bognor Regis station. It was a good job that the Gorse Fox had allowed extra time. The car park used yet another parking app for payment. This needed to be downloaded and the he needed to register. Every question in the registration was asked twice to verify the answer. Finally, everything was ready and we paid for the car park. In the confusion, however, the Gorse Fox did end up leaving his man-bag in the car,

We met up with some neighbours on the platform. They were off for a celebratory meal at Marco Pierre White's. We went and found a set and settled down for the journey to Victoria. The train ran to time and we dropped down to the tube. The platform was packed and so was the first train to arrive. We let it go. The next train was only 90 seconds behind and was quiet enough that we got a seat for the few stops to Kings Cross. 

Alighting from the train we followed the signs and wandered underground to St Pancras. The ST Pancras terminus has undergone a vast regeneration over the past decade as it became home to the Eurostar. The concourse is fabulous and lined with really nice shops and restaurants.

It took us a few minutes to find our meeting place. It was right in the corner of the upper concourse. The Betjeman Arms turned out to be a good pub with some excellent restaurant facilities. As we arrived we were greeted by "the cousins". This was a planned gathering of the clan Empson and Law (who are all first cousins to each other), and the Gorse Fox and Silver Vixen were invited (even though he is a second cousin). We had cousins from Derbyshire, Wiltshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Kent, Switzerland, and Australia. It was a good turn out. Even though the Silver Vixen had never met any of them before she was absorbed into the bosom of the family and made to feel immensely welcome.

We enjoyed an excellent meal washed down with copious amounts of beer and wine and though we had met at noon, it was about 4 hours later that we actually parted ways. A similar event is already in plan for next year.

We went back onto the concourse and had a leisurely stroll around before dropping back into the tube for the trip home. Like last week, the Gorse Fox and Silver Vixen arrived on Victoria Station and stepped onto our train home just as the doors closed. We couldn't have timed it better.

It was a wonderful day.

Working again

 It has been a lovely day again. Urban-Cub dropped Ellie off, first thing and we went through the usual process before getting her to school.

The Silver Vixen had an appointment at the hairdresser this morning, leaving the Gorse Fox to his own devices. The first of these being the cousins' call. This was brought forward from Saturday as we plan to meet up in person tomorrow. The Gorse Fox was a little late joining the call but explained the cook was ill and we had to tech one of the parlourmaids how to make our toast for breakfast. The excuse was accepted with grace by the cousins.

The remainder of the morning was spent pottering about. Early in the afternoon the engineer, Tom, arrived to have another go at sorting out the dishwasher. He came up with several possible scenarios that could be  causing the problem. He also explained that a particular part might provide the solution. However, he did make several further suggestions that would be worth trying first. We agreed to hang fire. Needless to say, this evening the dishwasher has worked flawlessly.

Pistol Pete popped around to collect Ellie for the weekend. We now have a quiet evening but moderately busy weekend.

Reading

 It has been a gorgeous day, sunny and pleasantly warm, without being hot. The Gorse Fox would rate it as the perfect temperature.

Ellie charged into our bedroom at 6:45 and asked if she could watch her tablet until it was time to get up. This gave us 15 more minutes of relative peace! We went through the usual morning ritual though, today, the Gorse Fox had to play schoolteachers with her once she was washed and dressed. This involved him taking the register for a room full of imaginary friends and then conducting a maths class for them. Fortunately, Ellie was quick to help these imaginary friends with the correct answers.

Back home we were expecting the usual Ocado delivery and then planned to go to Sainsbury's. The Silver Vixen, however, was expecting a call from her dealer the pharmacist. She was scheduled for a regular review  and was very impressed with the discussion, the attention to detail, the comments, and the follow-up.

We hit Sainsbury's a bit later than usual. It was almost deserted so we whistled round in no time. Back home after a bite of lunch we went and sat in the grounds garden and spent most of the afternoon reading.

Outdoor Play

 Urban-Cub dropped Ellie round to us. She'll be here until tomorrow. She was a bit subdued this morning, but suspect that was the result of a late night. She soon perked up and was chomping at the bit to get to school. School today was much as usual, but after school Ellie was enrolled in the "Outdoor Play" Club. Nobody knew quite what to expect, but Ellie was up for it.

The Silver Vixen head off to Pilates and the Gorse Fox soon followed. He had football scheduled. The game was quite good with a couple of assists from the Gorse Fox and a 5-3 win. He didn't, however, feel that he was "in the zone". A few passes went astray and he was slow to spot openings. He supposes that not every game can be top form.

It has been a quiet afternoon, not having to collect Ellie until 16:00. Unfortunately, there was still some homework to do, so the Silver Vixen supervised that while the Gorse Fox prepared supper.

New Plan

 It was a bit grey and cool when we got up this morning. Rain threatened but it never amounted to anything. By early afternoon the normal equilibrium of the Universe had returned and we had nice warm sunshine.

The Silver Vixen had a dental appointment this morning and was out until lunchtime. The Gorse Fox should have played football but a small backlog of chores had built up and needed clearing. The most pressing task was to return the garage to a state in which the car could again be parked. After everything was moved for the installation of our Smart Meters, the car has had to remain on the driveway. It didn't take too long to sort out but afforded an opportunity for the Gorse Fox to whip round to petrol station and fill up the tank before putting the car away.

Next on the agenda was a new plan. The Gorse Fox was rearranging the Band of Brother lunch that was wiped out in February by Storm Eunice. He finally has some dates when his contingent from France and from Australia will be in country. An email was sent to "hold the date" for those scheduled for the February lunch. A further email will go out to the wider audience before long but because of GDPR he has to manage that through the school.

After that it was a case of booking a boiler service, a dishwasher engineer (it's still kaput), booking train tickets for a forthcoming trip to London, and catching up on the accounts after an expensive weekend.

For dinner the Gorse Fox cooked a Thai red curry with chicken thighs, butternut squash, red peppers, and mushrooms. It was a bit "seat of the pants" but goodness gracious it was good.

Tripping

 It was another lovely day, though we did have a little high cloud for a while early afternoon. It was scheduled to be a busy day. Ellie was set to go on her first school trip and the Silver Vixen had been volunteered to help out!

Urban-Cub dropped Ellie off just before 7:30.  Ellie was very excited. She had never been on a school trip before and as Nana was going she wasn't in the slightest bit apprehensive. In fact, as we went to the door to take her to school. She charged the door yelling "Hooray, it's a school day".

As you can see from the photograph, she was the epitome of cool. How long that would last, heavens knows. Their outing was taking them to a local Farm/Country Centre. There they have chickens, ducks, pigs, miniature horses, alpacas and plenty more. They have an outdoor play area; they have a maze; they have a soft play area, sand and water play areas; and a woodland walk. There was plenty to keep them busy all day.

The Silver Vixen commented on how well behaved they all were, but it clear that they were all very tired when the Gorse Fox went along for the pick-up at the end of the school day.

The Gorse Fox stayed at home. He had some admin to clear. Among the admin chores he had rest the face-id on his iPhone. When he got on to the accounts, all of the bank accounts needed to rectify with the new id. This was all very fine until he got to one account. This demanded a Pin that he had no record of setting up. In the end this meant resetting the Pin. In turn, this meant clearing out the data and re-registering. This was all very fine but though the Gorse Fox answered the questions correctly, he was told time and again that the data was wrong. In the end, he decided to phone. It was while he was waiting to select a menu option that he glanced down and realised the problem. He was trying to register a card from company A with and app from company B. Doh! A quick shuffle of the cards and all was fixed.

That went well

 What a thoroughly gorgeous day. We had wall-to-wall sunshine and it was deliciously warm.

The Gorse Fox was up and about first. He drove up to Chichester to collect the Coventry Hobbit. He was helping out by making up the numbers for football. The "lads" gathered and we greeted a new recruit. The teams looked fairly well balanced. The Coventry Hobbit was on the same team as the Gorse Fox and we seemed to link up well. While the Coventry Hobbit was tucking away several opportunities, the Gorse Fox only managed to hit both posts and the goalkeeper. At half-time it was 6-3 to us. The other team saw a change of goalie and thus strengthened their outfield. They were soon catching up, but we rallied and managed to stay just in front. Our new chap scored a couple, the Gorse Fox scored a couple, and the Coventry Hobbit added some more. The final score was 11-9 to our team and the Coventry Hobbit managed 7 of our goals. That went rather well.

The Silver Vixen had been out to a local nursery while the Gorse Fox was playing football. She then spent much of the afternoon pottering in the garden.

After getting the Silver Vixen's new phone up and running we realised that we hadn't got a simple headphone solution. None of the old wired headphones fit the phone. The choice was an adapter or some wire-free earbuds. We opted for the latter. The Gorse Fox headed off to John Lewis and picked up some Apple AirPods (like his own). Now fully charged, they should work out well.

Pistol Pete dropped Ellie back to us, late afternoon. Urban-Cub had an all-hands meeting between 17:00 and 18:00, but was soon back to collect her.

Upgrade

 Whew! The Gorse Fox had a lie-in. He didn't stir until 7:50. This, to him, is sheer laziness luxury. We had the usual Cousins' call.

This call was taken in the family library, as you can clearly see from the background.

Socialist Ti claimed he could see a copy of the Daily Star in the background, but the Gorse Fox explained that, as unlikely as it was, it may be possible as he was unaware what the staff used as kindling material for the fires. The call was, of course, great fun and set us up for a face to face meeting next weekend, assuming the Gorse Fox can find a suitable Pullman carriage to attach to the train up to London.

The rest of the day has been relatively relaxed. The Gorse Fox had ordered a new iPhone 13 Pro for the Silver Vixen. This arrived as we sat down to lunch. The Gorse Fox has spent most of the afternoon getting her set up on the new phone. The main driver for this was the facial recognition for log-in. The Silver Vixen's arthritis is making the idea of fingerprint recognition completely useless. Facial recognition seems to work fine. The Gorse Fox has also set up Apple Pay for her. Hopefully this will work out well. The Gorse Fox was certainly impressed with the touch and feel of the new phone, and the speed of its response. It took a couple of attempts to get the Apple Watch connected correctly, but that is now sorted.

OC>65

 Fairly usual start to the day. with Ellie coming in to snuggle up just before 7:00. The Gorse Fox was up first and then, once everything was done, we dropped Ellie at school.

The Gorse Fox had plans. The Silver Vixen dropped him at the railway station and he headed up to London. His lunch appointment was scheduled for 13:00 and he had some time to kill and decided to walk to the venue.

Swinging round past Buckingham Palace, he had planned to cut through Green Park. It was soon clear that Plan B was required. Huge areas around the Palace were blocked off as contractors worked on the preparation for the Queen's Jubilee. Green Park was inaccessible from the Place. The Gorse Fox had to divert down Constitution Hill and then enter Green Park from the far end. This must have added a kilometre or so to the walk, but there was plenty of time. 

He looped up along Piccadilly and then headed north towards Oxford Street, stopping just south, in D'Arblay Street. It had been a lovely walk.

The destination was Vasco and Piero's Pavillion Restaurant. This is a fine Italian Restaurant run by an Old Columban. The event was the Spring Old Columban Over-65's lunch. This was the first time for a few years that we were able to hold this, due to Covid.

As the Gorse Fox arrived another OC arrived and we stood outside chatting and getting to know each other. He was from the year below the Gorse Fox and had spent that last decade or two in Australia, but was now back in England. We made our way in and formed the advance party for the stragglers who were yet to come. There were about 12-15 of us all together.

The most important aspect of this particular get together was that the Gorse Fox's friends Michael N and Charlie W were both present.

Charlie was a couple of years ahead of the Gorse Fox at school, but we had studied together in the monastery and Charlie had ended up teaching at SCC and the at St Benedict's.

Michael (and his brother, Peter) was in the same class as the Gorse Fox and we had actually travelled to the USA together in '68 and studied there for year. Michael now lives in the South of France, but comes over to visit his mum every couple of months.

The lunch was excellent. The Gorse Fox enjoyed a meat platter to start with, then, after much deliberation, chose the tagliatelle as a main course. The meal was washed down with plenty of wine and the odd beer and finished off with a chocolate fudge brownie. Perfect. We carried on chatting until well after 16:00. Michael and Charlie decided to go on to the pub. The Gorse Fox ducked out at this point and headed for the tube back to Victoria.

The Silver Vixen collected the Gorse Fox from Bognor Regis railway station at about 18:30 and that was the end of a lovely day.

Podiacast

 Typical start to the day, though it was lovely and bright and sunny. Ellie usually has PE on Thursday and has to go to school suitably attired. Not today. It was the class photos today, so she had to go to school in uniform and take her PE kit with her.

Once back from school we had our coffee and waited for Ocado before heading off to Sainsbury's. The Gorse Fox noticed how few people were wearing masks while shopping. Our local Covid numbers have dropped right back from the peak a few weeks ago, but people have clearly just given up.

We had to go into Chichester. We went a bit early and grabbed some lunch before the Silver Vixen got on with some shopping and the Gorse Fox had his appointment with the chiropodist. This was a new chap. Clearly very experienced, he used to work for (spit) Arsenal and then went in to private practice. He also spent time in the US soon after the Gorse Fox was out there studying. We had plenty to talk about! He was also very gentle, and the Gorse Fox's feet felt very good afterwards.

The phone rang. It was "Sir". He won't be able to attend tomorrow's Over 65's Lunch. His wife has just tested positive for Covid. Shame. Having been disappointed by that, the Gorse Fox also got a text message from Michael N.; he has arrived over from his home in France and was confirming that he will be there tomorrow.

Puffy

 We had the usual start to the day. Ellie was soon fed, washed and ready for school. Meanwhile, the Silver Vixen had to get ready for Pilates and the Gorse Fox (already ready for football) kept things ticking over downstairs. Once Ellie was dropped at school we finished our preparations and headed off to our morning destinations.

The Gorse Fox was playing on the yellow team today.  On paper, the teams looked pretty well balanced and, at the back, the Gorse Fox and fellow defender, John, were certainly under the cosh. Bit by bit our passing carved the oranges open and by half-time we were 2-0 up. In the second half the oranges came out with renewed vigour. We stood firm in defence. Nothing got through. The Gorse Fox started to pick out some long passes and managed to provide an outlet for the attackers when they were blocked. Slowly we started to rack up some more goals. Several were crossed off - not for any reason other than sportsmanship. For example, at one point the oranges were so sure the ref would blow for a high ball, that they stopped. The ref didn't blow, it wasn't a high ball, and we scored. The oranges started to whine, so we just discounted the goal, got on with the game, and scored again anyway. Final score was about 5-0 or 6-0. It was good fun.

We got a call from the school. Ellie's eyes were all puffy and she was a bit upset. There was nothing really that we could do - we were due to collect her within 30 minutes anyway. It was clearly hay-fever and we had forgotten to give her some anti-histamines this morning. She is fine now that she is home.

Smart

 It was grey but dry. The sun tried to breakthrough but was not up to the job, today. Urban-Cub dropped Ellie round to us and headed off to work. Ellie had only just woken up was still a bit groggy when she arrived but soon snapped into action. In fact, by the time she was washed and dressed, she was eager to work on one of her number games before school.

Once Ellie was at school, the morning was fairly quiet. The Gorse Fox spent quite a while examine wiring diagrams and documents regarding the central heating system. He was trying to work out the best approach for installing the Tado Smart Thermostat. In the end he concluded that it would take some deeper investigation - on another day.

We were having smart meters installed today. It was necessary to clear some space in garage for the change of gas meters, and to switch off all the relevant household hardware in preparation for the power to be off. With the number of machines the Gorse Fox has, this took a little while and triggered the though that he should develop and automatic shutdown cascade for all the systems.

The chap turned up and both meters were changed, checked, and activated within 90 minutes. It is interesting (and occasionally sobering) to see the breakdown of gas and electricity consumption in terms of pence per minute. The Gorse Fox was chatting with the engineer. He had come across from Southampton, explaining that the local depot had sacked most of its staff for pilfering fuel... claiming 2000 miules-worth of fuel for less than 500 miles of actual travel. Stupid.

We spent the late afternoon with Ellie and her homework. She was eager to get into it as soon as she got home, so the Gorse Fox took the first shift, the the Silver Vixen took over when it was time for the cooking to start. The Gorse Fox does hope this eagerness to learn grows with her.

Every Day a Bank Holiday

 Today is the May Bank Holiday. The Gorse Fox doesn't have to go to work, but then, being retired, that is true of every day. He still finds it absolutely amazing that he can wake up in the morning and choose exactly what he wants to do and when he wants to do it. Retirement really is a blessing.

There really is very little to report today.The Silver Vixen did some ironing this morning and the Gorse Fox did some admin. That's about it. This afternoon, it was warm in the Orangery so we sat out there; the Silver Vixen was reading and the Gorse Fox was reviewing the latest outrages on social media. We've just finished dinner and that's about that for today.

Goals

It was a quiet start. It was dry but cloudy. The Gorse Fox had football on the schedule and the Silver Vixen was planning a visit to a local nursery.

We swapped the cars around and the Gorse Fox headed off to Chichester. The Coventry Hobbit was playing with us today and the east that the Gorse Fox could do was to give him a lift. A tournament was under way at Ford. It was hard to see just how many games were in play at any one time, but the Gorse Fox would have thought at least 10, with ages ranging for 6-ish up to teenagers. Thank goodness they were parked at the other side of the Arena... allowing us to park without a problem.

The game started with a bang and within 10 minutes the Gorse Fox's "yellow" team were about 4 or 5-1 up. It was clear that the sides were wrong. We swapped two players At half time the score was still in the yellow's favour, but only about 9-6 (the Gorse Fox had scored). At half-time, we again adapted the teams. This was a lot closer. Goals started to  rack up. The Coventry Hobbit scored at least 5 and at the final whistle, the orange team had pipped us by 1 goal. It was great fun... up until the point where the Coventry Hobbit tried to wipe-out his father-in-law. The pain will, eventually, die down - but he needn't expect a Birthday present in September! :)

It has been a quiet afternoon with the exception of Jasper deciding on two separate occasions to vomit, This meant using the spot-cleaner to sort out the mess on the carpets. At least it has been a while since his last mess.

Carnivore

 The weather has been beautiful. It has been bright and sunny and the sky has been blue for most of the day. There was a slightly cooling breeze, but nothing worth worrying about.

The morning started with the usual cousins' call. For this week, the Gorse Fox used a backdrop of Arundel Castle, explaining that he had left his study and was down by the gatehouse. He isn't sure that most of them  bought the illusion, but is hopeful that it triggered palpitations for his socialist cousin.

After the call he had to wander into the village to post some photos back to another cousin. On his way back, he stopped at the mobile butcher and managed to pick up some Cumberland sausages (there were no Lincolnshire sausages left this week) and a kilo of lamb leg steaks. All of this took a while to separate, package, and drop into the freezer but will provide at least one meal a week for the next month or so.

The Silver Vixen had been pottering in the garden. The Gorse Fox was asked to mount a couple of solar lamps. These are very Moroccan in style and give off a wonderfully subtle pattern and light when the sun goes down. It didn't take more than a few minutes, but hopefully will look really nice tonight.

Cousteau-Cub and the Coventry Hobbit dropped in during the afternoon. They had been out car hunting for the Coventry Hobbit. They had found a couple of candidate vehicles, but needed to do some further internet research before committing. In the end, they left without a conclusion but hopefully would be able to complete the transaction in the next day or so, (The Coventry Hobbit is playing football with the Gorse Fox tomorrow, so he will catch up on progress in the morning).

Shorn

Ellie was dropped off just before 7:30. She had had a good 12 hours sleep and was in a very good mood. After some breakfast she went up for her wash and stayed upstairs playing until it was time for school.

Once Ellie was dropped off we both returned and had some breakfast of our own and settled down to read the digital papers. The school had released a list of after-school activities and, on the dot of 10, were asking for nominations to participate. The Gorse Fox set an alarm and hovered over the inbound mail. By 10:00:30 Ellie was submitted as a candidate for Wednesdays after school outdoor activities. We will now have to wait and see if she gets one of the 15 available places.

With Ellie's form submitted, the Gorse Fox was free to go and get his hair cut and then have a quiet couple of hours. It was during this quiet time that the Gorse Fox got a message from a Starfleet Engineer. He was having trouble working out distances over the curvature of the earth. The Gorse Fox has been through this and offered to help. We managed to confirm that the maths formula was correct and gave the correct answers for the Gorse Fox's spreadsheet (developed a few years ago). It was wrong, however, for Starfleet's Engineer. It took some tracking down, but eventually it turned out to be a confusion between latitude and longitude. Simples!

We collected Ellie from school and allowed her to let off steam in the park before coming home. Then she played with the Silver Vixen while the Gorse Fox prepared her dinner. Now, fed, she has just been collected by Urban-Cub and we have an evening to ourselves.

Laying Siege

 Ellie disturbed a couple of times during the evening and night but with a quick cuddle went straight back to sleep. She woke as right as rain, with no recollection of her nocturnal interludes. We followed the usual morning regimen then walked her to school. It was a little chilly and there was a lot of high cloud.

The morning was filled with the usual shopping events for a Thursday but then we departed from the usual.  Cousteau-Cub is currently unable to work as she has laryngitis and can't talk. Her work is all done with face-to-face interviews or phone calls... not having a voice rather interferes with that. We went into Chichester and collected her. The idea was a spot of lunch and then onwards to Arundel.

We stopped at "The Old Stables" at Fontwell. They have clearly spruced it up a bit since our last visit. The menu looked very good and the Silver Vixen chose gammon, egg and chips; Cousteau-Cub chose a jackfruit wrap; and the Gorse Fox chose fish and chips. The girls were very happy with theirs but the Gorse Fox obviously got the tail fin end of the fish. It was not very meaty (fishy) but would have served well as a flip-flop. 

From Fontwell we drove on to Arundel and parked by the Lido. We walked to the castle gates and intended to use our Historic Houses membership to gain discounted (or free) entry. Wouldn't you know it; that concession does not begin until May 1st.

The Castle is, of course, famous for its Tulip Festival... and in 2019 when we visited it was wonderful. This time, it was clear that we had missed the peak display and, whilst still very beautiful, did not quite have the impact of 2019.

Walking round past the Castle itself, we made our way up to the walled gardens.

We wove back and forth through the pathways, each providing new views.

Eventually, we finished in the walled garden and head back towards the castle itself.

Finally, we stopped off at the old stew ponds which have now been turned into a conservation area.

It really was a lovely afternoon.

Cooler

 It was a lot cooler today. Still dry, but quite cool. We were up early so that Urban-Cub could drop Ellie off. She was in a bubbly mood and we went through the normal pre-school protocol before walking her round the corner.

The Silver Vixen had Pilates and the Gorse Fox had football. We headed off in our separate directions. 

Football was fun. We were using the big pitch, but it was only 5-v-6 so there was a lot of ground to cover. The Orange team (with 5) was the stronger team, but the Gorse Fox's Yellow team put up a good fight. At half time it was 4-2 to Oranges, but the Gorse Fox had scored one of our 2. In the second half we pushed that bit harder and got the game to 6-6. The Gorse Fox checked his watch. Time was up... and he alerted Jack (timekeeper) - Jack decided there was 1 minute more and as soon as the Orange scored another goal, he blew the whistle.

Back home we had a quiet hour before collecting Ellie from school. She's been "hyper" and "loud" since getting in. She's just having her wash before bed... let's hope she settles.

Almost perfect

 The Gorse Fox was in two minds. Should he go to football, or should he stay put and do some admin and family tree research. Football won.

He headed off across to Worthing. It was a fabulous day. The sun was bright, it was warm, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. The Gorse Fox was picked for the Green-2 team.  We had one injured player who could hardly move (but was stubborn), and a goalkeeper who would need a step-up to reach 5 feet. It could be interesting. Fortunately we had a very strong attack and midfield.  The first game was hard fought and ended 0-0. The Gorse Fox had had one chance but completely mishit the ball. The following game was similarly hard, and ended with the same score. In the last game, we finally broke through. Unfortunately, so did they. Final score 1-1. Never mind, it was good fun and all played in good natured manner.

This afternoon has been quiet. We sat out the back listening to the rill bubbling away. The Silver Vixen then went off to collect Ellie from school with Urban-Cub, then popped across to see Lady Penelope and Old Bill.

Back to Normal

 The Easter Holidays are over. Today, Ellie was back at school. Everything returned to the normal flow. Ellie was dropped off before 7:30 and had breakfast with us before the Silver Vixen helped her get washed and ready for school. We walked her round to school and thanked heavens that she was so eager to get there as we saw another mum having real trouble with her son, and in the end had to prise him off of her to hand him over to the teacher. Ellie just kissed us goodbye and ran into glass without a backward glance.

The Silver Vixen had an appointment during the morning. The Gorse Fox made use of the time and cleared the garage. Everything had been moved about when the wiring was done for the rill. It now needed to be reconfigured so that the car could be stowed away. It didn't take quite as long as expected, but the car is now safely inside again, leaving plenty of room on the drive for the Skoda and any visitor's car.

We collected Ellie from school and diverted off to the park so that she could let off steam for a while. Once home she was as good as gold until Urban-Cub arrived to collect her.

BBQ

 It was a nice quiet morning, though the Gorse Fox did have to go round to Urban-Cub in order to deliver her bedside cabinets which had nestled in the boot of the car since last night. She had lent them to her cousin, The Mask, but he no longer needed them, having moved into a new house.

Later, the Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox went back to Urban-Cub's. We had been invited over for a BBQ and as the weather was so nice, that seemed like a brilliant idea. It appears that Ellie has new paddling/swimming pool and despite the fact that the water is fresh, Ellie was soon splashing about until she finally gave in and admitted she was freezing.

We had a lazy afternoon enjoying some beer and wine and the barbecued sausages, burgers, steaks, and chops. Delicious. As it was the last day before Ellie was due back at school, we didn't hang around into the evening. 

Next Slide Please

 We had a fairly quiet day. It was bright, warm, and sunny and we just pottered about. The Silver Vixen adjusted a new dress and the Gorse Fox got through some admin. The real focus for the day was the evening.

Trevor & Jane and arranged, for the Gorse Fox's birthday, dinner and tickets to see Sandi Toksvig's latest show. The Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox put out our finery and pottered up through the countryside to Guildford. Parking up we transferred various items between the cars an then headed off to Zizzi's for dinner.

Zizzi's is always reliable, and we were quickly seated even though we were 30 minutes earlier than booked. We sat and chatted as the drinks and started were served. The Silver Vixen skipped the starters but the Gorse Fox had "Pork and Wild Garlic Meatballs" which were delicious. J&T both had "Mozzarella Arancini". There was bit of a wait for the main dish but we were not disappointed when the Silver Vixen got her "Seared Salmon", the Gorse Fox and Jane got "Chicken Milanese" and Trevor got the meatballs that Gorse Fox had enjoyed as a starter. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal then wandered back over the road to the theatre.

We had a table reserved in the restaurant at G-Live sat down for a drink without have to fight our way to the bar. As the time approached, we took our seats and settled down to enjoy a couple of hours in the company of Sandi Toksvig.

She burst onto the stage and regaled us with what had kept her busy during lockdown. Suffice it to say that she had not been idle - making podcasts, doing voice overs, and wandering down some of the stranger alleys of literature that you can find when pursuing the Internet. It was very, very funny.

There was an interval, halfway through, and we returned to our table in the restaurant where our drinks and ice creams were waiting for us. (Very civilised)

The second half included more personal anecdotes, a quiz, and an open Q&A. Again, it was very funny and she had the whole audience in the palm of her (albeit tiny) hand.

When it was all over we stood in the car park chatting until the rush had died down. Saying out goodbyes we set off in different directions. We had a very good run home and were back in about an hour. It was a thoroughly lovely evening.

Lots more stuff

 We had Ellie with us overnight. This was no problem as she slept through until 7:00 and the Gorse Fox was already up. We were expecting the landscapers at 7:30 so he was on the go as soon as he woke.

The landscapers didn't have a huge amount to do, but we did want one plant with deep roots removed and three Acres transplanted from their pots into the ground. As our soil is thick clay, it was easier to get them to do it than for us to struggle. They dug huge holes and replaced the clay with a mixture of compost and good topsoil. It only took them a few hours, but it now looks much better, and hopefully the Acers (after the shock of the transplantation) will thrive.

We also had a visit from the MD of Berkeley Homes. He he had already been to our neighbour and she had briefed him on her problem with the mirrored doors. The Gorse Fox then explained our problem (which turned out to be the same). He took pictures of the failed components and resolved to contact their new supplier this afternoon and get back to us early next week. The Gorse Fox was delighted when we got and email from hi late in the afternoon. It identifies the exact replacement parts that we need (and have been seeking for years), gives costings, and the contact. That will be on next week's agenda.

Just stuff

 Thursday started with the traditional delivery from Ocado. This was followed by the Sainsbury's top-up and then a trip across to the Chemist to collect a prescription. The Gorse Fox had planned to put the dishwasher on the clean cycle while we were out, but it was having none of it, resorting to its double-bleep and sulk.

The accounts were next on the agenda and while doing them, the Gorse Fox received a message from a neighbour regarding his query, several weeks ago, regarding the smart thermostats. We chatted, and it became clear that he had solved the problem by using a different make from that the Gorse Fox had investigated. A little bit of further research, and watching a couple of YouTub videos and it seems as if we have a solution. The Gorse Fox ordered the starter kit and will fit it in one room as an experiment.

He also received a call regarding the bathroom mirror. The hinges for this failed several years ago and the mirror now sits in the Gorse Fox's study. It appears that the MD of Berkeleys Homes (Southern) is visiting a neighbour with a similar problem tomorrow. After a bit of a chat she resolved to send him in our direction after they have spoken. We might finally have a solution on the horizon.

We did supper for Urban-Cub, Ellie, and Darren this evening and Darren had arranged for his tame electrician to come along and finish the work on the switch for the rill. It only took a few minutes, but it is nice to have the rill working again.

Full day

 It was an uncharacteristically busy day. The Silver Vixen had Pilates in Angmering, for the first time in ages and the Gorse Fox had football in Worthing. We set off for our respective trips at much the same time.

Football was somewhat unbalanced, as usual when Jack chooses the teams. We were under the cosh from the get go and by half time were 5-2 down (and they had had a couple of goals disallowed). It was hard work, but we did seem to stem the flow in the second half.

Back home, showered, and fed the Gorse Fox waited for Darren and for the dishwasher engineer. Darren turned up first and proceeded to spend most of the afternoon running new armoured cable from the garage to the rill plug. It was hard work as the cable was so stiff. He eventually go it all in place and wired it up (without fitting the cover on the power socket). The rill burst into life. Brilliant. Then it was a matter of closing up the plug socket. That's where it started to cause problems. There just was not sufficient space in the pattress to accommodate all of the wires and close it up. As soon as we tried, the fuse blew. Several attempts were made to solve the problem. Several attempts failed. He called a friend. He is a qualified sparky so be able to sort it out when he calls.

The dishwasher engineer called. It goes without saying that the dishwasher worked perfectly when the Gorse Fox tried to demonstrate the problem. He decided to check everything and concluded that it was probably the micro sensor on the door. He readjusted position and balance of the unit and went through several test runs. They all worked. We must conclude that was the problem. He revealed that the insurance company that the Gorse Fox had inadvertently spoken to yesterday just called him. For this service they charge an extra £50, then they uplift the price of any parts that are needed... examples he quoted were a £15 valve being charged at £68, and £60 part being charged at £160. "Go Assist" have now been deleted from our list of contacts.

First World Problems

 Our dishwasher has gone on strike. When we load it and ask it, politely, to wash and dry some dishes it just bleeps twice and ignores us. We have put up with this impertinence for 24 hours, but enough is enough. The Gorse Fox called a contact from Checkatrade. After taking all the details, it became clear that they were an insurance company acting as a clearing house. They went off to get some quotes and came back with just two. The first was the price that Siemens themselves would charge. The second was £50 cheaper. Sounded promising but it was only as we moved through to the next stage that it became clear that this price was contingent on us taking out an insurance policy for twelve months. The Gorse Fox declined. He hates it when people try to trick you into something you don't want. Full price was paid, and engineer is scheduled for tomorrow.

In preparation for laying the new cable for the rill, the Gorse Fox has cleared the corner of the garage. Darren won't be able to help until tomorrow, but a start has been made.

An hour or so was consumed working on filing some recent photos. These needed to be processed so that the correct date was embedded along with the locations. These had been stripped out because the photos had been sent via social media. It is so time consuming, but it is important that the photo library is as accurate as possible.

Summoned

 We have two mirrored door for the. cabinet in the bathroom. These are abut 1m x 750mm each and weight quite a lot (being glass). The hinges on one failed a few years ago and we have tried, on and off, ever since to replace them. Facebook revealed that another neighbour is having a similar problem, and various suggestion were made. The Gorse Fox spent much of the morning pouring through hardware catalogues, looking for suitable fixings. Feeling boss-eyed at the end of the exercise, he was not convinced that any of the items would actually work. 

Another exercise this morning was measuring an alternative cable run for the rill pump's power source. It was a lot further than he expected by the time he had allowed for hiding the cable safely. He sent a message to Darren and hopefully we will make a start on it tomorrow.

We had some lunch and as the Gorse Fox was tidying away the phone rang. "Grandpa, can I go to the park?" came the question. At that point Urban-Cub intervened to explain that Ellie wanted grandpa to take her to the park... He had been summoned.

Flattered, he immediately agreed. So it was that we spent the next hour at two of the play parks on the development. At the second one, Ellie bumped into a class mate and had great fun running around with him.

Easter Sunday

 It is Easter Sunday. It is a day to celebrate peace and reconciliation. It is a day on which the troubles in Ukraine are a completely anachronism. A day on which all all civilised people should strive for peace.

Our day was focused on family. Cousteau-Cub and the Coventry Hobbit were coming for lunch, as was Urban-Cub, her friend Darren, and Ellie. The Gorse Fox had prepared a huge topside of beef in a dry rub overnight and after browning it in oil, he roasted it gently at 120C for nearly 4 hours. It was a triumph, though he feels that 110C for a tad longer would have worked better. He also prepared some roast potatoes in their own dusting of garlic powder, salt, and paprika. Both dishes turned out to be a great success.

During the afternoon we, that is the Gorse Fox, the Coventry Hobbit, and Urban-Cub's friend Darren. tried top feed the cable through the conduit. We failed. In fact, we failed spectacularly. Plan B has been arranged. The Gorse Fox will provide Darren with dome new measurements and we will run a new cable route.

Just in case

Just in case you didn't understand the last blog entry... cousins Tim, Simon, and Chris were the brothers of cousin Mark, who sadly passed away a few years ago. 

The rest of of today has been spent doing this and that. To start with the Gorse Fox began the process of pulling cable through the underground conduit. This is proving to be harder than expected. As a result he has stopped and hopes that with help from the Coventry Hobbit and Urban-Cub's friend Darren, we may be able to complete the process tomorrow.

Much of the rest of the day was spent wandering through the branches of the family tree and filling in further details and providing further evidence for the events in the lives of random ancestors. Again, there were no startling discoveries or major breakthroughs, but there was slow and steady progress. And to his dear cousins, who have also tried to develop a tree, he would advise that they apply some simple logic to their assertions. Very few people manage to have children several years subsequent their death (which you have recorded).

Marx Brothers

 The Gorse Fox had the usual cousins' call this morning. Tim, the youngest, had sent us all some false glasses and noses to wear on the basis that this call was like a club and "I wouldn't want to be a member of any club that would accept me as a member"

The Gorse Fox entered into the spirit of things with a backdrop from "A Night at the Opera" and pointed out that Tim, Chis, and Simon were, indeed, Mark's Brothers.

Strictly

 It has been a glorious day. The sun has shone all day and what clouds there are are settled against distant horizons.

The morning was spent doing some admin and then the Gorse Fox joined the Silver Vixen in the garden. As she pottered he cleared all the leaf detritus from the rill. Hopefully we can get that running again very soon.

The afternoon was spent on the family tree. There was no specific item of research in mind, just a chance to examine some of the hints that Ancestry have sent. This didn't result in any breakthroughs, but it did fill in a few gaps and identify a few new ancillary people (i.e. not direct ancestors).

We had an early dinner. the Silver Vixen has just left to collect Cousteau-Cub. They are going across to Worthing to see Giovanni Pernice, from Strictly Come Dancing, in his one man show. We have had the tickets since pre-Covid, but the show kept getting moved. The day has finally arrived and they are off for the evening.

Just Cruising

Well, actually not cruising until at least next year.

We had a quiet day with the usual delivery from Ocado. Then, with the family coming for Easter Sunday, we had a big top-up to do at Sainsbury's. The store seemed overrun with people who were totally oblivious to whatever was going on around them. The Gorse Fox did an about turn in several aisles and went the other way as zombies blocked the aisle as they shuffled back and forth and chatted to each other, and elderly ladies scolded their husbands for one reason or another. Clearly, they had unlocked the cemetery gates a bit earlier than usual today.

With some recent concern regarding availability of fuel, the Gorse Fox was pleased to see a very short queue on the garage forecourt. We needed fuel, so joined the queue. It didn't take too long and we managed to fill the tank.

The rest of the day has been quiet.

Out and about

 

With both of us Covid-clear and nice weather forecast, today seemed like a good day to go out and have a bit of a stretch.

Late morning we drove across to Upper Beeding with a view to a wander around Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens. It has been many years since the Gorse Fox was last there and the place has changed hands a couple of times in between. Fortunately, the current owners have restored the gardens, improved the pathways, and installed a new sculpture trail. After a coffee and blueberry muffin we headed out into the gardens, snaking our way down to the lakes.

The car park had looked quite full but despite that, the gardens seems empty. We passed the odd family here and there (with the children following a treasure hunt which would culminate in an Easter egg), and there were a few couples but there didn't seem like enough people to warrant the quantity of cars.

We made our way along the paths to the ribbon of lakes, crossing at one of the damns that separate them. Here and there there were further sculptures - some quite bizarre and others very beautiful.

The sun was playing hide and seek. Sometimes the cloud cover completely washed out the blue, others times the sun shone strongly and cast brilliant blue reflections.

We sat for a while and took in the view, marvelling at the tranquility and the mirror-like quality of the still water. It was one of those spots where you could easily linger for an hour or two.

A buggy silently pulled up behind us. It provides transport for people with mobility issues and calls at this spot every 30 minutes. We were in no hurry and could take our time wandering back out of the valley. We watched him drive off.

We discussed our next stop. The Camelia Walk was past its best, so we didn't bother. The Bluebell Bank seemed to be empty - maybe they are doing maintenance. We headed to the Rock Garden.

The Gorse Fox loves a good rock garden. This was a good rock garden, being very well established and having lots of paths leading up through the various features. We wandered back and forth, looking at the garden from different vantage points. It was lovely.

Eventually, we had seen what we wanted. Our "Stream of Consciousness" was enhanced and our should uplifted. It was time to go back to car and home.

(The Gorse Fox was amused by the sign written across the front of a motorhome parked near our car "Adventure before Dementia" - it seemed somehow appropriate).

Finally

 Well that's a relief. The Silver Vixen is finally testing negative for Covid. A degree or normality can resume. We both have residual coughs, but nothing too troublesome.

The Gorse Fox decided that, as his calves were as tight as violin strings, he wouldn't chance football today (and the roster is full for tomorrow).

The morning was spent on a number of admin tasks. Nothing too onerous, and certainly nothing interesting, but just stuff that had to be done. On a side issue though, the Notes app on the Apple devices, good as it is, would be so much better if is supported more formatting options or some for of markdown or scripting.

After lunch the Gorse Fox returned to family tree. He picked an ancestor at random and started to search for any new information. Sure enough, he found her baptismal certificate (in Latin) and several Census entries, leading eventually to her death at the age of 84. It has got him thinking about his great grandmother. The story was that she was a governess for a while, possible working in Belgium. This is a train of research is worth revisiting to see if any documentary evidence can be found. 

Booking

 The day has been filled with lots of bitty things. A bit of this, a bit of that.

We had accumulated, as a result of Ellie's Birthday, a huge collection of cardboard boxes. It was time for the Gorse Fox to set about them with a sharp knife and reduce them to cardboard sheets that could fit in the recycling bin. This took a while and was interrupted by an ongoing conversation, over messenger, with an old college friend. He will be in this area tomorrow and Wednesday - but with the Silver Vixen still testing positive we had to call a rain check on meeting up.

The Gorse Fox also spent time looking for some options for a separate getaway later in the year. We concluded, in the end, that the Summer was a non-starter - we just couldn't make the dates work with the Cattery and with Ellie's summer holiday. The Gorse Fox moved on to the Silver Vixen's birthday. This is far enough in the future that we should be able to sort out the logistics. The Gorse Fox has several options in mind, but the one he was leaning towards expects the full payment up front. That is not going to happen, so we will reconsider the options. We can always fall back on Sidmouth, but the Gorse Fox had fancied the New Forest for a change.

Studs up

 The Gorse Fox returned to a degree of normality. We had football scheduled. He went early, to ensure a parking spot, but there was no need as few other games were scheduled today.

We had a full 5-a-side turnout. The Gorse Fox started on the Orange team, but swapped to Yellow at half-time to try and even things up a bit. The first half had been a bit of a parade for the Oranges and we went in 12-5 ahead (including a goal and several assists from the Gorse Fox). Post-Covid he was finding that he was quite breathless, so had to pace himself and covered only a fraction of the distance that he normally would.

The second half didn’t really even up as well as he had hoped. Though he provided five or six direct assists and forced several saves from their goalkeeper, our goalie rolled the ball directly to the opposition on no less than 6 occasion - each of them resulting in a goal. Heavens knows what the final score was... but yellow definitely lost!

We have just had the first official notification from P&O regarding the rescheduled cruise in 2023. They started by rubbing in the fact that it’s only 75 weeks to go!

We have also heard from the owners of the Airbnb in Falmouth… so we are on the countdown for that.

Starting Again

 After this morning's cousins' call the Gorse Fox settled down to find an alternative for the cruise. After all, we already have the cattery booked and they have very little accommodation for other times in the summer. The keyboard glowed hot as the Gorse Fox compared hotels in Jersey and in Cornwall. Then he wondered about AIRBnB and scanned through hundreds of properties in Jersey, on the Isle of Wight, and in Cornwall. It took all morning, but eventually we decided on an Airbnb in Falmouth - right on the Quay. It looks very nice and it is right in the heart of the town, so everything is in a couple of minutes walk. We now have something to which we can look forward, again.

As for the cancelled cruise - the refund for the pre-booked excursions has been confirmed and we are just waiting too hear about the cruise fare refund. We have (or should we say, Trevor has) rebooked the cruise for September 2023... with the original itinerary and the same cabins we had originally picked. 

74 days and RESET

 The Gorse Fox has spent much of today looking at potential holidays in Jersey. The cruise, in June, is fixed - so now it is a matter of finding a break around our Wedding Anniversary.nThere seems to be a wide selection  available. The first decisions was to ignore airports and go by ferry. This will mean a quick trip across to Poole, then a 4 hour ferry journey. Then we have the flexibility to travel as we please while on the Island. Bit by bit, the Gorse Fox narrowed it down. He now has a shortlist of 4 hotels. What he doesn't have is fixed dates. This is dependent on the availability of the cat whisperer at the Cattery, and the Gorse Fox is awaiting some dates from him.

It was mid afternoon that the bombshell arrived. P&O have just cancelled our cruise. The countdown has just be stopped. They are redeploying staff across the fleet to cover for Covid sickness, and Arcadia is effectively mothballed until August.

To say that we are cheesed off would be an understatement. This cruise was originally booked in January 2020. It was originally postponed by Covid and now has been postponed again. Discussing this with J&T (who were also on the cruise) we decided to roll it forward. Trevor made the calls and we are now booked on the same cruise in September 2023. P&O are not endearing themselves to the Gorse Fox.

Now we must decide what, if anything, we will do this June in place of the cruise. There's always Cornwall or Devon but we have made no decisions as yet.

Normality

 For the Gorse Fox it has been a return to normality. For the Silver Vixen, still testing positive, not so much as she is still isolating.

We had our usual Ocado delivery this morning and then the Gorse Fox went to Sainsbury's for the top-up. It was nice to wander around without deliberately moving away from other people. There wasn't a huge amount to get, so he was soon home... unpacked and drinking tea.

As soon as the tea was slurped, the Gorse Fox returned to SpecSavers to collect his sunglasses. They have adjusted the frames to fit properly and the Gorse Fox is very pleased with them. They are an immensely restful colour and the polarisation eliminates any glare. Excellent.

This afternoon the Gorse Fox has been looking at possible holidays for 2023. It will be our 50th Wedding Anniversary and we should celebrate in style. The trouble is that we have no idea where to go, at present. The Gorse Fox suspects this will be an ongoing project for a while.

Day 8

 We were up early. Urban-Cub had to get across to Southampton, so Ellie was dropped off just after 7:00. The Silver Vixen was all masked-up while helping Ellie get ready for school. The Gorse Fox, similarly, was masked when he took her to school.

During the morning he took a lateral flow test. At last he is showing negative, so has obviously shaken it off. He must admit that with the exception of a a couple of days, it really hasn't been too much of a problem. The Silver Vixen is still testing positive and has a few more symptoms than the Gorse Fox. She's not too bad, though, and is getting as much rest as possible.

The Gorse Fox collected Ellie after school and we held on to her until Urban-Cub got back from her meeting.

Day 7

The Gorse Fox has not done a test today. He is planning to test again tomorrow. Other than a bit of a cough, he feels fine. The Silver Vixen is still in the grips of Covid and was invited to join a trial of some new treatments. The Gorse Fox suspects that by the time she gets the details and the drugs, she will be over it. For now, however, she has lots of aches, and a slight ringing in the ears, as well as various other discomforts. Her sore throat has gone.

As we are trying to isolate, there is little to report. The Gorse Fox did double-mask for a quick trip to Sainsbury's. The place was deserted, so he is confident that he did no harm. That was, probably, the most exciting thing of the day. 

Not that we are counting, but only 78 days until our cruise!

Day 6

 The Gorse Fox did his Lateral Flow Test as soon as he was up and about. He thought it was going to be negative, but the positive line developed (faintly) after about 10 minutes. The Silver Vixen took her test. Blam! She too is now positive. That has changed the outlook for the week. Urban-Cub has had to sort out her shifts and arrange things with her friend Darren to ensure that we have as much coverage as possible for Ellie. We will still help out where necessary, but will certainly see less of her than usual. Fortunately, the Gorse Fox is feeling fine, so happy to take over.

Not much else to report.

Day 5

 The Gorse Fox feels as right as rain. The Silver Vixen's cold-like symptoms seem to have worsened overnight but her lateral flow test is still recording a negative result, thank goodness.

It has been an immensely quiet day. The Gorse Fox spent some time on the accounts and checking backups but really there was nothing significant. The Silver Vixen has been reading through and examine some patterns this afternoon.

Pistol Pete delivered Ellie back to us, late afternoon. Urban-Cub had a late afternoon all-hands meeting, so would be unavailable for an hour or so. The Gorse Fox spent much of that time going through her phonetics with her. It is amazing how well she is now doing and can work out some big words from their sounds - even if she doesn't know the word.

The chap from Amazon arrived. The Gorse Fox has now fitted a motion-activated LED light in the "man cave" to provide illumination until we have sorted out the intermittent ceiling light.

Milestone 11K - Day 4

This is a milestone post. This is the Gorse Fox's 11,000th blog post since he started back in 2004. It is satisfying to know he has managed to keep it up this long, without missing a single day.

It's Day 4 of Covid. The Gorse Fox feels absolutely fine. The Silver Vixen, however, has woken up with a sore throat. She tested, mid-morning, and the result came back negative. Let's hope it stays that way, bu the Gorse Fox suspects it is just a matter of time.

He had the usual cousins' call this morning. He selected this background for the Zoom call, explaining that, as he had Covid, he was calling from the terrace so that he would be in the fresh air. 

(He's not sure they fell for it).

Currently, we have a problem with a light that is intermittently not working in the "coat cupboard". The Gorse Fox tried to sort this out. He got a plug-in floodlight from the garage and then switched off the lighting circuits. As he started to dismantle the bulkhead light, the floodlight failed. He resorted to the torch on his phone. He finally removed everything and concluded that all of the wiring seemed sound, nothing was loose. There was nothing he could immediately do other than put it all back together and resolve to get help or replace it.

This afternoon, the Gorse Fox has been completing the exercise started earlier this week and has now managed to bring all of the photo files up to date in the local library. The backups will kick-in now and replicate the new files to all of appropriate backup devices.

Day 3

We signed up for Disney+, yesterday. We used it to watch "Death on the Nile" with Kenneth Branagh during the evening. The Gorse Fox must say that it was an excellent film - very atmospheric. He's lined up a few more films for future evenings.

He had a very good night's sleep (and so did Ellie and the Silver Vixen). Today, he feels back to normal, other than an occasional dry cough. As a result, he decided to take another test this morning. Unfortunately, it was still very positive. The Silver Vixen also took a test, but luckily hers still shows negative. The Gorse Fox seems to be able to control the cough with "Fisherman's Friends" so he double-masked up and chanced a quick trip round Sainsbury's. Because we were well organised, we were in and out in no time and carefully avoided getting close to anyone. Even at the self/smart checkout we were the only people there.

There is a 12 month offer with Sky-Q allowing us to gain access to Discovery+. As this includes "Diners, Dive-ins, and Dives", the Gorse Fox signed up. While cooking this evening's dinner, he enjoyed watching the start of series 23. It's nice to have it back... like an old friend that you haven't seen for ages.

The rest of the day has been pretty quiet, so there's nothing else to report.