Another Visitation

It was another fabulous day with wall-to-wall blue skies and temperatures in the high 20s. We had a gentle start to the day and once Diane had showered and was ready we went out for the first of her walks. Again, we went that little bit further than yesterday. Not too much, just a bit.

It was a quiet afternoon for me. Diane's friend Kathie had come to visit so, other than making tea, I was able to squirrel myself away in my Study. I have started editing the older journal entries. I'm not yet sure how (or if) I will publish these. I may just use them as a sparse journal (i.e. a journal with huge time gaps between entries) or may extract holidays and business trips into a travelogue. Firstly, I need to edit them down to relevant content and then decide on the way forward.

We watched the Champions League final during the evening and were delighted to see Manchester City emerge victorious. I was getting so cross with the blatant cheating and simulation used by Inter Milan. My view is that if you cannot win without cheating and playing dirty, then you should not be playing at all. I have ruled. So bet it!

Visitation

 I had the school run to start the day. Zoe was looking a lot more mobile, first thing, and seemed brighter in herself. Ellie was her usual chirpy self and held my hand most of the way to school.

Back home we had a busy couple of hours. Jan and John were due and there was a list of things to get done before they arrived. Usually, when we visit each other, we go out to eat. This was not(yet) a sensible solution for Diane, so I made up a huge bowl of mixed salad that we could eat with some chicken pieces, ham, cheese, prawns, or whatever. It seemed like a good solution… and so it proved. We caught up on all of the families, their health, their jobs and so forth. The time seemed to whistle by. Before we knew it, it was time for me to collect Ellie from school. This also proved to Jan and John’s departure.

I collected Ellie and we went home to Zoe’s. Ellie had a quick change of clothes and we headed off to the hospital for her daily IV antibiotics. The doctor seemed pleased with progress but there is still another week to go.

Blood

 It will become a long-term theme. Diane will have to have blood tests on a regular basis to ensure that her INR levels are within the correct operating range. If they rise or fall beyond certain thresholds, she has to change the dose of Warfarin - this is dictated by the hospital when they get the results of the blood tests. We were up early this morning and by 8:20, Dracula the phlebotomist was draining another armful of Diane's life force ready to be sent to the lab for analysis.

The early morning blood test meant that Ellie was collected by a neighbouring school mum and wicked off to school without my normal escort. Being Thursday, however, there was the usual shopping delivery and top-up to occupy the morning.

After lunch, we managed a walk. We dropped in at Zoe's to check on her and to deliver a few bits of shopping that she needed. I also left her my MacBook (stripped down, reset, and rebuilt) to play with until she can afford to buy her own.

The rest of the afternoon has been fairly quiet. Dinner is now finished and the dishwasher is humming away. Diane is in the garden with the hose, ensuring the plants are kept healthy. We have heard from Zoe and it seems that her foot has improved... but there is still a way to go.

Contact made

I had the usual start to the morning with a good coffee prior to the school escort run. Ellie was very chirpy right up until we left the house. She wanted to use her scooter to get the school. I said, No, not today. She then had a good sulk all the way to the school gates, where she met up with some classmates and went off to play until the classroom doors opened up.

I had a dental appointment this morning so Kim came to Mum-sit for a couple of hours. By the time I got home, they had been for a walk and Diane was supervising some planting in the garden. I had picked up some ham rolls from Turner's Pies on the way back from the Dentist, so we munched through those for lunch before Kim went off home.

I went to collect Ellie from school. While waiting for the gates to open, my phone rang. It was cousin Paul. I called him back once Ellie was safely home. We had a lovely long chat, catching up on the health of all the various family members, the memories from last week's wedding in Portugal, holiday plans, and his recent purchase of a boat! Cathy was feeling unwell, but hopefully will be better and able to make the most of their last two full days in England, before returning to the US.

Diane's brother, Paul, came to visit. I had retrieved a couple of curries from my last batch and defrosted them during the day. Rice was cooked and Diane's salmon and some chips were blasted in the air fryer. It was a lovely evening, with Paul only leaving at about 21:15 to drive back to Lyndhurst where he is working at present.

Nurse!

 I rose at the usual time and started the first infusion of caffeine, thanks to the Nespresso machine. Diane was up soon after as she had to get breakfast before the Cardiac Nurse arrived for her introductory visit.

Ellie had a school trip to Marwell Zoo today and couldn't wait to get started. I whizzed her around to school and she was absorbed into the pre-trip melee.

The Nurse, Lou, arrived. She was like a whirlwind. Stats were checked, history discussed, meds discussed, plans made, numbers exchanged, advice given, wounds checked, and information downloaded. A very impressive Nurse. One in whom we can have confidence.

Diane has managed a 650m walk today. This is good progress.

Most of the rest of the morning Diane spent on the phone as call after call came in. I retired to the Study. I am still working on a specific project and I needed to refine the information beyond that which was extracted from the database. This has taken almost every spare minute of the day and there is still more to do. I am, however, very pleased with the project as it stands.

Zoe is back at the hospital. It has not gone as smoothly today and she has been seen by several doctors and had some X-rays taken. Kim is with her, and Darren has collected Ellie. We are awaiting the latest update from the hospital.

Warfare-in

We were up and about early this morning. I was on school patrol with Ellie - Zoe's foot is still causing problems - and Diane had to get going so that she was ready for today's blood tests and her first appointment at the Warfarin Clinic.  There were several domestic chores to clear also.

We headed to St Richard's. The blood test was marked as Urgent so we skipped the queue. We then had to wait for the lab to process the results and pass them on to the Anti-Coagulation Nurse. As a result of her surgery, Diane will be on Warfarin for the rest of her life. The Nurse took us into her office and spent about 90 minutes chatting with Diane and explaining the mechanics of the process and the outlook for the next few months while her stats stabilise. She was very thorough and we left with a good background of what was needed and a fistful of supporting documents and some additional medication.

Diane looked weary, so we skipped the planned walk with Kim on the way home. We settled down to give her a quiet afternoon. Tomorrow we have the Cardiac Nurse visiting for the first time.

Zoe has been back to the hospital also. She has had another infusion and is beginning to improve more noticeably. I collected Ellie from school and took her straight home to Zoe so that she could accompany Mummy to the hospital and see what was going on. She was clearly intrigued by the whole process. (Evidently a nurse in the making).

Onwards

 We both slept remarkably well. Breakfast stretched out over a couple of hours accompanied by the latest news online. I had some domestic chores to clear before heading for the Family Tree and fiddling with some statistics and facts and looking at some techniques for data extraction. The research showed up a number of options but I have not yet decided on the best approach. I will have to look at some more during the week.

Kim and Jon popped in to see us, late morning. It was nice to see them and nice for them to see the progress that Diane is making. Kim is threatening to pop back in during the week, which will be good.

Zoe was back at the hospital for a further IV of antibiotics. This new one seems to be doing the trick as she seems a little better in herself. There is still a way to go yet! Meanwhile, Grandpa is on school duty this coming week.

Diane has managed a couple of walks again today. Slow but steady.

A couple of walks

 It has been a quiet day. I was up first and made coffee while reading the papers and opening up the doors for Jasper. It was 50 minutes later that Diane started to move around. The kettle was switched on for her tea and I went up for a shower before the cousins' call. 

Clearly, the cousins were all eager to hear how Diane was doing and all sent their love. After that, the call descended into a series of Empson reminiscences.

Other than tending to Diane and the basic household chores, I have been focused on extracting data from my genealogical records in such a way as to produce the contents of a book. The basic data has now been extracted and has a basic format. I now need to polish this up in such a way that I can send it off for printing.

We have taken a couple of walks today. The first was to Zoe's, where we stayed for a while before walking home the long way. The second was a loop of the Crescent, round by the school and back. We just need to concentrate on a little bit further each time.

Zoe is back in A&E this evening. The infection seems to be tracking up her leg. The hospital staff are on the case!

Plans change

 We went to bed knowing that Diane had an appointment with the phlebotomist at 8:30. The correct alarms were set to ensure we were up and ready to go. As we got into the car we received a call from Zoe. She was having to return to A&E after a dreadful night and an early morning consultation with the on-call doctor. We would complete our trip and then look after Ellie until Zoe was sorted out.

Ellie arrived at 9:40 and was a bit worried that Mummy was going to the hospital again. She stayed with us and we distracted her for a while, then we got her washed and dressed and stood by to provide whatever entertainment was required. 

Ellie was going stir-crazy by the time she had finished lunch. We (Diane and I) walked her around to home to get some sensible trainers so that she could go to the park. This was part of Diane's rehabilitation - she needs to walk every day. As we headed back home, Diane dropped off to rest and I took Ellie on to the park for a while.

By late afternoon, Zoe was on her way back. Ellie was collected and would be going to Pete's for the weekend. Zoe was in need of further painkillers. Once they had left, I headed around to Sainsbury's to do the weekly shopping.

Touch wood, everything seems to be back on an even keel! I do suspect we will both sleep well tonight.

Return to normal.

With Diane home, Jasper has switched his allegiance again. He won't leave her alone and is only interested in me for food. (He did, however, snuggle down on my lap last night - but he would never admit to it).

Relax!

The first thing of note is that Jasper did not indulge in choir practice during the night. This was a huge relief in that the only interruption to sleep was self induced. I emerged at 06:30, well rested. It was scheduled to be a momentous day. Diane was coming home from the hospital. This meant that I had to switch to domestic chore robot mode. Floors cleaned, washing done, and toilets scrubbed within an inch of their lives. Plants were watered and things appeared under control.

At lunchtime, Diane had been given the all-clear. I checked Google and it suggested that the gridlock around Chichester would stretch my journey to 90 minutes. I fired up the car and we headed off. Google immediately rerouted me and we ended up zigging and zagging across toward Chichester Harbour and popped out in front of the tailbacks.

Once at the hospital, it only took 20 minutes to get the car loaded, say goodbye, and head back onto the highway. An hour later we were home.

Meanwhile, in Portugal, Michael Badeski was marrying Emily Tiemann. We were meant to be there, along with Jane and Trevor. That did not happen, for obvious reasons. Ultimately we had the opportunity to watch the event over Google Meetings, with the video thrown onto the big TV.

In the soap opera that is our life, we got a message from Zoe. She was about to head off to A&E. She clearly had an infection in her foot that needed immediate attention. Ellie went to play (and possibly stay) with her friend Maddie, while Darren took Zoe to St Richard's. After we had finished dinner I went around to see Ellie and check that she was all right. She was in her element and no intervention was required. 

Real Progress

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

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

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

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

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

Delivery!

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

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

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

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

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

Walking

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

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

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

Sweet Release

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

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

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

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

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

Slick run

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

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

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

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

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

Headlines?

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

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

Tina Turner was clearly more influential than we thought. 

That was Unexpected

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

Tenterhooks

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

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

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

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

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

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

Company Trolley

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

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

Helpless

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shaking thing up

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

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

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

We are now, quite definitively, on the countdown.

Exec

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

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

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

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

Keeping things short

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

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

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

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

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

Hard to believe

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

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

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

Journals

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

Chieftain

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

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

Tock, tock, tock

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

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

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

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

Tick, tick, tick...

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

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

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

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

A Degree of Certainty

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

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

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

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

Still ticking

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

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

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

Ticking over

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

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

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

Nothing

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

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

That's it.

Conveyor

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

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

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

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

Strop

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Frisson of Excitement

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

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

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

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

Just Pottering

The Gorse Fox is tempted to say "Ditto".

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

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

Not much

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

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

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

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

Unremarkable

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

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

Unremarkable!

Semi-Isolation

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

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

Coronation

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

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

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

God Save the King.

Red, White, and Blue

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

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

There was face paint...

There was the ribbon entwined plait...

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

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

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

Voting

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

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

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

Coronation

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

Nursery

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

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

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

Back to work

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

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

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

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

Pseudonyms

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

Print Ready

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

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

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

Printer

 It was 05:30. The Gorse Fox was wide awake. A cursory check of the plumbing made no difference. He tried to relax and drop back off to sleep. His brain, however, had gone into overdrive - how should he prepare the potatoes for dinner this evening? - has he checked the page headers for the blog extracts? - why is Jasper already up and about? Is that the first heavy aeroplane en route to Gatwick this morning? That's how it continued until, giving up, he grabbed his Kindle and started to read. This is how it continued until 06:45 when he got up and made his first coffee of the day and started reading the news.

Once the day had started properly and the Silver Vixen was up and about, the Gorse Fox returned to his study. The 2006 extract had been sent for publishing/printing last night and this morning, the 2007 extract was also sent off for processing. 2008 is stacked up and ready to go but 2009 needed a further pass through the editing process. That has occupied much of the day.

The Silver Vixen has been pottering in the garden throughout the day. Some old faux ivy has been removed from the trellis by the garage so that it can be replaced with black-eyed Susies.

Honesty

 It is so nice to see honesty in action. On Friday we took Ellie's scooter to the school when we collected her. She grabbed it as soon as we were off the premises and scooted off towards the park. She discarded the scooter and headed for the swings. Meanwhile, the Gorse Fox and Zoe were still trying to catch up. After twenty minutes or so, we called Ellie and headed home. The scooter was forgotten. Another school kid noticed it and took it home. His mother put it on FaceAche and Zoe was alerted. The scooter has been retrieved. There is Peace on Earth (well, this little bit).

Under Pressure

 The Gorse Fox's morning started with the (now traditional) cousins' call. Simon, from Australia, joined for the first time in several weeks. The banter was well up to scratch. Tim the Red reported that he and his wife Joan had been out dropping leaflets for their local Labour candidate. The Gorse Fox resisted the jibe. He did, however, leave the call briefly (several minutes later). When he returned he explained that he had been distracted by the commotion outside as the Labour candidate was being tarred and feathered.

The weather was glorious. The Silver Vixen was eager to get into the back garden. There was some serious pottering to be done. Particularly as her Buddha mask had fallen and smashed during the night. (No doubt it will reincarnate as hardcore in a future existence). The Gorse Fox went out to provide some help in retrieving all the bits of Buddha, then grabbed the jetwash to clean the patio and the paths.

The rest of the day has been spent on the journals. The Gorse Fox now has 3 years that are "print ready".

The keys tap on

After the morning school escort duties and some breakfast, the Gorse Fox completed some domestic duties before returning to the study. The Silver Vixen was pottering in the bedroom and in her sewing room.

Finally, the editing of 2006 was completed and a print-ready file was created. Then, the Gorse Fox returned to 2007 and did a final pass before creating another print-ready file. This is easy to say in two sentences, but practically it has taken most of the day.

Urban-cub had her "talent-team" interview with a new potential employer. This seemed to go very well and she is being lined up to speak to the Regional Head. It all sounds very positive and the possible salary sounds more than adequate. Our collective fingers are crossed.

Done

 The Gorse Fox has finished the first pass of editing the 2006 blog. My goodness it was tedious - both as an exercise and in some of its content. He is now halfway through a second pass trying to eliminate many overtly political rants. The page count is rapidly dropping.

Other than that, we have had a fairly typical Thursday. Ocado delivered (but late because the previous delivery had been delayed by a customer's inability to open her electric gates). Then we had a quick whizz around Sainsbury's.

The Gorse Fox has also performed daily security escort duties to and from school.

Delete

 There is very little to report. In our self-imposed semi-isolation, the only exceptions have been the Gorse Fox's security escort duties for Ellie's walk to and from school. The Silver Vixen spent the morning in her sewing room and the Gorse Fox has spent the balance of the day editing and deleting extracts from old blogs. 2006 is now under 400 pages... but November and December still need to be processed.

Coaches

 According to this evening’s “One Show” a new initiative has been launched to get more people to become football coaches. It seems to the Gorse Fox that should be as simple as removing their teeth and installing rows of seats.

Gorgeous

 It has been a gorgeous day, here on the South Coast. The sky has remained cloudless but a cool breeze dusted the day. The Gorse Fox started the day with his escort duty for Ellie's walk to school with Urban-cub. Then it was back home for breakfast.

The Silver Vixen spent much of the day sorting out her wardrobe and swapping winter and summer wear. The Gorse Fox returned to his editing. Analysis of the 2006 blog extract tells the Gorse Fox that he had developed a pathological hatred for the government of the day and particularly the execrable John Prescott. As he edits, he is having to remove huge tracts of text which, though accurate, have no part to play in a family journal. The raw text (processed up to the end of August so far) stands at well over 400 pages still. There's a long way to go in those final few months!

Cousteau-cub popped in briefly at lunchtime. She was on her way back from the doctor's surgery, so stopped to say hello and deliver a 3-dimensional card for the Silver Vixen. She didn't stop long as we are all very conscious of keeping the Silver Vixen free of any infections that could delay her treatment.

Gorse Fox went along with Urban-cub to collect Ellie and her friend Theo. They were having an after-school playdate.

Strange

 Somehow it seems strange. We are used to Ellie being dropped off soon after 07:00 several days of the week.  Not this week. With Urban-cub at home, we can get up when we wake up and have a quiet coffee before the Gorse Fox wanders around the corner to provide an escort on the walk to school. This goes a stage further. We are not required to do the school pick-up either, this week.

Silver Vixen spent the morning on the phone with her friend Marilyn while the Gorse Fox continued working on the journals. He certainly had a bee in his bonnet regarding the execrable, incompetent, bloviated John Prescott in the year 2006!

This afternoon we had a Zoom call with a German chap, Jens. This had been set up by the Gorse Fox's cousin Ellen. Jens has had the same operation and implant that the Silver Vixen awaits. The idea of the call was to chat with him about his experiences and the aftermath. The call went really well and the Gorse Fox thinks it reinforced the decision that the Silver Vixen had made regarding the particular type of implant and also eased any concerns regarding the immediate and long-term aftercare.

Nada

 There really is nothing of importance to report. We had a very quiet day. The Silver Vixen spent several hours on the phone with her friend Pauline. Urban-cub, Darren, and Ellie went to Sidlesham to meet with Darren's brother Lee for lunch. He has a role that Urban-cub can fulfil (in VIP Events Management) until she gets a new job. No doubt we will hear more of this in the immediate future.

This afternoon the Silver Vixen has been reading in the warmth of the Orangery while the Gorse Fox has started editing and formatting the extracts from 2006.

Family Visit

 It seems like a long time since we have seen the Silver Vixen's sister, Denise, and even longer since we have seen her brother, Paul. Today they escaped from the Midlands of Cambridgeshire and Buckinghamshire to come and spend the day with us.

They arrived before midday and we Urban-cub turned up with Ellie soon after. We had great fun catching up with all the family news before Urban-cub had to leave so Ellie could get to a play date with classmate Theo.

Lunch was the curry that the Gorse Fox cooked yesterday. It went down very well.

After a very leisurely lunch, we decided to stroll around the locale and then stop at Urban-cub's to say hello to Darren.

Back home, we carried on chatting and going through old family photos

We also caught up on the "hen-do" and various events leading up to Emma's wedding.

It was a lovely day and it was a shame to see them leave mid-evening. 

Curry

The Gorse Fox was up and about soon after 07:00. News was consumed along with coffee and then he went around to Urban-cub to join Ellie's school escort service. It was during this that Urban-cub revealed that she had handed in her resignation from her current job. The stress has been ridiculous and it was beginning to affect her health. Enough was enough. After dropping Ellie, the Gorse Fox brought her home to tell the Silver Vixen - who heaved a sigh of relief.

Much of the afternoon has been spent preparing a curry We have the Silver Vixen's brother and sister visiting us tomorrow so it seemed sensible to prepare something special. The Gorse Fox started on this at 13:00 and has just decanted it at 18:00. Hopefully, it will mature overnight.

Meanwhile, the Gorse Fox is remiss in not reporting Ellie's loss of her first front tooth yesterday. She was so excited... and delighted to report, this morning, that the tooth fairy had been.

Cheek

 The Gorse Fox thought he was being scammed. A text arrived saying payment had been declined on his debit card and details would follow from another number. They did. Should he reply? He never replies to phone numbers in unsolicited text messages. He looked up the bank's Fraud Department's phone number and called them. Just as he finished traversing the menus and got put through to a call handler, the call dropped. He would call back later.

A minute or two later he received a call from the bank's fraud department. We went through some mutual questioning to ensure we were both who we claimed to be. We then looked at the declined transaction. It was right that they should have declined it. It was part of an elaborate scam by an Insurance Company called "Go Assist" purporting to be an appliance maintenance contractor. You phone them, as the Gorse Fox did last year, and they dispatch an independent contractor to fix the problem. They charge you an extortionate sum and give you a year's cover for that device. They also set up a recurring payment on your debit card to take another year's cover on the anniversary of the first. The Gorse Fox asked for his card to be cancelled and a new one sent out.

The Gorse Fox also phoned "Go Assist" and gave them a dressing down, demanding that his details were removed from their systems and that if he had any further attempts to debit his account he would report it as fraud. He wonders how many people are caught out like this and pay these premiums unwittingly.

Chichester

 After sorting Ellie out and taking her to school, we returned to have some breakfast. The Silver Vixen wanted to go to the shops to get a birthday present for a niece. The obvious choice was Chichester, so soon after 10:00 we parked at the Cattle Market and strolled into town.

The first stop was our favourite jeweller. Jasper had caught the Silver Vixen's necklace and broken the chain. It was too fine to be mended. It had to be replaced. He had just the thing and we left clutching a bag with the replacement chain. W then hit a couple of shops before finding Pandora. There, the Silver Vixen found just what she was looking for.

Back home, we had a quiet hour or two before the Gorse Fox went to collect Ellie and bring her back via the park. She is staying with us tonight.

(Editing has been continuing and the printed book has revealed several modifications that must be retro-fitted to the files created so far).

Don't Cry Out Loud

We heard this evening that the Elkie Brooks concert we were due to attend on Friday, has been postponed. Apparently, due to illness, the concert will be rescheduled for October. 

This is the 3rd time we have been scheduled to see Elkie Brooks and the concert has been postponed. Never mind, hopefully, she will make a swift and full recovery.

Sample

 Ellie was (unexpectedly) with us overnight. Urban-cub had a change of plans requiring her to work an early shift. As it happens, that worked in her favour as she had an unannounced Council food inspection which she passed with flying colours.

After dropping Ellie at school, the Gorse Fox took the Silver Vixen to the hairdresser and then stopped at the chemist to collect her prescription. He also arranged for them to deliver the prescriptions in the future. The sour-faced lady behind the counter seemed very put out by this request and grudgingly filled in our details.

Guess what? The Gas man came! In fact, he was here on the dot of midday. He also did the most thorough boiler service we have ever had. In an attempt to upsell, he also tried to convince the Gorse Fox that we should consider upgrading to a more efficient boiler. This is more relevant because the current push from Westminster is likely to ban the sale of gas boilers before too long. The Gorse Fox will research this and see if it is worth the expenditure... but we won't be getting it from British Gas!

The postman delivered today's mail. The sample blog extract from 2010 had been printed and bound. The question was, is the quality adequate?

Yes, it was. The Silver Vixen was very impressed and the Gorse Fox was delighted. There was no "bleed" of the photos from one side of the page to the other. The text was crisp and clear, and the layout looked really good.

Now that the Gorse Fox has had a chance to review it in detail, he has made a few notes that he will retrospectively apply to the extracts that he has already processed. He will also edit the extraction program so that the few remaining extracts are easier to handle.

Twas on the Monday Morning...

Actually, it wasn't. Or rather, it started well...

At 07:30 British Gas sent a message to confirm that the Gas man cometh.

This was fine. This was expected. He was due to perform the annual service this afternoon, sometime between 12:00 and 18:00. The Gorse Fox cleared the relevant section of the garage so that he could access the boiler.

At 14:00 British Gas sent a message to confirm that the Gas man cometh.

He still hadn't arrived at 15:00, so the Silver Vixen had to collect Ellie from school by herself.

At 16:00 British Gas sent a message to confirm that the Gas man cometh. 

At 16:30 British Gas phoned to tell us that the Gas man couldn't be bothered. Would we like to re-book?

Somehow the Gorse Fox managed to maintain decorum. He has agreed that the Gas man better cometh tomorrow afternoon. 

Locked in

The Gorse Fox is not saying that it has been quiet, but the front door hasn't been unlocked since last night. The Silver Vixen has spent part of the day pottering and then reading in the Orangery. The Gorse Fox has been editing again.

What became clear was that 2007 involved a large number of individual blog posts. Many could have been combined. As the editing process continues, the Gorse Fox is condensing these posts. This, however, takes a lot of time and effort. Even after 4-5 hours he has only just started on the May posts.

The dearth of watchable TV(*) on BBC or ITV has forced the Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox to make better use of the various streaming services. Last night we discover The Chelsea Detective on Acorn TV. This was a very good and very watchable program. We look forward to further episodes.

(*) Watchable TV means that it isn't "gritty", it isn't political, and it doesn't pander to those impressed by bad manners, shouting, and threats. It is just enjoyable and may make you smile or better still, laugh.

Even quieter

 Almost nothing of note to report. The cousins' call went ahead as usual but there was no real news - just banter.

The Silver Vixen has been doing bits of laundry and some sewing.

The Gorse Fox has been editing old blog extracts. What became clear during this process, was that the subtle nicknames he gave to people or places were sometimes too subtle. Now, 15-16 years on, he has forgotten the real names or locations behind some of the nicknames. Doh!

Quiet

 It has been quiet, so quiet.

The weather has been grey and wet and we had nothing specific planned. The Silver Vixen spent the time in her sewing room going through all of the documents that she has received from the hospital and trying to extract the nuggets that were important,

The Gorse Fox has been finishing the editorial work on the 2008 blog extract. On completion, he recognised certain patterns of activity that he could shortcut by re-writing part of the extraction program. 10 minutes of coding later, he re-ran the extract for the next year.

Other than that - Nada, Nothing.

Not Shy but Retiring

 The started as a typical Thursday. Ocado arrived with the main delivery and then we popped to Sainsbury's for the top-up.

At lunchtime, we met with Jane, Trevor, Urban-cub, and Ellie at The Oystercatcher. The plan was to have some lunch and then return home for some tea and cake. Now that Trevor has retired, arranging things for during the day is easier.

Service was incredibly slow, but Ellie behaved impeccably throughout. She was a bundle of joy as she chuckled, laughed, and teased.

As time wore on, glaciers melted, continents drifted apart, and black holes consumed stars Trevor retrieved Ellie's Birthday present from the car to keep her occupied until the next course arrived.

To be fair, the food was excellent. We all enjoyed our various selections... and now that we are retired (well, not Urban-cub but she was on holiday) the long wait was not an issue.

We returned home and were soon joined by Darren. The kettle went on, then went on again, and continued to go on for a couple of hours. We had a lovely time and it was a shame when it all broke up.

Wisdom

 In January 1972, T. Vincent Learson (Chairman of IBM) sent a note to all managers. The note was to be followed up with posters for all employees…

Business Ecology

Bureaucracy is your worst enemy because it:

POISONS the mind

STIFLES the spirit

POLLUTES self-motivation, and finally

KILLS the individual

This is as true today as it was in 1972. What a shame that Starfleet never learned that lesson.

Stormy Wednesday

 Somehow "Stormy Wednesday" doesn't have the same ring to it as "Stormy Monday". The morning followed the forecast and was bright and sunny. Soon after lunch, though, the wind picked up and blew furiously across the coastal plain. Garden furniture was redistributed around the garden and a huge tarpaulin blew into our garden from the neighbour's patio. The Gorse Fox passed it back to him as he explained, apologetically, that it had been tied down but was no match for the wind.

Knowing the forecast, we stayed in. The Silver Vixen sat in Orangery, reading, while the Gorse Fox retired to the study to continue editing and formatting the 2008 blog extract. We have just finished dinner and are settling down for the evening. The wind has died down and hopefully, it too will have a quiet evening.

Arundel

 It had been planned for a few weeks. Arundel Castle holds its annual tulip festival at this time of year. The weather, however, was looking a bit threatening. Forecasts, however, suggested that the rain would hold off until the early afternoon.

We met up with Cousteau-cub at the gates of the castle. Urban-cub and Ellie were originally due to join us. Ellie had banged her head yesterday and was still a little under the weather so they stayed at home. As we bought our tickets we were warned that the tulips were not yet at their best and it might be several more days before they peaked. We decided to go ahead anyway.

We strolled, slowly, through the walled gardens passing the imposing walls of the Castle itself. Trees were in blossom and painted splashes of colour against the grass and granite backdrop.

Once in the walled garden, we were surprised that it was quite quiet and it wasn't too difficult to take pictures of features.

Whilst the tulips may not be out yet, we still had a wonderful sweep of white daffodils circling the lawn and carpeting the area in front of the Cathedral.

We wandered back and forth, examining the views from every possible aspect. It really is a lovely spot and well worth the entrance fee.

Leaving the walled gardens we visited the Fitzalan Chapel. This private chapel is where the Fitzalan-Howard ancestors have been interred since the 1500s. It was the first time we had explored the chapel and was quite intriguing.

We strolled back towards the Castle and made our way up to the restaurant for a coffee and snack. As we left, it was starting to spit with rain. We headed back to the cars and returned home. As we got in, the heavens opened. We had timed it to perfection.

Sales

 The Gorse Fox was up before 7:00. No particular reason - just wide awake and needing a coffee. It was an hour or so before the Silver Vixen emerged, but even then we spent time wandering through the online newspapers and munching on toast.

Mid-morning, the Gorse Fox got a message from Old Bill. He was interested in the Air Fryer that the Gorse Fox had been discussing the other day. Could they come and see it? Well, of course, they could. Old Bill and Lady Penelope arrived soon after 11:00 and the Gorse Fox took them through the (sales patter) features and functions of the Air Fryer (and made a cup of tea). We sat and chatted over the tea. It seems fairly clear that they will order the Air Fryer as a result of the visit.

The Silver Vixen sat and read in the Orangery this afternoon while the Gorse Fox edited blog extracts before starting dinner. For dinner he had decided on chicken, cooked in the pressure cooker, with potato rostis. The problem was that he had no muslin or cheesecloth to squeeze the shredded potato dry. He tried using pressure in a fine sieve. This did a fair job, but not as well as the muslin would have done. The air fryer cooked the rostis, and they were quite tasty. In the future, however, the Gorse Fox will make them thinner. That might make them a bit more crispy.

Er what?

 The Gorse Fox has just seen a headline in the Apple News aggregator:

“Bottom Painting Shopping List”

He hadn’t realised that that was a “thing”. He assumes it is the next step after tattoos.

Easter

 Happy and Peaceful Easter to you all. May your spirit be suffused with peace and contentment and may you and your loved ones be happy and healthy for another year.

We have had a fairly quiet Easter with the Silver Vixen pottering in the garden and the Gorse Fox tapping at his keyboard. When Urband-cub called to say that Ellie was home, we popped around to spend an hour with them and see Ellie for the first time in over a week. The Gorse Fox cannot express how much he misses her when she isn't around. (Even if she can drive him to distraction at times).

This afternoon we had a long video call with Cousin Ellen. Her experience with Canada's "Heart Valve Voice" was an asset that we had to mine for the Silver Vixen's upcoming procedure. It was an interesting 90 minutes and confirmed that the Silver Vixen was on the right path with her planned treatment.

Slap and Fiddle

 It has been a gorgeous day here on the South Coast. The Gorse Fox started with his usual cousins' call on Zoom. Young Tim revealed he would be visiting Granada and the environs next week. The Gorse Fox dug out his journal from 2006 and sent him the synopsis of our trip and also the link to the photos from the trip. Hopefully, they will have fun and enjoy it as much as we did.

The Silver Vixen girded her loins (if you are allowed to do such things nowadays) and headed out to potter in the garden. The Gorse Fox retrieved the decorating materials and finally fiddled managed to remove the pelmet and Venetian blind. This meant that he could slap a second coat of paint on most of the walls, and a first coat on the window wall.

While the paint was drying, the Gorse Fox got started on a beef curry. This is based on a recipe from Nadiya Hussain... with a few tweaks. It takes a good hour to prepare the sauce and then, adding the beef, cooks for a further 3-4 hours. It is rich and sumptuous... and made enough for 4 separate meals.

Once the curry was on the go, the Gorse Fox was able to return to the painting. A final coat was applied to the window wall and a bit of touching up was completed. Masking tape was removed and the wall furniture re-installed. Done!

Gra Pao

 It was a gentle start to the day. The sun was up and the sky was clear but for a few dabs of cloud left by a cherub's paintbrush.

Our plan was to pop into Chichester for a bit of shopping and then to meet up with the Sonning Crew for lunch. Chichester seemed quiet. Maybe people were making the most of a long weekend and the good weather. We found our way to Lakeland, in North Street. The Gorse Fox wanted a butcher's steel so that he could better hone his kitchen knives. While in the shop he noticed a couple viewing and debating the display of air fryers. He chipped in with his experience and spent 10 minutes with them. He suspects they left the shop clutching a nice new appliance.

We wandered back to Giggling Squid. It was the first time that the whole Crew had been out together since last July because of Old Bill's health troubles. With everything on the mend, it was great to get back together. As usual, the discussions were far ranging - health, cars, Falmouth, air fryers, mandolins, grandchildren, children, and so forth. Before we knew it a few hours had leaked from the continuum and we were full of fine Thai food (Red Thai Curry for the Silver Vixen, and Chicken Gra Pao for the Gorse Fox).

Back home, it's been a quiet afternoon. We made the most of the Orangery (with the doors open for the first time this year). Then the Gorse Fox retired to the study to index the 2009 blog extract.

Flat

The morning was occupied with the usual shopping experiences. This was, again, less enjoyable than usual. Possibly it was the hordes of zombies shuffling around Sainsbury's, or it could have been busier because of the run-up to a holiday weekend. Either way, they didn't consult with us to make sure it would not be an inconvenience. Absolutely no consideration!

Once home the Gorse Fox attacked the downstairs cloakroom with masking tape. He removed the mirrors and other wall furniture then headed to the garage to get the paintbrushes and rollers. Well, that was the theory. In practice, access to the shelf with the painting tools demands that the car is moved. The car hasn't been touched for weeks. The battery was flat. Fortunately, Two Hats had a jump kit. This allowed us to start the car and the Gorse Fox left it running for a while to allow the alternator to put some charge in the battery.

Painting tools were recovered and the painting started. It was fiddly but didn't take too long. There is one more wall to finish when the Gorse Fox can work out how to remove the Venetian blind (the usual hinged unit is there, but the hinge is obscured by a snap-on pelmet - the snap-on pelmet won't snap off). For the sake of his sanity, he has left it for another day.

The car is back in the garage on a trickle charge.

Matching

 The Gorse Fox forgot to report that the Silver Vixen’s cousin, Jon is getting married to his lovely partner, Caroline this summer. It’s nice to have positive some family news and a wedding that we should be able to attend. (The Gorse Fox’s cousin, Michael, is getting married to Emily in May, but the Silver Vixen’s impending procedure prevents our attendance).

In the stands

 The original plan for today had been the completion of the decorating. The Silver Vixen, however, wanted to meet up with her cronies after their Pilates session. The Gorse Fox drove her across and then went on to watch the football.

It was frustrating watching the game (from the virtual stands), but not participating. The Gorse Fox had fun chatting with the ref., Gary, and acting as VAR for any contentious decisions. While the game was in progress, his phone rang. It was Michael (from the South of France). He was phoning to check on the Silver Vixen and wish her luck for the next few weeks. What a nice gesture.

Once home, we had some lunch and the Silver Vixen buried herself in her book in the Orangery while the Gorse Fox returned to editing the 2009 blog extracts. It was while doing this that he realised how much more useful these would be if the Gorse Fox created an index of significant events throughout the year. He has now returned to the start of 2009 to provide the relevant markup.

Really?

 So we learn today that a woman has complained to Sainsbury’s over the “Big DaddY Steak”. She says it is sexist and demands that the rename it. The Gorse Fox demands that she grows up and stops being so utterly pathetic.

Books

 There is a reason that the Gorse Fox has been editing and formatting old blog extracts. He has concluded that the cubs and Ellie will never be bothered to look at PDF files. However, sometime in the future, some descendants may be interested in their ancestors and may wonder what life was like in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. The Gorse Fox would love to have a written record from his ancestors. He is now looking at getting these (heavily edited and corrected - the Gorse Fox apologises for all of the typos) blog extracts printed.

Investigating print options, the Gorse Fox found a number of possible organisations, but on examination, these were likely to cost over 100 GBP per volume. Online he noticed that many people were using "lulu.com" to print the Family Tree books. He decided to investigate. He is impressed. He has managed to commission a 248-page book with a hard-back cover for about 20 GBP. He is treating this as a draft so that he can see the quality and whether he needs to wind up any of the production choices. It seems that the worst (or is it, best) scenario would still be less than 50 GBP.

It should take about 10 days, so the Gorse Fox waits with interest.

Loos in White Satin

 The Silver Vixen wanted the downstairs loo decorated. The Gorse Fox, after 2 trips (so far) to Wickes, has spent the morning cleaning, sanding, caulking, and eventually painting the woodwork. It’s looking very crisp.

The walls can wait for tomorrow.

All keyed up

 The Gorse Fox used to have a small, foldable keyboard that he could connect to his phone. In years gone by, he would often use this to blog from the train or a hotel. Said keyboard is long-defunct. It was, however, very useful and, because of its size, very portable.

Today he received, thanks to Mr Amazon, a replacement. When folded, this is about the length of his phone, and slightly wider.

With the magic of hinges, it unfolds and provides a usable keyboard which will pair with up to three separate devices... for example, iPhone, iPad, and Android tablet.

The battery provides up to 90 hours of continuous use, and in sleep mode will last for 200 days.

When it has finished charging, the Gorse Fox will give it a try.

Out

It has been a lovely day. The sun shone and the sky was blue. There was, however, a chilly breeze which took the edge off things. The Silver Vixen wanted to do some shopping and as she is not really meant to drive at present, the Gorse Fox was happy to accompany her.

We worked through her list, popping into one shop or another as we progressed through Chichester. The Gorse Fox took the opportunity to book a table for lunch at The Ivy as we wandered by. Eventually, the shopping bags were full and the list was exhausted. 

We made our way back to The Ivy. We were seated in the area they call the conservatory. It was bright and airy and afforded a view across the whole establishment.

The Gorse Fox started with a smoked haddock and salmon fishcake, but the Silver Vixen skipped the starters. She then had the Salmon as a main dish while the Gorse Fox went for pasta with goose, lamb, and duck ragu. Both dishes were excellent. The Silver Vixen then finished off with some frozen berries with yoghurt sorbet.

A perfect lunch.

Eh? or is it AI?

 The Gorse Fox now has links to some of the recent Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. Controversy rages over whether they are a threat and whether they are accurate. The Gorse Fox decided he would try them and see whether they were useful. Over the past week, he has used ChatGPT, Google's Bard, and an app for the iPhone called Perpexity. So far they seem pretty good, but only time will tell.

Nada

 Absolutely nothing to report.

The Silver Vixen has been pottering and the Gorse Fox has been working on the 2009 blog extract. In a nutshell, that summarises the day.

Diversion

 We heard this morning that Sue and Trevor had a slow drive home last night. A car was on its roof between Bognor and LA. The Police were turning people around and redirecting them up the A29 to Fontwell. 

Visitors

The day was very quiet. This was in honour of the Gorse Fox's brother-in-law, Trevor. Today is the first day of his retirement. As such, it should be treated with a hushed reverence - and a check that he isn't yet bored, and isn't yet getting under Jane's feet.

The Silver Vixen pottered and the Gorse Fox started editing the 2009 blog extract. This was how we filled the day until about 16:00. That was when Sue and Trevor (yes, that's a different Trevor) arrived.

We had arranged this catch-up a little while ago. We hadn't seen them since before Christmas, so there was plenty of family news from both sides. We had some tea and biscuits while we chatted and then ordered an Indian takeaway for delivery. While we awaited the fine foods of the Indian sub-continent, the Gorse Fox cooked some salmon, new potatoes, and peas for the Silver Vixen. (She has given up on Indian food). As usual, when we order from Habib, the food was superb and there was plenty of it.

We retired to the lounge and continued our wide-ranging chat. We covered grandchildren, phonics as a way of learning to read, ecclesiastical music, basketball, football, and church politics. It was a stimulating evening. They left for home at about 22:30 and after a brief wind-down, we went to bed.