Twinkle toes

Ellie didn't stir until I was up and about. She was chirpy and eager to get going, so we took her to school as soon as the gates opened. I headed off for my usual morning walk, and Diane went home for breakfast.

There was some admin to clear during the morning, but then I returned to my little programming project. That consumed the rest of the time until lunch. After lunch, there was a little Kindle time before we got ready for tonight's event. Just before we were about to leave in the car, Diane noticed that it was 3:15 and it looked as if Zoe was still at home - not waiting outside the classroom for Ellie as we would have expected. I ran to the school to grab Ellie, assuming Zoe was stuck on a work call. I needn't have bothered. Ellie had been collected, and all was well.

So, we set off for Guildford. Diane and Jane had tickets to see Giovanni Pernice, formerly of Strictly Come Dancing, at G-Live. Trevor and I were the lucky ones driving them around for the evening. The traffic was surprisingly light, and it was a lovely drive up to the venue. (Well, it was for us; Trevor and Jane had a bit of a traffic jam on the way). We all met up at Zizzi’s for dinner before the show. Jane managed to bump into Giovanni on the way from the car park and even got her photo taken with him! Diane was a bit jealous, haha. After dinner (they had a special offer where main dishes were 50% off in January), we walked the girls back to the venue, told them to behave, and then went for a stroll around Guildford until the show ended.

We had only walked a few hundred yards when my phone rang. It was Ellie wanting to say hello and say goodnight (as she couldn't get through to Nana). We spoke for a few minutes, until the signal became flakey, then said our goodnights and hung up. Trevor and I continued our walk.

I must say that the areas of Guildford we covered were really quaint and were awash with eateries of all complexions. After an hour or so, we stopped in a pub to grab a drink (non-alcoholic, of course) and warm up a bit.

Leaving the pub, we continued our zig-zag route through and around this quarter of Guildford. We slowly made our way back to G-Live, hoping to be allowed in to sit and wait in the lobby. No such luck, as people were still milling about after the intermission. We carried on walking for another 30 minutes before returning to G-Live where, this time, we were allowed to get out of the cold and wait for the "girls".

When they did emerge, they were buzzing. They had clearly enjoyed the show (and Diane is scheduled to see it again next month with Kim and Zoe).

We walked back to the car park and said our goodbyes. We had a very quick run home, despite some fog patches - and pulled up outside the house just after eleven.

Leak

We woke up early to meet Ellie when she arrived. She seemed super excited and couldn’t wait to go to school. She went to her room to get ready and came back down to tell us that her carpet was wet. I went to check and it was clear that the radiator bleed valve had been leaking since I bled the radiators on Saturday. I closed it properly (and double-checked for any more leaks). Then, I grabbed the carpet spot cleaner and started to vacuum the water from the carpet. It took a while, but I did come back to it later in the morning and it had worked!

Panic over, we took Ellie to class, and then Diane headed home while I went for a walk before breakfast.

In the morning, Chris and Maureen dropped by for a coffee. We hung out and chatted for a couple of hours. They told us all about their Christmas cruise on MV Victoria. They had a great time, but they said they wouldn’t do it again. I have to say, nothing they said made us want to sail on her. It was so nice to catch up with them. It’s been a while since we last hung out.

After lunch, I downloaded ooRexx to my MacBook and copied the program I had been writing yesterday.  I started to rerun the tests from yesterday and,  obviously, got the same results. Now that I knew I could use the MacBook for coding and testing, I decided to return to the problem after Ellie was back from school.

We had a very short Kindle time before walking to school to collect Ellie. We stopped at the park on the way home so she could let off steam and then headed home. While Ellie practised her times table, I returned to my program and managed to debug the outstanding issue from last night. Of the four rules that constrain its selection process, two are now accommodated. The last two rules will be more of a challenge because I haven't yet got any inkling of how I'll handle them. That's a problem for another day.  

Ellie will be staying with us overnight.  

Exercise - It's all in the mind

 It was another grey, cold, uninspiring morning. Nothing attracted me to head outside, but that was okay; I had a little project. We had a long leisurely breakfast while reading the overnight news and consuming more coffee than we should have. Once we were ready to start the day, I headed for my study and Diane slowly progressed to her sewing room.

I had an email from cousin Tim. We have a family lunch scheduled for May, and he wants to ensure he is ready for it by providing the table layout. That, in its own right, is simple enough, but he also wants us to shuffle to new seats between each course. This is still simple enough. Where the challenge comes in is the set of rules that govern the seat allocations:

• try to maintain a male/female sequence around the table
• keep one of the children close to one of three people because she only speaks French
• keep one particular person away from each of three other people
• try to keep people close to their partner

There lies the rub. I could think of no simple algorithm for this, but I could imagine how it could be coded in a computer program. I wrote some simple code to start a seat allocation without any constraints. Then, I started to write the code to apply the individual rules. I am about halfway through the project, so I will return to the challenge during the week.

This took most of the day, so I did not venture out for a walk. I excuse myself by saying that I got all of the exercise I needed through mental effort.

(In the past, I could have done this with some form of rules engine - but I no longer have access to such tools and must write them myself).

Floods

 I had a gentle start to the day, wandering downstairs for a coffee at 7:30 and settling down with the overnight news. Outside, the weather was dry but very grey and dull. I thought about ordering some tickets to go and watch Bognor Regis FC play during the afternoon but found that they were away from home this weekend.

I had my usual call with the Empson cousins. This was dominated by Simon turning up with an eye patch. It turned out that he was suffering from blurred vision and floaters, so went to the optician. The optician diagnosed a partially detached retina and sent him to the hospital. It was treated as an emergency, and that same afternoon he was operated on. The following morning he was back home.

I spent part of the morning back at the computer editing some more of last year's blog. I am now well into December and will probably finish the first pass in the next few days.

I have mentioned before that our car has a SIM which allows it to communicate directly with Skoda and also provide internet (and calls) to the car. I had noticed that the connection to Skoda didn't seem to be working, so spent some time removing and reseating the SIM. I am pretty sure the problem lies elsewhere, as the SIM is providing internet connectivity - so it is clearly working. I will have to investigate further.

After a bite of lunch, I headed out for a walk. I said earlier that it was very grey - it was also quite cold and it took a few minutes for me to start to warm up. I stuck to one of my usual routes, adding a little diversion to the start and end. I was out for about 75 minutes, but thoroughly enjoyed it.

Back home, we settled in the lounge with our Kindles. from there, we could see that our next-door neighbours, who were trying to sell their house, had a viewing. This seemed to last quite a while, so I hope, for their sake, that it was successful.

After dinner, I noticed an early evening documentary about the floods in 1968. Diane and I looked at each other and said "What floods?". We settled down to watch the programme which recounted the story of a summer deluge across the south-west which devasted villages in Somerset. Neither of us had any recollection of this. My excuse is that I was in Rhode Island by then, but I had never heard about it in the years since. It was a very interesting programme and I'm glad we watched it.

Saturday night is "catch-up" night on the TV. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, worth watching on TV on Saturday evenings, so we use it to catch up on programmes we have recorded.

Reunion

 We were up early this morning so Ellie could be dropped off on Zoe's way to work. When she came through the door, she was subdued and whined that she had a tummy ache. I gave her a cuddle and sent her upstairs to see Nana. Within a few minutes, she was chatting away as usual and slotted back into her usual pre-school persona.

We dropped her off at school, and as Di went home, I headed off for a walk. By the time I got back home, I was within a few minutes of the end of my audiobook. Despite the temptation to listen over breakfast, I resisted and saved it for my next walk.

It is about 8 weeks since Trudy and Ian moved and thus transferred out of the Sonning Crew. We went across to Yapton this morning to see them in their new home. I must say it was a super house; it was a bit smaller than the old one, but ideal for just the two of them. I have no doubt they will be very happy there - particularly when a few more of the neighbouring houses are occupied. We had a tour of the house and heard about the trials and tribulations of the move and getting the house straight. We were only there for a couple of hours, but it was lovely to see them.

Back home, I grabbed a bite to eat and then set off for another walk. The route had to take me through the village so that I could call in at the pharmacy and collect some meds for Diane. I was out for about an hour, during which I finished the "Desert Star" audiobook and started "The Waiting" (also by Michael Connelly). I'm not sure if I'll match the 162 books that I read (or listened to) last year, but I have managed 10 so far this year.

We collected Ellie from school, and she was with us for about an hour until Pete came to collect her for the weekend.

Maintenance

 We were both up soon after 7 am. Diane was going to substitute for me on the walk to school with Ellie because I had to remain behind and await the arrival of an engineer to look at the window in Ellie's room. We had been given a time slot between 8 and 12, but they couldn't be more specific.

Diane had an appointment for Jasper at the vet. We loaded him into the car (with surprisingly little fuss), and they headed off to Oving. Soon after they left, the engineer arrived to look at (not through) Ellie's window. We had been experiencing a draft through the hinge side of the window, and he started to check it all to see if it could be adjusted. He fiddled and tested, re-fiddled and retested. In the end, he moved a wedge slightly. This should pull the window tighter to the frame as it closes. As there was no wind today, there was no way to check if the problem had been solved, but the solution seemed to make sense.

When Diane and Jasper arrived back, we left Lottie to do her weekly blitz on the house and headed to Sainsbury's. Though we didn't seem to have as much as usual, it did seem to take longer than expected. This was almost certainly because of the shuffling, brain-dead zombies that were already in the store when we arrived.

After a tasty lunch, I decided to go for a walk. I had missed my morning stroll, so I made up for it! I walked around the estate and then headed to North Bersted Street. I followed the old highway to Shripney. As I got close to the A29, I turned around and looped back the way I came. I was out for about an hour. When I got back, I plopped down in the lounge with my Kindle. Diane was already there, but she went to pick up Ellie from school with Zoe before coming home and rejoining me in the lounge.

G-Force

Ellie called G-Force last night, even though she was at home. She was having tummy pains again, but it was late at night and Zoe was fast asleep. She chatted with Nana on Facetime and Messenger until well after 23:00.

I was up at 6:30 and read the papers while waiting for Ellie. Zoe called to say that Ellie wasn’t going to school, but she would try to get another appointment with the doctor. Ellie was dropped off with us, and Zoe headed to work. She was back within 45 minutes. She had an appointment for Ellie and had been given the day off. Ellie was swiftly whisked away to the surgery. They returned soon with an update, and then they went home. G-Force could stand down.

The weather was peculiar. It was much warmer than it had been over the last week, and whilst it wasn't raining, it was soaking wet outside. It was much like the effects of a thick mist, without the visibility problems. It was not conducive to venturing out, so I spent the morning pottering in the house. 

Mid-morning a text message arrived:

"Morning Dad, I've had a change of numbers 07510 672359 is my new one."

I thought about this for about a nano-second and replied:

"David, Out of interest, how stupid do you think I am?"

(Just to be clear - I don't have any sons, and none of my daughters are called David. This attempted scam is so obvious.)

After lunch, I went to Zoe's. She has just bought another security camera and wanted it mounted in the garden. Once we had found a suitable spot and checked it was within range, I screwed it to the fence, and it was all set and working.

Dropping my drill back home, I set off for a walk. It was still wet but didn't feel quite as damp. I marched around a large loop of the neighbourhood for an hour before heading back home. The rest of the afternoon was spent with the Kindle.

(There was no need to break the afternoon to prepare dinner. When I got up this morning, I had primed the slow cooker to cook a chicken casserole throughout the day.)

Interrupts

 Ellie slept through and got up soon after me this morning. She asked for egg and bacon for breakfast, which surprised me but I knew it would set her up for the day. Once the clock had ticked around to 8:30 we walked her to school. Di headed straight home, and I set off on my walk.

My walk was supposed to follow my usual pre-breakfast route, which involves two big loops around the estate and the lake. I was listening to an audiobook through my AirPods. The weather was chilly, but bright and dry, making it a pleasant temperature for a walk. As I was nearing the end of my first loop, I was interrupted by a message from Chris about the installation of his broadband fibre. I had to cut my walk short and go to speak with the engineers to explain how to manage the feeding of the fibre into the cable duct. After that, I returned home for breakfast.

Later in the morning, I decided to go for another walk. At the spot I had reached earlier that morning, my phone rang. It was Zoe, and she was expecting the delivery of a mattress for Ellie. Could I please go and wait for the delivery? My walk was interrupted again, so I quickly headed back to grab the keys. Then, I went to Zoe’s house and waited for the delivery. When it finally arrived (packed tightly in a long box), I carried it upstairs for her and then headed home.

Back home, I had lunch. Diane had gone to the vet to pick up some medication for Jasper and would be returning some Amazon deliveries that didn’t fit. I took advantage of a quiet 30 minutes in the Orangery before setting off for another walk. 

Fortunately, this walk wasn’t interrupted. After a loop of the estate and lake, I walked down North Bersted Street and crossed the bypass. I managed to time my route so that I arrived outside the school just in time to collect Ellie. On the way home, we stopped off at the park so she could let off steam.

Strolling Around

I was up first and Ellie and Di followed me down after about ten minutes. Once breakfast was finished and she was dressed, she started on some homework related to magnets. She whizzed through it, and I uploaded it to the "SeeSaw" system. We dropped her off at school, and then I went out for a walk. I only did half of my normal route because I didn't want to stress my troublesome foot. I got back without incident but would see how it went during the day.

I spent the morning doing admin. It started with the accounts, and then I went through and booked the excursions for the autumn cruise. With that done, I returned to the (spring) river cruise planning and paid the final balance.

There were no adverse after-effects from the morning walk, so I decided to go out for another. Again, I took a shorter route than normal, but the sun was out and it was quiet as I wandered around. It was a very enjoyable 45 minutes, and (touch wood) there have still been no after-effects.

The afternoon was spent with my Kindle, while Diane was sewing in her hobby room.

We are expecting Ellie to arrive soon as she will be staying with us overnight.

Fancy Free

 I had a better night than last night and was delighted to find, when I got up, that my foot was significantly better. There was still some residual discomfort and I had to be careful how I planted the foot, and I certainly couldn't twist on it, but it was progress.

Despite the lovely (but cold) weather, I decided against a walk. I was not willing to chance it yet. I spent the morning editing last year's blog. Over several hours I managed to complete all of the entries through to the end of November. Diane had started to work on her sewing project but was interrupted by a call from Zoe which lasted for a couple of hours.

After lunch, I had a short Kindle break and then turned on the TV to watch the FA Cup 3rd round game between Tamworth and Spurs. Though it went to extra time, Spurs did win 0-3. When the coverage finished, we switched over to watch the Arsenal match with Man Utd. We saw through to the end of normal time but then had a Zoom call with Jane and Trevor. The Zoom call was set up to discuss the excursions for the cruise in the autumn. We now have to book them!

Ellie phoned to ask if she could sleep here tonight. She didn't want to get up early tomorrow, and by staying here she could have a more leisurely start.

Footloose

It was a restless night. The pain in my foot flared whenever I tried to turn over in bed, and each time it woke me. Having said that, it was 07:40 before I got up. I descended the stairs with the innate grace of a walrus on roller skates coming down a mountain. At least the foot problem didn't prevent me from making a coffee.

I had the usual call with the Empson cousins this morning.  Much of the call was taken up with Tim's tale of woe, stemming from a bin fire he had overnight on Monday. He and a neighbour managed to douse it before the Fire Brigade arrived. Now he has to deal with the cleanup and the insurance claim. It must have been quite intense as it melted his aluminium ladder.

Clearly, I would not be able to go for a walk. In fact, I could barely get around the house and had to descend the stairs on my backside as I couldn't bear any weight on my foot. While Diane returned to her sewing, I returned to editing last year's blog. I have managed to complete through to the end of the first week of October and could have done more but I am enjoying it so much that I want to eke it out.

Having reviewed the excursions for our autumn cruise, I thought I would review the itinerary and outings available for our spring river cruise. This turned out to be a fruitless exercise as no excursions seemed to have been released for the trip. I updated my notes and left it.

After some lunch, I had some Kindle time while Diane continued with her sewing. There has been a change in plan for this project but she is making progress.

I had an idea. Would the ankle strap that I used when playing football relieve the pain in my foot? Diane went to the garage to retrieve my kit bag and I grabbed the ankle strap. I fitted it tightly and tried to walk about a bit. No, it made no difference. I guess it was worth a try. I shall continue to feel sorry for myself because the weather has been beautifully clear and crisp and would have been ideal for a good walk.

Limp

 Though Ellie was slow to settle last night, she did sleep through and didn't emerge until we were both on the move. I had woken up with a "rick" in my ankle. It almost feels as if I have strained it overnight. Bizarre.

We went through the school countdown checklist, and when Ellie was ready we still had 20 minutes spare so she sat down with DuoLingo and practised her French. Once the clock had rolled around, we headed for school and dropped Elli at the classroom. My foot was too painful for me to consider a walk, so I headed straight home for breakfast. Diane had a Cardiac Rehab session booked, so scraped the ice off the car and she set off for the Community Centre.

I spent the morning editing the 2024 blog entries for August. It took a couple of hours, but it had been a busy month.

After lunch, Diane returned to her sewing and I had a quiet hour with the Kindle before firing up the iMac and reviewing the various excursions that are available for our autumn cruise. Jane and Trevor had sent me their selection and we pretty much agree, though we will probably do our own thing in Tenerife and Lanzarote as we know both so well.

We collected Ellie from school and she stayed with us until Pete came to collect her.

My foot is no better at the end of the day. I just hope that it sorts itself out overnight.

Slipping and Sliding

 It was another very cold night, in fact, we had some snow during the evening, yesterday. Not that the snow settled, but it was indicative of the temperature. I wrapped up well when it was time to walk to Zoe's for the school run, The girls were both full of the joys of spring and we chatted and chuckled all the way to school.

With Ellie deposited in class, I set off for my morning walk. The audiobook of Michael Connelly's "Desert Star" kicked off in my ears as I strolled around the neighbourhood. I was only out for 40 minutes, but the book already has me hooked. There were several spots on the route that were very slippery and I had to stay alert, particularly as I crossed the wooden bridge and viewing deck.

Once home, I had breakfast and completed this week's shopping list. We set off for Sainsbury's just after Lottie arrived. Shopping seemed to take a long time today, and certainly cost a lot more than I was expecting. I zig-zagged through the back streets to avoid the tailbacks caused by roadworks on our usual route. Seeing the tail end of the queue, I have no doubt that I made the right choice.

We had a Kindle hour after lunch and the bright sunshine meant that it was nice enough to sit in the Orangery, even though the outside temperature was only 2.5c. We went to collect Elli from school and I took her to the park to have a run around. She was explaining what she had been learning and doing during "Science Week" and was really enthusiastic. When we got home, her friend Jaxson came to play for a while and then, when he had gone, Ellie cracked on with her times tables before dinner.

Ellie is staying with us overnight.

Snowflakes

 It was very cold overnight and there was a hard frost when I opened up. Diane hadn't slept well, so decided not to go to Pilates as originally planned. I did the usual school run and then headed off for my pre-breakfast walk. I did a couple of loops of the state while listening to the approaching climax of my audiobook.

After breakfast, I quickly updated the accounts and then went back to my study to edit some more of last year's blog entries. Zoe popped in for a while just as I was deciding whether or not to go for a walk. The forecast suggested it was about to rain, so I decided against it.

The rain did start at lunchtime. By mid-afternoon, it had turned to snow, but it wasn't settling. We spent much of the afternoon with our Kindles.

I plugged my AirPods back in when I started preparing dinner. I listened through to the end of my book. I cannot recommend a book more highly - Michael Connelly's "The Dark Hours" (a Ballard and Bosch book). I have already downloaded the next in the series and will start it in the morning.

Much as usual

We had a gentle start to the day but I still wandered around to Zoe's to join the march to school. She and Ellie were both in a very bubbly mood and there seemed to be a spring in their steps. As soon as we had said goodbye to Ellie at the classroom door, I headed out for a walk. I did a couple of loops around the estate before returning home for some breakfast.

Though the Xmas decorations have all been packed away (except for the one thing we will have missed and will find in the next few weeks), the containers had been sitting in the Orangery. I rated everything out to the garage except for some of the soft goods which I stored in the loft.

We have been experiencing some condensation forming on the inside of our bedroom windows. I spent some time looking for a suitable dehumidifier solution. Because of the size of the gap between the blackout blinds and the windows, I couldn't find a perfect product. In the end, I managed to find something that would fit the gap and separately ordered some dehumidifying crystals. We'll see how this works out.

As it was still crisp, sunny, and clear, I went for another walk. This was longer than the earlier one, looping around the estate and crossing up through the village, through Bersted Green, and back home. It was a very enjoyable hour.

The afternoon saw the usual Kindle time.

Gnashers

 It had been wet overnight but the rain had stopped by the time I ventured downstairs. As Zoe had a later start today, Ellie was not being dropped off but I would wander across to join the march to school. After the school run, I returned home for breakfast before we wrapped up and headed off to catch the bus.

I had an appointment at the dentist's. The bus whipped us into Chichester in about 11 minutes - I couldn't have done it any quicker in the car. When we arrived, we split up. Diane went to do some shopping and to return some shoes that didn't fit. Though early, I went straight to the dentist and sat in the waiting room with my Kindle until called. The dentist gave me the usual 3rd-degree interrogation before checking my teeth and gums. I was out in 5 minutes with a clean bill of health (and a healthy bill).

I met up with Diane as she left M&S. We headed back to the bus stop and went home for a coffee, and to get on with our day. Diane returned to her sewing project while I attacked the accounts and returned to my Kindle for a while before heading out for a walk.

It was my first proper walk of the New Year. It was nice to stretch my legs and catch up on my latest audiobook. I was out for about an hour but stayed in the local neighbourhood.

We are eagerly waiting to hear how Kim's first day at the care home went.

Rain and Edit

  Much of the country was hit by freezing rain and snow overnight and throughout the morning. We had rain, lots of rain, and it continued throughout the day. At least it was not cold.

There was no point in getting soaked, so we both stayed in and buried ourselves in our respective studies. Diane was working on a dress pattern, which kept her busy all day. I provided her with regular infusions of tea. 

I spent the day working on the editing for last year's blog to ready it for publishing in hardback. It was fascinating to go back through our river cruise of last spring and my trip to the South of France to see my old school friends. It was painstaking work as I standardised all the photos' layout and size, wrapped the text to fill the white space, and continued to develop the index. It did take all day, but I have now completed the first six months of 2024.

I tried a different approach to the roast potatoes for tonight's dinner. I drizzled olive oil over them and sprinkled them with onion granules and semolina. I then put them in the air fryer for 30 minutes. I must say, they turned out rather well. 

It will be back to school tomorrow, but we don't need an early start as Zoe isn't due to start work until 10:00.

Charger

It had been very cold overnight and there was a hard frost. The weather warning forecast that we would have a dry morning but the snow and rain would begin at midday. I had my usual call with the cousins to start the morning. 

My plan for the morning was to take down the Xmas lights from the front of the house while it was still dry and then start on the indoor decorations. I seem to have mastered the art of removing all the lights and looping them onto the cable reels. I was surprised by how quickly that was done. I then started on the Xmas tree. The issue with the tree isn't the lights or the baubles, it is the disassembly and packing away. Again, I must have been inspired as everything was packed away without any problems.

As we then started to process the rest of the decorations I went to my "man tin" for some pliers. There nestling in the tin was the lost AirPods charging case. I was confused. There was nothing that I was doing on the day the case went missing that would have caused me to go to the tin. How did the case get there? One of life's first-world mysteries. I guess that I now have a spare!

Kim dropped by. She came to show us her uniform (scrubs) for her first placement (as part of the University course), which starts on Monday. She will be working at a Mental Health facility in Worthing for about 6 weeks.

She looked very smart and seemed very enthusiastic about the work.

Kim wasn't here for too long, and when she left we continued to tidy away the decorations. By the end of the afternoon, everything was boxed and ready to be taken back to the garage. That can wait until tomorrow.

During the afternoon, I made up a batch of chicken curry. That suited me for dinner this evening and gave me 4 portions for the freezer for upcoming weekends.

End of the Pier Show

It had been cold overnight and there was a hard frost. It was nearly 8 a.m. before I got up and filled the kettle and coffee machine. We had breakfast and then prepared to head out into the crisp, bright, sunny morning.

We parked the car near West Park and set off for a walk along the promenade towards the pier. As we looped through Marine Gardens, we realised the paths were quite slippery so we dropped out of the park onto the pavement which was in the sun.  Crossing to the promenade we continued in the winter sunshine, marvelling at how few people were actually out and about.

The last time we approached the pier, parts of it were closed where new boards were being laid. They have finished the maintenance and we were able to walk out to the end and look back across Bognor Regis. 

We walked back towards West Park and stopped at the cafe for a coffee before heading home.

We had a quiet afternoon in the Orangery with our Kindles. I also spent some time editing the extract from last year's blog and preparing it for printing. I have only got as far as the end of March, so there is a fair way to go.

By lunchtime tomorrow, the forecast is looking wet and bleak, so it was nice to make the most of today's conditions. (We are in a Met Office Amber Weather alert at present, due to the cold weather).

Day Out

 Yesterday's rain and wind had blown out. This morning dawned cold, bright, and clear. I was up and about by 7:30 and settled with my coffee and iPad. Diane came down a while later. After breakfast she started to potter around and, clearing some of Ellie's toys, knocked the spare table that I had stacked next to the toy shelves. The table slipped and fell and bashed her leg and ankle. 

Lottie came this morning to do the cleaning downstairs. We decided to make the most of the sunshine and go to the Weald and Downland Museum.

Being members, we could get into the museum at no charge.

We started by wandering along to the Carpenter's Workshop where a chap was explaining how the village carpenter would fill in between jobs by making brooms and small household wooden articles.

From there, we walked along to the Smithy where a couple of chaps were beavering away around the forge.

We carried on around the museum, stopping off at a display of the Tudor Kitchen where volunteers (dressed in costume) were preparing food for the Twelfth Night feast.

Next door, volunteers were talking about the clothing of the 1500s and the life of the yeoman farmer and his family.

We looped back up the hill and back towards the restaurant where we stopped for a coffee and a bap.

We stopped off in the gift shop as we left the restaurant and then after a final look around, we hopped in the car and headed home.

We had a quiet afternoon in the Orangery with our Kindles before I zipped to Sainsbury's to grab some tea bags... but was concerned by how long it may take when I saw the gridlock in the car park. This turned out to be the result of an accident just by the car park exit. It turned out that everything had been cleared by the time I left.

A New Chapter

We didn't stay up to see the New Year begin. Ellie was still having a lot of discomfort and again we swapped beds. She settled fairly quickly once Nana was in bed, despite the fireworks exploding throughout the late evening.

This morning, New Year's Day, was the start of a new chapter in the journal of life. I was up first and had a quiet hour with my coffee and iPad before Diane came down. Ellie decided she wanted a pyjama day... and stayed in bed until mid-afternoon.

Gales had blown in overnight and there was rain battering the windows. The idea of going for a walk didn't really penetrate my consciousness. Starting to populate this year's accounting spreadsheet seemed a much better bet. Once that was complete, I headed up to the study and started to process the 2024 blog. The text and images were extracted into an "HTML" file. This was opened in MsWord and the correct stylesheets were applied and the file was saved as a "docx". Then I started to work through each entry and apply the correct formatting, check the spelling and grammar, and resize and position the photos. By mid-afternoon, I had finished January and February.

Ellie finally got up, got washed and dressed, and came downstairs. We watched a recording of last night's fireworks from London and then she sat and played quietly until Zoe came to collect her.

I wish you all a healthy and peaceful New Year, I wish you happiness, love and contentment.

Swapped Again

 Ellie wouldn't settle last night and we were up and down all evening trying to comfort her. She was suffering from tummy pains and was clearly very uncomfortable. By the time we went to bed, it was clear that she needed to sleep with Nana again, so I padded across the landing and settled in her room again. It was gone midnight before she finally dropped off, but she did sleep through the night.

I was up an hour before the girls pottered downstairs. Once I had dressed and had some breakfast I headed off to the pharmacy to collect the meds that had been prescribed yesterday. I had to hang around for a while as the pharmacist was conducting a consultation and she would have to sign off the meds. By the time I left, it had started to rain so I was quite wet by the time I got home. Ellie has now had her first dose and we hope it will sort things out.

While I was out, UPS delivered my replacement AirPods charging case. I have charged it up, recharged the AirPods, and paired the devices with my phone, tablet, laptop, and desktop. It's good to have them charged up and means that I can continue with my audiobooks when walking.

After lunch, Ellie's friend Ariana came around to play. This gave us an hour or so of relative peace before Zoe came to collect them. Zoe will bring her back later to sleep overnight.

As the year draws to a close, I must say that it has been a good year with a few uos and downs to keep us on our toes. We managed a short break in Sidmouth (twice), we went on a river cruise along the Danube, I visited friends near Toulouse, we saw Paul and Cathy (on their way to the Olympics), and Ellen (on her way to a conference), and we went to Turkey with all the family. In general, our health is good, though there was a period where Diane was unwell.

We are blessed.

Bed Swapping

 Ellie wasn't her usual self as she went to bed last night. In fact, she was tearful and clearly very uncomfortable. We decided that she should sleep with Nana so that Nana was on hand if she was taken ill, and that I would use Ellie's bed. As it happened, Ellie dropped off to sleep at 11 o'clock and slept through.

I was up first and enjoyed a quiet hour before Diane and Ellie wandered down. Ellie seemed a lot better this morning.

We spent some time working on our shopping list and when the girls had completed their ablutions and dressed, we headed off. The car park should have been a warning. It was chock full. We entered the store and it was carnage. It was a zombie apocalypse with morons wandering about and blocking the aisles. I suggested to Zoe that she set off the fire alarms so the store could be cleared for us... but she didn't seem enthused by this idea.

Ellie seemed to take a dip and Diane contacted Zoe and she booked an appointment at the surgery. We had a quiet afternoon (I managed a little Kindle time) before heading to the surgery. We have a prescription for some antibiotics, which we will collect tomorrow. It's only a 3-day course, but will hopefully knock this on the head.

(I spent some time online with Apple and ordered a replacement AirPods charging case.)

Theatre

We had a very lazy start to the day. Ellie had slept through and I was downstairs snuggling up to a cup of coffee before she stirred - and even then she stayed put in her bedroom until Diane came down.

The morning offered nothing to report but we headed off to Chichester at lunchtime. We had tickets for "Cinderella" at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

It was an interesting show, put on by the youth theatre group. It was a play, as opposed to the traditional pantomime, and they did an excellent job of the story.

Ellie was a little unsettled during the first part and had to go to the loo with Diane. She stayed out in the lobby watching the rest of the first half on a video screen. I went out and joined them during the interval and we all went back into the theatre for the second half.

The second half was much lighter and Ellie got totally enthused. In the end, she declared she had really enjoyed the whole play and declared which characters were her favourites.

We dropped her at Zoe's for dinner and went home for our own. Ellie will be back to stay overnight.

Tidy

 I slept well. In fact, it was 07:30 before I woke up. It was a suitably gentle start to the day with a breakfast of porridge and coffee as the call with the cousins kicked off. The call was the usual mix of reminiscences and banter as we caught up on everyone's Christmas.

While I~ was on the call, Zoe dropped Ellie off for the day (and night). By the time I emerged, Ellie was huddled under her headphones and catching up on goodness knows what. When she went upstairs to wash and dress, I started on a bit of a tidy-up. The spare table was cleared and collapsed, chairs were relocated (but not put away as I couldn't be bothered to hit the garage), and Diane started on a deep clean of the family room and kitchen.

I was debating when to go for a walk and checked the status of my AirPods. The battery status was very low. I searched for the case again, but have to conclude that I have lost it so I hit the Internet intending to order a replacement. I found a case by Otterbox (sold by Apple) - but cost £17 instead of the £89 for the Apple case. Otterbox got the business and the new case should arrive tomorrow.

Despite the lack of Audio input, I did go for a walk.

Soon after getting home, Ellie's friend Ariana (and her mum) came to call and invited Ellie for a playdate. She couldn't get away quickly enough... and it gave us a couple of quiet hours with our Kindles.

Ellie is staying with us overnight.

Colourful

 For some bizarre reason, I was awake by 2:15 this morning. My brain clicked online and I started to process random ideas... how would I prepare lunch when I didn't have sufficient burners on the hob? What would be the best way to serve up the pasta and various sauces? Where would everyone sit? Where is the case for my AirPods? What will we do with the current kitchen table when the new one arrives? So it went on, and when all of these had been dealt with, I restarted the whole list to ensure I had the best solutions. I got up soon after 6:00.

We expected Jane, Trevor, Mark, Zoe, Ellie, and Kim for lunch. Kim made contact to say she had an upset stomach and unfortunately wouldn't be able to make it. Diane and I spent the morning preparing for our guests.

Zoe and Ellie arrived first. Ellie had ridden here on her bike. Mark, Jand and Trevor arrived soon after. We had a noisy hour while everyone caught up with their collective news and viewed some of Ellie's Xmas presents. We even set the Nintendo Switch up in the Orangery. (The Switch is in a sorry state after Zoe managed to drop it and break one of the controllers... but it still works).

For lunch, I had prepared some linguine with a choice of sauces. One sauce was made with chicken, bacon, chorizo, roasted red pepper, white wine and cream; the other was a shop-bought carbonara sauce with prawns and salmon. It seemed to go down well and there was very little left.

After lunch, we continued the general chat. I discussed the accounting spreadsheet with Trevor as he is in the process of starting one of his own. It was during this discussion that we were attacked by Ellie with her hair dye. Before we knew what had happened we looked like victims of a paint explosion. (We were assured it would wash off!)

After that, we discussed Ellie's recent chess prowess and this led to Trevor downloading the sea chess app that we use (SmallFish). In turn, that led to a game against the computer... which we lost.

We finally remembered that it was Xmas and exchanged gifts. I was particularly lucky as Trevor and Jane had bought a super painting of Sidmouth for me. I think we have the perfect spot in the lounge where it can be hung.

Everyone left early in the evening and it only took a few minutes to clear up before we settled down for a quiet evening.

Relative Calm

 There was no need to get up early. Despite this, I was drinking my first coffee by 07:20, Diane, however, managed a further 90 minutes in bed. 

Once breakfast was over, we set about preparations for tomorrow. In previous years we have set up the Orangery as a dining room. With the new sofas installed, this was not going to work. Chairs were moved from the family room and our spare dining table was brought in from the garage and cleaned up. We think we have a workable plan, but time will tell.

Zoe popped in to collect the various parcels that were left behind last night. Her plan was to take Ellie ice skating this afternoon.

As we tucked into some cold turkey for lunch Diane said those fateful words; "I've had an idea. Do they make circular tables that expand out to accommodate more people?". I knew that they did. I didn't know where to find them, nor how much they cost. I thought about Winchester, where they have King Arthur's Round Table - but we don't want something that's second-hand. I pressed Google into service and soon realised that such tables vary wildly in price and £11500 wasn't unusual. I did find a table at a moderately sensible price and we measured up. It should fit... and with the Boxing Day sales, we managed a significant reduction in price. I just have to wait for 4-6 weeks for delivery.

We had some Kindle time this afternoon before I returned to the kitchen to prepare some of the food for tomorrow and cook this evening's dinner.

A quiet evening is planned.

Merry Christmas

 Christmas Day started earlier than planned. Soon after 2 a.m. Jasper decided to share his dinner with us, depositing it on the carpet by the side of the bed. We leapt out of bed and cleaned up so that it didn't stain before snuggling back down to sleep for the rest of the night.

We had a fairly relaxed breakfast before beginning the serious preparation. Diane sorted out the festive table, lounge, and Orangery while I concentrated on the food. There were vegetables to prepare and turkey to roast.

Kim and Jon arrived at midday, followed by Zoe and Ellie. Drinks were served and Ellie showed all the various gifts she had received from Santa! 

At a suitable break in the excitement, we retired to the lounge and opened the presents. Ellie acted as the helpful elf and handed out the various piles of wrapped boxes. She was very excited as each gift was revealed.

I returned to the kitchen and began the final push towards lunch... roast potatoes, carrots, and parsnips, then the cabbage and Brussels sprouts, and finally carving the turkey. We settled down to eat a little later than planned but it had been a lovely family morning and timing didn't matter.

Lunch was the usual feast accompanied by chat, jokes from the crackers, and general teasing. After we had all finished eating, we had made no appreciable dent in the mountain of turkey and ham. I suspect that will be the source of several meals over the next week.

The clearing up was soon done and dusted and we headed out to the Orangery where we had set up Ellie's Nintendo Switch on the TV. She and Kim could then play with the Karaoke game using the two microphones she had received from Santa.

I think it was about 19:00 when everyone had left and we locked the door. We had a quiet evening watching TV before going to bed and reflecting on what a lovely day it had been and how lucky we had all been.

Prep and loss

 We had a gentle start to the day. There was nothing scheduled, though there were various preparatory tasks to complete for tomorrow.

After breakfast, I washed the floors downstairs while Diane finished sorting the cleaning laundry and tidying upstairs. With the floors drying, I headed out for a walk. It was grey, mild, and very damp. A slight mist still lingered as I wandered the streets listening to my audiobook through my AirPods. It was probably at some point while I was out that I must have dropped the charging case for my AirPods. When I arrived home and went to put them away, I realised that I couldn't find the case. I will conduct a more thorough search through the house, but fear they are gone. for now, I will have to recharge them using Diane's case for now and, if they don't show up, get a replacement case.

During the afternoon, Diane wrapped the presents and I started cooking in preparation for tomorrow. We now have a lovely ham with some excellent crackling, and a "hog in a duvet" (which is a giant example of pigs in blankets).

We spent the evening watching all 4 episodes of "The Ink Black Heart" by J.K. Rowling (writing as Robert Galbraith). It was the perfect end to the day.

Buses, Bishops, Knights, and Pawns

 I was up first this morning. Ellie, though awake, waited until Nana woke at eight. It was then a bit of a rush as we had to get into Chichester for Ellie's dental appointment. We decided that the bus should take the strain. It was a good decision. Most of the car parks were full and the streets were heaving with traffic and pedestrians. I left Diane and Ellie on their way to the dentist and spent 40 minutes getting some walking under my belt. I looped around and back several times and discovered an open area that I had not previously realised was the site of the old Roman amphitheatre.

Once we all met up again, we went to do a little shopping and then stopped off at Crispin's for a snack. In the end, we decided the snack was sufficient to last the rest of the day, so there was no dinner this evening. We caught the bus home (Ellie does like going upstairs on the double-deckers). Once home, we spent some time playing games. Again we played Bingo, and then Nana played Noughts and Crosses before Ellie and I played chess. It was a good game, but it was clear that (though she had asked for the game) her heart wasn't in it. She played some sneaky moves, but the attrition she was suffering meant that I took her to checkmate after about 40 minutes.

Pete's just been to collect Ellie. She'll be with him until Xmas morning.

Melt down

With Ellie staying overnight, we were in no hurry to get up this morning. I was up first and had the best part of an hour of peace and caffeine before the girls descended from the bedrooms.

The morning was filled with some general tidying up of the remaining Xmas decorations. I put up the cards on their ribbons and then moved the unused decorations back to the garage.

Ellie was getting stir-crazy after spending most of the week with us (while sick) and now being with us but not getting out. We said we would take her to Hotham Park. The problem was that the 7C temperature felt more like -5C with the prevailing winds. We insisted she wear a thick winter coat. She did not want to wear the coat... and threw a strop when we arrived at the park. We gave her an ultimatum: wear the coat and enjoy the Christmas rides and the ice rink, or continue with your strop and go straight home. The strop continued so we drove straight home.

After lunch, I had to do a quick run to the shops. I hit the Pet's store for cat litter; Next for a new top that Diane had ordered; and Sainsbury's where we needed some bananas, milk, coke and butter. Zoe said how busy they had been. People were queueing to get into the car park, queueing to get into the store, and queueing to get to the checkouts. By the time she came to collect Ellie, Zoe had done nearly 40K steps and the store was heading for another record day.

Ellie is having dinner with Zoe, then coming back here to sleep tonight.

Solstice

Today is the Winter Solstice... sunrise is the latest in the morning, and sunset is the earliest in the afternoon.  Despite all of the "hype" the day still has 24 hours. I was up before the sun, not emerging for my coffee until 07:35. It was pouring with rain, much to Jasper's disgust. Once Diane pottered downstairs, I provided her with liquid sustenance, dressed, and prepared for my call with the cousins.

The call followed the usual pattern of laughter and banter before we all wished each other Happy Christmas and signed off. Zoe brought Ellie around as the call finished. She was clearly a lot more sparkly than she had been for the past few days. We ended up playing chess, bingo, and even Monopoly with her throughout the day.

I managed to get out for a walk. Diane needed her meds collecting from the local pharmacy. I plugged my book into my ears and headed out into the wilds. I had dressed in my head-to-toe waterproofs... only to find they were superfluous. The rain had stopped and despite the local forecast, did not start again. By the time I got home, I was beginning to overheat. My waterproofs are lined for icy weather and were too warm for today.

The afternoon has seen us cocooned in front of the TV. Ellie had played another game of chess against the computer and decided she had had enough for the day. I just hope she maintains and builds on this level of interest.

Stop Press! Ellie has just rushed in to show me that she has just beaten the computer. I checked it all and could confirm that she had achieved a very good checkmate.

Late News

 I have just realised that I forgot to comment on the momentous arrival of Eloise Danielle into the world. Paul sent me a message from Connecticut late one night this week to inform me of the arrival and to provide some first-day photos of the beautiful little bundle snuggling up to Cathy. Micael and Emily (the parents) are doing well, and the grandparents are just moving into overdrive (which will last for years)! We are so pleased for them all.

I set a wakeup alarm this morning. Our plan was to complete yesterday's shopping before Sainsbury's got busy and before Ellie was due to be dropped off. We walked in the door at 08:00 and the shop was almost deserted. We were able to whizz around and collect everything that was left on our list from yesterday. By 09:00 we were back in the car and heading home.

Ellie was dropped off mid-morning. She is clearly a lot better. She had colour back in her cheeks and was full of beans. During the morning she helped Diane finish off some of the decorations and watched a lot of YouTube junk. At lunchtime, she settled down and asked if she could play chess with me. I was delighted that she wanted to play, but nervous because I hadn't played since my early teens. Could I even remember the rules?

The game went well and it took me about an hour to beat her, but in so doing, I showed her various moves that she could make to damage my attack. She took it all in and started to think independently. It was very much cat and mouse. When we finished, I went back to check some of the rules... (which I admitted during the game, had not been clear to me). Next time we play, we will adhere to the rules that I had missed... and no doubt, she will beat me. What a shame I have lost contact with Carl Spencer (Deep Blue); he would trounce me and teach Ellie properly.

This afternoon Ellie went and played with Maddie. We had some Kindle time until Diane had to take Jasper to the vet. 

With Ellie back here, we have just finished dinner and, if it stops raining, plan to go to the Salvation Army Carol Concert just along the road.

It stopped raining, so we strolled along to the next road and joined in the carols with the Salvation Army brass band, who had set up on someone's driveway.

We stayed out singing carols for about 45 minutes. Though there was quite a gathering, very few seemed to be joining in with the singing. We did our bit but seemed to be lone voices in the dark.

It was a nice little event and it provided an opportunity for the neighbours to get together.

Lightning Raid

 `it was a slow start again as Zoe didn't have to be at work until 11, so Ellie would be dropped off mid-morning. I did, however, have to deal with both of our bins (refuse and recycling) and Chris and Maureen's now that they are cruising through the Bay of Biscay on their way to the Canaries for Christmas. It was bright and sunny, but remarkably chilly first thing.

Diane had an appointment at the hairdresser during the morning. (The result is even more lovely). I stayed put as Ellie was due. She had had a bit of a setback and was very pale and suffering from a sore throat when she arrived. I let her go and chill out in front of the TV while I worked on a rough menu plan for the next 10 days... with emphasis on what would be suitable for Ellie as she is likely to be here a great deal. Then, having done a meal plan I completed the shopping list for a raid on Sainsbury's.

After lunch, I left Ellie with Di and headed for Sainsbury's to wade through the list. It went smoothly, since everything was available, but it failed because my trolley was full long before my list was empty. I paid the bill (with a hefty contribution from the accumulated Nectar points) and headed home. It took ages to squirrel everything away... and I am now worried there will be nowhere to put the remainder of the items from the list that we will have to get in the next day or so.

We are expecting the local charity Santa run and collection tonight, so hopefully they will arrive before Ellie collapses.

That didn't quite go to plan. 

Santa, it appears, has broken down just around the corner. We had to get dressed up and head out into the chilly evening to go and see him. At least Ellie had a one-on-one with him while his Elves wandered around the estate explaining to people that Rudolf had a blowout in his hoof and was waiting for the AA.

At least it happened tonight, and Santra has time to get it fixed before the production run on Christmas eve when he has to visit all the kids across the world.

Ward 12

There was no need to get up early. Ellie was not going to school and Zoe was not due to start until 10:00. Diane had cancelled Pilates but did meet with the girls to exchange cards and gifts. Ellie stayed home with me. We played several board games and she finished writing Xmas cards for her friends. She seems a lot brighter today and the antibiotics seem to be working.

After I had made lunch, Ellie and I started working on a jigsaw. I say "started" because she only lasted about 10 minutes and then left it to Grandpa. To be fair, it was quite a complex picture with many similarities across the image - just to make it more difficult.

When Nana got home, Ellie swooped onto her coattails and followed her like a shadow for most of the afternoon. They went out for a while to hand deliver the Xmas cards for the neighbours... I carried on with the jigsaw.

I did have some fun with the new "Image Playground" feature on the MacBook (and iPad). I generated AI representations of the family members. To save embarrassment I will only show the image of me.

Diane has gone back out this evening. She is meeting up with Kim in Southsea to see Anton du Beke at the King's Theatre.

Bulletin

 It was nearly one o'clock before Diane, Zoe and Ellie returned from the hospital. It appears that Ellie has a chest infection and has been given some antibiotics. By the time they got home, Ellie was asleep and it was 10 o'clock this morning before she woke up. She has started on the medication regime and will hopefully recover quickly. Clearly, she did not go to school today and is unlikely to return before the end of term on Thursday.

Despite the very late night, I was awake at the usual time but did manage to stay put until nearly 7:30. It was another hour or so before Diane emerged.

The morning was spent finishing off all of the Christmas cards (both real and virtual). It did mean, however, that I had to raid Sainsbury's for an extra box of cards. As I left the house, I found that Yodel had left a package on our doorstep. It was a 35kg box containing our new bookcase. I slid it (I couldn't lift it) into the hall and then headed out.

Back home, with the extra Xmas cards, and tank full of petrol, I set about the assembly of the bookcase. The instructions were not as good as some recent items we have bought, but with a bit of thought it became obvious what needed to be done and the the unit was soon complete. 

Diane came to my rescue when it came to finding the optimum location for the bookcase. It is now under the lounge window and contains all of my blogs.

Trimmed

 We were up early for Ellie's drop-off. She was bubbly as usual and ready for breakfast. I left her in Di's capable hands and went up for my shower. We walked Ellie to school and I then peeled off for my morning walk.

Diane was going out to meet a friend for coffee. I stayed put and made a start on the Christmas cards (a bit late, you may well say). Cards were a mix of atoms (physical cards) and bits (eCards). We haven't finished the list yet, but we are nearly finished.  

I did manage to sneak out for a walk and to get my hair cut before lunch. There was no time for Kindles today so we continued with the cards until it was time to collect Ellie from school.

When Ellie came out from class, she was very pale and hadn't been feeling well. The school (claimed) they had tried to call Zoe, but there was no "missed call" on either of her phones and Diane and I had been available all day and could have been at the school within 5 minutes if needed.

Zoe collected Ellie and we have just heard that she has been on the phone with 111. They want Ellie seen by a clinician, so we await the outcome. The phone rang. It was Zoe. They want Ellie to be taken to A&E. Nana has grabbed the keys, her Kindle, a battery charger and her phone, and disappeared in a cloud of dust to collect Zoe and Ellie. She will keep me updated; meanwhile, I will slump in an armchair a read my Kindle.

Santa Run

 There was no frantic hurry to get going this morning. Despite this, I was up before seven. Ellie and Diane followed me down after a while and started on breakfast. The important thing was for Diane to avoid the overnight news, Facebook, and the radio. We hadn't seen the "Strictly" final and she wanted to watch it without knowing the winner.

Once everyone was ready, we loaded the car and headed off towards Newbury. We were meeting with Denise, Dom, and Becky at The Craven Arms for lunch. Ellie was sitting on her booster seat watching the iPad. I had managed to connect the device to the Skoda's WiFi hotspot so that she could watch whatever took her fancy... meanwhile, we listened to music from my iPhone to make sure we didn't inadvertently hear a news report revealing last night's winner. We had an excellent run to the restaurant, arriving at the same time as Denise, Dom, and Becky. 

We were shown to our table in the TeePee. During previous meals in the teepee, we had been cold so we came prepared. It wasn't necessary. The teepee was cosy and warm. The menu was much the same as on previous trips (though chicken had been replaced with turkey for the festive season). We all chose roast dinners - Di had lamb, Dom and Becky had beef, Denise and I had turkey, and Ellie had some chicken nuggets. The food was excellent though we did struggle to finish our portions.

Between courses, Ellie went outside to play on the swings and the slides. We also played a Christmas Bingo board game while waiting for our sweets. This was fun and kept Ellie (and the rest of us) entertained.

We exchanged presents and cards and said our goodbyes as it was starting to get dark and headed back home. Again, we had a good run, though we did get re-routed through Winchester for some reason.

We dropped Ellie off at Zoe's and then pottered back to settle down for a quiet evening so Di could watch the Strictly final.

Decked

 I was so pleased to be woken by ~Ellie at 6:30. "Grandpa, my TV is all snowy", I was informed. I staggered across the landing and pressed 2 buttons (the same two I had shown her before) and the TV burst into life. I returned to bed, but I was now awake. I managed to force another 20 minutes in bed before the call of a caffeine infusion became too much and I went downstairs

I had my usual call with the cousins at 9:00. It was an interesting mish-mash of facts and fun. When it was over I grabbed the keys and opened up the garage. It was time to retrieve the Christmas Decorations and allow Diane to "do her thing". 

Once all of the boxes were ensconced in the Orangery and I had erected the Christmas tree, I went around to Zoe's so that we could do the booze cruise around the islands of Sainsbury's. It was fairly frantic in the store but walking around with the Deputy Manager meant that staff were very eager to go and get things for us. This was particularly helpful when we reached the wine aisle and wanted cases rather than bottles.

Back home, I unpacked the fruits of our raid on the shop and then returned to the decorations. Diane and Ellie had made a good start on the Christmas tree, and I knew that I was only trusted with the external lights. I grabbed the step ladder and set up the lights around the bay window and then through the shrubbery. everything was triggered to start soon after 16:00 and would run for 6 hours before switching off.

We are meeting with Denise, Dom, and Becky tomorrow and Ellie is coming with us. I managed to set up the WiFi hotspot in the car so that she could get Internet coverage while we travel. Hopefully, this will keep her entertained on the journey.

Ellie is staying with us overnight tonight.

It's a Cracker

 We had another leisurely start to the day. It was somewhat ruined by me waking up just after six and only managing to stay still until seven. Once up and caffeinated, I went to wash and dress. Unfortunately, my electric razor seems to have developed a flaw, and I managed to scratch my face and draw blood.

I went to Zoe's and collected her and Ellie for the walk to school. Once Ellie was safely in class, I headed off for my morning walk. Diane had Cardiac Rehab this morning and was going straight onward to the Vet for Jasper's meds. Once home, I settled down for my breakfast and to read the news. Once breakfast was finished, I returned to the accounting spreadsheet for next year. I spent a while checking various aspects of it but determined that it was correct as it was.

After lunch, we relaxed with some Kindle time before I picked Ellie up from school. Ellie is staying with us overnight since Zoe has an early start tomorrow. She’s been a real delight since we got home and just finished her dinner (Toad in the Hole with sweetcorn). Meanwhile, Di and I had our own (Southern Fried Chicken, chips, and a mix of onions, bacon bits, red peppers, and baked beans).

After dinner, I gave Ellie the jokes from the Christmas Crackers we had last night. I had saved 8 of them for her. I’m not sure how often we’ll hear them, but she’s already gone through all of them once. (If last year is anything to go by, we’ll hear them hundreds more times before she gets bored).

Jingle Bells

 We had a lazy start to the day. There was no need for any alarm clocks. After the statutory coffee, I headed to Zoe's and joined the walk to school. The kids all seemed a bit subdued this morning, though Ellie was fine. After they filed into class, I headed off for my walk. The weather was decidedly grey and damp and the temperature was hovering around 4C. I started a new Michael Connelly audiobook during the walk and I'm sure this will entertain me as much as the last few during my daily rambles.

Back home, I finished my breakfast just as Lottie arrived to do the cleaning. She was focussing on the downstairs this week, so Di and I headed up to our respective workrooms so that we didn't get in the way. I spent much of the morning refining the accounts spreadsheet for next year.

After lunch, we managed some Kindle time before I headed back to the school to collect Ellie. She was staying with us until Zoe collected her after she finished at seven. Ellie changed into her PJs and settled in the lounge until I prepared dinner. This was pasta for both her and Di. I would be eating later

Soon after six, I drove into LA and parked by the Windmill Complex. I took the opportunity to have a short walk up and down the riverside where I noticed this Lifeboat decorated for the season. 

I dropped into "Mussell Row". This was the venue for this year's Arun Ambler Christmas Social and I was soon rubbing shoulders with plenty of old footballing friends and a few new ones. I settled down for a chat with Jack and was soon joined by Ron (who never stopped moaning) and David.

We had a lovely meal which began with a lovely chowder and was followed by the traditional turkey with all the trimmings, and finally a crumble. It was way too much and I am embarrassed to say that I failed to clean my plates.

After a brief speech from David thanking the staff and the club, I said my goodbyes and headed back into the night. I was home before ten, but it still seemed very late to me!

Doorbell

 We had a lazy start to the day, Zoe was off so Ellie was leaving from home. I was up, however, at seven and enjoying my first coffee when the doorbell rang. I answered the door in my PJs to find the Postman standing there with a package that wasn't due until this afternoon. The package contained some new saucepans to replace the old John Lewis set that was rapidly deteriorating.

Once showered and dressed, I headed to Zoe's and joined the walk to school before heading out for my walk. This followed my usual route, but I added an extra 500m to the route as I was within a few minutes of the end of my audiobook and was desperate to hear the end.

Once home, I had breakfast and headed out to Sainsbury's for our weekly shop. Our usual list was enhanced with some stuff for Zoe. Sainsbury's seemed remarkably busy for a Wednesday, but somehow I managed to retain my equanimity.

After lunch, we enjoyed some Kindle time before Diane went to meet with Zoe and collect Ellie.

Bookcase

 Diane was feeling under the weather with symptoms of a cold. I was up early for Ellie's drop-off. We completed the usual daily pre-school protocol and I marched off to school with Ellie at the appropriate time. I didn't have to insist that Diane stayed behind. she had already declared she wasn't leaving the house. After dropping Ellie, I headed off for my usual walk.

Back home, I grabbed breakfast and Di went back up to bed. I had a quiet morning working on next year's accounting spreadsheet. When that was done, I retrieved the Xmas card list and performed the first set of updates for this year. I also went through my "E-Card" account to update the various email addresses that had changed this year and to update the group lists.

Di hadn't managed to sleep but did rest throughout the morning. She pottered downstairs and after a cup of tea, I started on some soup for lunch and when we were finished, we settled down for some Kindle time before I went to collect Ellie.

Diane had managed to find a suitable bookcase online. We debated whether it would fit and address our storage issue. It isn't perfect, but it is the best option we have found. I went ahead and placed an order. Hopefully, this will be delivered early next week.

Nurse!

 I was up early to greet Ellie when she was dropped off. Unfortunately, she wasn't feeling well and her school attendance was touch and go, today! After a cuddle with Grandpa, she went up to see Nana (who was also feeling a bit rough). As the early morning procedures continued, it became clear that school was not going to work. 

Diane had plans for the morning - she was meeting Pauline for lunch in Arundel. I stayed put so that I could look after Ellie. We completed her homework, and then she read 4 books to me. With that complete, she started on her Times Tables. Soon after she was finished, Zoe turned up to collect her and take her home. I grabbed my coat and headed out for a walk. It was well-needed, and I should have walked further but bladder pressure provided a certain impetus to head home.

After some lunch, I settled down for some Kindle time before returning to my quandary over the bookshelves. Emails had come back from suppliers showing the weight limits for the shelf supports. Unfortunately, they were clearly not suitable for the weight of the books we have (currently 26kgs).

Diane got back from Arundel late in the afternoon and suggested a different solution for the books. I have called it Plan "D" and that will have to be the subject of another day's research.

Adminisphere

 I had a dreadful night's sleep, but, being retired and having no important commitments, I didn't care. I got up soon after seven and treated myself to the day's first caffeine infusion as I read the overnight news.

Once the household was awake and breakfast was done, I set about the annual task of building the accounts spreadsheet for next year. This took me most of the morning. Not because the spreadsheet was complex (which it is) but because there were plenty of changes to the annual expenditure between this year and next. I am familiar enough with this process not to assume it is complete, but I feel it is a long way to being ready for use.

With the spreadsheet done, I returned to the search for suitable glass shelves and their supports for my photobooks and printed blogs. I feel that I am narrowing the choice down, but really need to speak to someone and be convinced that the shelf supports will manage the weight of the books.

Diane spent much of the afternoon "sorting out" her study. I think mine would require the intervention of a tornado to make sense of it.

I didn't walk today. The wind was still pounding the south coast and rain clattered through at random intervals. I used the time to snuggle up to my Kindle.

Gusty

 I had a very leisurely start to the day. It was 07:15 before I emerged and went searching for a fresh coffee. Storm Darragh was barrelling towards us and I ducked outside to move the garden furniture to a sheltered spot. In Wales, wind gusts are expected at 85mph - that's Hurrican Force. Even here, we expect 50-60mph winds.  Satisfied that I had taken sensible precautions, I then settled down with the overnight news and my caffeine infusion.

I had my call with the cousins at 09:00. The Aussie contingent was smugly pointing to their thermometers which read 40+ degrees. I pointed out that the measurement could be in Fahrenheit for all we knew.... and that was similar to the temperature here.

After the call, I settled down to consider the Christmas menus. I expect we will be hosting at least one "do" but more likely, two. I started to review the online offerings from M&S and Sainsbury's. Then I decided that despite the weather, I wanted to go and look at some of the offerings. I headed to Sainsbury's and looked at their turkey, gammon, and salmon. The offering looked good, but some had a "Best Before" date the week before Christmas. I bumped into Zoe and she said it would be best to wait until the 19th of the month when the "fresh" deliveries for Christmas would arrive. With some firm ideas, I left the store, crossed the road to M&S, and checked what they had.  I now have some firm ideas and can relax for a week or so.

After lunch, we had some Kindle time. Storm Darragh seemed to be fizzling out and we enjoyed a quiet afternoon before I prepared dinner.

While in Sidmouth, I bought a milk pan from my favourite kitchen shop. I have been so impressed by the quality that I have just ordered a set of saucepans to replace our old John Lewis set. These old pans have not really lasted well - one was thrown away because it leaked, and others are losing their finish. Hopefully, these Swiss-made pans will last much longer.

Shelved

 There was no hurry to get up this morning. Zoe had a late start. Despite this, we had a call from Zoe to say Ellie had decided she wanted a different dress for her "mufti" day... so she came around for the alternative offering soon after seven. Ellie is clearly a fashionista... with very clear ideas.

After the school run, I went for my usual walk as Diane went to the community centre for her Cardiac Recovery session. When I finished my walk, I had breakfast and then started on admin. I was flummoxed by the NS&I website that wouldn't let me buy bonds for Ellie. It kept claiming that I was pressing the "back" button - which I clearly was not. Ultimately, I went up to my study and used the iMac. This worked perfectly. It really is a dreadful website.

Most of the morning was spent looking for a suitable solution for storing my printed journals. I want to mount them on glass shelves with invisible fittings and edge lighting. Sounds feasible, doesn't it? Well, the problem is that the books weigh nearly 50 kg. Most "invisible" fittings are limited to 18kg. I have a lot more research to do! I have shelved it until tomorrow.

After lunch, we had some Kindle time before it was time to collect Ellie. Collecting Ellie from class we queued for the school's Christmas Fair. This was well subscribed. In fact, it reminded me of trying to get onto a tube train during the rush hour. We didn't stay for too long, and Pete arrived to collect Ellie soon after we got home.

Filing

I was up early to greet Ellie. It was raining when she arrived but had stopped by the time we had to walk to school. After the school run, Di headed home to go for a blood test to check the calibration of her home testing machine. I went for my pre-breakfast walk.

Lottie turned up soon after Diane arrived back home. She headed upstairs to clean through. Di started to wade through a pile of ironing, and I headed for the study. I had a couple of months of photos that needed to be filed in my master library along with the correct facial recognition where relevant.

After lunch, we had some Kondle time before I went to collect Ellie from school. She was full of beans and eager to have a snack, and then do some colouring. Zoe collected Ellie, and then Di sat down for a phonecall with Denise before dinner.

Lofty Heights

 There was no need to get up early... but I was still wandering down the stairs with the natural grace of a mountain walrus, at a few minutes to seven. Tea was brewed, and I started preparing a casserole for tonight's dinner. Chicken, red peppers, carrots, parsnips, baby potatoes, celery, garlic, mushroom, and chicken stock filled the slow cooker, and it was powered on. That was it, nothing else to do until this evening.

I went to Zoe's for the school run and then had my pre-breakfast walk. By the time I returned, Di was just going out to Pilates. I settled down for some porridge and then finished a few domestic chores before heading out on another walk. I didn't walk as far as usual as I had a little gastric discomfort... and didn't dare stray too far from home. Despite this, I was out for about an hour.

After lunch, I went to Zoe's to help her put some items up into the loft. She had stored some clothes and bedding in several vacuum bags but didn't like the loft, so Dad had to help.

Most of the afternoon was spent with my Kindle.

We have just finished our casserole but have sufficient leftovers for tomorrow's dinner.

Catching Up

 We were up early again. Ellie was dropped off and was excited that today was the first proper performance of the school's Christmas play. She trundled off to school with us and dashed into class as the doors opened. Diane headed home for breakfast while I went for my morning walk.

Back home, I finished my breakfast and then completed the shopping list. We had some catching up, and Sainsbury's was bracing itself for our arrival. It took us longer than usual but we eventually squeezed everything into the boot and went home to unpack.

I made up some soup for lunch and then we had 30 minutes of relaxation before heading back to school for the afternoon's performance. We managed to get a seat in the second row and had a fairly good view of Ellie whenever she was on stage. As Mary, she was on stage for quite a lot of the show even though she only had a few lines. The show was very good and was quite a funny twist on the traditional Nativity story.

We brought Ellie back home and gave her dinner before Zoe collected her and prepared to take her back to school for the evening performance. (Pete is due to come across to watch the performance - which will really please Ellie).

Our dinner this evening saw me prepare some pork loin chops in paprika and accompany them with linguine in a white wine and cream sauce containing onions, mushrooms, and roasted red pepper. It was a great success and was a dish I will certainly make again.

Back in the Saddle

 We were up early for Ellie's drop-off. It was lovely to see her as she burst into the house and ran to give me a cuddle. Then she raced upstairs to see Nana. She was Diane's shadow until it was time for school. We dropped her at the classroom door and Diane headed home while I went out for a walk.

Once home, with breakfast finished I spent some time bringing the accounts spreadsheet up to date after our recent break. With that tucked away, we headed to Sidlesham to collect Jasper from the cat whisperer. He was all ready for us and even gave Diane a huge chocolate cake for her birthday before handing Jasper over to us. Jasper yowled the whole way home (and most of the afternoon). While we were there, we booked Jasper in for next year's trip at the same time next year.

After some lunch, I walked to the local convenience store for some milk and fruit so that we could defer a big shop until tomorrow. It was warm enough to settle in the Orangery for some Kindle time until it was time to go and collect Ellie from school. She had played the part of Mary in the school's Christmas play. Today was a performance for the young children... tomorrow we will attend the performance for the parents.

Heading Home

 We finished our packing before heading down for breakfast. I made several trips to the car to load the boot (having remembered overnight that the rear seats slide forward to make more luggage space. This was necessary as we have contributed so heavily to the local economy that the local Chamber of Commerce is debating whether to give us the key to the town.

After a hearty breakfast, we finished loading the car and said our goodbyes. We were on the road soon after 10:00. In complete contrast to our journey down on Wednesday, we had a trouble-free run home. We stopped for a quick comfort break at Rownhams Services on the M27, then powered on homewards. We arrived back just after 13:00, unloaded the car and unpacked the suitcases.

We had an immensely quiet afternoon with our Kindles, followed by a frozen pasta bake for dinner, and a quiet night catching up on some recorded TV.