145

There was no need for the alarm clock this morning. Ellie was spending the day with a friend at a local pumpkin farm and wouldn't be dropped off until mid-afternoon. We had a quiet breakfast before heading to Sainsbury's for the weekly shop.  We had the usual issue with Zombies blocking the aisles, but being Halloween, it was to be expected.

Once back home, Diane set about a pile of ironing. I went out for a walk. I was out for an hour or so and finally finished the Jason Bourne audiobook I have been listening to. I started a new one. This new audiobook is from the "Bosch" stable by Michael Connelly. When I arrived home, I had completed over 145 km this month - that's 90 miles. I was very pleased with the amount of exercise I have managed this month.

Mid-afternoon, Ellie was dropped off by Tammy. She was only here briefly before I gave her dinner, and another friend and her mum arrived to take her out "Trick or Treating". She'll be back soon and will be staying with us overnight.

Space

 Zoe had the day off, so Ellie was at home today. We had a lazy start to the day.

Once all of the morning ablutions and minor chores were complete, we donned our jackets and headed to the bus stop. We were going into space. Lift-off was uneventful and flight through to Chichester was remarkably quick and we did not experience any periods of weightlessness. Getting off the lander at the Sea of Cattle Markets, we made our way across the cratered landscape (damned potholes) to the Cathedral.

The Cathedral (where Gustav Holst is buried) is currently exhibiting Mars. This, like the previous exhibit of the Moon, is a 7m orb with detailed photos of every aspect of the planet which have been stitched together and rotates slowly in the nave.

It was a brilliant display. We had planned to visit yesterday with Ellie, but she said she wasn't interested.

(It was clear that the photos were taken part way through the process as they hadn't yet coated it in chocolate).

We left the Cathedral via the cloisters and made our way to South Street to find the new "Piccolino's" restaurant. I used to eat at their branch in Bristol and found them to be very good. This branch opens next week so we will have to give it a try.

We wandered back via Crew Clothing (where we were waylaid and only able to leave once we had selected a bag of new apparel) before stopping at Cote Brasserie for lunch.

Back home by early afternoon, we settled down with our Kindles for a while. Before it got too dark, I headed out for walk and then returned to my book in the Orangery.

Staying In

I was up early to greet Ellie, who cycled around with Zoe driving as an escort. There was no rush to get ready for school, no hurry to get out, just a relaxed breakfast and start to the day. We had planned to go to Chichester with Ellie, but said she wasn't interested so we stayed put.

During the morning I got on with some admin and then scanned some documents. Ellie was up in her room reading, and Di was pottering about prior to Lottie's arrival. Just after Lottie arrived, Ellie and I set out for some fresh air. Ellie rode her bike, and I walked. We made our way around to the postbox to mail some birthday cards. We then looped back around by the lake and stopped at the park for Ellie to let off some steam.

Leaving the park, we looped back around the lake again and this time stopped at another park where Ellie played on the climbing apparatus and balance beams.

We headed back home for some lunch. Ellie wanted to watch the TV in the Orangery. I hadn't used this TV since we installed the new router. I had to reset the network settings to get it working, but it was soon providing YouTube Kids to keep Ellie happy.

We all spent most of the afternoon in the Orangery until Zoe came to collect Ellie just before five o'clock.

Repair

 It is half term week. Ellie had a sleepover with Ariana last night and as a result, we didn't have to get up early for the drop-off. In fact, it was about nine o'clock before she was dropped off. The weather was mild, dry, and very grey. We had to hope that it would stay that way. We had an outing planned.

We picked up Ellie's friend, Neve, and headed up through Chichester to Singleton to spend the day at the Weald and Downland Museum. Our first challenge was to find a car parking place. All the car parks near the entrance were full so I dropped Di and the girls off, went to find the overflow car park, and then hiked back about 19 miles to meet them.

For those not familiar with the Weald and Downland Museum, it is an outdoor museum where historic houses, barns, mills, and shelters have been rebuilt in a vast parkland setting. A trail of shadow boxes had been placed around the park with letters hidden inside. The girls wanted to find these boxes and then form a word from the revealed letters. This ensured that we did make our way around all of the exhibits.

After a comfort break, we headed past the lake to the old mill where a miller was showing how wheat was ground.

The Museum is the home of "The Repair Shop" which has been a popular TV show where craftsfolk repair old family heirlooms. (They ask you not to photograph the Repair Shop "to keep it as a surprise" which is pretty daft as the credits for the programme clearly identify the Museum as its location). 

As it approached midday, we headed for the restaurant and sat down for some lunch. By arriving early, we had no difficulty finding a seat and ordering our meals. By the time we left, families were queueing out of the door. Also by the time we left, it had started to rain. It was a fine drizzly rain, almost as if we were in the cloud itself. It didn't take long to get us thoroughly soaked. We headed up the hill and looked at the various houses and barns as we walked.

As we walked down one steep path, Ellie noticed a chap lying on the ground. She and Diane went over to check he was all right. Neve and I saw them disappear and went after them. The chap (who was a big unit) had slipped in the mud and twisted his (recently replaced) knee. We stayed with him until he was comfortable enough to try and get up, then helped him onto a bench where he could rest until venturing onwards We did offer to get and get help, but he declined.

We continued the quest for the next shadow box. I think the girls were quite surprised when they saw the conditions that people lived in. They were intrigued by the beds and the toilet facilities... and how dark the homes were (though I did point out they would have had candles or maybe even oil lamps - even if they didn't have WiFi and YouTube).

We stopped at one house where an Apothecary was allowing the children to make some potions. We had to wait for a while, but Ellie and Neve managed to create a potion made of black pepper, coffee beans, lavender, sage, and various other ingredients This all had to be mashed down in a mortar and pestle. Then the finished potion was wrapped in muslin and tied with twine. The girls both brought home their prized potion.

We moved on to the market square and then back to the restaurant for a drink and a slice of cake, and to dry off a bit. While we were there, we worked out the word that was formed by all of the letters shown in the shadow boxes. It was "Bonfire". We submitted the answer when we went across to the shop.

When it was finally time to leave and head home, I left the girls in the shop and started my hike back to the car. It was pointless for all of us to get wet again, so I brought the car around to the entrance and collected them there.

It didn't take too long to get home. We dropped the girls off at Zoe's and then came home where we settled down for a quiet evening.

Fall Back

 In theory, we got an extra hour in bed as the clocks went back last night. The theory is all very fine but doesn't necessarily apply to my body clock which insisted that I woke at the usual time. I managed to stay in bed for a little while but as I started to fidget, I decided to get up rather than disturb Diane. An hour or so later, she emerged and we settled down to breakfast and the overnight news.

It was while we were reading the news that we heard a huge bang and Diane went to check what had happened. An Audi S3 car, driving past our house had been t-boned by an Audi Q3 SUV coming up the Boulevard. Fortunately, nobody was hurt but the A3 was severely damaged. The Q3 driver hadn't even tried to turn the wheels and just ploughed into the A3. It all seemed a bit dodgy when the brother of the SUV driver turned up and offered to pay cash for the A3 there and then. After the exchange of details and lots of photos, the Q3 drove off, leaving the elderly couple with the A3 to wait for recovery. (The police were not interested as nobody was hurt). After a while, I took them a cup of tea and they commented that they thought she was on the phone and were hoping their dashcam footage would show what had happened.

After some domestic chores, I went out for a gentle walk. I managed about 4km without too much discomfort, though my knee did give me a few wobbles. I stuck fairly close to home, looping around the lake and through Willows Edge. The sun was bright and the temperature was very comfortable in the mid-teens. It was ideal walking weather.

After lunch, I noticed that our crash victims had obviously been collected and the car removed. We settled down for some Kindle time before I started preparation for tonight's dinner.

Lie in

 I slept particularly well last night and treated myself to a long lie-in. It was nearly 07:20 before I emerged and fired up the coffee maker. I caught up on the overnight news and then, once Di had come down, I treated myself to some breakfast and prepared for the call with the Empson cousins.

The Zoom call followed the usual pattern of banter and news combined with various discussions about issues, plans, and family. It all seemed to come to an end so quickly. 

During the morning Di and I walked into the village. She had a birthday present and a card to post and collected her latest batch of meds. We took it gently, but even still I found my knee was quite unstable. I decided that I wouldn't venture back out once we got home.

We had some Kindle time after lunch before Di started on some Goldwork and went to cook up a new batch of curry. I must say that the few "on the fly" tweaks that I made to my usual recipe were very successful and the finished article was delicious. Better still, I have three further portions tucked away in the freezer for the next few weeks.

Kneedless

 I was up early for Ellie's drop-off. She has a new bike so she cycled around to us (with Zoe driving alongside). She exploded into the house and couldn't wait to cycle to school... but had to tolerate having breakfast, getting washed and dressed, and waiting for the clock to tick around to 08:30. Considering it is a big bike, she cycled very well. Leaving her in class, I walked the bike back home (I wasn't going to chance leaving it in the school bike shed) and locked it away in the garage.

Di went off to the Cardiac Rehab session. I had my breakfast and then went out for a gentle walk. Unfortunately, my knee discomfort is getting worse. It isn't painful, but is quite unstable.

I sent a message to Jane to see how she was feeling. She was ok - though her local Sainsbury's had reorganised some of the shelves and that had put her blood pressure up.

Much of the rest of the day was spent with our Kindles until it was time for me to collect Ellie. She was only with us for about an hour until Pete came to collect her for the weekend.

Monitoring

We received a call from Trevor. Jane had been suffering from some heart discomfort. She spent much of yesterday at the Royal Berks Hospital, having blood tests, ECGs and so forth. Eventually, she was allowed home but will have to wear a monitor for a few days. It was a worry... but it was good to hear from her today and hear that she's feeling more stable and her blood pressure has lowered.

I was up early to greet Ellie when she was dropped off. She was very chatty and chirpy and eager to get to school. We walked her around at 08:30 and left her as she ran into class. I went for a short, gentle walk. Unfortunately, my knee was still proving troublesome.

Diane had an appointment for her annual MOT at the doctor's surgery. When she got back, we headed off to Sainsbury's for the weekly shop.

After lunch, we had some Kindle time. I finished the first of the Chichester mysteries and must say that it was an excellent book. I have just started on the second book. (At this time, there are only two in the series).

Mid-afternoon, I went out for another walk. Again, I kept a gentle pace and limited my distance to monitor the impact. My knee was still unstable but by reducing the pace and distance, it wasn't too bad. So far this month, I have walked over 75 miles.

Joints

 I was up early, though there was no pressing need to greet the day. After some coffee and a romp through the news, I walked around to Zoe's and joined the walk to school. Back home, I settled down for breakfast as Diane collected her things and headed off to Angmering for her Pilates session.

I completed some admin and then headed off for a walk. The rough plan was to take a long zig-zag route around the neighbourhood. My audiobook played in my ears as I deliberately avoided any noisy roads. Unfortunately, as I approached the farthest point, my knee started to trouble me. It wasn't too painful, but it was uncomfortable and I was concerned that it might be the start of something more unpleasant. It wasn't the joint itself, it seemed to be the ligament at the front of the knee. I slowed my pace and took a direct route home. Once I was back and just pottering around the house, the discomfort disappeared. I decided to try a shorter walk later in the day.

After lunch, we settled down for some Kindle time. My current Kindle book is "police procedural" (as the Americans call it) which takes place in and around Chichester. This makes the book seem quite real as the author includes local roads, sites, villages, and landscapes.

Di headed off to join Zoe and collect Ellie from school. I used this as an opportunity to take a short walk. It was clear that the knee was still giving trouble so I only managed a single lap of the lake.

Service

I was up early so that Ellie could be dropped off. She burst into the house like a tornado - a tornado wearing one boot and one fluffy slipper! After a cuddle with Grandpa, she charged upstairs to greet Nana. We had a busy morning so I had my breakfast before the school run.

As soon as we were back from school, I took the car around to the local dealer for its annual service and MOT. I walked back through the misty morning sunshine and then settled down for a quick coffee. As I enjoyed the caffeine infusion, the doorbell rang. The chap from Flash Trash Recycling was standing there, 30 minutes earlier than scheduled. I opened up the garage and they started to load their truck with all of the detritus we had sorted at the weekend. After a few minutes, we could actually see the garage floor again.

Next on the agenda was to steam clean the floors before lunch.

We had some Kindle time after lunch and as the time rolled around to the end of the school day, it started to rain. As I left to collect Ellie, I received a text informing me that the car was ready. I continued to school and brought Ellie home. Then I turned around and headed back to the Skoda garage. As I walked, the rain got heavier and heavier. By the time I arrived, I was soaked to the skin and was still dripping by the time I arrived home. I was so wet I had to change.

Out for Lunch

I waited until I heard Ellie switch on the iPad before getting up. It was just before 07:00 and was a further 20-30 minutes before Ellie and Diane came down to join me. Ellie had slept well, was in a chirpy mood, and was eager to get to school. I walked her around to the classroom and then set off for my pre-breakfast walk. The weather was mild and dry, but quite overcast.

The usual domestic chores followed breakfast, and then we prepared to head out and meet with Jane and Trevor for lunch. We drove up through Duncton, Petworth, Northchapel, Chiddingfold, and Milford and pulled into the car park of The Refectory. The restaurant had not yet opened so we sat by the open fire and had a quiet coffee while waiting for Jane and Trevor. Soon after they arrived we went through to our table. I was amazed by how busy it became in the restaurant, considering it was a Monday lunchtime. They only seemed to have a skeleton staff on duty so service was particularly slow... even if the food was very good. Jane had a delicious-looking shoulder of lamb while the rest of us chose pork and leek sausages on mashed potatoes with onion gravy. It was a simple dish, but quite delicious.

We chatted over all the recent news and discussed various forthcoming trips that we have planned. We were going to discuss excursions for our 2025 cruise but hadn't had time to review them in advance. That will have to be an exercise for another day. We had to bid adieu at 14:30 so that we could be home in time to collect Ellie from after-school drama club. We had an excellent run back but were surprised by the amount of rain that we drove into en route. By the time we got home, it was quite foul.

We collected Ellie from school and took her straight home to Zoe (who had come home early with a stinking cold).

Slow Hand

 I was up just before 07:00, Ellie was just waking up, but she stayed in her room for another hour and came down with Nana. The weather was dreadful, with high winds and driving rain. We all had breakfast and soon after Zoe came to collect Ellie so they could snuggle up on the sofa and have a movie morning before Zoe had to head back to work for the afternoon's management meeting.

It may have been 09:30, but I started preparing a beef stew for dinner. I used the "slow cook" feature on the Instant Pot. I set it on high and fired it up for nearly seven hours.

My first task was to check the code I'd written during lockdown to see if it supported the feature my colleague queried. It did. I wrote back confirming that it was supported and suggested that he should send me a suitable code snippet that I could test if he was having trouble.

With that done, Diane and I headed out to the garage and sorted through the detritus. We have a disposal chap visiting on Tuesday and it would be sensible to sort things out in advance. This didn't take us as long as we had expected.

Zoe brought Ellie back to us after lunch. She has spent the afternoon pottering about watching YouTube, doing some crafts with Nana, playing hotels with Nana and Grandpa, and doing some Maths with Nana. She will be staying with us overnight again.

Dinner taught me that the Instant Pot slow cook feature isn't as good as a proper slow cooker. I had to finish the meal off in a conventional oven.

Bandit Country

 There was torrential rain first thing and we had a drive ahead of us... but not for an hour or two. Coffee and breakfast were the first items on the day's agenda. I presented myself at the cousins' Zoom call and we had an interesting 40 minutes, even though some of the usual attendees were absent.

I had an email from an old Starfleet friend. He was asking if the cross-referencing software I wrote during lockdown supported a particular feature. I couldn't remember. I sent him a holding reply, promising I would check tomorrow.

With the call over and the email on hold, we grabbed our gear, ready to hit the King's highways. By this time, the rain had stopped and the sun was out. We had a remarkably clear run to the bandit country of Odiham. It was nice meeting Jan and John for the first time in several months. During this time, he has been particularly unwell and spent a great deal of time shuttling back and forth between hospitals, doctors, and specialists. There still seems to be no definitive diagnosis, but at least he has a plan moving forward. Beyond his health, we also heard about their river cruise through the Dordogne. It was a first for them and as we expected, they absolutely loved it and have already booked another for next year.

We went to the Lord Derby for lunch. This is just off the M3 junction between Odiham and Hook. We have been there before, but it has changed hands several times since. It was clearly very popular and we settled down in a quiet spot. Over the continuing conversation, we managed to get some drinks and order our lunch. It was simple fare, but delicious. John chose a lamb shank, Di and Jan went for the fish pie (which came out at a temperature approaching the surface of the sun), and I chose simple fish and chips. As I said, simple fare, but very tasty.

We headed back to Jand and John's for an hour or so before heading home. We had to get back before 18:00 as we were expecting Ellie, who would be staying overnight. I also wanted to get back before it got too dark because, stupidly, I had left home in my sunglasses and left my ordinary glasses in the kitchen.

Ellie was dropped a little later than planned but she went up to bed almost immediately. Having said that, she was still awake when we came up to bed at ten o'clock. 

Star the Work

I was up and about before Ellie surfaced. She had slept well and was bright, bubbly, and ready to rock. Diane had to prepare for her post-rehab exercise session so I took Ellie to school. She disappeared into class, and I took a short walk before breakfast. By the time I got home, Diane had already left.

I had some admin to clear and a few domestic chores to complete and was just finishing up as Diane arrived home. It was time to go for a proper walk. There was no need for a jacket as the sun was out and the sky was clear. I strode out and zig-zagged around the neighbourhood. An hour later I arrived home, with another 6 km under my belt... this took me over 100 km for October.

After lunch, we settled down for some Kindle time until I could collect Ellie. She bounced out of class bearing the Headmistress's Award badge and the Star of the Week award. She has done really well and we have made sure she knows how proud we are of her.

Once home and changed, Diane took Ellie to Sainsbury's. They have a clothing sale, and Di wanted to get some additional gear for her to keep at our house.

Lunching

 It was another alarm-free start to the day. Having said that, I was wide awake by 06:30 and up 10 minutes later. Coffee and online news greeted the day before I completed my ablutions and headed around to Zoe's for the school walk. I didn't indulge in an early walk after the drop-off. We had things to do.

Back home, I had breakfast and between us we completed the shopping list. The plan was to shop early and raid Sainsbury's before the Zombie bus dropped off its weekly load. This worked well and we cleared the shops by 10:15.

We were meeting David, one of my football friends, and Elaine, his young lady for lunch. David lost his wife to cancer last year and Elaine is also widowed. The two met at a Warner's resort and have been together for a little while now. We met up with them at The Lobster Pot. The sun was shining and it was lovely and warm as we sat outside above the beach. We chatted about our respective lives and experiences and found plenty of common touchpoints. It was a really pleasant lunchtime. We have resolved to meet up again when Elaine is next up here with David. (She lives in Devon).

Back home we had an hour or so before collecting Ellie. We started on our Kindles but I ducked out after a while so that I could get my daily walk completed before Ellie finished. She is staying with us overnight.

Assembly

 Another lazy start as Zoe had another day off. I had my usual coffee and at the scheduled hour walked around to participate in the school walk. Once Ellie was in class, Zoe headed home and I went off for my pre-breakfast walk. It was only two and a half km, but it triggered the appetite for a bowl of porridge.

Soon after I got back, Diane headed off to Angmering for her Pilates session. After a few domestic chores, I put my mind to the assembly of some nice side tables that Diane had ordered for the Orangery. It didn't take too long, but we now have a nice side table at each end of each of the sofas. With that done, I headed out for another walk. By this time, the sun was out and it was about 18C. I shouldn't have taken a jacket, but did and as a result, I was baking by the time I got home.

We had a call from Zoe. She was giving us all the latest news about the kitten, Bo. Once she was finished, we managed to get some Kindle time until Di left to collect Ellie from school.

Results

There was no need to get up early. Zoe had a day off, so I wandered around in time to take Ellie to school. Zoe would normally come along for the walk but was decidedly under the weather so she stayed put and Ellie and I walked together. Leaving her in the classroom, I headed off for a short walk before heading home for breakfast.

Much of the morning was spent doing admin. While I tapped away at the keyboard, Di did some ironing and Lottie arrived to help with some cleaning upstairs. When I finished, I left the girls to it and headed out for another walk. I didn't go too far today, but it was nice to stir up the bloodstream and listen to some more of my current audiobook.

Talking of the bloodstream, I was pleased to receive the results of yesterday's blood tests. All key markers had improved in the last 6 months, and only one is out of the recommended range. 

We both had some Kindle time this afternoon before Diane headed off to collect Ellie from school. There's great excitement at Zoe's. She and Ellie are currently "looking after" a 12-week-old kitten. Needless to say, Ellie loves it even if he is sleeping most of the day at present.

An Armful

 We were up early to greet Ellie as she was dropped off. She was in a bubbly mood and exploded into the house, greeted Grandpa and ran upstairs to get Nana. When the clock ticked around to 08:30, I took her to school and left her in the classroom before going on for a few laps of the lake (walking, not swimming) before breakfast.

Mid-morning, I grabbed my shoes and waterproof coat as I had an appointment at the Doctor's surgery. Despite the promises of the weather forecast, it was still raining. I told myself that it was only water and decided to walk there. I arrived in plenty of time and waited until the phlebotamist was ready for me. I was only having a blood test to check on things like sugar and cholesterol levels. I was in and out within a few minutes and started on the walk back. The rain had stopped, so I added an extra loop onto the more direct loop.

The afternoon was spent with our Kindles, though Diane went to collect Ellie after her Drama Club and took her straight home.

Repeat

 After a poor night's sleep, I wandered downstairs for a coffee soon after seven. Di followed me down at eight. We had a quiet and leisurely breakfast before we set about the day.

For me, the first items on the agenda were administrative. Zoe now has her replacement bank account and card so I had to transfer the balance of her old account back to her. While dealing with finances, I also updated our accounts. I then had some domestic chores as Diane started on her schedule of work which focused on blitzing the Orangery. We now have so much detritus in the garage that we need to get the skip man in to clear it in a single load.

I headed off for a walk. I selected an Ian Ranking "Rebus" novel as my audiobook, but realised that I had heard it before, but forgot to mark it as "Finished". I'll have to select another book before my next walk.

Back home, the radiator that I recently purchased for the Orangery had kicked into life and was taking the edge of the cool day. After lunch, while not warm, it was comfortable enough to have some Kindle time before I started on the Sunday roast.

E~llie has been with Pete at the weekend but is home now. She just knocked on our door because she wanted a cuddle from Grandpa and Nana. That is something we can always accommodate.

Jabbed

 We had a very leisurely start to the day. There was no hurry to do anything, though I did have my weekly Zoom call with my cousins. This was fun, as usual, and Tim, who was clearly suffering from a cold, flu, or Covid, got no sympathy whatsoever. In fact, he was teased mercilessly - as is only right in such circumstances.

After the call, we had to head downtown. We had appointments for our Covid jabs. This turned into a bit of a palaver. The centre normally can accommodate 250 jabs in the morning and 250 in the afternoon. However, maintenance work had reduced the usable space in half so we were queued around the surgery and down the stairs. The centralised booking system had not taken the reduced capacity into account. In fact, they had left the system open for too long and the centre actually had 900 people booked in for the day. They were trying their best, but it was chaotic.

When we got home, the rain that had plagued the start of the morning had stopped and the sun had shown its face. More rain was forecast so I thought I'd make the most of the dry spell and take a walk. By the time I arrived back home, I was within 10 minutes of the end of my latest audiobook. I grabbed some lunch and settled down to listen to the end. I must now select my next audiobook before I start my next walk.

With the audiobook finished, I switched over to the Kindle for a quiet afternoon.  We had some torrential rain for a while, which made me grateful that I hadn't gone to watch Bognor Football Club's game. This had been a plan for a while, but I was concerned the rain may set in - boy! was I right.