Turn on the dark

December Nov« »Next year

Er, and we thought it might be a normal one. Start the month waiting on appointment for booster jab. Some changes to working but not much so the effort continues.

The football also gets disrupted and the referees strain credulity as the Premiership race continues in a somewhat spluttering way. Still it is the games you remember - just not always for good and happy reasons, Mr Tierney.

Two whole weeks of break from work and a few days of true indulgence before we rush into a new year of hope and joy for all!

Well, let's hope so.

Cheers!

November Oct« »Next month

Things change as the good wife takes up her temporary role at the school. It means a little change to our living arrangements and new routes to be walked.

I receive a lovely christmas jumper for my birthday and a chocolate toad. Our town meanwhile is getting yet another supermarket, and yet another German brand arrives.

It has been a while now since we've seen much of the wider family. It is making the world seeming a smaller place and less for all that. And this christmas will be different as already Boxing Day is not happening.

Quite a lot of local movement is called for as the full ramifications of the new job is kicking in. At this stage it is a bit of an adventure into the unknown, well not unknown more a trip down memory lane for one of us and a glimpse into another world for others.

Here's looking at you!

October Sep« »Next month

This month I find that the wasps seem to have left the nest or died off. I water the compost heap to drown anything in there and apply a bit of love to the compost. The local rail crossing is going all mod-con with the installation of small kind of automated gat and traffic light system.

We travel up to see the son and enjoy a nice meal in a lovely Italian restaurant. The trees in the park are now shedding their leaves and making some colourful carpets as I walk through.

September Aug« »Next month

September brings one thing in our house - the return to school, another term. My tomatoes ripen. I manage to get the motorbike serviced and MOT'ed for another year, and splash out on a new helmet and waterproofs.

Troll back to Worcester for some business while football seems more normal - at last. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast there before our business. Its a nice little city with many food emporiums and charity shops.

My Sunny Toms

August July« »Next month

This month starts with a finding that we are not sure about. We have a few striped insets seemingly nesting in the compost heap. Possibly wasps or a variety of bee. Anyway for now we cannot really take any compost out of the bin. We are waiting on a local bee expert to cast their eyes over the photographs.

We seem to have escaped the latest scare with COVID as one of the son's friends tested positive. We held our breath for a few days. Thankfully, all our tests were clear.

Bad news - looks like wasps! We have nest in the compost heap but we're going to leave it until the autumn. Then we will aim to destroy the nest and reclaim our compost bin.

Unfortunately the garden swing seat is crumbling so we hatch plans to replace it. We just manage it before the month ends - it is what bank holidays are for., isn't it?

Looking like a Wasp?

July June« »Next month

And summer holiday time arrives without the usual fanfare but it is nice to have a break. We did a couple of lovely walks and visited Worcester, a place with many a charity shop and eatery.

The heat has been a bit much and our houses aren't ready for such temperatures. At least the fans I bought last year have a use this year though they don't reduce the heat. The football finished and my competition has some happy winners.

The hedgehog is still calling around and one evening we even caught a second little hog scuttling across the screen. Some of the birds feeding during the day are looking like juveniles, a bit straggly and slightly smaller.

June May« »Next month

We're here, summer, the heat, the moaning about the heat, the madness if you try to travel anyway and the Euros. Both seniors get their second jab and son returns for a few days. That weird bird is still visiting our garden, some American blow in I think. At first we thought it was a blackbird but it has a small patch of white on its back and tail.

Still doing the standing on one leg when cleaning my teeth as recommended by Dr Michael Mosley's BBC podcast - Just One Thing. I am trying a few of things. Wanting to try the cold shower but the thermostat on the shower isn't cooperating - shame.

The Euros are hotting up and providing some entertainment. The hedgehog remains a frequent visitor and with a change in the food put out we have Goldfinches joining the garden now.

summer!

May Apr« »Next month

I am still doing the early walking just not when other things deliver the same,e.g., early morning Karate outside or the walking necessary for going into the office. I think it's helping with my general fitness and wellbeing.

Early May means an end to the normal league season, except it hasn't been normal. We still await the fans back in the ground and my chance to resume my quest to visit the 92. We do get the April showers and joy of exercising in the wet.

We might actually get back inside the Dojo very soon but will that mean normal training and kumite? It is playing havoc with my progression and making it difficult to good more than maintain a level of fitness and ability.

That Hedgehog on film.

April Mar« »Next month

Early April

Easter brings a break from routine and work. Our son pays a visit and leaves after making me his breakfast special; fried egg, braised brocoli, tomatoes and vegan sausages.

We do another virtual trip, this time to Kandy, Sri Lanka. The Cassava crisps were a wicked hot flavour, the tea was plentiful and several flavours (not all sampled yet), the curry powder and cinnamon sticks a delight, incense sticks gave us sandalwood smells to give us an interesting experience. And having listened to our feedback they included a URL to a video clip. We also found a great one of some dancing that amused and delighted.

I did a couple of jigsaws and following advice in Dr Michael Mosley's 'Just one Thing' podcast started an early morning walking regime. Twenty minutes vigorous walk in the first two hours after waking up.

Great excitement with our nature camera - a hedgehog was seen on our back lawn, twice in one night! Also we rare foreign visitor of a bird but not managed to capture the robins just the usual pigeons, jackdaws and magpies so far.

Testing centre returns

March Feb« »Next month

Still in lookdown but now there is a plan! Back to school and to Uni. And then there was two.

We have put the nature cam back out to see if the robins are nesting or just sheltering in the garden. Too soon to tell at the moment.

Oh, the joy of LFT. We are testing at home now. Still clear and the elders have jab appointments booked but not received. We hear that we must have two jabs six weeks apart, mine means some significant travel.

Testing again lovely!

February Jan« »Next month

Lockdown continues - urgh! Football isn't great, no crowds, unusual results but loads of matches on TV. Rather a saturation of live football on TV, so not watching it all.

My better half sorted a visit to the tip so we could finally recycle our Christmas trees.

I plan to do some major spring cleaning when I can. The recycling is getting better so should be able to donate to charity or recycle most stuff. The tip, actually recycling centre by name, actually took our batteries and ink cartridges this time.

The oldies visited Paris by way of a "Travel Box". We baked a baguette and enjoyed some old fashioned French music as we kneaded. We banqueted on the French bread later with some French cheese, honey and wine whilst watching videos of Paris on the TV, and enjoyed the smell of one area of Paris (via a candle). Oh, and we tried to speak some French, bon app�tit!

Later we did an Amsterdam version from a different company, cheaper, so less content. It was okay but not as good as from the first company. We are going back to them for a third trip!

We visit Paris - virtually

January 2020� �Next month

It is getting difficult to distinguish the days from each other. I get out to go to work occasionally but otherwise it is just the garden as I exercise inside. Others do likewise and the student struggles on from home. We try a new pub for some takeaway - its okay but not great. We'll try another one soon. We aim to support the community as we do so.

I am making baby steps fixing the shower cubicle. One problem after another but inching forward.

Early January

Wow, it's very cold, is this an ominous start to the new year? Anyway, we enter the year after an evening with an Indian takeaway and not our usual picnic. Well it hasn't been a usual year. Also we do a quiz with the buzz button and watch some streamed TV.

On the first day E has a great deal of trouble trying to free up some water in the bird features. The water freezing as it hits the cold air, even from a boiled kettle! At least the food is welcome to the many avian visitors.

First week back at work and we have to about turn and cope with Lock Down again. The weather is rather cold for recent winters.

Unfreezing water for the birds.