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3 November 2015 (Tuesday) - Not Foggy

Despite a rather early night last night I was still wide awake this morning at 4am. I woke to find myself cuddling my dog as though he was a teddy bear. Mind you he didn't seem overly bothered by the arrangement.
I lay awake for an hour, then got up and watched last night's episode of "South Park" in which Tweek and Craig were outed as being gay. Apparently this was a decision made by the Japanese. One learns so much from that program.
And then with a little time before I had to go to work I watched more "Toddlers and Tiaras". In today's show one mother was ranting at the camera about how much her child likes doing the pageants whilst the child was ranting that she didn't want to be there. This mother went on to extol the virtues of home schooling as it fits in with the pageants whilst her daughter complained that she missed her schoolfriends. Another mother likened the entire thing to a dog show and one of the judges then said how it is good (and rare) to see a genuine smile on any of the children.
I *love* that show; the whole thing is so fake.

As I watched the thwarting of the overpowering mothers I had a quick look-see on line. Preparations are going well for the New Years Day event. The actual event itself has been published and already has a dozen people signed up for it. And the first draft of the walk I have planned has got the thumbs-up as well. I just need to get new (non-leaking) wellies and go out and have another recce.

My car was parked right outside the house this morning. As I started the engine I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye. What looked like a very large cat was walking past. I looked again; it was a fox. Bold as brass marching up the pavement.

And so to work. Yesterday the pundits on the radio were talking about how the thick fog had settled in for the week. This morning as I drove off to work I noticed that the fog had gone.
Much of the talk on the radio this morning was about the broadcaster Peter Donaldson who had recently died. Whilst any death is sad, I can't help but feel that there was rather too much air time spent on the matter. Perhaps I'm just a miserable old git, but I listen to Radio Four because it is about the news and not about the celebrity presenters.

There was also consternation about the house-building crisis. It turns out that nowhere near enough houses are being built in the UK.
There was an interview on the radio on this subject with one of the country's leading builders. The show's presenters tried to make big issue of the fact that the government has been hoping for tens of thousands of houses to have been built near Ebbsfleet. Actually there have only been about six hundred built. The builder being interviewed took no responsibility for the housing crisis. He said that if the government wants tens of thousands of houses he will build them. At a price. He made the observation that as a private company they were out to make money, not to provide a service at a loss. And (at the moment) there is not much money to be made from building houses.
He rather implied that this is (yet another) failing of running a country by market forces rather than by social decency. I might have remarked on this occasionally in the past.

I got to work for the early shift, and did my bit. And then came home again. Even on an early shift it is now dark when I get home. I took "Furry Face TM" round the block, and quite enjoyed nosing through the windows of all the people who haven't realised it gets dark earlier now and had left their curtains open.
Once walked "Furry Face TM" had his dinner, and (under instruction from "er indoors TM") I put our dinner on to boil. It didn't turn out too badly. And with dinner scoffed we set off to Somerset Road where we watched budgies squabbling and had some rather good cheese crisps. Whilst we were there the landlady from the Queens Head in Kingsnorth phoned me. On Saturday when I called in they grudgingly took my phone number and said they might get back to me (for which I was clearly supposed to be grateful). They got back to me this evening and were rather vague as to whether they would even be open on New Year's Day. But still seemed shocked that I had already booked with another pub that wasn't openly dismissive of me.

Oh - and here's another date for your diaries...

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