I woke feeling full of energy and raring to go… at half
past midnight. I then dozed on an off until
five o’clock when I gave up trying to sleep, got up and watched an
episode of “Friday Night Dinner”, then had a little look at the Internet
in case it had changed overnight. It hadn’t.
I set off to work. With Operation Brock in place on the
motorway again (for no reason that anyone can fathom) I set the car’s
cruise control for fifty miles per hour and drove up the motorway in convoy
with all the other traffic in the slow lane. Despite being at the speed limit
and moving with the traffic, I had a succession of foreign lorries tail-ending
me; some dangerously close despite my being unable to go any faster.
This Operation Brock is dangerous.
As I drove the pundits on the radio were talking about how
more and more pubs are closing earlier and earlier. It was claimed that in many
places it is unusual to find a pub open after eight o'clock in the evening as there's no customers. That's not
"not many customers"; that's actually "no customers".
On the one hand it would be a shame to lose pubs. On the other they are fast
becoming a luxury that we can't afford.
And there was talk about how many of the foreign nurses
who've moved to the UK are now moving on to other
countries for better pay. Coming to the UK is just a stepping-stone
in their long-term plans, or so it was claimed. When you consider an hour of a
trained nurse's starting pay in 2000 would have bought eighty-one chocolate
frogs whereas now it would only buy forty-three, you can see why they are
jacking it in. And why no one has money to squander in pubs.
I did a morning’s work, then slipped out early to use up
annual leave. I came home and seeing that “er indoors TM” had
already taken the dogs out, I cracked on in the garden. I got the last of the
fence panels painted, then had a go at the wooden cupboard in which I hide the
plugs for the pond’s electrics. I started off painting it Harvest Gold (yellow),
but it looked dreadful, so I had another go at it with green. Now rather than
looking dreadful, it just looks nauseous. I gave up painting as I was beginning
to ache. The bench by the pond needs a lick of paint too. I might give that
some green, and stick another coat of green on the wooden cupboard, and if they
still look grim I’ll go ever them with the dark oak that is on the fences.
Mind you, the pond’s looking clear.
Garden Phase One is complete. Phase Two involves painting
up the edges of the lawn…
“er indoors TM” went off bowling. I
sat myself in front of the telly and watched the last two episodes of “Three
Body Problem”. It was rather good, and has been left open for a sequel.
Having read the books I know what happens next (I think); I hope the
sequels get made.
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