15 March 2025 (Saturday) - Late Shift

I slept rather well last night despite a rather vivid dream in which everyone at work (except me) went down with a plague of zits. What was that all about?
As I scoffed toast I peered into the Internet and saw an update from Hazel O’Connor. Famous in the eighties she eventually moved to France where three years ago she had a stroke, and is now dependent on Go Fund Me to pay for ongoing care. It must be awful to have to beg like that, but long term care after a stroke doesn’t come cheap. I remember when my Dad had a stroke I fully expected to sell his house to pay for nursing home costs.
I had several emails. We met a couple of people geocaching in Kings Wood yesterday; it turns out that quite a few people had been up there searching for Tupperware.
I had an email from Uswitch – I’ve signed up with them and it would seem that despite what everyone claims, EDF really are far cheaper than Octopus.
I tried to Munz but my phone wasn’t having any of it. I re-started it and was able to Munz and Wordle, but the chess app wasn’t working. Probably for the best as “Daddies’ Little Angel TM was about to hand me my arse on a plate (again).
 
Being Saturday we all went round to Repton for Dog Club which was fun (as usual). Morgan rather disgraced himself by getting over-excited, but it was nothing that a little time-out didn’t solve. Dog club is always fun; there’s usually three things going on: Games of chase, hoping for treats, and games of dog-piggy-backs.
As we drove home we listened to Steve on the radio and I was three years out on the Mystery Year competition. Total Eclipse of the Heart? I thought 1986. I thought wrong.
 
It was good not to have to bath the dogs when we got home. We had a cuppa with a hot cross bun, and I counted up the contents of the Dog Club collection pot, pocketed the cash and transferred that amount (plus nine quid for my three) to the Repton people’s account.
I had a quick look in the garden to plan a shopping list from the garden centre for tomorrow, then set off to work. I soon lost reception on Radio Ashford, so as Steve receded into the fizzing and crackling I turned to my rather wonderful MP3 stick and sang along to Sparks, ELO and Ivor Biggun as I drove up the motorway. It was surprisingly nippy as I walked from the car park into work; I couldn't help but think that a week previously we'd been sitting in the sunshine in the beer garden eating an al-fresco dinner. 
 
Work was work. It usually is. Back in the day Saturday afternoon and evenings at work would be nothing but the occasional sample from the A&E department as everywhere else in the NHS was closed. Nowadays there's probably between ten and twenty times the workload. But the staffing numbers remain constant and I won't mention the pay. But I've got a (part-time) job which I actually like which is more than many have. I'm not complaining.
 
I came home. I only drove round the local streets for ten minutes trying to park this evening. As I walked down Beaver Road I found myself peering through the window of The Locomotive. The nearest pub to home; “My Boy TM used to play for their pool team. For years it was a thriving place. This evening at half past nine there were four people in there. I counted them.
It can’t stay open for much longer…
 
Today was really good right up until dog club ended… at ten to ten. It was a tad dull after that.

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