4 March 2025 (Tuesday) - Late Shift

I had something of a restless night. When Treacle sleeps at the bottom of the bed there is room for all. When she sleeps between us there isn’t room for anyone. Morgan and Bailey both curl up into a tight ball when they sleep; Treacle sprawls out to take more space that would ever seem possible.
 
Over brekkie I peered into the Internet. It was still there. Today’s petty squabble was on one of the aquarium-related Facebook pages in which some people were advocating spending an awful lot of time and money buying all sorts of chemicals and testing kits to get your fish-tank water to be what they considered perfect. And having done that they felt that after a week you should chuck out half the water, top up from the tap and start again with the chemicals and the testing. Others were saying they’ve never added a chemical or done a test ever, and just top up the tank when the water evaporates a little. People on both sides of the quarrel were getting really nasty with each other; and people on both sides seemed to be keeping rather impressive fish tanks.
I was reminded of my days in keeping snakes, Star Trek fandom, kite flying…many people would rather argue with others than learn anything from anyone else.
 
And not wanting more arguments I decided against posting anything to the local geocaching page. I had several emails from people who’d been out yesterday finding the geocaches I’d hidden in Kings Wood and had found some of the paper logs were damp. This could only happen by people not taking the time to do up the lids. A trivial point, but I will now have to replace those paper logs sooner rather than later.
 
I munzed and wordled then took the dogs out for a walk. Not having that much time today we went to Orlestone. On our morning walks we don’t get back from Kings Wood until half past eleven at the best of times, and Ashford is one huge road works at the moment. So many major thoroughfares in Ashford are either closed or subject to traffic lights. I’d like to think that there are valid reasons for the current traffic chaos which has been going on for some time. However I suspect that it is due to incompetence on whoever plans road works; if indeed there actually is any planning.
We got to the woods and had a good wander. Orlestone is good for a shorter walk; traffic allowing we can get there, walk for a couple of miles and be home again within the hour. It’s only a shame that for much of the year there are two unavoidable mud-swamps.
 
We came home for belly washes and removal of fox poo. I made a cuppa for me and “er indoors TM, did some CPD, and set off for the late shift.
 
The roads were a lot quieter as I drove off to work than they had been when we went to the woods. Pausing only briefly at the co-op for a sandwich I was soon on my way up the motorway singing along to Ivor Biggun songs.  
Suddenly my car beeped at me. It had detected a loss of pressure in the front left tyre. It does that periodically. It means that either I've got a puncture, or it needs some air. I came off the motorway a bit early, found a car park, and checked the pressure. I checked all four tyres. The one that supposedly had the issue was actually the one with the highest pressure. What was that all about? I gave them all a bit of a pump, then drove on to the late shift which was nowhere near as bad as Sunday's had been. Though to be honest week-day late shifts are better than weekend ones as I have some company and assistance.
As I worked I had a message from the doggy dentist. Bailey is now booked in to have her cakehole serviced... whether she likes it or not.
 
My car beeped on the way home too, and panic set in. But nil desperandum – it wasn’t the tyres. The car was warning me it was cold. It does that as well.

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