5 January 2018 (Friday) - Dull

As I drove home from a rather horrible night shift the pundits on the radio were spewing their usual band of drivel. There was a lot of talk about a scrappage scheme in which people can trade in their diesel-powered cars at advantageous terms. It makes sense to get rid of the diesel cars because of all the damage they do to the environment. But the question of who pays for the scrappage scheme remains to be answered. It strikes me that the answer is rather obvious. Diesel cars became popular because government information said how economical they were. Since the government made them so popular, it is only right that the government pay for the mistake.

There was also a lot of talk about a levy of twenty-five pence being put on each cup of coffee bought from the likes of Costa and Starbucks to pay for the cup they come in. Billed as recyclable, it turns out they are not.

I don’t think twenty-five pence is unreasonable. If someone can afford three quid for a cup of coffee then what is twenty-five pence to them? Three quid for a cup of coffee?! How do people afford this? At work we have a tea club. I pay two quid a month for two coffees a day. That’s five pence a cup.

Once home I took the dogs for a little walk. We bypassed Bowens Field because of the floods. But the route we were going to take was also flooded. So we went round the black alley. When we were half way round the heavens opened and we got soaked.

We came home where Treacle piddled on the carpet.

I got *so* cross with her. We’d been out for half an hour. Why couldn’t she have done that on the walk? She’d managed a rather substantial download whilst we were out. Why not go the whole hog?

I too myself off to bed. As I walked out of t he living room I saw a very sheepish Treacle watching me. She wanted to come up, but she knew I was cross with her. I told her she could come up, and (unlike yesterday) she settled herself on the side of the bed and didn’t fidget at all as I slept.

I managed five hours sleep (which wasn’t bad) before getting up an dozing in front of the telly until "er indoors ^TM" came home.

I’m off to another night shift now. The days between night shifts are dull…

4 January 2018 (Thursday) - Car Service

I had my morning all planned out. Early start, quick bit of brekkie, load the dogs into the car, take the car for a service, then walk home. It was a good plan. It was a shame that I woke to torrential rain.

I left the dogs at home when I took the car for its service. I left my car at the garage and the nice man at the garage gave me a lift home again.

"er indoors ^TM" set off for work, and I spent a couple of minutes organising a Facebook event. Over the last few months I’ve been puzzling like a thing possessed over various geo-puzzles in London. We’ll go find them in a few weeks time. I spent a while wondering about how I might tactfully word the description of the event, but in the end I decided against tact…

There was a minor fly in the ointment on the last London trip. Most people who were there knew what was going on. One didn’t have a clue, but this didn’t stop her trying to give out the orders. This time I’ve insisted that people read the description of the day’s plan so we don’t have to waste time repeating ourselves constantly to someone who is clearly not listening.

The rain stopped (as the forecast said it would) so I took the dogs for a walk. Totally forgetting yesterday’s hiccup, autopilot kicked in and soon we were in Bowens Field swamp. The overnight rain had made the swamp deeper than it was yesterday.

We walked on through the park. Reality had ignored the weather forecast as the rain started again. That annoying fine rain that leaves you soaked right through.

We were all dripping wet when we got home.

I was just about to hang the washing round the radiators when my mobile rang. It was the garage with a list of problems with my car. I asked them to fix most of them, and with the chap from the garage saying they would phone me back when the car was ready (in a few hours) I took myself off to bed.

They phoned just over an hour later.

Bearing in mind the walk to the garage is an idea dog walk I decided to walk them over there to get the car. “Come on then” I said. Fudge ran to the front door; Treacle ran upstairs to bed.

Mind you that wasn’t how the walk turned out. We could have walked to the garage in half the time had Fudge not wanted to sniff *every* blade of grass we passed.

We got to the garage. Todays’ was a “big” service and consequently had a “big” bill. Although I budget for car services, spending hundreds of pounds is never good.

We came home and for lunch I scoffed yesterday’s left-over soup. It was *GOOD*!!

I then managed three hours in bed. I slept for some of them, but as soon as I got comfortable, Treacle would try to push her way on to the warm bit.

"er indoors ^TM" has just come home. Once she’s boiled up my tea I’m off to the night shift.

3 January 2018 (Wednesday) - Another Late Shift

After a surprisingly good sleep (with no tiddle breaks in the small hours) I got up and tried out my new razor. It did rather well, but at that price I would expect it to.

Over brekkie I had a look-see at the Internet. Not much had changed overnight. Not that it does very often, but it is always worth staying alert. It is when you stop paying attention that things happen.

I put the leads on the dogs… well, I got Fudge’s lead on. At lead time Treacle plays silly beggars and runs off. Today I wasn’t having any of it. I just took Fudge off towards the door. Treacle came running like a shot not wanting to miss out.

We went through Bowen’s Field wetland park which is now no more than a swamp. Most of it is under water. The council really needs to send out “Aspire Land Management” to build up the paths so they are above swamp level. I considered posting on the “Ashford” Facebook page, but that is little more than a fight these days. Instead I posted to the “South Ashford Community Forum”; I wonder how long it will be until the fur flies about the issue.

We went on through Viccie Park where I lost Fudge. He was fine; just several hundred yards behind us. I wish he’d keep up. It was only when we were crossing to the co-op field that I realised we’d not seen any other dogs at all today. Where had they all gone?

I came home and had a look in the back garden. The fence which is my responsibility (apparently!) stood up to the overnight storm. The fence on the side of not-so-nice-next-door needs a little attention. However for her to get to it she will need to cut back her jungle. Perhaps I might as well just fix it and be done with it.

I had a cup of coffee with a lump of Christmas cake, watched an episode of “Still Game”, and set off for another late shift. I had this vague idea to find a geocache as part of a year-long streak of finding caches. There was one in Bearsted which (according to the map) looked as though it would be a straightforward find.

It wasn't.

Having blown out there I went up the road to another one that I similarly couldn't find.  I gave up and set off in the general direction of work.

Oh well; my year-long streak lasted two days.

To commiserate this failure I stopped off in McDonalds where I had a honeycomb caramel galaxy McFlurry. Have you ever had one of these? I can heartily recommend them.

I might have another tomorrow…