27 April 2021 (Tuesday) - Exploring

I came downstairs this morning to find that er indoors ^TM” had had a midnight feast of fried egg on toast, but hadn’t cleared away the evidence.

As I made toast and scoffed it I spent much of the time watching Sid like a hawk after yesterday’s debacle. For a dog which does very little but eat, crap and sleep he was incredibly restless this morning. I took him out twice to no avail.

 

I then had my usual morning’s trawl of the Internet. With not too many arguments abounding I saw that there were those deliberately trying to provoke squabbles on some of the Lego Facebook pages,  and someone else was trying to sell paving slabs which were billed as “clearance – end of line” but were still more expensive than B&Q.

I had an email from the power company. Having spent six months arguing with them and having won my case with the ombudsman, they have now sent a circular saying that their smart meters don’t work. If only they could have said that last October…

I also had an email to tell me that the Apple ID account (that I don’t have) had been hacked, and requests to add people that I don’t know to my LinkedIn account.

 

There was quite a bit of condensation on my car's windscreen this morning. I activated the wipers to shift it, and the action of wiping made it all freeze. That was handy - it didn't take *that* long to scrape off.

As I drove to work the pundits on the radio were talking about the ongoing row over the refurbishment of the Prime Minister's flat.

I couldn't understand what all the row was about. Surely as the official home of the country's leader the nation should pay for it? But after a couple of minutes on the internet it seems that the country pays thirty thousand pounds every year for refurbishing the Prime Minister's flat. Thirty thousand pounds per year!!! - That would be the budget for my house's refurbishing for its entire life. The Prime Minister however would seem to have run up a bill of two hundred thousand pounds and got someone else to foot the bill.

It was alleged that the Prime Minister lied about the affair yesterday. That winds me up too. With the Prime Minister's lies being accepted and expected,  and his ministers openly giving government contracts to their mates, the Conservative party is *still* streets ahead in the polls for next week's elections. Are the opposition parties *really* that crap?

 

I got to work and did my bit, even though I spent quite some time staring out the window watching three ladies videoing something lurking at the base of a tree. I have no idea what it was, but it certainly fascinated them.

 

Another early start made for another early finish, and once home I took the dogs down to Orlestone Woods.  Last Thursday I said of the place “I shall look at the map and see it we can’t extend our walk somewhat”. This evening I took my say-nav “Hannah” along and in a triumph of pot luck I came up with a longer circular walk than the one we usually do.

On the track in the piccie above where the track heads up (in the middle) is the most westerly part of our old walk. As you cn see we’ve added a whole new loop almost doubling the distance… or so it looks on the map. “Hannah” would have me believe that the distance isn’t *that* much more than the original loop. Mind you if you look at the middle piccie above you’ll see a screenshot I took at the end of the walk. “Hannah” thinks I reached a maximum speed of one hundred and thirteen miles per hour at some point on this evening’s walk.

I had planned to make a start tidying up the back yard this evening… I’ll do it tomorrow…

26 April 2021 (Monday) - Early Shift

I woke rather earlier than I might have done, got up and made some brekkie. Just as I was about to scoff it so Sid asked to go out. I took him out where he slowly bumbled round the garden before taking an age to do a gallon of tiddle. We came in; Sid tried to climb the dog ladder onto the sofa, and the physical exertion was too much and he sharted all over the carpet. Oh how I chuckled as I cleared up.

Eventually I sat down to cold toast and cold coffee whilst watching an episode of “Superstore”.

 

Having obtained another negative COVID test I then had a look at the Internet as I do most mornings. You would think that instantaneous communication would be such a boon to humanity, but all it does is allow us to squabble with people that not only have we never met, but also never will meet. No matter what the subject – Hastings Old Town, building daleks, collecting Lego… there is always an argument to be had.

 

As I got dressed so I fussed the sleeping dogs. And as I fussed sleeping Pogo I felt something odd. He didn't complain as I pulled a thorn out of his shoulder. It must have been there since yesterday's walk (if not before). Treacle has had thorns before - the dogs don't seem to notice them.

 

I set off work-wards up a now open motorway. It made such a difference not to be crawling at a snail's pace. As I drove the pundits on the radio were broadcasting from the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. Have you ever seen that ship? - It is *huge*! Apparently the ship is being deployed to the South China Sea to put the wind up some Johnny Foreigner or other.

The Russian government have supposedly commented that they aren't frightened  and see the thing as one big target. Which (I suppose) it is.  There were experts being interviewed who were saying that the days of aircraft carriers have long gone what with much of the military air power being unmanned drones, and that the UK government should sell off the aircraft carriers and buy something more practical. I can't help but wonder if (as they say) the days of aircraft carriers have long gone, who will be dumb enough to buy them. Still, I can remember the Russians selling a nuclear submarine on eBay.

There was also talk of various people (including the Archbishop of Canterbury) demanding a public inquiry into the government's handling of the COVID pandemic.

Will there be one? Probably. Will it achieve much? I doubt it. mistakes were made, but am I being cynical when I wonder when has any politician ever learned anything.

 

I got to work, found I'd left my wallet at home and spent much of the day feeling rather concerned that I didn't have it with me. But on the flip side there was cake at tea-time.

 

An early start made for an early finish. I came home down an open motorway, and once home leaded up the dogs and took them down to Orlestone Woods. We arrived to see a dozen cars in the car park, but we walked our usual circuit of the woods and didn’t see a soul. Orelstone Woods are lovely – the bluebells are in full flower, the mud has dried up, the normal people (usually)  don’t lurk there.

er indoors ^TM” boiled up a very good bit of dinner, and with it scoffed both Treacle and Pogo snuggled up to me on the sofa, and we all slept the evening away. Fast asleep when I’d rather be awake, and I expect I will be awake far too early tomorrow morning – I  wish I didn’t do that…

25 April 2021 (Sunday) - Rolvenden to Benenden (and back)

I’ve been sleeping better this last week. Fudge used to sleep at my feet and Pogo and Treacle would sleep near (or on) him. Whilst there wasn’t much of Fudge, Pogo and Treacle are lumps. Now my Fudge has gone, Treacle and Pogo sleep on top of er indoors ^TM” instead, and I have some space in the bed. Though I’d rather have my dog back and the restless nights that went with it.

 

I made some brekkie and had my usual peer into the Internet. It was still there. There was an interesting post on Facebook from the Royal Voluntary Service asking for donations to fund a free cup of coffee for NHS workers. That had generated quite a bit of comment. As a tight-arse I’m up for any freebie which is going, but as an NHS worker I’ve had quite a few freebies over the last year. However I’ve seen photos of *far* more freebies going to the same old departments. Those parts of the hospital which are in the public’s imagination have done far better than blood testing over the last year, and the freebies haven’t been equally divvied out (not that I’m in any way complaining). Mind you there are massive parts of society which have kept the nation going during lock-down who’ve not had a sniff of any thanks. When did those keeping the trains and lorries going, or those keeping the supermarkets going get anything?

And does a donation to cover the cost of a cup of coffee *really* have to be pounds and not pennies? This morning’s cup of “Happy Shopper” coffee (we’d run out and it was all the corner shop had) was just as good as anything that Costa serves up. Starbucks and the like are on to quite a money-spinner.

There was also some article singing the praises of Charlie Chaplin, saying how he had grown up in poverty, got rich and “was against the exploitation and abuse of the poor, vulnerable and the marginalised”. Some people were singing his praises, others were not. I must admit I’ve got something of a bee in my bonnet over Charlie Chaplin. As a young man he was best of friends with my grand-mother’s uncle, and I am told that my relatives helped him a lot during those years. I’m also told that they heard absolutely nothing from him when he was in a position to return the favour.

 

We missed little Fudge again this morning as er indoors ^TM” made sandwiches for today’s walk. In the past we couldn’t do anything at all to give the slightest hint that we were going on an adventure as Fudge would get incredibly over-excited and not eat his brekkie. Pogo and Treacle have never made the connection.

And so avoiding the usual commotion we got ourselves organised and set off towards Rolvenden. As we drove we struggled to avoid the myriad of cyclists (and their support checkpoints) who were infesting the A28. They were staging a cycle race: I though those were illegal?

We soon met up with Tracey, Karl and Charlotte and set off on a little walk. Up hills, down dales, through fields and woods. We saw sheep and goats, and some rather over-familiar cattle. The bluebells and buttercups were out in full bloom As we walked we met a rather odd chap out in the middle of nowhere dressed as a cowboy. We smiled sweetly, but what was that all about? 

As always our route was set for us by a trail of geocaches, Today’s trail was one that er indoors ^TM” had put out last summer. Following a flurry of “Needs Maintenance” emails yesterday, er indoors ^TM”  couldn’t help but wonder what had gone wrong on her “Den 2 Den” series of geocaches, so a maintenance run was the plan for today. With fully a quarter of the geocaches marked as needing attention we went along expecting the worst… Four caches really were missing – this was clear from new fences having been put out but  anyone passing could have sorted that for her. Two had wet paper logs and again anyone passing could have sorted that for her.  (Admittedly the formal rules of geocaching say that those who hide the specific caches have to deal with any issues. But is that realistic? Bearing in mind that for every one person who takes the trouble to go hide caches, probably fifty (at least) don’t contribute anything to the hobby… I’ve whinged this before – so many times)

And (quite frankly) I struggled to see the reason why many of the other caches were flagged as needing maintenance.

 

As always I took a photo or two of our adventure. Once home as I was posting photos to Facebook and doing all the on-line stuff that goes with rummaging for film pots under rocks I realised that (without trying) we’d got three quarters of the latest load of geo-souvenirs. I also realised that I had caught the sun today.

 

er indoors ^TM” boiled up a very good bit of dinner which we scoffed whilst watching various quiz shows on the telly which the Sky-Q box had recorded for us. All very entertaining even if I had no idea who most of the so-called celebrities on the shows were. 

I’m really feeling the after-effects of today’s walk. I’m really thinking of an early night. Mind you I say that a lot…