2008 — 25 Jan: Friday, and the sun is shining
Just as well. I discovered yet again that the snag with going to bed early is that I wake correspondingly early and then just drift in and out of sleep in a sometimes ghastly whirl of thoughts. It's not the sleeping that is tricky, nor even the getting to sleep initially. It's the return to consciousness. Still, it's 09:30, and I'm back. Today, I've decided, it's time to make another stab at the woefully neglected paperwork mountain. Business after pleasure, as it were.
But first, the pleasure of another photo of Christa. I took this one ten months ago on 14 March (very soon after getting the camera):
By the way, if Felix Dennis thinks printing URGENT. Open immediately. on one of today's snailmails is going to affect my decision about renewing a subscription to his empire's MacUser magazine... This is at least the third reminder, but his free enticements remain wholly undesirable. And I don't think this is "merely" any grief-related apathy; who wants or needs a branded T-shirt?
A plan emerges from my gloom
OK. I've just formulated a plan, and confirmed the attendance of a willing accomplice. Now I must do some of this blasted paperwork, pack a light lunch, grab my boots, camera, and possibly even binoculars, take along a smidgen of Christa's ashes, and — as it were — hit the road, Jack!
Of course, by the time we got (up) there the sun was dodging in and out of the clouds, the wind was gusting in a way determined to affect even the best hand-held image-stabilised telephoto at maximum zoom, and it was chilly. But the mobile signal was full-on so I could text easily, and I've also taken this identifying picture for you. Question is, where was I standing1 when I took it? The clue in the image's title, of course, is "A34". We have driven past this place / feature on every trip we've made to dear Mama for the last 25 years and, almost every time, we've said to each other "One day, we must go (up) there." Today, I finally did — obviously — and I also scattered a symbolic dusting of Christa's ashes while there. Thanks for joining me, Mike, and let's hope our legs are not too post-Grand-Canyon jelly-like tomorrow morning!
Small lurch of forward progress
Mrs Solicitor has replied, helpfully, to my email questions. Mr Bank hasn't yet but I've noticed he tends to be a day late, as it were. So, progress, of a sort. Next target, that flipping Building Society (again). I used to have a good job but now I think it's a good job I'm retired!
Large lurch of backward progress
Despite the best efforts of Sofie to feed me before the titanic battle, and the combined brain power of my team-mates, the Ferret Fanciers managed a mere 45 correct answers from a possible total of 100. Humiliating, isn't it? Now, where's that Britannica CD?