First weekend of the year

This week really seemed to drag by. It was only four working days but it seemed like eight for some reason. Funnily enough, there were three or four people  or maybe that was six or eight people:-)  who said the same thing to me on Thursday and Friday.

Anyway, thankfully it is finally here.  Mini-lie-in until, surprisingly, the dog comes into the room. He never travels up the stairs before breakfast! He must have been hungry. He still had to wait for me though! Luckily, I heard him padding up the stairs so I was able to cover my neck, shoulder and back before he could stick his cold wet nose on any of them.

I take him for a walk before breakfast. Its very windy but sunny so its quite pleasant. The walk across the fields towards Messing are not at all popular and its usually just me and him (and the odd squirrel). I like the walks as they are good thinking time. I've a lot on my mind: close family, trying to sell Dad's property in Guyana, planning for my birthday bash with John, work (the new ICT contract and the building refurbishment as well as the plans for next year) plus a few other bits and pieces related to me personally. January is time for me to reflect on the past year and the forthcoming one. I don't make resolutions but I look back on my behaviour and habits and consider if there is anything that I need to do to make myself feel better about me and about the people around me. It's handy having the birthday and the new year at the same time. I sort out a few ideas and bump into a few mental brick walls but make some inroads on some ideas.

Blake chases a few squirrels, chews on some sloe berries (actually a lot of),  scrounges food off me but is generally a good ol' boy.

After breakfast,  I check round the house for any broken tiles - its been very windy recently and I want to see if we've lost any. I find half of one on the ground and can see another fragment in a gutter overhead. We'll have to get someone in to look at the roof when the weather improves.

I go to the bottle bank later in the day. 223 of them. Mostly beer and wine but surprising number of Lea & Perrins, spice bottles and mayo. And there are still some in the garage to be disposed.

We have our first BBQ tonight. I type up this blog in front of the fire before I put the meat on.