Friday 25th February, 2012

Look. I'll come clean. It is taking me slightly longer to get into the swing of work than I'd thought it would ( some may say, and so I will pre-empt you, it has been 26 years so far ) and thus I spent a wee bit of this morning thinking about why this might be the case. Once I'd done that I felt a lot better actually. The first excuse I've come up with is the ongoing discussion our management appears to be having with the good folk at the Royal Bank of Scotland which may or may not yet substantially alter my landscape. The good thing for me at least is I'm Scottish. Then my return to the desk has coincided with results season which is so dull. Then there was the small problem of my birthday to which I referred last week. I didn't tell you about my present. It has taken Sophie a long time to repay me for the pooper scooper I gave her one year, but repay me she has done....with a trouser press. Thirdly, and why I did this I do not know. I've got enough to cope with as it is plus I'm not even religious, but for the first time ever I decided to give up something for Lent. Rick Astley eat your heart out. Crisps, biscuits, sweets and chocolate are banned till whenever Lent finishes. Someone tell me please. But the main thing that has unsettled me is the fact that my two brothers have gone off to Chamonix without me. How come I have three months pootling about, doing pretty much nothing, at home and as soon as my gardening leave runs out, off they go. It's just not fair. Aww. Get a grip. It's all good really and something amazing happened this week. I bought a Kindle. Having told you last Friday I was going to get stuck into Mad Men ( I accidently left my iPad behind in the rush to leave the office btw ) I havn't watched a single episode. Instead, I have read "Back from the Brink" by Alastair Darling, "It's All about the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on a Two Wheels" by Robert Penn and I am half way through "Watermelons: How the Environmentalists are Killing the Planet, Destroying the Economy and Stealing Your Children's Future" by James Delingpole. I know I am late to the party on the Kindle front, but honestly, if you havn't got one yet.....treat yourself. And if you have read any good books recently please let me know. In return you, no doubt, want to know how Bob's half term has got on. Lets tally it up. Last Friday as I was writing to you, a Muntjac was indeed hitting the deck. Mid week a hare went the same way. A squirrel too I think. And last night, driving home with instructions from supper to cook him supper, I arrived to find Bob finishing off a salad topped with the breast of a pigeon that he had just shot, plucked and fried himself. Today's quarry was something completely different. He and Sophie headed up to the Norfolk coast to give Twiggie a run on the beach whilst they went in search of razor clams with a bottle of salt in hand. If that is something of a mystery to you take a look at this video clip when you have a spare moment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlKRfvHHYT0