Sunday 28^th January, 2018 1930

This has got to stop.

It was six this morning by the time I went to bed and when I got up at one this afternoon all my plans had died. I was going to get a haircut notwithstanding going to colder climes later this week. I was also thinking of buying some small speakers for my new laptop for playing music from the office when my dinner guests are in the dining room. I haven't even opened the front door today! I doubt I shall do either of those tomorrow seeing as I need to shop at BHG. Stephanie is coming on Tuesday for dinner.

On Wednesday she will stay in an airport hotel before jetting off to the States complete with a list of herbs and spices to bring me on her return and a special gift of my choosing. She asked me what I would like. Her father is an opthalmologist. I don't wear spectacles but do carry a foldaway pair of reading glasses for the once-every-two-months occasions when I need to read tiny print.

I asked her if her Dad could find me a treble magnification monocle!

I am more of a Patrick Moore than a Chris Eubank but I thought it might be good for a laugh.

Despite my inactivity, I have however, two nights running, started writing the novel I have procrastinated over for years. The problem has always been that I had three-quarters of a plot but never an ending! I have one now together with plenty of autobiographical anecdotes and situations that I can inject as required.

Last night when I went for my beer supply I decided to go and buy some vegetables preparatory to today's roast chicken dinner. My usual veg stall had already packed up for the night so I trudged further up the road. I needed an onion for my cheese and onion quesadillas for last night but never saw one at the next stall. Even if he had them I doubt I would have bought one, it seemed all his wares were a day away from being turned into pigswill. The next one, the one that often has decent potatoes when nobody else does, didn't seem to have onions either. I was beginning to think there was a city-wide shortage. I checked the back room. Nothing. The lady started showing me things I didn't want and I made a circle with my fingers. Ok, how many vegetables are circular? Not a lot, so she understood. She showed me another back room I hadn't spotted and produced an onion. Runner beans and a carrot and I was done. Her potatoes looked the same as the other stall – terrible. Except there was a small box I spotted with good ones. Given that BHG seem to be running out of decent ones I bought two. The problem was, they were all huge! Half of one is ample for me but it does mean Steph will be eating something using spud on Tuesday!

And in a different vein, I was reading about China seeking to open a Polar Silk Road using the Arctic to send ships.

Great for commerce but what about the poor sods manning the ships? They want the Tropics, not frostbite!