Saturday 8^th May, 2021 1930

That was odd.

I'd fallen asleep at my desk (happening more and more often these days) and I was awoken by a knocking on my door. Nobody knocks on my door unexpectedly except the police and they haven't done that for a couple of years. No Jehovah's Witnesses here and normally anyone else is deterred when they realise I don't speak Chinese.

This time the chap was adamant and he had the old dear of a neighbour next door to back him up. What do you want? Now he had a clipboard and pen. Those two items used to get me out of all sorts of unpleasant drydock jobs when I was at sea because I simply said I was working for the Superintendent. The guy kept pointing into his mouth and eventually I guessed that ah! He had come to test me for Covid. First time for everything I supposed and let him in.

Far from whacking a cotton bud down my throat, he made a beeline to the kitchen! He just wanted to check there were no gas leaks from the boiler or hob! First time in five years anyone has ever checked.

Today we had the make up classes for Wednesday and from now until a week from Tuesday I have just three classes, sports days intervening. And I am 90% certain I shall be avoiding campus for the first time.

And tomorrow should be a big day for me. I will turn 65 and that was always a big one but I don't think so. Not any more. They ruined 21 and made it 18 and then they made mine 66. Oh, certainly my naval pension will double (I hope, if I've read the paperwork correctly) but no state pension for another year. If I get another year here then that's fine, I can build a little nest egg while I panic over what I am going to do next summer. I might even be able to travel for a trip to England for the first time in nine years if business class seats come down from their idiotic heights. £6,000 return when I checked this morning! Are they trying to make their losses back in the first month??

Remember “The future's bright – the future's orange”?

For me read uncertain!