R's rue

How annoying. I fell asleep watching "Newsnight" and that unintended nap lasted far too long. Consequently, when I did climb the stairs to bed, sleep evaded me. I lay there waiting for the magic to happen - for sleep to embrace me once again before carrying me off to the land of dreams and revitalisation. But after an hour I realised it was not going to happen so I came back downstairs and made a  mug of  tea which is now sitting next to this laptop with two "McVities" gingernuts. After switching the laptop on, I wondered what I might blog about here in the silence of the night as this great northern city sleeps. All the lights in our neighbourhood are off apart from ours and outside the true citizens of the night have reclaimed the streets  - tom cats, owls, urban foxes, badgers rodents and bats. Reaching up the valleyside come the faraway sounds of a train and an ambulance siren. Brains can be such a torment. They seem to constantly throw up images, memories, ...

  I’ve only just realised that I’ve grown a full beard . I’ve had it tucked away beneath my mask for so long, I’ve got out of the habit of looking at my face. I FaceTimed a Sheffield friend last night and noticed it... I look like a pirate Dorothy ate several bird fat balls at Trendy Carol’s the day before yesterday so has been suffering from explosive shits for the last day or so which has been lovely. In between bouts of mopping I’ve been reading The Fine Art of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard in the bedroom window seat The ash trees in the corner of the Church Yard are not doing well, I’ve noticed  from Going Gently https://ift.tt/2S5oug8

 Clear head Sleeping dog Grateful for A new day Saying I’m all yours Love to You  from R's rue https://ift.tt/3vaoz0o

On Monday afternoon last week I went up to "The Hammer and Pincers" where I met Mick, Mike and Danny in the beer garden. Because of COVID rules we had to sit outside under a big parasol. Soon the heavens opened and then there was the ridiculous sight of us in our rain gear, dripping as we supped our "John Smith's" and gossiped like fish wives. Roll forward a week and the rules were changed. Thanks to the National Health Service, not our bumbling political leaders, Britain's vaccination programme has squashed the key coronavirus statistics right down - infections, hospitalisations, deaths. What a brilliant national response and something to be proud of at last. Anyway this meant that yesterday  we did not have to sit outside at "The Hammer and Pincers". We could go inside to a pre-booked table. Social distancing guidance is still in place so I was slightly annoyed to see that our table in a snug corner of the pub meant that we had to sit closer ...