Working in Horning after a cold night planning my Heronshaw rebuilding and walking Sam and then driving home for another warm and productive night with Wiggly after she had discussed with Joanne what to say to her parents
I slept well enough after my late night, but I was a while getting warm with a hot water bottle in my cold and unaired bed.
**"Read More" BELOW for the complete story**
I slept on and stayed in bed until 9.00am which was unusual for me and Sam tolerated the delay remarkably well for it was nearer 10.00am before I got out with him.
A walk along Crabbet’s Mash sawdust road, the surface of which was crusted with the frost, to find that Arthur Edmund's man was out maintaining the road and spreading yet more shavings onto it and he himself was dumping scrap timber baulks along the side of it which was illegal but commonly done.
Back on our road, the builders were also straightening out the surface now that Sonny Amis and partner had finished piling the foundation for the Dunham's new property.
I met them later as they stopped by for a chat, and I noted that James seemed to be a lot more infirm than I had known him to be with his arthritis looking quite crippling.
Jack Edwards also stopped by, having walked down the dyke, and we chatted a while. In the working time that I had between these interruptions, I cleaned up some more baulks of timber, removed the last of those that I wanted to save to my work pile and tidied up the hardened drive area in front of the garage.
Despite the overnight temperatures, it had become warm in the strong sun on this, the shortest day of the year. Over these last two days, I had also switched on the battery charging systems on the boat and checked that the frost protection heaters and de-humidifier had all been working properly.
By early afternoon, it had become time to leave again and to set off for another night with my perfect lover and I did this, filling up with cheap petrol and letting Sam out for a walk and feed at Barton Mills on the way. It had become icy and cold again as darkness fell.
I timed my arrival at Montagu Street so as to get there before Wiggly and to prepare a welcome for her, but she had slipped away early and was there herself to greet me.
One reason was so that she could intercept me before I got washed and shaved so that we could have one of our sensual and relaxing baths together whilst we exchanged news and views. It was around 7.00pm before we had done and then after 8.00pm before we arrived at the Pizza place in Cambridge to eat.
Though I enjoyed the company of Wiggly and the food, I did not enjoy the venue too much. The main restaurant area was full with three works Christmas parties and we were put upstairs in a cold inhospitable room.
They had a gas fire going at first but even that was put off as a party of five men arrived and their cigarette smoke eventually drove me to suggest leaving early. Once back, Wiggly had a message from Joanne, her sister, and called her back to discuss what they were going to tell their mother about me.
The agreed outcome was to either say nothing or the full story as anything else would not be satisfactory. With all this talk going on, I was rather subdued as well as tired as we went to bed.
****** Sections have been censored for reasons of privacy for five further years from this date ******
A sound night and great reluctance to get up on the coldest morning yet.