Note the squirrels reaction to the low flying, and screeching parakeet. A wider angle shot would have shown about 4 squirrels dive for cover ! After shooting my video I went straight to the pub, and this time I sent Angela a message to say I was in there. I quickly received a reply to say she was on her way. Apparently she had been in the pub yesterday, but had arrived after I left. One of my guesses that she was busy on Monday was correct, but for the wrong reasons - she had been at work the previous Thursday and Friday. In fact once she said so I suddenly realised that she had told me she had to go shopping on Friday lunchtime.

  Apart from saying they (her and lover boy) went to a gig on Friday night, I didn't hear anything about her weekend. I presume it must have been OK. I did hear about her future plans. Her daughter, Miranda, is visiting on Thursday night, and on Friday Angela has the day off work. The two "girls" are going out together on Friday for some unspecified beauty treatment.

  I wasn't expecting to see Angela again until next week - I'm busy on Thursday with my regular Thursday drink, and Angela is busy on Friday. I had a little gift for Angela that would have been more appropriate for Friday, and by tradition should have been sent anonymously. It was a Valentines card, and it was home made because I wanted to give her a small, discrete, credit card sized, Valentines card. On the front was just a simple red heart with 100% underneath. Inside it just said "a small discrete card to say how much you are loved". It was received very well - so much so that after a long goodbye hug Angela said "I guess I won't see you again until next week....small pause....but why not tomorrow ?" I now know what I am doing today !

  I left Angela feeling good, or almost good. I had another tremor in my lower bowel, and decided I would have to abandon plans to go home the long way via the Sainsbury Local store by Catford station. I had wanted to buy some salad, and in particular I hoped they may have some Italian salad in, and maybe they did, but I wasn't going that way. However I would pass the small Tesco on the high street with only a tiny detour. By the time I got there I was feeling OK again, and after buying a couple of their inferior salads I felt OK to stretch my walk out by walking into the centre of Catford, and head for home from there. That is how I managed to stretch my walk to 3.02 miles.

  Apart from a desire to be near a toilet, I had another reason for wanting to get home without too much delay. Before setting out on my walk I was doorstepped by a builder. I was very wary about him, and he came out with the old spiel that he was just passing the other day and had noticed my gutter leaking. However he first presented his credentials in the form of a post card sized card with phone numbers, address, company name, and even email address. He also had a smart sign written van rather than a more typical dirty white van.

  He pointed out a broken bracket that was causing the plastic gutter to sag, and overflow in heavy rain, and offered to fix it for £40. Soon after 3pm he knocked on my door to say he was ready to start work. He had another man with him whose job was just to foot the ladder. Maybe 10 minutes later he knocked on the door again to show me what he had found. It was something I knew already - that the soffit/fascia board was rotten. He said he could still put the bracket in, but more as a temporary measure.

  Another 10 minute passed and he knocked again to say the job was finished. I paid him the agreed £40, and that was almost that. Unlike the last "builder" I had dealing with, this guy was not pushy at all. Before he drove off I had to ask him for an estimate to replace the soffit boards, and rehang the existing guttering. He said he realised my money was tight (I had told him earlier that I was running on savings until I got my state pension next year), and he said he would do it all for £600. That sounded reasonable, and I said I would think about it. I will get another estimate or two, but a deciding factor may be if his temporary repair lasts through the next few downpours - there will be one tomorrow morning in the early hours, and maybe again the day after.

 Last night was another semi-early night. I was in bed reading soon after 8pm, and I was probably asleep just after 9pm. All was well until 2am when I woke up and just couldn't get back to sleep for around 2 hours. I evidently needed more sleep because once I got back to sleep again I slept for a few more hours before waking up for a pee. After that I only slept in small snatches. In the end I tried getting back to sleep first laying on one side, and then on the other. The last two times I turned over I felt a pain down my sternum. That seemed to be my cue to get up.

  I ate two things yesterday, one being a prawn and pasta salad, and the other being a prawn curry with rice. Both contributed to my blood glucose being the same as the day before - in the safe, or even good area, but not the very good that I am trying to achieve. I really must watch my carbohydrate consumption today. That could be tricky because a complication has arisen - two of them to be precise.

 I am expecting a parcel deliver today. It is coming via DHL, and they are an unknown quantity to me. However, they just sent me a text message to say they estimate my parcel will arrive between 10:51 and 11:51. That is handy because at the very latest I could still get out for a long walk that would take in the pub at 1pm. However, it would stop me travelling further afield that I could do if I could leave earlier. The second complication is that I also just heard from Angela. She is going shopping today, and so she won't be in the pub. That is a little annoying considering it was her suggestion to meet today. I am wondering if she is actually meeting lover boy. She has warned in the past that he might want to meet her at lunchtime. Maybe he has said that it will be today.

  One thing I can do today is something that without a lot of discipline could stop me getting my blood glucose down, and losing more weight (which I seemed to do yesterday - but only a bit). It is to go shopping. I think that provided I go before primary school chucking out time, it could be almost civilised in Aldi - unlike last Saturday lunchtime. If the sunny intervals are good sunny intervals this afternoon, I may attempt to do some work in the garden - perhaps just raking the pebbles and rubble from what should end up as a lawn one day. Maybe I might make enquiries to see if anyone else fancies and afternoon pint.