There is a weather warning for thunderstorms again today, but no actual time for one has been predicted. At the moment it is overcast with a 10% chance of rain. That goes up to 20% from midday to 1pm, and then it is back to 10% until 6pm. The chance of rain then goes up to 30% until the end of the day, and rain is expected then. The maximum temperature will be just 23° C, and the feeble breeze that occasionally stirs the curtains feels quite fresh. Tomorrow may see a bit more light rain, but otherwise will probably be very similar to today except at 6pm when the chance of rain, and a thunderstorm goes up to 60%.

  As I explained yesterday morning, my movements were constrained while I waited for my delivery of cans of Guinness. It turned out to be a longer wait than expected. As I mentioned yesterday, I had seen the delivery van outside, but the driver couldn't seem to find my booze, and just drove off with leaving a message or anything. It took some time to get through to the depot to ask what was happening, perhaps what was going to happen. The lady at the other end took my details, and said she would try and contact the driver, and then phone me back.

  I waited ages for that phone call, and when it came it was such a poor connection that it was hard to understand what she was saying. It sounded like they had found my box of Guinness, and the driver would deliver it at the end of his shift. What I thought I heard was that it would arrive at about 10 to 5, but it turned out to 5 or 10 minutes time ! It must have been around 1pm, and with the sun still shining in the back garden (while black clouds were crossing the southern horizon) I was in the middle of hanging out some washing when the doorbell rang. I had to answer the door wearing bright pink Marigolds !
  I finished hanging out my washing, one t-shirt, a pair of pyjama bottoms I didn't even know I owned, but could be useful if I have another stay in hospital, and some underwear, before I unboxed my booze. As ordered there were 24 x 440ml cans of Guinness. They should last me quite a while. I still had 5 or 6 cans in the fridge that had been there for many weeks because I was using them very sparingly. This order of 24 cans was really insurance against it being a long way into the future before the need for masks in shops are no longer needed.

  I did contemplate going for a short walk once my Guinness had been delivered, but with distant rumbles of thunder I thought I would stay home to keep an eye on my washing. Walking in a thunderstorm could have been exhilarating...I think. I would probably get very wet, but at least it would have been with almost warm rain. It was probably less than 2 hours later when the rain started to fall, and I rushed outside to bring my washing in. It was very light rain at that point, and standing in it with no shirt on was actually sort of pleasant, but I assumed that the rain would get worse.

  The rain didn't get worse, and the shower was over in little more than 15 minutes, and it was very light rain. I should have got the hose out to water the garden because it was probably the last of the rain yesterday, but I assumed that the forecast for worse to happen in the evening must happen - it didn't ! Although it didn't continue to rain it could so easily have done so. The view out the front of the house was like night with a deep grey sky, and those distant rumbles of thunder. Out the back of the house the sky was still fairly light, and there were even brief spells of thin sunshine.

  The afternoon seemed like a good time to catch up with my reading. There was a lot of online stuff that I hadn't read, mostly from www.theregister.co.uk. I suppose it could be said that I also spent the time counting the minutes until dinner time. I was feeling quite hungry at one point, and did give in and eat a chunk of cheese during the afternoon, but I really wanted to hold out until dinner time.

  I had precooked another strange meal that I was really looking forward to. It was the last of the frozen chicken thighs that I found in the back of the freezer. After letting them thaw out I first roasted them, and then I cooked them in tomato and chilli sauce for pasta. I added a handful of frozen peas when I did the final zapping in the microwave. It was very tasty, but I think it would have been even better if I had used the half can of sweetcorn I had in the fridge instead of the peas.

  I ended up washing dinner down with two cans of Guinness. I could easily have had more, but while I see drops in my weight, and high blood glucose levels, I am trying to keep my consumption to a minimum. That hot dinner, with chilli in it, got me sweating again. The air had started to freshen up in the evening, and prior to dinner my skin was almost dry in most places. I cooled of again by bedtime, and I even turned off the fan for the first time in days !

  With sunset now getting earlier and earlier, 8.20pm last night, I am probably going to bed even earlier, although I still tend to read in bed until at least 9pm. With the fan off my face did get a bit sweaty during my first few hours of sleep. I woke up just before midnight with a damp pillow. Later in, in the early hours, I would wake up wondering if it was actually starting to feel a bit cool to sleep uncovered. There was some very fresh feeling air blowing through the bathroom window when I went for a pee, but I could feel no air movement in my bedroom, and I continued to sleep uncovered.

  I probably slept fairly well on average, but I do recall a selection of dreams. One in particular I have done my best to remember because it was unusual, although the details are fading fast now. The part I remember was drinking in a pub that seemed like it might be in east London, possibly somewhere like Romford. I was with a couple of friend, but I was at a table on my own when a young woman walked in, and walked straight up to me and kissed me. I recognised her, but I didn't know where from, and much of the dream seemed to be about trying to remember her name. She was very kissy and cuddly, which was obviously very nice. I was sad when she had to leave to go to Barretts to buy some new shoes, although she did say she would be back - but sadly not until the dream ended. I wonder if I have met her in real life, or if I just invented what she looked like. The only possible clue is that her face looked Polish, or east European.

  This morning things are looking up. I'm not keeping accurate track of my weight to the nearest gram, but the units digit of my weight in kilograms is still about 4 less than it was a month ago. I was a bit apprehensive about testing my blood glucose, but while still a bit high, it is safely below the danger level with some to spare. it was 8.7mmol/l. Under 8 would be better, and under 7 even better still. For all that, as usual, I don't really know how I feel. I guess "average" is as good a description as any. That is average for this, and maybe last year, or perhaps even the last 5 years. I could wish for a lot better, but age takes it's toll on this abused body.

   I have one most definite plan for this morning. I want to give my hair a really good wash, and my body a good scrubbing. It all feels greasy after a couple of sweaty days. I have to confess that yesterday I didn't want to spend much time in the shower because it was almost 8am, and my Guinness deliver could have come as early as 8.15am. All I did was to rinse myself off, and that is why I still felt greasy yesterday. Once I am clean and sparkling (!) I will consider what to do next. There could be a chance of getting wet, but I fancy taking at least a short walk in this fresher air. It's a shame it is not bright but cool. I don't find grey skies very inspirational, but I will probably grit my teeth for a spin around the park.