There was some sunshine a bit earlier, but now the clouds are starting to fully cover the sky. There are still a few blue areas of sky as I write this, and the sun is doing it's best to force it's way between a small crack in the clouds.  It looks like there will be a light cloud cover until midday, or 1pm, and then it will get thicker until it starts to rain  heavily at 3pm. The rain will get a bit lighter in the evening, but it seems it may continue until midnight, and beyond. It is worth noting that the current revision to the forecast shows a 10% chance of rain at 1pm, and a 20% chance at 2pm.At 3pm the chance rises to an almost definite 80%. It was about 3° C at sunrise, but the temperature is very slowly rising. It is predicted to rise to 11° C by 11pm. Tomorrow the temperature could rise to 13° C, and stay that way for most of the afternoon. Unfortunately it will probably be a grey, sunless day, and so may still feel cold.

  I can't say that yesterday was a very exciting day. In fact it was quite dull, but strangely enough it didn't seem boring. Maybe there was a bit of guilt about doing very little, but perhaps that was offset by the fact I did some laundry. I hand washed a hand towel, face flannel, and some items of clothing. The only trouble, which wasn't any trouble at all really, was that I didn't finish the task until it was too late to get it dry before I shut down downstairs, and retired to my bedroom for the rest of the night.

  There was also one other little task I did yesterday that seems so minor that it hardly seems worth mentioning. On the other hand it probably took a full hours to do it, and so maybe it was not that minor. I was play acting at being a librarian, or I could say I was sorting out my Isaac Asimov books, which were scattered over three book shelves, and a few tried to hide between other authors. Once I had the particular ones I wanted, plus other for sometime later, I set about making little labels for the spine of the books to remind me of the authors suggested order of reading them. They were the robot and foundation books which merge together in the end. The suggested order is very different to the order of them being written.

  I spent a lot of yesterday reading, and I even managed a snooze or two. I may have spent an hour or so just listening to music. I made a playlist for my PC audio player (Audacious, skinned to look like the old Winamp) of 4 or maybe 5 Hawkwind albums. I think it was the double CD "Space Ritual" that sometimes has to be listened to rather than just heard. I found myself laying on my bed with my eyes closed to listen to it. ( I did the same for a load of Pink Floyd music a few days ago). I was probably thinking I could doze off, but the lyrics distracted me from dozing off.

  I was intending to eat lightly, and carefully yesterday, but I didn't really manage that in the way intended. I think my breakfast was mainly a heap of Jacobs "Mini Cheddars" biscuits. Lunch was a couple of bowls of noodles. It was a fairly early lunch, and I had a mid afternoon snack of cheese on very light crackers. My dinner was a sort of stew made with meatballs, half an onion, a third of a pointed red pepper (the latter two item left over from s sandwich the day before yesterday), and finally some sprouts, all cooked in beef stock.

  That "stew" was pretty nice, and should have been very filling, but somehow it didn't feel that filling. Maybe it was because if the gravy was drained off the solid components were not really that big. Anyway, I fancied something after it - something small, but very tasty. It was a bad choice at that time of day, but I opted for some chocolate. I managed to stop myself eating the whole packet (it wasn't that big), but I think I have to blame that chocolate for the consequences.

  After a bit of TV, and reading a few tens of pages, I turned the light out at around 9pm. By 9.20pm I still hadn't fallen asleep, but evidently at 9.23pm I had. The next thing I knew was that over 2 hours had passed.  The only reason I can give for not saying I slept well was because I seemed to be dreaming through the whole night. On the other hand, I have an idea that "REM sleep", when we dream, is considered the best bit of sleep, and maybe it is when the brain does it's housework, and cleans up the loose ends.

  I can't remember any more than brief flashes of all those dreams, but one had a moment that I hope I can recount in such a way as to make it as exciting/interesting as the dream.....actually that is silly - you had to be there to appreciate it. In dry terms I was in a car that drove itself. Unlike the self driving cars that do exist, and are getting some use in America with their ultra wide, and ultra long roads, the car I was in was a special model for the UK. It had to be taught routes by it's owner, and then could duplicate that route while it's onboard computer could take appropriate action when it encountered obstacles like other vehicles, pedestrians etc.

  In the bit of dream that was most exciting I was in the back with the driver, and one other person. We were heading for a rehearsal studio, and the route featured a sharp turn to the right, with an added bend at a road junction featuring quite narrow roads. Watching the steering wheel, following what it had learned from the driver at some past time, thrashing away left and right as it negotiated this sharp turn and bend in the road, while also slotting itself in between some other cars, was exhilarating....or was it terrifying ??? Fortunately we survived !

  I blame that late night chocolate for my blood glucose rising to 9.2mmol/l this morning. It wasn't a big rise, and is safely below the danger level, but it is another reminder that I need to take a bit more care with what I eat today. I have probably already ruined it by having a heap of "Mini Cheddars" for breakfast this morning. My only hope is that I should be doing a bit of exercise today.

  The Entourage Band are playing for the Hither Green Xmas festival in the garden of the Station Hotel pub in Hither Green today. They are due on, but will invariably be late, at 2pm this afternoon. There will be some live music on before and after, but I have no idea what or whom. The are two problems with this. The first is that it is rather cold out, and that means wrapping up warm, but by the time I have climbed the hill to Hither Green I will be boiling hot, and getting sweaty.

  The other problem is the blasted rain. It is not 100% certain that I can get there in the dry, but it is probable. It is also highly probable that it will be raining heavily at 3pm when the band finish their set. According to the weather forecast it will be raining heavily until 6pm, and occasionally less heavy until 9pm. This is not good, and just checking the forecast again, and writing this is putting me off. The only positive thing is that there could be some sunny spells at 1pm according to the latest revision to the forecast, but that 3pm rain seems to be very stubborn !