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My Diary/Blog For the Month of December 2021



Friday 31st December 2021
10:05 GMT

  As far as I can remember, it was dry all day yesterday. The morning, when the forecast predicted rain, was instead fairly bright, and the sun almost came out a few times. The afternoon temperature was 14° C. It might sound like a nice day until I tell you that, except for those few hours in the morning, it was unrelentingly grey - a medium dark grey !
maybe a sunny
                        spell this afternoon
  The early morning drizzle should be over now, but even if it is, it still looks very grey and very wet outside. The latest revision to the forecast has the first sunny spell happening at or after midday. I can see a few patches of thinner, lighter looking cloud, and so I guess it might be possible. It is still forecast that the temperature will peak at 15° C, but only for a single hour at 2pm. The sunny spells (if they happen) will end at sunset, and after that the cloud will thicken. The temperature tomorrow will be about the same as today. It is currently looking like a real prediction for tomorrow can't be made, and the forecasters have thrown a few sunny periods, and a few light showers, at the board, and what we are seeing now is where they stuck. I am predicting that tomorrow the forecast will be looking a fair bit different.

  Yesterday was one of those days which are a bit odd, in a totally undefined way. The main plan for the day was for an Afternoon beer session, but the secondary, albeit very important plan, was waiting for a delivery being made by DPD. They are good because they are very quick and predictable, and give a fairly accurate advance warning of a one hour delivery slot. On this occasion the driver was slightly early, but that was of no consequence, and was actually good. However, the delivery didn't go quite as planned. This is described, with pictures, together with other stuff that happened yesterday, last night, and this morning, in my full archive page for today.
Thursday 30th December 2021
09:43 GMT

  After a wet morning, which was not really more than drizzle, the afternoon did it's best to brighten up. The sun tried to break through a few times, but was never in the same bit of sky as some visible blue areas. There was a very pleasant, pink, red and orange sunset that should have, and maybe did herald a nicer day today. The afternoon temperature hit a mild feeling 15° C
looks lkike a
                        filthy day, but so far it isn't too bad
  Even the very latest revision to today's forecast says it will be uniformly grey today, although at least it has dropped the rain shown for 10 and 11am in the screenshot of the early version of the forecast. It's almost 10am, and the sky is now starting to look rather grey. Earlier on the cloud was very patchy, and there was a lot of clear sky, but sadly not in the right part of the sky for the sun to shine through. The weather was doing it's best to live up to the red sky last night, but it seems the weather may now be following the forecast. I woke up to it being 14° C, and it seems it will still be 14° C until several hours after sunset. Tomorrow may start with some light rain, but there seems to be a chance of a sunny spell in the afternoon (but maybe just one of them), and the afternoon may peak at 15° C.

  Yesterday was rather dominated by my plan to meet Angela for a lunchtime drink, and I didn't really do much yesterday apart from get ready to go out. Of course that really only took about a tenth, or so of the morning. The rest of my day, including some pictures taken while walking through the park, is described in my full archive page for today, and it also includes thoughts and plans this morning.
Wednesday 29th December 2021
09:27 GMT

  There were a few times when the sun tried to come out yesterday, and for brief minutes it made the day more cheerful. The rest of the day was quite dull, and occasionally wet. Even when it wasn't raining it kept looking like it was about to rain. The 10° C would have been nice if accompanied by some sunshine.
grey but slightly
                        warm
  Here has been some drizzle this morning, and there could be more for the next couple of hours, but from midday it should brighten up. At the same time the temperature could rise to 15° C for a couple of hours. Unfortunately the chances of any sunshine seem slim in the extreme. Tomorrow is currently predicted to be grey with just a 10% chance of rain. The afternoon temperature will probably be 14° C.

  I did two things, that are easy enough to describe, yesterday. One was to wash some clothes by hand, and hang them up to dry indoors on the clothes horse. The other thing was something that has needed doing for a while now. It was to quieten down the CPU fan in my firewall box. It had been getting louder and louder for over a month, maybe over the last few months. The rest of the details about that noisy fan, and about the rest of my day, my night, and some thoughts and observations this morning can be read in my full archive page for today.
Tuesday 28th December 2021
09:22 GMT

  The surprising thing about yesterday's weather was that sometime in the middle of the afternoon the sun came out. It was only a brief visit, but the sky seemed lighter and brighter for an hour or so before. The rest of the day seemed to feature rain in various strengths. It was almost warm at 11° C from sunset.
it's trying to be
                        a bright morning
  It's trying to be a bright morning, but while I can see some blue sky, and a tantalising bright glow along the roofline of a house to the east earlier, it is now staring to get more cloudy, and it is probably that there will be more rain. The latest revision to the weather forecast now shows medium dark clouds for 10 and 11am with light rain falling. After that the clouds still stay a dirty grey until sunset, and the first two hours still show a 20% chance of rain. That falls to 10% by 3pm. Apart from the temperature being a mild 10° C, it looks to be another unpleasant day. Tomorrow could see the temperature rise to 14° C, and the afternoon may be bright, but not actually sunny. The morning will probably feature light rain.

  I didn't have a lot to say about the previous day to yesterday, and I don't have much to say about yesterday. In fact I probably have less to say about it because I didn't really do any more than 2 things, and one of them I described yesterday. That was about shopping in Aldi. I also described the other thing I did when writing yesterday morning, but it was actually worse than described. It is all described in my full archive pages for today, along with stuff about my night, and thoughts and possible plans for today.
Monday 27th December 2021
10:25 GMT

  It turned out the weather for yesterday was better than the gloomy picture the forecast offered. The heavy rain preddicted for the morning seemed to be no more than light rain, and I don't think even that fell without stopping. I must admit I was not terribly aware of what was happening outside in the afternoon, but I don't think there was any rain. I do know that at some time in the afternoon the sun almost broke through the clouds. It got fairly bright, and even cast a very feint shadow. A similar thing happened with the moon in the evening. It didn't become visible, but there was a patch of thin cloud that looked silvery where I can imagine the moon probably was. The temperature was 9° C in the afternoon, and it took very little heating indoors to make it feel comfortable.
another wet
                        morning
  It's another wet morning - I know this well because I have been out in it ! Once again it seems to be fairly light, or at least not the heavy rain shown in the forecast. The latest revision to the forecast doesn't really show anything different to the screenshot above - it will be wet until 3pm (instead of 5pm), and there will then be a break in the rain until it starts again at 7pm and continues until beyond midnight. Of course it could be, and probably will be totally different ! The thing about today is that from sunset the temperature will be 11° C, and if it wasn't cold, dark, and wet, it would be t-shirt weather ! All being well, tomorrow should be mostly dry with much lighter clouds, and even the possibility of a short burst of sunshine. Once again the temperature should be 11° C. The day after may even see 15° C.

  I don't have a lot to say about yesterday because I did so little - just a few odds and sods to keep me amused. Things like a bit of computer hygiene, tidying up, and backing up some stuff. What I did do of particular note was to somehow manage to eat very carefully again, and once again it seemed easier than I imagined. Maybe getting that blood glucose reading of 10.7mmol/l a couple of days ago scared me enough. Anything else I have remembered about yesterday, including the evening, the night, and what I have already done this morning can be read in my full archive page for today.
Sunday 26th December 2021
08:32 GMT

  It was pretty horrible yesterday when judged by the weather. It was very dull all day, and during the evening it started to rain, and it seems to be still raining this morning. To make matters worse it was only 6° C for the majority of the day, although at 8am it was 8° C.
very dull, very
                        wet
  The latest revision to the weather forecast shows an even worse picture than the early screenshot above. The rain is now predicted to continue until 3pm, although only most of it is supposed to be heavy rain. It is supposed to be heavy rain right now, but it seems to be fairly light rain (or was for the few minutes I was outside topping up the bird table). The only good thing is that the afternoon temperature is supposed to reach 9° C, and even that is only marginally good. It seems we are unlikely to see the sun until next year, and many or most  of the days, including tomorrow, will feature rain. However there will be an unusual peak in the temperature coming up. Tomorrow may see 10° C, and each day will be a degree or so warmer until the 29th of the month that might see 15 or even 16° C. Of course reality could be very different, and usually is.

  Yesterday, being like, but often worse than a Sunday, actually turned out to be a fairly productive day. It was a day when I didn't dare turn the TV on, didn't drink any booze, and managed to fast until 6pm when I had a fairly small dinner of sausages. Read more about my day, see a few pictures, plus some stuff about my dreams, and plans for today, in my full archive page for today.
Saturday 25th December 2021
09:30 GMT

  Yesterday was another mild, but very dull day. I'm not sure when it started, or indeed if it did get as heavy as predicted, but it rain from sometime late in the afternoon, and then into the night. The highest temperature, but maybe for only an hour or two, was 11° C.
less rain
                        predicted than previously
  Earlier forecasts showed Xmas day, today, as being a complete washout, but the latest revision shows it to be completely dry until 5pm when rain will start, and continue beyond midnight. It may be dry, but it is very dull, and the chances of seeing a single sunbeam today seem remote in the extreme. It was 8° C at 8am, but it is now cooling off, and the afternoon may be no more than 6° C. Tomorrow may see the temperature climb back to 10° C, but at the moment it is predicted to be a very wet day.

  There is not a lot I can say about yesterday. It was a long day for me, but very little happened - except I did drink a lot of beer, and eat mainly sandwiches. Both had consequences. My one bit of productivity was to transfer/digitise a few more VHS tapes. The rather thin, but full narrative about yesterday, and this morning can be read in my full archive page for today.
Friday 24th December 2021
09:12 GMT

  It was warmer yesterday - almost mild at 11° C for a short while. The penalty for it was another grey day, and some rain. The rain was very light, and probably only fell for a few minutes once or twice, but this morning there is evidence of more rain in the night.
heavy rain
                        tonight
  There was no mist that I could see at 8am, but there was ample evidence of recent light rain, and it looked like there was heavier rain during the hours of darkness. Most of today is going to be a bit, or very gloomy with rain expected from 3pm. Some of the rain, maybe a lot of it if reality agrees with the forecast, will be heavy rain. Once again the temperature should reach 11° C as a sort of apology for an otherwise appalling day. The warmest hours of tomorrow will be just after midnight. By 9am the temperature will have fallen to just 6° C, and it will pretty much stay there for the majority of the day. It looks like Xmas day will be a complete washout with rain starting at 9am, and continuing until a short break at 6am the day after tomorrow.


  I was feeling reasonably OK yesterday. The aches from my chest, a result of getting it chilled the day before, hadn't gone away completely, but were only bothersome now and then. As the day progressed, but probably fairly early in the day, it seemed like my doubts about the quality of my sleep the night before, were foundless. I didn't seem to feel sleepy during the day, or even at night ! Even the constipation problem I may have mentioned sorted itself out rather completely ! The rest of the details about my day, night, and this morning can be read in my full archive page for today.
Thursday 23rd December 2021
08:37 GMT

  Yesterday was a rather cold day. The temperature never went above 5° C, and it was cold enough for a thick frost in the morning. The sun did manage to peep out from behind a covering of white clouds a few times in the morning, but it was mostly a dull day.
warmer but
                        thicker cloud
  A couple of my radio controlled/linked thermometers also have a barometric sensor, and they are predicting rain today. Both forecasters (BBC and Met Office) say no rain, but do show some heavy clouds for parts of today. They are the result of warmer and wetter air meeting cold air. Today the temperature should rise to 11° C, and the current temperature is almost 7° C now.  Tomorrow should see a similar temperature range, but rain is forecast from just after sunset. It could continue for the rest of the night. Xmas day looks like it will be wet too.

  The highlight of yesterday was seeing Angela at lunchtime. It was a wonderful hour where we exchanged Xmas gifts. By tradition, mainly because something more personal might be tricky if lover boy saw it, I gave Angela a bottle of vodka, some cigarettes, and a Clementine. Angela gave me a bottle of whisky. I was expecting Michael to join us, but he left it too late to get to the pub. The rest of the details of my day, and how I was feeling a bit ill by the end of it, plus comments on my sleep, and plans for today, can be read in my full archive page for today.
Wednesday 22nd December 2021
08:47 GMT

  Yesterday was always cloudy, and the sun never managed to even peep through, but the cloud was mostly light in colour. It was a very cool day with the temperature never climbing above 6° C, but it fell fast after sunset. By 9pm it was close to zero !
very frosty
                        start
  There was a thick frost this morning, and even now, with 9am approaching, the temperature outside is still hovering around 0° C. By 1pm it will be 5° C, and that is as high as it will get today. At daybreak the sky was mostly clear apart from thin streaks of cloud that were looking very pink. The cloud is thickening now, but there are still enough breaks for the sun to break through for some short sunny spells. We almost had one just now. The latest revision to the forecast shows optimistic sunny intervals at 9 and 10pm, plus at midday. After that the cloud will be thick enough to completely block the sun, but it should remain as white cloud. Tomorrow may be warmer, 9° C, but the price for that will be thicker and dark clouds, plus some rain.

  There were a few things I suggested I might do yesterday, when writing in the morning, and I think I achieved them all except to be very careful about what I ate (I was merely careful, and not very careful). Such things included doing some laundry, going shopping, and transferring/digitising another one hour VHS tape. All the pertinent details of these things, plus other stuff about my day, night, and this morning can be read in my full archive page for today.
Tuesday 21st December 2021
09:52 GMT

  The clouds seemed to be a lighter grey than shown in the forecast for the morning, and even in the afternoon they didn't seem that gloomy, but gloomy enough ! It stayed dry, and the temperature was a very constant 7° C until late evening when it did drop closer to 6° C.
another dull and
                        cool day
  There are many similarities to yesterday in the weather forecast, but there are two small differences. If the forecast is correct then it is the afternoon that will see the lighter coloured cloud cover instead of the morning, and today the temperature will be one degree cooler at just 6° C. Perhaps another, and rather important difference, is that the temperature will drop a fair bit tonight, and it could be just 3° C by the end of the day. Tomorrow morning may start at just 1° C, and there will probably be a thick frost. By 1pm the temperature may peak at 5° C. It should stay dry until as late as 10pm, and most of the day will see just white cloud covering the entire sky.

  I had some ideas of what I might do yesterday, but I don't think I did any of them. The most significant thing I did was to go shopping in Aldi in the morning, but I wrote about that yesterday. My blood glucose reading was low enough that I enjoyed a very late breakfast, probably it was brunch, of beer battered cod cooked in my mini oven. That was nice, but it was surprising what a beery smell it left in the kitchen. I guess that was nicer than a fishy smell. The rest of my day, including eating and sleeping, plus some notes from this morning, can be read on my full archive page for today.
Monday 20th December 2021
10:27 GMT

  Yesterday the forecast for fog and mist turned out to be correct in all but quantity. The fog gave way to mist before 10am, and then there was nothing but a slight haze, and even that faded away in another hour or two. It left a grey day that turned into a darker grey day that persisted until it was lost under the cover of night. At just 5° C it was a very cool day.
no sun today
  By my estimate it is brighter than the forecast says. The clouds seem to be a very light grey so far, but maybe they will get darker late. There seems to be a 10% chance of rain for the whole day, and maybe we will see a shower, although none appear in the forecast. I guess 7° C for December is probably about right, and so it is going to be a chilly day again. I'm looking forward to spring ! Tomorrow may start with thick, dark grey clouds, but maybe from about 1pm they will turn to lighter clouds. It could be a degree or two cooler tomorrow.

  Yesterday could be called a busy day. As I wrote yesterday morning, it started with a shopping trip to Tesco. During and after that I was copying/digitising a couple of old VHS video tapes into my old Windows XP computer. I didn't get the chance to then convert the mpeg files to mp4 files, and try some new settings to see if I could cure the lip-sync error that was showing up towards the end of previous tapes I had done. I had to stop at about midday to clear up the dining room. That was for another beer drinking session. It is all detailed/explained/described along with other stuff like eating, sleeping, and what I have done this morning, and what I might do, in my full archive page for today.
Sunday 19th December 2021
11:05 GMT

  The mist and fog predicted for yesterday never happened, at least as far as I was aware, and I did peep out between the curtains now and then during the day. There might have been mist or fog very late at night, but I wasn't checking then. On the whole it was just a very grey, and rather cool, 7° C, day.
a foggy/misty
                        morning
  There was definitely fog at daybreak today, but it was getting thin by 10am, and now there is just a slight haze to the air. The latest revision to the forecast says the mist should persist until midday, but that seems unlikely.  The BBC website thinks the mist will return at sunset, but the Met Office think it won't. Both website agree it is going to be a very cool day with the temperature around 4 or 5° C, although by mid to late evening it could rise to 6° C. Even with no more mist or fog, it is still likely to be a very dull day. No mist or fog is forecast for tomorrow, but it will be a very grey day, and maybe a little less cold than today, but only by as little as a single degree.

  After what felt like a bad night's sleep, and the grey miserable weather, I wasn't expecting to do anything yesterday. That is how my day started. I just lazed away, quietly reading, and trying to grab a snooze, The odd thing is that I don't think I actually did have a snooze. maybe I was less tired than I thought. In the afternoon I became a little more active. What I did in the afternoon, how I slept, what I have done this morning, and will be doing later, is all described in my full archive page for today.
Saturday 18th December 2021
09:43 GMT

  The weather was rather simpler than the weather forecast tried, and failed to predict. Basically it was grey all day, and during the evening there was some rain. The forecast kept changing to say the predicted sunshine would appear later and later in the day. The last attempt I saw said just sunny spells for the last two hours before sunset. They didn't happen, and to me it kept looking like it was about to rain. It finally did rain around 6am, and I think there was more rain in the evening. There was a 10% chance of rain from about sunset, and the rain evidently took that chance even no rain was actually forecast. It was a cool day, and I have doubts that the temperature reached the brief predicted peak of 10° C, and I am sure there were times when the predicted 9° C was up to a degree lower.
back to grey
                        days, and a rather cool one too
  Suddenly all the mist or fog predicted for this morning has disappeared from the latest revision of the forecast. There was, and maybe is a very slight haze to the air - just enough to soften the view without obscuring ant details, and so I guess a mist might have been possible. Maybe there is some mist along parts of the River Thames this morning. The latest revision to the forecast adds a few more hours of mist and fog to this evening, and in doing so make the Met Office forecast a little bit closer to the BBC's version of a weather forecast. Until the first mist kicks in at 5pm, and after dark so not that exciting unless you are driving, the day will be very dull, and there will be a 10% chance of rain. No rain is forecast, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a shower. It is about 8° C now, but most of the day may be no more than a very cool 7° C. A lot of fog, or mist is predicted for tomorrow, and if it is neither of those it will be very overcast. The afternoon temperature may be no more than 6° C.

  After 3 or 4 days of doing exciting stuff (sort of) it felt natural to have a rest yesterday. Maybe I was tired pushing myself to do unnatural things like going out on very dull days, or maybe I was tired after several days involving some sort of exercise (aka, walking). It might also have been the case that I was just generally feeling off colour. The main evidence for that might have been my high blood glucose reading in the morning, but I may have discovered another reason for that. All the details of my day, my poor sleep, and plans for today that will almost certainly never happen, can be read in my full archive page for today.
Friday 17th December 2021
09:41 GMT

  Yesterday was another day I can almost reuse what I wrote 2 days ago: Yesterday was very dull, but it was mild, and maybe a little humid. The afternoon temperature was 13° C, and it was dry. One small change is that it was only 12° C.
is this true -
                        sunshine ??
  There seems little sign of the sun breaking through yet. Maybe that is why the latest revision has changed the firsst sign of the sun to 11am, but the forecasters are very confident that once the sun does break through the clouds it will remain sunny until sunset. It will be cooler than that last few days, and the temperature will peak at just 10° C for just one hour. From 6pm the cloud will build up and thicken, and it will stay as thick cloud for the whole of tomorrow. It will probably be just 7° C tomorrow.
  
  Yesterday was an exciting day (for certain values of exciting). I was feeling moderately OK, and that was good because I had a moderately long walk to do. I had to get to the Bellingham Green medical centre for another attempt at an aortic aneurysm scan. The last time this was attempted was 12 to 18 months ago, and on that occasion it failed allegedly because of belly fat. This time was only a part failure. I describe this, my walk (with photos), the beer session afterwards, my sleep, and this morning in my full archive page for today.
Thursday 16th December 2021
08:59 GMT

  I think I can re-use what I said the day before: Yesterday was very dull, but it was mild, and maybe a little humid. The afternoon temperature was 13° C, and it was dry.
another in a
                        series of dull but mild days
  The weather today continues the trend started some days ago. It is going to be dull, and it is going to be mild with only a 10% chance of rain. There are two differences to yesterday. Today is predicted to be uniformly  very dull for the whole day, and the maximum temperature may only be 12° C instead of yesterday's 13° C. The trend will continue for several days, but each day will see the temperature drop a little. By next Tuesday, which might be the end of this trend, the daytime temperature may have dropped to just 4° C.

   I'm not sure if I was feeling quite as good yesterday as I was the day before, but there was probably little in it. Of course my mood was buoyed by the hope that I would be seeing Angela for a drink at lunchtime. In preparation for that I had a shave and washed my hair. That provides a lift at any time. The short version is that I did see Angela, the long version of my day, including photos, is written up in my full archive page for today. It includes my night, this morning, and what a complicated day it could be.
Wednesday 15th December 2021
09:41 GMT

  Yesterday was very dull, but it was mild, and maybe a little humid. The afternoon temperature was 13° C, and it was dry.
another in a
                        series of dull but mild days
  Today is another day of a series of days that are mostly, or maybe today entirely dull, days that are otherwise quite mild. Today is unlikely to see any sign of the sun, but the temperature should reach 13° C, although it might only be for a couple of hours today. There is a 10% chance of rain through the whole day, but no actual rain is forecast. It looks like there will be less wind than yesterday, and that should mean even 12° C should feel fairly good. The forecast for tomorrow shows dark grey clouds for the whole 24 hours, and the highest temperature may only be 10° C, but it will be that from early morning to late evening.

  I felt completely different yesterday, and I can't really explain why. It couldn't have been a change in the weather making feel less depressed because the weather yesterday was not that different to the weather the day before when I was feeling rather off colour. I can really only describe how I felt yesterday as "less lethargic/listless".  It enabled me to actually do some useful things. I describe, with pictures, what I did yesterday in my full archive page for today. It also describes some mistakes I made, and their consequences this morning, plus what I hope to be doing today.
Tuesday 14th December 2021
08:57 GMT

  It was not predicted in the weather forecast, but there were a few short sunny spells yesterday, but overall the weather was as forecast - ultra dreary ! There was no rain that I was aware of, and the temperature did reach the forecast 12° C, but after those few short spells of sunshine in the morning it was a very dull, and gloomy day.
all bad exceept
                        the temperature
  There is a choice of weathers today. The BBC website says heavy cloud, and the Met Office website shows mostly light cloud, but both show zero sunshine, and both say the temperature should go up to 13° C. Also, but say it should stay dry. I don't usually bother interpreting the wind speed, but I think there may be a little less wind than when I went for my walk 2 days ago. It was the wind then that made it feel a bit cooler than the 13° C. Tomorrow may well see thicker cloud, and hence gloomier, but it should still make 12° C, and it should stay dry.

   There is not a lot to write about yesterday because nothing happened, and I did nothing of note. It is possible I was ill in some way. There were a couple of indicators that this may have been true, and a few symptoms too, although the latter were intermittent in the extreme. Some of it was depression, but what came first - depressed and so feeling ill, or feeling depressed because I was ill ? There may be hints of an answer to this question in my full archive page for today. It provides a fuller description of my day, my night, and this morning, plus potential plans for today.
Monday 13th December 2021
07:51 GMT

  Not all of yesterday was grim. There were a few minutes of un-forecast sunshine in the morning, and then it was grim. Later on it was very grim, and it even rained - which also wasn't in the forecast. The temperate did get to the predicted high of 13° C by as early as 11am, and it stayed that way until sunset, but didn't fall by more than a couple of degrees by the end of the day.
another dull, but
                        mild day
  Today may only reach 12° C instead of yesterday's 13° C, and it may not be quite as gloomy, but there seems to be little chance of seeing any sunshine today. Of course there was supposed to be no sunshine yesterday, but there was a little bit in the morning. It was also not supposed to rain, but it did. Maybe today will follow the forecast and stay dry. Tomorrow will be the next of a series of dull, but mild days. It may reach 12° C tomorrow, but perhaps only for an hour or two.

  As I finished writing yesterday I was still unsure if I would be going out or not. It was less than an hour later when I was actually heading out for a walk in the Linear Park. I did the minimum walk of just over 3 miles. I could have extended that to 4 miles, but I wasn't sure I would be comfortable doing that. With hindsight it would have been OK if I had done it. My day, copiously illustrated with photos, is described in my full archive page for today. It includes sleeping, dreaming, plus thoughts and lack of plans for today.
Sunday 12th December 2021
08:59 GMT

  The first rain fell a lot earlier than in the forecast. There was a light sprinkle of rain around 1pm, but the main rain fell from 3pm onwards, although it didn't seem to be very heavy, and I am not sure that any of the rain I would call "heavy". As well as dark skies and rain, the afternoon high was only 7° C, but oddly enough the temperature started to rise at sunset, and hit 11° C as early as 9pm.
a dull day
  The latest revision to the forecast shows less black clouds, but there is still a 10% chance of rain for the whole day (even at 11pm now). The most significant thing about today is that it has started as, and will continue as, a very mild day. It is about 12° C, and before the morning has ended it will be 13° C. The next 3 or 4 days will be similar to today, but each day may lose a degree until by next Thursday the temperature will be down to a normal "chilly".

  I'm not sure if it was a plan, or an aspiration, to go for a walk yesterday to see some live music in Hither Green. As I finished writing yesterday I was already having doubts about it. The latest weather update said it would be pouring with rain at 3pm, just as I would probably be going home. That did not sound helpful. In the end I didn't go out, and part of the reason was that I had an other offer, although I had made my decision before that. All the details of my day that can be written in simple words, plus stuff about eating, sleeping, and thoughts and plans this morning can be read in my full archive page for today.
Saturday 11th December 2021
09:11 GMT

  There were sunny spells from about an hour after sunrise, and they continued, with an occasional short break, through to about an hour before sunset. The afternoon temperature was just 7° C, and judging by the movement of trees and plants there was a strong breeze, maybe even a semi strong wind, that would have made it feel bitter outside. As the night ended the temperature fell to 4° C.
bright start, wet
                        finish
  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 also did a bit of librarian work, sorting out and labelling some of my books. The full description of these things, plus other stuff from yesterday, and thoughts and plans for today can be read in my full archive page for today.
Friday 10th December 2021
08:52 GMT

  Yesterday continued the recent theme of sunshine/sunny spells in the morning, and then continued it until mid afternoon. After that it clouded over, and there was a fair bit of rain late at night. The best the temperature could offer was 8, or possibly 9° C, but that was in the middle of the heavy rain near midnight. The afternoon was only 7° C.
one more day
                        featuring sunshine
  The temperature has dropped again after last night's high, and has only now reached about as low as it will go this morning. Later tonight it could drop to 4° C, but it is about 5° C now, and like the last few or more days, the afternoon should see 7° C. The latest revision to the forecast is far more optimistic about the sunshine today. It may be mostly in the form of sunny spells, but they started before 9am, and now look like they will continue until 3pm, although there could be a gap at 2pm. Tomorrow morning could start out at around 3° C, and that could be cold enough for sleet, but no rain is expected until 3pm, and from then on the temperature could rise to 11° C when the rain stops at 10pm.

  One important fact about today is today marks the turn around of the earlier and earlier sunsets. Sunset today is at 15:51pm, and won't get any earlier from today. It will also not get any later until the 16th when it sets one minute later. I think it won't be until the solstice on the 22nd December when the sun starts rising earlier in the morning.

  Yesterday wasn't quite such a good day as the day before, but that day was exceptionally good. Yesterday's highlight was the Thursday afternoon drinking session with Jodie and Michael. I didn't do that much before the drinking started, but I did clear up the dining room table which was covered in Xmas type stuff. All the details worth mentioning about yesterday, last night, and this morning can be read in my full archive page for today.
Thursday 9th December 2021
09:02 GMT

  There was some very pleasant sunshine in the morning, and the sun did it's best to shine through a few cracks in the clouds in the early part of the afternoon. Behind glass the sun felt pleasant, but outside it was only 7° C, and a fairly strong breeze gave a wind chill factor of ????? - all I know is that breeze felt really chilly, and while out in it my nose was running more frequently that I would have liked. Oh well, at least it didn't rain.
another sunny
                        morning
  Once again we have a nice sunny morning, and the sunshine, or sunny spells, should continue to at least 3pm, but after that rain takes over. The middle of the day will be 7° C, like yesterday, but the wet air responsible for this evening's rain, some of which could be heavy rain, will push the temperature up to 9° C. It hasn't been that "warm" for ages now, or so it seems. It's just a shame it will happen when I'll be tucked up in bed. The rain should finish in the early hours of tomorrow, and tomorrow's daylight hours should be bright and sunny, and once again, 7° C.


   I think I can say that yesterday was a good day, although there were elements of sadness about it. The day went pretty much as planned, although from late afternoon it was just free wheeling. After I finished writing here I had a shave. Washed my hair, and had a shower. I describe most of my day, and hint at the reason for the sadness, in my full archive page for today. It included the usual stuff about eating and sleeping, plus thoughts and plans for today.
Wednesday 8th December 2021
09:12 GMT

  Somewhere in the country the strong winds, that we were warned of in the weather forecast, may have been very strong and possibly destructive, but they were barely noticeable here, and it was the rain that made yesterday a pretty horrible day. The rain was never that heavy, and some of it was barely more than drizzle, but it was quite persistent. The heavy clouds and puddles presented a very depressing picture. Having to turn a light on to read at midday was a very negative experience. On top of all that it was cold. The temperature didn't appear to ever rise above 8° C.
nice sunny
                        morning
  So far it has been a nice sunny morning, although in most directions the sky is a rather grey blue colour. There must be a thin fog at altitude. The latest revision to the forecast has downgraded the sun to sunny spells at 11am, but has extended them to midday. It should be dry today, but once the sun goes in 7° C is going to feel rather cold. Tomorrow may see sun or sunny spells extending from the morning until 2pm, but then it will probably cloud over, and rain is expected from about 5pm onwards. Once again, the maximum temperature is going to be a cool 7° C.

   In theory, yesterday was an awful day if measured by certain metrics, but it mostly felt good to me. The day centred around a parcel delivery that was predicted to be between 1 and 2pm, and was actually close to 2pm. The contents of that parcel, or at least some of the contents were a good distraction from the cold, grey and rainy day that was going on in the outside world. I list a few of the things in that parcel, and why some were both good and bad, plus describe the rest of my day, my dinner, my sleep, and why this morning contained a pleasant surprise, and how today should be a wonderful day, in my full archive page for today.
Tuesday 7th December 2021
09:54 GMT

  Yesterday's weather was pretty miserable, although the forecast worst wasn't quite as worst as reality ! The morning was cold, but dry, and not all that dull. The afternoon featured rain, but I can't recall it being heavy rain, or at least no sustained heavy rain as featured in the forecast. I tried not to look outside most of the time, and so I can't really say when it stopped, or even if there were heavier bursts that I missed. The highest temperature was a degree less than the 8° C in the early forecast, but the later revision said 7° C, and that was about right.
another wet
                        afternoon
  Today will be a lot like yesterday. It is cold dry this morning (cold enough for a light frost at sunrise), and it is only mildly gloomy. That will all change this afternoon when it could get as gloomy as night, and possibly torrential rain will all afternoon, and into the evening. Today, unlike yesterday, the afternoon temperature should reach 8° C for 3 or more hours. The weather warming is for wind, and not rain. As far as I can see, in Catford, the wind will mostly be quite light, but there could be occasional gusts of 40mph. Even that does not seem to be exceptionally high. The predictions for wind look only slight less tomorrow compared to today, and yet no wind warning is issued. The thing about tomorrow is that it is almost going to be 6° C from midnight to midnight (maybe 5° C at the edges). The morning may see a brief sunny spell, and the afternoon a couple of hours of light rain.

   I felt very different yesterday, but I can't really explain why it was different in a positive direction to the day before when I felt very miserable. Maybe getting out to go shopping in Aldi was a positive action that felt good, or maybe it was just that having no trouble at all not wearing a mask - no looks, no threats from "security" - felt very positive. Maybe it was just that the "exercise" of walking to and from Aldi felt OK, although if you read yesterday's scribblings you'll see it wasn't exactly pure pleasure. I describe the describable bits of my day yesterday, plus the other stuff like eating and dreaming, and how I feel this morning, and what I might do today, in my full archive page for today.
Monday 6th December 2021
10:12 GMT

  I can only describe yesterday's weather as disgusting ! It was miserable and grey, and featured several showers, although they were over (I think) by mid afternoon. The temperature seems to struggle to reach 7° C.
possibly worse
                        than yesterday
  This morning started looking damp, but it wasn't raining. According the latest revision to the forecast, rain is now due at 11am, and it will continue until 2pm. The last two hours could feature very heavy rain. After that it may be dry until an hours light rain at 5pm. Only light cloud was forecast for this morning, but it seemed very grey to me, and apparently it will soon get even darker grey. Once again the temperature should peak at 7° C (according to the latest revision). Apart from the temperature being as low as 2° C at 7am, tomorrow's forecast looks a lot like the early forecast for today (as shown in the screenshot above). One difference, just to make things even worse, is that there is a weather warning for strong winds tomorrow !

   I felt miserable and depressed for most of yesterday. It was mostly because of the soul crushing weather, but I was also feeling a whole heap of regret that I didn't/couldn't make it to the gig, that featured Miranda on guest vocals for at least one song, plus Angela in the audience. Fortunately something happened in the early evening that did a lot to cheer me up. You can read about that, plus anything else I could think of mentioning about yesterday, last night, during the night, and what I've already done this morning in my full archive page for today.
Saturday 4th December 2021
10:23 GMT

  Yesterday was a rotten day, although for some reason I seem to think that there was a minute or two of sunshine sometime in the morning. Other than that it was a very gloomy day. There was some rain in the morning, and probably some rain after dark. The afternoon temperature did peak at 9° C but anything good about that was lost in the gloom.
some morning
                        sunshine
  As usual the forecast has been revised a few times since I took the screenshot above. 11am is now shown as full sunshine. The sun actually broke through as early as 9am. The sun is supposed to go in after 11am, but should be out again at 1pm. After that it will be mostly lightly overcast, but with almost no chance of rain. Late this evening the clouds will thicken, and the chance of rain rises to about 10%. The best we can hope for today is 7° C. It will probably start to rain in the early hours of tomorrow morning, but the rain is supposed to stop by around 11am. The temperature will only rise to 6° C.

  I think the worst effect of two nights of poor sleep was mostly in my head yesterday. I didn't seem to physically feel sleepy, but I think I thought I ought to. Having said that, I am not sure if it was physical fatigue, or once again all in my head, but when I did the one thing of note yesterday, some laundry by hand, I didn't feel inclined to do it all in one go. The full description of my day, or what I can remember of it, plus my night, and thoughts this morning, can be read in my full archive page for today.
Friday 3rd December 2021
10:35 GMT

  Yesterday was supposed to be bright and sunny, but if I recall correctly, after a good start the sun slowly disappeared behind clouds from as early as 2pm. Even after a sunny morning the afternoon temperature only peaked at 5° C. A very cool feeling wind made it feel several degrees cooler than that.
not a pretty day
                        !
  The latest revision to the forecast does not show anything better than the gloom shown in the screenshot above. If anything it paints an even worse picture. From 4pm until 7pm or later, mist is forecast. It will be after sunset and so may not be relevant to my day, although if I dared to go out it could provide some good photo opportunities. It is possible the mist could be thick enough to be called fog near the river. Today should see the temperature briefly peak at 9° C. Tomorrow it will be several degrees cooler. The day will start wet, but the afternoon could be sunny.

  I had a lousy night's sleep the night before, and yesterday I didn't feel like rushing around, but I did feel like laying on my bed reading and snoozing. Oddly enough I never did seem to get a snooze, and I didn't even get a lie in because I had to take in two boxes of 24 bottles/cans each at 8am. I think having to be so active at that time woke me up far more than I wanted. I find it odd that I never felt particularly tired during the day, but in the afternoon I was partly perked up with booze. Most of the details about yesterday, and this morning can be read in my full archive page for today.
Thursday 2nd December 2021
07:51 GMT

  Yesterday's weather made a very poor show of following the path set out by the weather forecast. The morning was brighter than the dullness forecast, and it even included some sunny spells. The afternoon, maybe after 3pm, featured some rain. It was just a few light splashes followed by a rainbow, and that was followed by a heavy downpour which lasted for 20 minutes or so. I'm not sure if the light rain forecast for 4pm actually happened. I think not, but at least the forecasters almost got the flavour of the afternoon about right. It was a quite a cool day, particularly when the wind chill is taken into account. Around midday it was 9° C, but a fair bit of wind made it feel much cooler.
cold but sunny
  Today should be bright and sunny, but rather cold. As I write this the sun is still too low in the sky to be seen, but the sky does look mostly clear. I am surprised the temperature didn't fall enough for a frost. It did come close. I reckon it is still not much more than 2° C right now, and 5° C would seem to be the best we can hope for, and that for only a couple of hours in the early afternoon. Tomorrow could see 10° C, but only at the expense of a dull and gloomy days with many showers in the morning, and probably some later in the day.

  Yesterday was one of those days that included some very high highs, and a few irritating lows. The first thing I did yesterday was to go shopping in Aldi. That went fine - no problems at all, although there was some minor inconvenience from a complete selfish idiot of a driver who blocked step free access to the store. All the best and worst parts of my day, and night, plus what I have already done this morning can be read in my full archive page for today.
Wednesday 1st December 2021
11:19 GMT

  Most of yesterday was very grey and dull, but it was dry. Just before sunset the sky started to clear, and although calling it "glorious" would be going too far, there was a pleasant red sunset last night. Sometime later, maybe before midnight, and/or after, there was some run. The afternoon temperature was 11° C, but with no supporting sunshine it only just about scraped through as enough to be called "mild", just not very mild.
occasional
                        brighter hours
  There was evidence of rain during the night, but from sunrise it seems to have stayed dry. It was a slightly mild morning for this time of year, but it is not expected to get more than a degree or so milder this afternoon. During the morning the sun has made quite a few brief unscheduled appearances, and for some reason that has induced the weather forecasters to bring the rain forward to 3pm today. It will then rain until gone 6pm, and the last hour or two might be heavy rain. The evening could be dry, but the temperature will drop from 9° C to just 4° C by midnight (or before). Tomorrow may be gloriously sunny, but the afternoon temperature may be no more than 4° C.

  Only a few things happened yesterday, and that is good because I have a limited time to tell of them. One important thing is that the possible beer delivery didn't happen. An unexpected thing was a message from Angela which was delightful, but rather curious. The final item of note is that I only ate instant noodles during the day, and that felt OK. Half an hour before dinnertime I checked my blood glucose and it was still 7.2mmol/l as it had been in the morning. That seemed a good excuse for a very naughty takeaway. The full details of yesterday and this morning can be read in my full archive page for today.