It is hard to say if yesterday was a good or bad day. Much of it seems to be a blur. Maybe nothing much of note happened to hang some memories on. The evening did have an event, a beer tasting session, but even that had it's ups and downs.

  If I remember correctly, which at the moment seems unlikely, I had a pretty lazy morning yesterday. Maybe that is only half true because I was keeping an ear out for a delivery of more beer I was expecting. There is a sad tale about that, and I'll describe that when I get to this morning when the bad news arrived. One thing I did do was to have a quick shower - I was pretty sure my delivery was still at least an hour away, and with guests in the late afternoon I thought a shower would be a friendly thing to do (rather then be a little bit stinky - possibly).

  I am now trying to think what I had for lunch. I know I wanted to line my stomach before drinking later in the afternoon, and so I should have eaten something suitable. I can't remember cooking anything, and I can't think what I might have eaten cold. I know I had some Aldi, tomato and chirozo soup, but I think that might have been a day or two ago. Maybe I just had ice cream and cake, but that feels unlikely.

  It was around 2pm when I gave a the kitchen a wipe down after doing some washing up, and washing and polishing the beer glasses. Then I could relax until Jodie arrived. I had promised her that we would likely have a new beer delivery while she was there - until I much later found I had been badly let down by APC delivery services. Jodie arrived at a little after 3.30pm, and we had to drink what was left in the beer fridges - most of which was some of the stronger beers.
  Soon after Jodie arrived she was spotted by Fluffy Cat who was surveying his kingdom from next doors shed roof. A walk along the garden fence, and then down to the back window ledge, and he was meowing to be let in and join us. This time he shunned his new box with the door cut into the side, and opted for his old box.
  Behind those eyes lives a cold bloodied killer. If I stroked, or brushed him from behind, he was quite content to enjoy it, but if I did it from the front he would go for me. He even tried to bite the brush I was using. I am unsure why he does it. I know many cats will attack and hand that dares to stroke it's belly because they think it is some prey they have caught, but fluffy just seems to be triggered to attack anyhow.
  I had hoped this picture would have come out better. What it is supposed to show is the tufts of fur between his toes. It adds extra insulation and protection when in his native habitat - in the snowy forests of Norway - he is, as far as can be ascertained, a Norwegian Forest cat.
  In this picture he has settled down, and almost asleep - except one eye is still slightly open, looking out for any human flesh that may come in reach of his claws and teeth. I feel sure he thinks it is a sort of game. He has no trouble if I reach under him to pick him up, and although he loses patience about it after a few minutes, he shows no sign of discomfort with my hand under his chest - even when dangerously close to his belly. I know he would not hesitate to tell me in the loudest and most aggressive terms if I was hurting him in any way.

  A bit later there was a ring at the door bell, and while it could have been the beer delivery I had been awaiting all day for, it was more likely, and indeed was, Michael coming to join us. He had brought his wheeled "granny trolley" because he had a couple of bottles of Diet Coke for me (which I didn't need, but are always welcome). Fluffy cat was quite scared of either Michael or maybe the trolley, and soon after told me he wanted to go out. I have no idea how Michael or his trolley have upset Fluffy Cat. he has not been bothered by either in the past. Maybe Michael tried to kidnap him in the trolley or something.

  Having Michael there provided some conversation - which was lacking from Jodie, who is always immersed in stuff on her mobile phone. Of course much of what Michael says is just moaning about whatever bad thing Lewisham Council has done to him lately. Yesterday it was the repeated tale of how he was fined for going the wrong way in his car. I worry that his driving skills, and/or eyesight has waned too much as he has aged, and he should no longer be driving if he can't read road signs (or whatever).

  A bit later on we were joined by Mark who had more positive things to say. If I had felt like I was getting drunk it could have ended up a very good session, but I still felt stone cold sober at the end. The end was about 7pm - a little later than usual, but my dinner was cooked and ready to eat by then, and it seemed like a good time to drink the last drops, and say goodbye to my guests.

  My dinner was roast root vegetables that I had pre-cooked earlier in the afternoon, and then reheated as I cooked a box of boneless beef riblets with BBQ sauce. Actually I wonder why I bother with the sauce because it is almost little more than brown syrup. I am not sure it has a BBQ taste, or indeed any taste. It just made my dinner extra rich. The beef was quite greasy, and still oozing grease onto my plate, and it did not seem to be wise to eat it (although I did because it also made the roasted root vegetables tastier).

  As always It seems) I ate my dinner while watching some TV. I managed to find enough TV to amuse me until 11pm. That is later than I usually stay watching TV, but I didn't seem to be feeling so sleepy last night - not even with booze and a bellly full of food. I wondered how I would sleep, but as far as I can remember such a thing, I was probably asleep 5 minutes after my head hit the pillow.

  I continued to sleep well even when briefly interrupted several time when getting up to pee. Nothing has changed about my bed in the last days and weeks, but last night it felt exceptionally comfortable ! I do remember a dream, but if I recall correctly (which under the circumstance is probably unlikely) it was made up of several discrete episodes. The dream was about a resistance movement in a dystopian near future. I can only remember some bits of it, but I think I must have dreamed a lot more.

  In one "episode" we had taken a discrete route through a small forest. For some of it we ran, and in the dream state it seemed I could even run slightly up hill. We arrived at an old house, or actually it seemed to be two back to back houses. Both were semi derelict. We were meeting some people in the rear of the two houses. To get to them we went in the front house, and found the pantry - a small room which backed onto the same room in the other house. Once they had been connected by a door, but it was boarded over. By carefully taking the boarding down we were able to disappear from one house and appear in the other. This was for "security" reasons. It makes no sense now, but it was important in the dream.

  There was more to that dream, or more "episodes" of the dream, and I am sure one was notable, but it seems that all I remember is the run through some of the forest, and being in the two houses. I am sure we never saw the enemy, and I am sure we weren't armed in any way. I'm not even sure what we intended to do - unless it was just running away and trying to hide from the oppressors.

  There was the beer, although not a huge amount of it, and there was the food I ate yesterday, which included ice cream and cake (which I had not mentioned earlier). It was therefore a pleasant surprise to see I managed to lose 200gm since yesterday morning. My blood glucose was not too bad either. I got readings of 6.2 (extremely good), 7.1 and 7.2mmol/l - both of which are very good. My blood pressure is also very satisfactory at 115/50.

  I have several plans for today. One thing I probably will end up not doing. One thing I must do is compose and send an email to Beers Of Europe to tell them that APC claims that my box of beers was found to be damaged when it reached the delivery depot. APC could have sent me an email to say it was too damaged to deliver when it arrived at the depot on the 24th.

  I checked their web page and it confirmed that the box was at the final depot, and was due to be delivered on the 25th February. There was an option to change the delivery date because I knew I would be out at the Jolly Farmers on the 25th, and so I used the option to change the delivery date. It presented a calendar, and I clicked on the 26th (yesterday). I waited and waited, but I didn't get the usual estimated time of delivery. After the beer drinking session, at about 7pm, I sent a message to APC asking where my box was. It was only this morning, just before 8am that I got a reply to say "Regrettably , this item arrived in to us damaged and not in a fit state to be delivered". As I said, I was surprised that they could not have informed me of this earlier. To me it strongly suggested that had dropped the box at the depot ! They say they have noted it on the information that Beers Of Europe can see (if they look), but suggested I contact the company myself to try and arrange a refund or replacement.

  My other plan, which is probably just pie in the sky, is to go out tonight to a gig. I am not sure if my stamina is up to it, and I definitely know that the venue (The Partridge in Bromley) is usually too crowded and usually too badly lit to make photography easy and pleasurable. The only plus side, apart from the band is that it is a simple, if rather boring, ride on the 320 bus to get to a bus stop almost outside the pub on the opposite side of the road. Tonight's band is Chain, and I did sort of promise Jo, who had been supportive during my time in hospital, that seeing Chain would be one of my first gigs once I was well enough. I am not sure if I am well enough, although as stated a bit earlier, it is more a matter of stamina than anything else. It was still not comfortable going to The Jolly Farmers on Wednesday, but it was fine sitting at a table. At a gig I am generally on my feet all the time bobbing around here and there with my big Nikon camera. That could put a lot of stress on my knees and ankles, plus there is the problem that it is very hard to find an unused seat in sight of the band once they have started.