England win at 4 o’clock in the morning beating Mexico 3-2 with ten men, its my 78th birthday so its a birthday that starts very well. Needless to say I am knackered as I crawl to bed at 4:30 to the sound of the dawn chorus and the sky getting light. I surface about nine o’clock and I am treated to birthday hot water and toast in bed. I have several Happy Birthday messages to reply to as I gradually get myself together. Eventually I get up to my post and a delivery of T shirts. I take my morning meds and get organised for the days heavy slothing and cake eating that waits ahead of me. I intend to do nothing but indulge my inner sloth and revel in the fact that I am alive, vertical and feeL loved and cared about. I also celebrate that I can still create by writing, read and have a garden to tend. As Cicero said what more can a man need or want.

I intend no more for this days blog. I shall meander through this day leisurely until the evening football match between Portugal and Spain and then go to bed a year older and pleased to be so, I have a lot in front of me including a new poetry collection and some leisure time away. There is if course finishing Cycle 9 and doing Cycle 10 to brining this rechallenge to an end. Reach this and then I can rest for a while and recover for the last of summer and, what I am sure is going to be, an Indian autumn.