Friday again and I wake after a dreamless less night. I do not dwell in bed, which is lucky as I get the last two slices of bread to have with my eggs this morning. I watch the news on TV and see that both bi-elections have been won by Labour. There are the usual claims and counter claims about turnout and 13 years of failing government. The last time it was “13 years of Tory mismanagement” when Harold Wilson got in for Labour. Theses things come around again if you wait long enough, it would appear that 13 years is as long as the British public can tolerate any one party being in power. Due to these “historic” swings to Labour the coming year year will be nothing but wen the next general election will be. I think I might choose to cut down radically on my screen time.

My partner tries to go to her physio appointment but finds that storm Babet has flooded the roads on the way so she returns. Fortunately we live on a hill and do not get flood but every road out of the village has dips in them that can flood at times. I decide I have to train today and get into my gear. I really do not feel like it but I know that I must make the effort. My anxiety about doing so is quite high but I must overcome them. In the garage I settle down on the rower and set myself to go for 45 minutes. My hope is it will earn my enough PSI points to get me over the 100 mark. I start out very tentatively almost waiting for something to happen. As I warm up I get into a rhythm and manage the 45 minutes. Its a poor distance and lower than usual calories but given this is the first session in 9 days it will have to do.

I take a few minutes to record the session and indulge in a Rowntree’s Fruit Pastille lolly, my latest addiction. They have replaced chocolate, cakes and biscuits. Any early afternoon bath is next on the list and I am soon sloshing about and sinking back to listen to the lunch time concert on Radio 4. It is a delicious and relaxing time. I really should do this more often.

I do a set of post training vitals and get comfortable to have a nap but find that the afternoon concert on Radio 4 is Schubert’s 9th symphony, a bit of a cracker so I just lay back and let the music wash over me. My partner thinks I fell asleep but I know she looked in on me twice. This is what retirement is about, or at least one of the things. By the time the concert is over I’m peckish, so I indulge in cheese, oatcakes and pickled onions, another joy of retirement. I continue to read The Good Place and Philosophy and I am fascinated to learn that someone has done experiments with children to see what they would do with the “Trolley Dilemma”. Basically a train is going down a track out of control and is going to kill five people but it can avoid doing so by diverting down a side track with only one person on it and killing them. You can divert the train, so what would you do? This is what a two year old did.

Who said philosophy can’t be fun. I continue to read till early evening when I eat tea with my partner, draft the blog and settle down to watch the first world cup rugby semi final between New Zealand and Argentina. It turns out to be a rout with New Zealand wining massively. A quick burst of Have I Got News For You and I am downing my night meds and heading for bed. Tomorrow is Poetry Stanza day so I guess I’ll be out and about this week after all.