The Social

I honestly wouldn't put it as my worst year. 1990, when I was laid up with appendicitis and then post-surgical complications beats it handily. On the upside, my writing earned me US$65 in contest winnings (a first and a third), which gives me some reason to believe that my scribblings have a place in life. On the down, working from home started off well but I definitely miss the office, especially the separation it creates between work and personal life. And I haven't been seeing my son as much as I would like (he lives in another city) nor have I met his partner yet, both of which are at least partly attributable to COVID.

Pizza is definitely my go-to at the moment, either one of the meaty ones from Dominos or the "special" from my local. I'm probably finding the carbs of extra comfort during these winter months.. ?

Nice picture hen. Hope you both had a great day ?

Most people would probably point you to the George Smiley books, but I'd say his last book - Agent Running in the Field - is as good a place to start as anywhere. He forged his reputation as a chronicler of the Cold War, but since it effectively ended in 1989 he's produced some very interesting work looking at the fragmented nature of the New World Order. In the early books there was a clear demarcation: the West vs the Eastern Bloc (though he always allowed for moral ambiguity). Post 1989, it's become more difficult to identify the 'bad guys', and he's had fun with that. In the last book, he explores what loyalty means.

A British icon who provided millions with a lot of joy and entertainment. At least she is now free from that awful disease, Alzheimers.

I've literally just had my jab at work today.. ? I do tend to try and get them every year as I'm quite a sickly person. They say having the flu jab doesn't help fight off the common cold - it does with me! My arm is slightly sore but I'm currently at the end of a cold, so won't really be aware of other side-effects I wouldn't imagine.

The government is to offer free vitamin D supplements to over 2.5m vulnerable people in England and has ordered further research into whether it offers protection against covid-19.

Love that Jess!! The John Lewis one isn't as good this year as in previous years but they are getting an important message out

I've always wanted to run a dog shelter or an animal sanctuary for unwanted pets or animals that need sheltered/looked after. If I ever won any money on the lottery this would be one of my first expenses (need to start playing the lottery first though ?)

Social distance please. Fits perfectly with the times we are currently living in.

Had Vodafone call me a while back. Unknown caller number, the chirpy girl introduces herself as a Vodafone agent, says she has some things she'd like to talk to me about and asks me my name, DOB, address. I said that I wasn't giving that information to anyone that I couldn't verify, and could she prove that she was from Vodafone. She couldn't and insisted I was missing out on vital information that I would want to hear. I asked was there something wrong with my account, but she said she couldn't say why she was calling until she verified who I was. I said as she had called me, from a masked number, I couldn't verify who I was until she verified who she was - it was a simple matter of security. I even asked was there a number I could call to contact her, but she said it was an "outbound only contact centre" that could not receive calls. I expressed my surprise at Vodafone - one of the world's biggest telephony companies - not having the ability to receive a phone call. We both got bored with the conversation at this stage, so agreed to leave it that neither of us could verify who we were, and we went our separate ways. I'm 99.99% sure she was from Vodafone, and 100% sure she was just flogging something I didn't want, but there's no way they should be let away with that kind of carry on. Using a withheld number for calls like that should be outlawed.

Beautiful and talented. Fabulous in everything I saw her in.

I'm not really sure why they would be telling anyone to wipe down with a towel. There is nothing in the legislation that says you shouldn't use wipes or blue towel (at least in Scotland). In our gym, you are basically just asked to wipe down the equipment and apparatus like you would have done in normal times. Our staff will then give it a deep clean before the next scheduled slots arrive. We've not been too busy in the first week of opening. I think a lot of people are a little wary of returning to the gym especially as we still don't know the full ins and outs of the virus and also because we are seeing a rise in positive cases throughout the country - it is maybe not worth the risk. Also, many people have found that they can exercise just as effectively at home.

Happy belated birthday Gemma. I hope your day was special.

The Spitting Image puppets :(

To live in a nice house in the country, upcycling / doing creative stuff, pottering about, maybe have a few animals and general peace and quiet.

I hold fork in right hand and knife in left. I'm right handed.