21.06.2022 Longest Day.

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 Tuesday 21st 52F, overcast and dry but breezy. When we were promised all day sunshine. Longest Day today. Up at 5am. No acrobatic cat so far.

 I went outside at 11pm last night. It was still light enough to easily have read a newspaper. Unsurprisingly, my washing on the line was still wet. 

 8.40. 58F. Sunny periods. An early walk for 75 minutes. Down the road and up to the forest. Back down beside the hedges by the direct route. I saw two hares. My trousers were soaked from wading through waist high grass and nettles. My legs are still burning from the latter. 

 I took my longer lens [100-400mm] but found it rather restrictive. Due to the smaller field of view. My usual 50-200mm does everything I ask of it and is lighter.  

 11.00 After spending some time in the observatory I am going shopping on the trike. It is sunny but quite breezy.

 13.20. 67F. Bright sunshine. Lunch over. I have been to the shops. A headwind coming back.

 Amongst 6 different kinds of tomatoes, in two supermarkets, not one pack was ripe enough to eat! The washing up brushes are grey plastic. As are the scrubbing pads. Are these to go with the all-black, conversation island kitchens? These brushes used to be in lovely colours. 

 I also bought more chicken fillets. To make another curry. I had no idea you can freeze chicken, bread, mince and meat. To save throwing away half the oversized packs.

 A haircut is lined up for tomorrow at lunch time. To tidy up the remains of two years of [uncut] Covid hair. I had a trim back in April but it is getting untidy again. I'll try not to cry. As I did last time.

 I have just cycled to the local lake. To see if there were any Great Crested Grebes breeding there this year. There was a pair dozing out in the middle. Though no sign of any young. 

 As usual, the light from the only accessible bank is completely wrong. Being right behind the birds. So that the water glitters brightly. Making photography very difficult to impossible. The distances involved and low viewpoint merely add to the problems. Of capturing images of these interesting birds.

 Dinner was chicken curry with Ben's Original Medium Curry sauce. I cut up half the chicken fillet into small chunks with scissors. The rice was simmered for 30 minutes after first boiling.

 After browning the chicken I added the Ben's sauce to the frying pan. With a little tomato puree and black pepper. I still haven't found a proper explanation for "resting" rice. Drained or still in the hot water? Anyway. It was delicious. Beginner's mistake of the day was not rinsing the rice first. How was I to know? 

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23.00 My dear wife is now in her final resting place. I had a good cry. There are no words can possibly sum up our 55 years together. Except thank you for everything and I am sorry for all my faults and failures. You deserved infinitely better. Goodbye My Love.

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