"I only actually called time and withdrew when my bogies started to freeze......"

I have had a lot to do in the house and also a vast amount of catching up in the garden and the allotment too. So having written another one of my 200 point (plus) lists I hatched the simple but obvious plan to work out side when it was not raining and inside when it was raining.

A simple plan, I thought, ah but as I have said before plans are made to be scuppered and so mine have been. You see for whilst the winds and rains have been lashing the vast majority of Britain and Lake Somerset has been newly created Norfolk has seen hardly a drop of the wet stuff.

I can think of a couple of really rainy days but for the most part it has been no worse than overcast and of course very, very cold. The cold doesn't bother me at all. In my old Supermarket days I didn't flinch at working in the giant 'walk in' freezers for up to an hour at -25c.
 Wrapped up in a good coat and gloves, I had to switch off the chillers fans for 10 minutes at a time otherwise I could not have handled the chill factor but I would sort out the entire freezer with the door shut.  I never felt at risk because I never really felt cold, sure my ears & nose had a tingly feel but I only actually called time and withdrew when my bogies started to freeze.

I don't know what genetic stream this tolerance to cold has come from as everyone of my family appears to have a distinct lack of enthusiasm towards anything less than a comfortable +20c. Much less than +15c and hands start to rub, cardigans donned and mumblings of heaters being turned on are muted.

In the shop I would always wear a short sleeved shirt even in the deepest winter and both customers and staff would tell me off because I made them feel cold! I think some people may have had the misguided thought that I was simply attention seeking but I can assure you that I really truly wasn't too bothered. I have always assumed that my extra blubber gave me enough insulation.

I remember nipping out onto the vast supermarket roof of one of the branches, it was nearly the size of a football pitch and some of the drains were blocked from the thawing snow causing water to drip inside the building. So I climbed up some steps from a back corridor that no one ever normally uses, through a small door and out into the January chill to clear the effected drains. A couple of minutes and it would be done.

Well I had nearly finished and was just about to go back in when BANG! The little access door slammed shut. Now to prevent burglar bill from easily breaking into the store should he get access to the roof the door was designed void of any means of opening it from the outside. I did have an in-house radio but left that on the steps just the other side of the door in case I dropped it in the pools of water, seemed sensible at the time!

Never mind, I thought, there are some office windows further along where I can look down into several offices and one of them at least should have a person in. So along I went and out of the 3 offices just one had a member of staff in it. Ahh Mandy, right so I called out to her but the glass was too thick and she clearly had no idea that I was there. "MANDY" I shouted again, but she just carried on as if she was ignoring me. Mmmm, I wondered to myself, had Mandy closed the door as a joke, something that I wouldn't put past her at all, and now she was pretending that she couldn't hear me.
I slammed on the glass and Mandy looked up at me smiling, gave a little wave and then turned her back to me and carried on with the filing. Now was she enjoying a joke at my expense or was she just smiling and waving because she thought I was saying hello from the roof top!

My suspicion was definitely that she was taking the mick out of me and that she was the one that had slammed the door closed. However of course I could not be sure of this and as I needed her help I had to act as if she were innocent until I could get of this damned roof and throttle her....  if proven guilty. I banged on the glass again and once more Mandy looked up, nodded, smiled, waved then walked out of the room and was gone! Now, I thought, she must be taking the piss but my only connection to anyone was gone and my resilience to the January chill was to be truly tested.

I thought, right well she is probably on her way down the corridor to open the door and let me out as she has had her little bit of fun. So I waited.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

I went back to the offices, no one there.

Banging on the door was futile as no one ever walks along this corridor.

Getting a little desperate now I started to look for some other way to make contact with the inside world. Sadly the design of these roofs does not make it easy to simply lean over and call for help as there is a fake sloped tile roof around the entire perimeter which in some places goes up a further 10'.

After a good look around I found that I had an area with a narrow vision down to the smokers area at the side of the store and as luck would have it one of the other assistant Managers was insight. He was a long way away, about 200yards or more. Now was the point where I realised that I was setting myself up for complete ridicule but hay ho, I'd allowed myself to be locked out so I prepared to take it on the chin like a man. Wait till I get my hands on that Mandy!
I shouted down to my colleague who disorientated by the fact that he could not work out quite where this voice was coming from and so also thought that I was taking the micky out of him.

Eventually I got him up to the said door where he released me and I clambered back inside.

Mandy had gone home by this time but upon interrogation she still insists that she was just saying hi, because she thought that it was I that was larking around!!



Where was I?


Oh yes, so right, yes my list at The Old Bakery, outdoors if no rain and indoors if it is raining.
Well with the distinct lack of rain I have spent the last few weeks predominately out in the allotment and garden thus getting practically nothing done indoors so today and despite the beautiful sunshine I had to confine myself indoors all day, washing, tidying etc, etc, etc...

The exception being Sunday when Alison and I went out for a walk on the coast from Burnham Overy Staithe where we normally canoe from. It was a beautiful day and we walked for a mile and a half to the distant dunes where we found another of those magnificent beaches that until we came here I had only ever seen in Northumbria. The beach was stunning and there was not a soul about except in the distance a couple were walking hand by hand.

The two dots on the left horizon are people on our crowded beach.

The gentle wind caused brilliant drifts in the sand, here the loose sand is being blown into a small pool of sea water....

 Then we headed back and were treated to some fantastic displays predominately from 1000's of Golden Plovers not unlike the Murmurations of Starlings...

There were absolutely 1000's of them and at times they filled the sky like a black cloud.

Many are on the ground and this represents just a small proportion of them.

Geese flying low in front of Holkham Church

The views were lovely all the way back to the car and the sounds of the Lapwings, Curlews and Oyster Catchers filled the air. It was all very beautiful and wild and next time we go we are determined to do a much longer walk to Holkham beach.

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