Taking Shadow for a walk in the park is a slow morning. He takes his time, and everyone wants to stroke him. Kids in the nearby play area run to the fence and stare in amazement.
He is a little old to make the half a mile round trip to the park, so he travels in the car to save energy for the meet & greet with his canine mates there.
Anne told me he has a sixth sense of when you will be taking him. No regular routine for the outing, how would he know with me?
I spent a while on Spanglais in the morning, Shadow lay flat out on the kitchen floor. I popped to the bathroom and thought – “I’ll take him out, a walk would be a good break” – when I opened the bathroom door he was in the hall excitedly turning circles by the front door! In the car then ….
I can go shopping, visit friends, be in and out with a coat on, no reaction. I think ‘walkies’ and he’s sniffing the hanging-car keys and charging round like a pup.
In between our walks I crammed Spanglais. My new workstation is set-up and I’m giving it a decent few hours a day. 
Some old ground to cover and some enlightenment to the confusing male/female is sinking in. Talking back to the CD is becoming normal (not like the early feeling – 🤡 I hear voices)
It is my turn to make dinner for Terry & Tina, which is going to happen after our lunch-time visit to the Warrant Officers and Senior Rates Mess in HMS Collingwood
I had spent a large part of my Royal Navy 22 years in this establishment. The lunch time meat raffle was good, but no prizes for my £5 worth of tickets.
My time in ‘The Andrew’ was as a weapons engineer. Many different systems on the six various classes of ships I served on. Worlds best system at the time and still highly effective is ‘Sea Wolf’. After having the system 3 years afloat I worked as the fleet specialist for a further 2 years. A picture by the missile on this visit was a nice touch
Walking off the lunch-time pint of Guinness, I shopped for the evening meal. Making a Cottage Pie from scratch, Hot Wings starter and mini ice-creams for desert, easy
The table was nearly ready, music on the stereo, wine decanted, water in the fridge, bring on the Partingtons
The conservatory has plenty of room, the meal went down well, a little excercise and dance demo by the Fareham Strictly DanceDrink Team….
Terry and Tina glided to the music of Julio Inglaisi (a Spanglais joke present from my mentor Prisci, jaja it’s actually quite good🎼)
Coffee time now, not as enjoyable as ☕️ España which is ten chilly days away.
Soon a walk to Fareham, and on a Friday there will surely be tales to tell in the wild city 🍻
Geriatric Gap Years 