This was the state of play yesterday with the modelling but a dry Saturday and day off meant gardening.

Grass cut, some brambles cut back and some weeds removed but I overdid it and my back is letting me know in no uncertain terms it ain't happy. The lawnmower was playing up and I guess the extra effort to push and pull it around caused my back to go again. A sleepless night and pain relief plus a hot water bottle has eased it somewhat but a day confined to a comfy chair and nothing more strenuous than lifting a cup of tea. I had hoped to go out today as weekends in is sending me stir crazy despite the crazy rules / guidance around what is permissible mask wise, etc...The garden is a mess and my plans are to clear a lot of it, replant much of it and get the wall and gate repaired. I'll do the clearance next month and I had been watching bricklaying videos but given the pain and discomfort I'm in I will have to hire someone in to do a proper job. Sue wants a fence in instead of the wall and we had a disagreement about this. We have the bricks already, once repaired and other parts repointed and it should be good long after I've been planted 'neath the sod and I'm just a name on a stone somewhere. Some more stone slabs and a few more large pots with plants in so no more bending / kneeling will be helpful and make it easier to control. 

The above photo shows the photo etched brass parts to add to my next build and these parts are tiny. I question my sanity and certainly my eyesight when I go down this route. The brass needs to be folded and then either superglued or soldered. I use toothpicks to apply the superglue and it turned out to be messy yesterday and not helped when Sherlock joined me on the table. I added more paint to the Cant flying boat but otherwise I have left well alone today as sitting bent over the table isn't good for my back. I'll get back to the next build next weekend and I will try to finish the flying boat over a couple of evenings this coming week. 

My mother's 79th birthday this week and I sent flowers and chocolates which surprised her. I am planning to see her later this year as it will be the first time this year and the CV-19 lockdown scuppered all planned trips. She was invited by her ex-sister-in-law to move back to Ireland and live with her. My mum turned the offer down as she said she has lived in England for the last 63 years and regards England as home. The Ireland she knew has gone and consists of memories only and she no longer travels because of poor health so a holiday was also vetoed. I have to laugh whenever I hear people say how wonderful the Irish are, warm, friendly and open and my mum responds with some very strong language to refute such nonsense. I had offered to take her over there and spend some time travelling with her to visit family and friends but she refused this. She struggles with arthritis and now has poor eyesight and I can well understand her desire to stick with her familiar routine. 

I'm starting the countdown to my own birthday and I still can't believe I will be sixty years old. With the current shenanigans at work I have begun to think more about what I do next as retirement is increasingly attractive and no longer having to deal with the daily nonsense. I am convinced more than ever that psychiatry is bullshit and the current system doesn't help many people. A complete system change is required with a greater emphasis upon the social and psychological interventions and a removal of many of the more spurious diagnoses removed. I have requested a reduction in my working hours next year but that is looking increasingly unlikely. We are in the midst of change with no one seemingly able to predict what will happen next with few staff, morale is low and a temporary manager in situ. All of this against a background of the 'pandemic', competing groups of crazies protesting and an impending financial collapse. When I was a teenager I could not imagine being sixty and I certainly could not have imagined the background to my sixtieth birthday! It will be a quiet one and I have booked a week off work to ensure it remains a quiet one. 

TTFN.