My view of Hull Minster from a trip earlier in the week when I had to attend a meeting and used the car park opposite. That is now on my list of places to visit when the lockdown ends and places re-open. An extremely busy week at work and it was universally agreed it was a dreadful week. Few staff and ridiculous demands from other agencies and senior managers, which will be a post for another day. Having said that I was in an excellent mood yesterday when I decided to stop worrying about the things I can't change and enjoy the bumpy ride. I suspect we won't be going abroad this year so I will hopefully book time off for trips to local and not so local places of interest. I like York and it has been a few years since I was last there and I might finally get in to see the Jorvik Viking Museum as well as revisit The Shambles.

After considering what I should build next I realised I had set aside the above kit a few weeks ago as the next build. I bought this a couple of years ago as part of my desire to build ugly interwar French bombers. As I recall a cheap kit but nicely detailed and I will build this one straight out of the box with no additions.

I am steadily ploughing my way through the pile of books which is one of the pleasant outcomes of the lockdown and getting rid of Sky sports has given me more time for reading. I usually have an hours reading each evening once I have settled in after returning from work and I do read very fast. I usually have three or four books on the go as well and dip in and out of them. I finally picked up a new one which I have wanted for ages...

The introduction was fascinating in that during that period a battle was considered to be a battle if the opposing 'armies' had more than thirty men each! The author makes the point that large punch ups between football hooligans could be considered battles by that standard.

We also have the sense that spring is nearly upon us with Snowdrops everywhere, warmer days albeit wet ones and lots of birdsong. I saw the new born lambs this week whilst out on my travels and although winter hasn't yet gone it does feel like we can soon say goodbye to it. Possibly another reason why I was in a great mood yesterday. It was also confirmed that once we have a new band 5 nurse in place I can reduce my working days to four a week. Having seen an old colleague who isn't much older than me laid low by back problems and hearing that he is now struggling to walk, I feel I have definitely made the right decision and I plan in a couple of years to reduce my hours further or even consider a proper 'retirement'*. 

I tend to listen to BBC Radio 3 when driving as I enjoy classical music and this week they have been playing Wagner's Ring Cycle each evening. I like some opera but have generally avoided Wagner as it never appealed to me. I have to admit the bits and pieces I have caught either on my commute home or at other times has been a revelation to me. I found I am enjoying it. It must be a maturity thing but there was a programme which looked at the history, bringing in philosophy and psychology as the themes and layers were explored including the nazi's love of it all. That certainly helped me look anew at it and listen properly to it. They have put it together as a 'boxed set' and I shall immerse myself in this when I have a few days off later this month. We have been told to use up our annual leave or lose it, hence why we are short staffed as people on leave as well as the three team vacancies.

TTFN.

*It will involve a return to studying history as a mature student and for my own pleasure.