This week has been a very, very hectic one for me at work. As you know, I have Monday and Tuesday off – that’s kind of like my weekend, which is great as it means that my last night is a busy one filled with great locals, regulars and some fantastic live musical acts. I spent my weekend the same way I normally would, which involves a mixture of reading graphic novels (I have nearly 500 of them and there are 22 that I haven’t yet read), and playing computer games.  I say games plural, but I really only play a couple – mainly GTAV online. I don’t know why I like playing that particular game so much, given its graphic violence, drug smuggling, gun running, etc, but Los Santos has almost become a virtual second home to me.  The clothes and gun shops, the golf and tennis clubs, even the seedy bar out in the desert where you can play darts – this place has it all!

I also try to catch up on all the great new geeky TV shows that Netflix, Now TV and Amazon have to offer and boy do they have a lot of good stuff at the moment! I’m especially loving The Man in the High Castle, Marvel’s Defenders, Colony USA, The Good Place…. it can take up most of your time if you let it.  I’m also doing more of the housework as my long-suffering wife is struggling with a very sore back at the moment. Dutiful husband, me 🙂

So after a couple of days of trying to catch up with the almost neverending list of tasks, it was time to go back to work, but unlike many people who dread their Mondays, I genuinely love mine. Even when it’s super-busy, I feel happy and fulfilled at the end of a shift. How many people can say that?  I’m aware of how fortunate I am..,  unpleasant customers are few and far between and to some extent they come with the territory.

The other thing I have noticed over this week is the fact that we are digging deep into the back of our wardrobes for that big thick coat that we haven’t needed since March. I have my big winter coat and scarf on standby, although the temperature, like the weather, is startlingly changeable at the moment. Take the other day; I was standing by the front door watching the world go by, and it was a nice afternoon -not cold but not a heatwave either – and then literally out of nowhere it began to rain very heavily. For the next hour or so there was a veritable monsoon… then just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Which was fine for me stood in the shelter of the porch but not so good for the people next door at the church. Did I forget to mention there was a wedding going on? Yes? Well, just as the wedding service was finishing and the church bells were ringing to signify their new joining,  the heavens opened up, followed by a loud clap of thunder.  My colleague came out from the kitchen, asked if that indicated that some unseen deity was expressing its feelings of disapproval, and then he sauntered back to the place where knives and hot things live. I felt sorry for all the ladies who had spent a lot of money having their hair done to look nice for all the photographs, only for the weather to put paid to that.

It’s only a matter of time now before we clear the decorative pile of logs from around the wood burner at the end of the restaurant, fire that bad boy up for the winter season, and watch the nights draw in. Although, as we head towards winter I get the feeling the only thing getting shorter will be the daylight hours.  I can’t wait for winter!

Stay Safe X