Lasting effects

One of the lasting effects of my two days away struck today when I woke, suddenly and completely, at 6am, to see this amazing sky even before I sat up. I'm not entirely sure that it didn't add to the aforementioned effects in disturbing what had been a sound sleep, but I couldn't resist getting up in the chilly pre-heating-timer bedroom to go and fetch my phone from the study, though on this occasion I refrained from opening the window to hang out...

I went back to bed till the heating came on at 7am, but then it was up and out for the shopping, when I felt so dozy that it was hard to remember the urgent necessities (like salt). By the time I'd had my porridge I thought I might have recovered, but realised that I was actually suffering from caffeine withdrawal, having had my main fix at an 8am breakfast in the hotel because of the uncertain nature of Synod coffee. Leave a longer gap than 24 hours and I'm impossible...

The rest of the day was cold, became grey, didn't snow but was chilled further by a biting NE wind that ruffled the Firth and made it all look most uninviting. I hung out two washings and did some Italian (I seem to have finished all the profitable exercises and am at a loss as to what to do now). Later we went for a short, 2 mile walk at Ardyne to try to unstiffen the joints suffering the effects of those awful chairs plus a two-hour drive yesterday. 

Thought for the day: I'm getting too old to do two-day meetings and not suffer for them. And I think it makes my writing very dull ...