It’s no fun out there right now.

I have a number of friends who are going through an absolutely horrible time and the only thing that I can do is to try to be there for them.

No quick fixes, no advice, just to support when I can.

It’s not much, but it’s the best I can do.

As for the rest of the components of my life, work is definitely losing any allure that it may have briefly had this year and I doubt that I’ll stay on past my contract date.

Probably.

It’s not all been bad though, I’ve done some things that I never thought I’d do, including hosting a dinner for people including US Space Force in Edinburgh Castle, renewing contacts with an old friend who lives in Bath and getting him too drunk to stand one evening when we had a splendid dinner and learning about our military satellite programme – after I’d retired.

It’s also given me enough cash for a new boiler, a new wood burning stove, new flooring downstairs , a load of necessary work on the roof and some new fencing behind the sheds to keep Cairo in.

And it paid for a week in a very expensive house so that I could have a proper holiday with the doglets. So I have nothing at all to complain about.

I had an arthroscopy on my right knee a little while ago, it’s failed, but I’m no worse off than I was, the knee still works, it just hurts – oh pooor me.

It’s a minor thing.

And I’ve been invited to this.

And that’s because I spent all that time working on the Arthur thing

https://smallthunderdog.blog/2023/02/11/in-the-end/

He was also defrauded by somebody else.

https://smallthunderdog.blog/2025/09/28/police-and-thieves/

And that person will be sentenced the day before the BBC thing.

And I’m going to try to make him properly famous so that he enjoys every minute of his jail time.

I’ve asked for a ticket to the BBC event and I’ve invited my sister-in-law to dinner in Simpsons. She’s got it far worse than me, her husband has early onset Alzheimer’s and the man that he was is gone.

So I’ll buy her a nice dinner and some wine and be a diversion for a few hours, because I really can’t help in any other way.

And I’ll start planning my second retirement.

Maybe.

But Milo’s seizures have slowed down dramatically since I got him on some meds, I still don’t know what’s wrong and I know that our good days aren’t promised.

But there are many good days.

Today was one, so was yesterday, Friday when I got home, Wednesday before I went to the Corsham office ( and Cheltenham where I had a few beers and dinner with one of the Feral Ponies ) and I’m hoping for another tomorrow.

And today, I’ve started making a batch of Tabasco Sauce with chilis from my own garden.

I’m sure it’ll be awesome.

But even if it’s not, half the fun is trying.

I don’t actually need reasons to be cheerful, but it doesn’t hurt to remind myself.