Santa and Simon

This animated snow scene inside a fake lamp currently sits on top of one of the cabinets at Broughton Market (formerly known, and more beloved, as Crombies). We called into the shop this morning to order sausages for our party next Saturday night. Simon, as ever (see my blip of 16th March 2018), was willing to pose for the shot. The image here is actually a reflection - check the printing on the white boxes.

I've been busy all day catching up on various admin tasks, some work-related, others not. All was going reasonably well until a message from LNER dropped into my into my email inbox mid-afternoon...

Although we are not scheduled to travel on strike days next week, our return train from London on Thursday afternoon has been cancelled. We have been advised to book a seat reservation on a different train on our day of travel but - of course - there are none available. The alternatives are to take our chances of seats on the day, or to cancel our the whole trip for a refund on all our tickets.

We're going to sleep on it, but it looks like we will probably abandon the whole enterprise. If we do, we will miss out on a meal out and a night in a posh Kensington hotel on Sunday; breakfast with our brother-in-law, lunch with a former colleague (last seen 10 years ago), and dinner with Mr hazelh's smallest sister and family on Monday - as well as giving my talk at the British Library in person; and Tuesday and Wednesday with Mr hazelh's mother and step-father in West Sussex. The one sliver lining is that I will be able to go to my book group meeting at ArcLight's house on Monday.

Exercise today: 45 minutes on the exercise bike.