FutureDiary : 12 January 2030 - Custard Tarts, Golf Guides & World Collapse

I woke up feeling terrible today. I had a big headache and was feeling rather confused.

The last few days have been a bit too much. Too much stress, too much hastle, too much of everything except sleep.

I need rest.

Luckily Valentina is running at full strength again so she went to town to collect her prescription. She's not keen on driving the Cybertruck, but with the roads being a bit flooded in places it would have been too risky in her old Zoe.

I fell asleep again after she left, but was woken an hour or so later by a call. Valentina had met Molly, one of her friends from the Welsh classes she used to take. They were going to have lunch at Bosco's to catch up.

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The sleep had done me good, and I was feeling hungry.

I went downstairs, made a sandwich and a cup of Earl Grey, and turned on the radio to catch the lunchtime news on BBC World Service.

The whole world seems to be going to pot. China says it has evidence that Taiwan is harbouring the saboteurs that attacked the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, a US surveillance drone has been shot down in northern Cameroon, and Cape Town is now only three days away from running out of water again. And that was only in the first five minutes of the bulletin.

It is getting ever more depressing listening to the news.

At least there something positive in the UK. Well at least I think so. The Prime Minister has announced that Britain will be applying to join the European Defence Union.

I dozed off again after that and didn't catch the rest of the news.

It was about half two when Valentina got back. She'd bought me a custard tart, my favourite.

The deli at the cafe had some sauerkraut so she got me a jar of that too. Tesco, for some reason, aren't able to redeliver our order until Monday.

Molly, as ever, hadn't let down Valentina with some good local gossip. The word is that the Post Office may be closing. The robbery on New Year's Eve was the third in less than a year. The Post Office is unable to guarantee the safety of its staff is the official line, but cutting costs I suspect is the real reason. It looks like we will be relegated to a weekly mobile service just like with the banks.

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The custard tart revived me a bit. I still wasn't feeling too sharp but I needed to do some work.

I've got a job to edit a guide to golf courses in Wales. Never played golf but it pays the bills.

Valentina left me to work on that while she saw to the chickens.

I was in full swing on the guide when Danny called just after seven.

He'd seen the the Australian farmer over the valley. Frank and his two boys would definitely be interested in the tree planting and fencing work. They are going to call me to arrange a time to come over.

That's good news at least.

I wrapped up the editing for the day, grabbed a cocoa with Valentina, and then decided I needed an early night.

Tomorrow will be a better day I hope. I really need to catch up on jobs outside.

Time to sleep and dream of the birdies.

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If you have missed the previous diary entries, you can catch up...

FutureDiary : 11 January 2030 - Where did all the groceries go?

FutureDiary : 10 January 2030 - Storms, floods & electric dreams

FutureDiary : 09 January 2030 - Trees, Australians & Lentils

FutureDiary : 08 January 2030 - Guns, Trump and PolliDrones

FutureDiary : 07 January 2030 - Valentina robbed at knifepoint

FutureDiary : 06 January 2030 - A panic in Cardiff

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[graphic by @pennsif]