Dream Time

Last night I crashed. I found myself in bed at about 21:00. In the middle of the night I got up to go the bathroom (23:30). I’ve now just woken from a vivid dream (03:30), and I'm wide awake. The dream was a real mash up. The location, a temporary classroom, at St Austell County Grammar School, that’s long gone. Even the school is no more, it’s now Poltair School. The event, a meeting of colleagues (I don’t think it was anything to do with school or teaching) but we were at my old school. We were all meeting for the first time. I arrive carrying a bright red, brand new, still stiff from its packaging, workshop coat. The coat thing stems from my early days of teaching but I purloined some when I was working for Ford Motor Company in Langley near Slough in 1979. They were really cool, dark blue with Ford embroidered on the breast pocket and a different colour collar depicting your trade, electrician, engineer etc. anyway I digress. I arrived, I was young, I walked into the meeting and immediately took charge, began to settle the group and proceeded to tell them that I used to be a senior manager, volunteered for redundancy, returned in a junior role but for my colleagues not to worry. “I won’t be looking for promotion. I’ll not be here long". This dream has echoes of many of my previous jobs and roles and to this day I prefer to wear a workshop coat when I’m doing a dirty, dusty job.

I don’t need a psychobabble dream analysis, I just enjoyed the mashed up stroll through memories of days long gone.

I'm awake now I'm putting the kettle on.

It's evening now. I did make that cuppa but looked at the treadmill and thought let's see what I can do. Well I managed the slowest, flattest programme. I was OK. By the time I breakfasted and showered I was feeling reasonably good so off to get some materials for the kitchen 27 meters of 3 x 2 planed wood was £104 bleddy hell, and it looked like it was especially prepared for boat building. Then drop the trailer at home and off to Screw and Fix It for some hardware. Home for a quick coffee and some peeps came to look at the range. They brought a van, we were hopeful, we did the deal, they took it away. Hooray! Room for the plasterboard. Chris turned up, with my chainsaw he'd kindly sharpened, and while he was here we set off to procure 2 sheets of 9.5mm square edge boards.

Before long I was pooped and I mean properly, go to bed pooped. So at 15:30 I crawled into bed. Clearly I had tested myself to a point of no return.

Two hours later, my instinct to eat was running full tilt. I got myself together and we went to Lostwithiel Community Centre car park for our weekly wood fired pizza fix I had a Fiorentina followed by a banana, chocolate and chilli pizza. Try it if you dare. Delicious.

We're home now! I'm past my best (again).

So in the words of the great philosopher Zebedee ............