Another year has gone by and as always it seems to have gone quicker than the previous one.
So what has changed ? Nothing really. Everyone seems to be going about their business as usual with the exception of one or two changes.
Richard, my cook, has got his dream job in a London restaurant and is doing very well apparently. He was a nice lad and I enjoyed all that he served up. His flatmate, the Welsh girl is still here cleaning and cooks me the odd meal when I am not dining out, which is nice. I still have no idea what her name is nor how to pronounce it but she does a good job and has learnt to cope with Raggy quite well.
On the subject of Raggy, I was concerned back in the autumn that he may have to retire as he had become very agitated and always had a pained look about him. I thought he may be going senile (well, more than usual) and that we might have to look into getting him moved into sheltered housing.
A few weeks later I found him slumped in a chair in the conservatory and I truly believed that he had collapsed and died but he saw me come in and smiled and was happier than I had seen him for a long while. It turns out that his discomfort and pain had arisen when he had discovered a family pack of Mini-Cheddars in the pantry and had eaten 7 packets in one go. The Mini-Cheddars had set like concrete in his bale chamber and he was unable to pass anything through his knotter for three weeks.
He reckoned that he had been drinking syrup of figs for a fortnight and that morning he had felt a gurgle and finally he managed to pass what could only be described as a 'spectre'.
It took him two days to clean the toilet and a further day to clean 'Hiroshima Wall Shadow' off the paintwork.
Kipper has been very busy in the garden and the summer made his efforts really shine through. The flowers looked great and he got the garden dug over before the end of autumn which looked like back breaking work.
I thought he would find it difficult to stay occupied over the winter months but he bought himself an old camper van and stripped it out. I think he might be turning it into a catering waggon or similar because he seems to have the vent in the roof producing a lot of smoke at times so I assume he must be cooking something. I also think he might be looking to grow some Bonsai tree's this year as well as he has bought a lot of glass beakers and flasks which I assume you need to grow them like a mini green-house ? I have heard they are difficult to grow and I presume they must require fairly potent sprays and chemicals too, hence Kipper going in and out of the shed wearing a respirator and chemical suit.
I don't know how he manages to buy all this stuff on his wages but he has never asked for a raise and despite me asking if he needs anything he said he is fine and makes more than enough.
He made that Crystal clear.
