Day 198

Sunday 04 October

It has rained all day. All day. Far from torrential but relentless.

Drove to Halstead to referee two football matches this afternoon. It was touch and go as to whether they would be on, but thankfully they were.

Running around on a pitch, getting loads of fresh air and exercise. Plus, having to focus and be mentally switched on all of the time. Training to be a referee is the best professional development I have ever had. Managing situations, preventing others before they occur, interpreting actions within the seventeen laws of the game. Straight after I blew up, the seagulls (so far from any sea) descended on to the pitch to look for worms brought to the surface by twenty three pairs of football boots and studs running all over it.

And, despite the weather, it was such a pleasent drive. I used to do that drive quite a bit in a previous job visiting loads of small primary schools when I worked for the local authority. But driving through Ford Street, Chappel and the Colnes, it reminded me that Essex isn’t completely flat. There is some undulating of fields and woodland. The viaduct at Chappel itself is a wonderful sight. I must get out walking there.

Then back for some crackers football matches on the telly and bangers and mash for supper. With a diversionary work related conversation too. There were also 22k confirmed Coronavirus cases reported today but this was a misleading figure as it apparently included numbers from the last week. A technical glitch?!