It’s more than halfway through the week and I feel tired today. I slept like a baby, waking only once for a few minutes before going out like a light again. It’s another dazzling day with clear blue skies and sparkling sunshine. First of all, practice, then cleaning downstairs, playtime later. I can’t even use gardening as an excuse to spend more time outside as the last mow of the year has already happened and I pruned the trees last weekend so my garden wheelie bin is overflowing.

Discipline can be difficult but once I get started, all else falls into place.

The nights will start drawing in in earnest from Sunday as the clocks go back. Gaining an hour in bed isn’t worth it in my opinion. Daylight is a precious commodity as we cross the threshold toward the dark season.

Exercise counts as playtime too but I’m having to be increasingly careful as I have a tendency to overdo it. My hands and wrists grumble if I lift my heavier weights and my shoulders complain whatever sporty activities I do. Social media tells me I have to fight hard against atrophy but these people never tell me how to deal with DOMS. Being in pain all the time is, well, a pain.

And the day gradually disintegrated into a bad mood which I’m sure is due to tiredness. I had a power nap on the sofa which helped but the greyness lingered and malingered tainting everything I touched. How amazing that my mood is so completely different every day!