More tooth-grinding over insurance. It's gotten so complicated I can hardly follow it myself, so I hope the insurance company can grasp the fact that they still owe me £100. I got two cheques in the mail today, both £50 short. And no, it's not a coincidence: £50 is the policy excess, which they've already taken off.

I tried phoning but it was constantly engaged, so I sat down and wrote them a letter. I enclosed a copy of the letter I sent the inspection firm, and photocopies of the tear-off bits that came with the relevant cheques. The whole time I was doing this my irritation levels were rising. Why is this so HARD? Where's the good karma payoff from not cheating them over the rug? Why am I even bothering? If it had been just £50 I wouldn't have, probably. But the second extra £50 really got my goat.

At least I can go ahead and get the new flooring laid, that's something. Dougie's phoning me tomorrow with a date, and I have to pop in to the warehouse to check they've got the right laminate.

After all that -- and given that I was going in to work early -- there wasn't time for the gym. Oh, what a shame! I'm so stunningly lazy I'm almost ashamed of myself.

The weather this morning was stunning. There was a thick river fog that we get now and then, a freezing fog that left some hedges up on higher ground frosted all over. After it cleared it was brilliantly sunny, eye-achingly so. I feel as though I've been hibernating on days like this.

Tomorrow I'm taking the cat to the airport to meet her baldcat, who's been in Paris for a week. I haven't minded minding her, but I won't miss her litter tray. This is a cat who goes outside for half an hour then comes back inside to go to the toilet.

In the evening there's a farewell party at a pub in town for Davie, who plays Irish and Scottish music on the fiddle. That should be fun. He's off to New Zealand.

Well I guess now I've lured you all over here I'd better write something. UMMMM... I just had a few days off, which I thoroughly enjoyed -- my last longish break for a while. I drove up to Anstruther on the Fife coast, stopping off in Elie for a good long walk around the harbour and over the dunes. It was blustery and cold, blew away a few cobwebs. It was high tide as well, so waves were crashing against the sea walls. At Anstruther I had another, shorter walk, then had a slap-up tea at the local fish restaurant, which serves the best fish and chips in Scotland. It was great, I must do it more often.
No word yet on the insurance -- I phoned last week and they'd only gotten up to claims from the middle of November. The blokes come to put in the new windows soon, next week or the week after.
I have to do some work now!