Insomnia

Insomnia strikes again: up at 5.30am after lying in bed for some time wondering if I would manage to get back to sleep. This really is getting too regular a habit but the alternative is to lie awake trying unsuccessfully to solve the world's problems.

So up it was to empty the overnight dishwasher and then my standard breakfast of cereal this time embellished with a few grapes which I enjoyed. Avoided switching the tele on and decided to wait until I could catch the 6 o'clock news. To while away a few minutes I started to read Coast To Coast With Janet Street Porter. I bought this tome some days ago in Ashbourne rather cheaply from an antiques shop. It appealed to me as I leafed through it in the shop for a number of reasons: I like Janet's forthright stubborn opinionated views, I like walking and the countryside, the book was split into Day-long chunks of walking and there were plenty of pictures and it covered an area of Sussex I know well. So, a good second-hand buy. It proved to be a good choice; easy readable prose and providing that aid to escapism which all good books offer to the reader. I spent an enjoyable 30 odd minutes even missing the 6 o'clock news because I was so engrossed.

A good way to start the day. And now the computer is on - I've written this by 6.46am and am able to turn to the rest of the day with more confidence than when I carefully trod downstairs well over an hour and a quarter ago.