Early

I've been awake for over half an hour already, lying in bed and hoping to get back to sleep, but gave up when the birds started a quarter-hour ago. I shall work until lunchtime, then try to get a few hours' sleep.

The sun isn't up yet, the light is that steely grey before dawn which sucks the intensity out of all other colours, like pushing the "saturation" slider way over to the left. The light reminds me of winter on the Prairies, of rising before daybreak, making a pot of coffee and waiting for the sun to rise. This is probably my favourite time of day.

The kitchen sink is again (or still) blocked. It opened on Saturday night with an almighty belch and a rattling gurgle, and stayed open for twenty-four cheerful hours; however, doing the laundry on Sunday evening somehow re-blocked it, I had to bail the rinse water into the toilet. It is to cry, as the Germans say.

I have today off since G and U will be in deepest Bavaria, meeting the town council and various engineers. Demolition is nearly finished, which means that the concrete work will soon begin. I spent a day last week checking the engineers' foundation plans - oh God, we haven't faxed him the corrections! Damn and blast. Excuse me for a moment while I send them an e-mail (too early to phone, I overheard U asking her mother to give them a wake-up call at 6am).

5:34 and the sky is brightening, but the sun is not yet up. The temperature is a chilly 8° and the sky is thickly overcast. A fine day for staying inside and working, which is more or less what I had in mind.

[Updated at 8:02] The clouds have cleared away and the sun is out, and although it's still only 12° this is too good a morning to waste indoors. I'm going for a walk.