High Tide	03:37 (2.20m)
Low Tide	09:37 (1.00m)
High Tide	16:17 (2.10m)
Low Tide	21:56 (1.00m)

Sea temperature: 3.9 yesterday
Sea conditions: deceptive - looked calm with baby waves but there was a strong drag
Weather: warmer
Joined by: Sara and the Poet
Topics of conversation:
The Pirate - he's still absent, although he did have to do the school run this morning. When I asked The Pirate's wife if he was better, by text, her reply was "a bit", which is only slightly encouraging as he has been really bad. He described himself as Victorian consumptive to me when we met on an evening dog walk, when neither of us wanted to be out of doors, last week. Having to walk the dogs is probably what kept me going, but I didn't have this terrible cough that has been the common denominator locally. Mine's been a weird fever/throat/glands like marbles/exhaustion thing, but I'm better now and hope we will soon be a complete team again. GET WELL PIRATE!!
House of Cards - I'd put off starting this till I'd felt better but a nudge from someone whose judgement I trust means I'm now hooked and I'd banged on about it to DK when we swam unaccompanied by the others yesterday and now he's hooked too. The show hasn't had universally good reviews, but I loved the original and Kevin Spacey manages a new line in creep, quite different from Ian Richardson's arched eyebrowed cynic. DK shivered when he talked about Robin Wright's performance as 'the wife' and we agreed that Kate Mara is wonderful as the journalist, Zoe Barnes, he brilliantly recalled the original actress as Susanna Harker - he has a memory for blondes. We're catching up on Breaking Bad at the moment too, so having thought February was going to be a TV dry month following the end of Borgen we are well served yet again. I only hope that the problems I'm having with my iMac don't put the kibosh on that as it's my only means of viewing (it's struggling to cope as I've reached my last possible upgrade and the Mac Doctor is booked for a prognosis).
Rigolleto - Sara and The Poet had been, at the weekend, to see a production which was staged in a Las Vegas casino and they were clearly still undecided about it. Out of curiosity I found this clip and I don't think I'm sure either, there's something very wrong about opera being sung into a microphone! 
Verdi
Dreams - DK and I had discussed dreams the day before as I'd had nightmares about my dogs and had been very relieved to find them both alive and well in the morning. One of my students had sent me this michael McIntyre clip last week about how dreams stay with you, especially when they are about your partner being unfaithful, they do if the shoe is on the other foot too!

Apparently this mild weather is not going to last, we've been lulled into a false sense of security, the temperature is due to plummet again on Thursday so I hope The Pirate gets back in before then.