You know when. (1)

It must be the winter again. I can say this with some certainty because apart from burning coal on the boat stove most days. The occasional white rime I find attached to the grass some mornings when I take the dogs for a walk. Plus a curious effect I have discovered, when water goes from soft to hard. 

I have now discovered one sure fire way of ascertaining the arrival of winter. This is when someone else's laser guided cold feet, unerringly find their way onto my back. Even from the deepest of slumber I am galvanised into instant action. It's then I begin to realise that the blankets have also been gathered over to the other side of the bed. There is also a reluctance to give up what has surreptitiously been purloined away. Attempts to recover the purloined items can be met by an angry response to any tugging and pulling intended to divide back to equal shares once more.

I have also discovered that there is a sort of unclear cartography which is associated with variable fixed and flexible one way bed boundaries. 

I have attempted in the illustration to clarify the boundaries as I understand them. However it would seem that there is some further variation depending on the time of night.

There is also a variable ownership of individual  comfort items which usually first manifests itself just  a short time after I have fallen asleep. This is soon followed by one-sided incursions across the peacekeeping demarcation lines. This is usually followed by a bout of gentle pushing and shoving on my part in an attempt to recapture some of the lost ground. However much  care has to be taken if the DEFCON 5 level is not to be exceeded. This can be brought about by some slight amount of sleep deprivation undergone by the enemy.

Later....