Babet

L is back at David Lloyd’s on Friday at 7am on a guest pass. I don’t think she’s missing it much though. Abandoned at such an early hour the Lad gets an early and extended walk. In the evening we do a ‘joint but not joint’ gym session. L doesn’t like doing leg exercises on a Friday because of parkrun on Saturday and I only really do leg exercises. So we do our own things.

In the end most parkruns are flooded off by Babet but Forest Rec is on. So we go there. I support because we weren’t sure where to park now that the Park and Ride car park is strictly only for tram users but it turns out there is still loads of parking.

As I give L a lift into Derby we discover that most of Derby is flooded and the A52 is closed at Pentagon Island. I manage to drop L off on Pride Park so that she can wade the rest of the way but I then abort the plan to take my Dad into town. Instead I take him to Asda in West Bridgford to do his shopping although Wilford is also flooded. Amazingly we are passed by a tram sloshing its way through the water.

Then we collect the Lad and do the Admiral Rodney for lunch where our sensitive dog is upset by the horse racing on the TV and we have to slip him some chips to soothe his demeanour. L brings her Derbion headache to meet us back at Aston.

In the evening we can’t do our usual night out at the Wollaton pub as it’s packed due to the England v South Africa Rugby Semi Final. So we visit the Plough instead for the first time in ages. It is quiet despite also having the rugby on, has some decent guest beers and a new landlord. England lose in the last few minutes.

The Sunday run is extended to 7k this week ending up again at the Wollaton for bacon rolls and coffee. Then in the afternoon we do a joint gym workout and I get to take photos of my gym buddy looking hot and sweaty which is a nice prelude to an afternoon in bed.

In the evening we go to the cinema in Beeston which is called the Arc and we see The Great Escaper.

The Great Escaper is based on the true story of Bernard Jordan, a 89-year-old British World War II veteran, who ‘escapes’ from his care home to attend the 70th anniversary D-Day commemorations in France in June 2014 after the care home failed to arrange for him to go.

It stars Michael Caine as Bernard in his last film before retirement and Glenda Jackson as his wife Rene in her last film before her sad death in June this year. The premise seems tailor-made for a comedy offering but thankfully that isn't the case. Instead what we get is a fairly melancholy film about a man belatedly confronting his guilt at surviving the war and realising that psychological battle scars never really heal.

It's a pleasant evening which we round off in the White Lion.

(Sunday 22^nd October)