The Derbion Headache

On Monday after my cycling this week’s pub rotation takes us to visit the Silk mill.

On Tuesday L takes my Dad to physio as I am stuck at work. He gets almost a full hour with the physio despite, at 95, not having a lot to complain about. Then he comes home with L as we’re off to an away match at Notts County in the EFL Trophy. I’m hoping it’s quiet as this is a Cup no one is bothered about. Yet the works traffic is bad for the early 7pm kick off and there’s still nowhere to park. Then I see a space in the street and we’re parked.

I have us seats on the second row which means hardly anyone is likely to stand up in front of us. Then the group of lads who are in front of us, who want to stand, let us swap seats with them.

Derby win 2-1 and then afterwards we have a beer in the Mist Rolling Inn as I couldn’t park close to any of the better pubs on Caning Circus.

L is in Cromford with friends on Wednesday which I believe involves bookshops and cafes, maybe even a bookshop with a cafe. Then she’s at her Mum’s, so it’s a long day for her. I have my physio which I’m persevering with but I’m now moving him to fortnightly.

Our evening walk is one of those where you put trainers on because the park is wet and you intend to stay on the paths. Then the deer force you to do otherwise and therefore you are forced to embrace wet feet.

On Thursday I’m tempted to drag L to the Robin Hood Beer Festival even though she’d hate it but it’s so difficult to get to now it’s at Trent Bridge. Then I realise that the lodger is at work so we can embrace Thursday as if it’s a Friday and we also share large Leffe. Then, just to add to the romance, we watch the first part of ‘The Reckoning’ about Jimmy Saville on TV.

L is at home all week, so she joins us on our morning walk when she can and she even joins me in the gym on Friday lunchtime where they have had some new treadmills delivered but what they need is new bikes.

In the evening we’re out in Derby for a curry with friends at the Spice Lounge after first having a beer in Suds and Soda. In the restaurant L orders Butter Chicken because she’s never had it and then gets accused of having baby food by the waiter. This seems an odd tactic if you want to encourage your customers to come back and I don’t think it’s going to work on this occasion.

I make my return to parkrunning on Saturday at Alvaston in a fairly tardy 28 minutes. Then I take my Dad for his flu jab in Littleover, which he whinges about because it’s not his usual surgery. Personally I’m delighted to go somewhere different and we get to go to the Alphabet cafe in Mickleover for lunch. Meanwhile L is in Derby acquiring what she calls the 'Intu headache' but is really the 'Derbion headache' as Intu are long gone in Derby.

In the evening L and I are in the Wollaton pub where I’m not sure I should have agreed to L’s request for a third Prosecco as I’m not sure this will ease said Derbion headache.

On Sunday we do a 6k run round the main Uni campus with the Lad, half a dozen cats and about a thousand rabbits. Amazingly my knees survive. In the afternoon we do a gym session together.

(Sunday 15^th October)