Bone Meal And Blood

On Saturday we go to Markeaton for Parkrun but it’s too hot to leave the Lad in car so I watch with him rather than run. L’s sister is there as she’s come up to see their Dad. We all go to visit at the care home and then meet later at Markeaton Garden Centre for lunch. I go collect my Dad so he can join us. He is thrilled by that and then by the visit to Borrowash Co-op which is followed by us visiting our second garden centre of the day. He’s looking for bone meal and blood apparently. Which, as I have zero gardening expertise, is a foreign language to me.

It’s Eurovision in the evening, so we have a night in and watch that. The UK finished a respectable mid table 12th after the jury vote but then were the only country to be given null points by the public and slipped down to 18th. Switzerland won.

It is during Eurovision that we get a message to say that our friend, who had trained two of our dogs and we had visited in Blackpool only a few months ago, has died. We are stunned. We knew she was unwell but wasn’t aware it was anything life threatening.

On Sunday I do my first cycle sportive in many a year, and my first outing on my road bike in over a year, in Newark. L and the Lad come to support. The route takes me past all the sights. Newark Castle obviously for the start and finish but also past the YMCA where we went to the Mayoral hustings, past the PF International Karting Circuit at Stragglethorpe where I used to taz round in go-kart in my younger more reckless days and even close to Collingham, home to many a dog show. It’s only 40 miles but they serve the best ham sandwich and ginger cake at the half-way stopover. In the evening I rehydrate at the Plough.

(Sunday 12^th May)