The Morning Slither

The snow may have gone but now we have ice. Doggo and I go out for a gentle morning slither while L and MD go out for their own probably more frenetic and therefore more treacherous one.

In the evening L heads off to running club while I depart to the dog club’s Christmas meal which is again at the Chinese restaurant opposite where we train.

L says she’ll see me about midnight but I won’t be that late. It’s committee meetings that take forever not the Christmas meal. Then again, last year the service was incredibly slow but this year... it is even slower, despite us being the only people there. Yes there are 20 of us but the place can easily accommodate twice that. I’m back before midnight but not by a lot.

(Monday 11^th December)

Strays

I slither to the bus.

I’ve noticed a few gigs being advertised at the Ballroom in Birmingham. Where? In Dale End? It's the old Hummingbird. I thought they were supposed to be knocking that down? But apparently it reopened late last year. Their website says they are three rooms: - The Ballroom, The Other Room and The End. Awful names all three of them. The 'Ballroom' may sound very retro but... the Hummingbird, there's a name.

We have a bit of a problem with stray teenagers on Pride Park, lots of them wandering aimlessly down the centre of the road. We are near a sixth form college. They always expect the traffic to stop for them, which it does, grudgingly. The flaw in this laidback approach of theirs is what happens when they step out in front of a car with a teenager at the wheel, with the same view on life, who will obviously expect them to get out of his way. Happened today. Very funny.

I win a game at squash. Box ticked.

(Tuesday 7th February)

There Is No Such Thing As Bad Weather

The weather forecast says don’t bike, so I don’t. Initially I regret it as I walk to the bus. That is until I slip on a spot of ice. So perhaps a correct call after all and perhaps for once the forecast was right.

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing" so said Sir Rannulph Fiennes as he set off to Tesco on foot or somewhere.

I’m not sure if he pinched that quote but he’s wrong anyway. There are also the wrong tyres and perhaps the wrong mode of transport completely. Although there are plenty of bikes about, despite the ice. Mad people. I bet they’ll be someone wearing shorts somewhere.

There are also the wrong dogs or perhaps the wrong footwear. L is considering crampons after her slither with the dogs this morning.

It looks nice and snowy up in Scotland.

In fact they’ve probably got more than the Alps at the moment.

(Tuesday 6th December)