Sleep Well Octavious...
I am writing in a pub...
I am sitting in the window, traffic is buzzing by, it is a sunny, mild, autumn day in North London...
The pub is quite full of people lunching and imbibing, meeting and talking.
I am drinking a very delicious refreshing tinkly ice, with a lemon slice tonic water; without the gin...
It tastes the same really. Well almost...
The young woman behind the bar sold me a 'Fever Tree' tonic over Schweppes... 'Everything is natural, she said, it tastes better, I think you'll find its worth the extra 15 or 20 pence....'
Today is my big brother's birthday, and Anadi's fathers too...
I called my brother who is in France at the moment; he and Sue my sister in law were in the car on their way to Mont Ventoux, one of the mountains the Tour de France ride up...
It gained notoriety in 1967, because Tom Simpson, the English cyclist died there... He was exhausted weaving about the road until he fell off...
He then said to the spectators 'Put me back on my bike' and he got within 1.5k of the summit before he collapsed....
My brother loves mountains... He loves their energy and power, and honours their strength and stillness...
'He just wants to stand on the top today and look around', Sue said...
I understand that.
A lovely way to celebrate a birthday...
After Anadi and I had sung 'Happy Birthday' to him, I chatted to Sue, as Stuart was driving...
'He is saying "Thank you of the sex toy"...' She laughed, and I laughed too...
I have sent my bro a 'foam roller', because he has been having pain in his hip... He is very active and has always kept fit... When I visited in May, we were showing each other different exercises to stretch our Psoas, to activate our gluts, lengthen our hamstrings...
Every time Sue came into the garden we were showing each other another new 'trick'...
Birthday time was approaching...
What to get him?
I was talking it over with Amy, and telling her all his interests when she came up with the 'foam roller aka 'sex toy'
I have said to Stuart and Sue that I want to see photos on FB!
Anadi and I had woken to the sound of rain today, but by the time we headed out it was another sunny, green and brown day...
Groveland's Park is very easy to run around, and around, a 'run Philosophique Anadi' today, looping about, along the grass, round the duck pond, through the woods and round again...
'Running really is a wonderful way to work everything out', Anadi said as we made our way up the slope to the park gates, and home to the Stables at the Old Bakery....
We said 'Hello' to Poppy the guinea pig, and looked about for Octavious the tortoise, but couldn't see him anywhere...
I have just looked on the 'Old Bakery' blog post, and the mystery of not being able to find Octavious has been solved....
'Our tortoise, Octavius, who has lived with us here at The Old Bakery since 1978, had removed himself from his Summer home to his Winter quarters beneath the roots of the Wysteria. He is a very efficient weather indicator. No need to feed him lettuce, tomato and strawberries again until he re-emerges in the Spring. Sleep well Octavius'
