The squadron

The first non-rainy day for a while prompted me to send the guinea pigs out to mow the lawn (which has been too soggy for small paws and low, furry bellies). It's clear from this blip that the copper tape protecting the Eglu needs to be replaced. That's a great many snails to have in one Eglu, plus there were slugs (I'm not a fan of those slimy creatures, especially when there are SO many). The back row of five snails are new recruits to this year's Golden Jubilee squadron colour.

The day was perfect for cycling - dry, sunny, and with quiet roads. I had a near call (not immediately close, but close enough to have a little fright) when a lorry turned into my path (I saw him - that's not the frightening part). I was waiting by the side of the road for him to pass me when I spied the unsecured back door of the lorry swinging out towards the pavement (and me!) I ducked left and the lorry driver stopped, quite mortified, and shouted "Sorry!" I'll add that to my list of things to look out for.

Further down the route, I passed a lady, a child and two gentleman trying to extricate a toy pushchair from the front spokes of a bicycle wheel. The child and the lady were wearing helmets so they must have been on the bike. The mind boggles as to how this incidence occurred. Had the men been pushing the small toy pushchair?

I resurrected Taverna Tuesday, now called Taverna Thursday, this evening. This is when Fred and I meet along the cycle route home to have a beer and/or food. Fred introduced me to a cycle route home through Peckham along the now-filled-in Grand Surrey Canal, which was lovely. It came out at Dulwich, where we stopped for a drink. I spied a homely looking French restaurant and we decided to give it a go (the prices were the same as the food on the pub menu and I thought we'd get a better meal for our money in the smaller, non-chain restaurant). Stepping into the building was like being somewhere on holiday. It's refreshing to be in a family-run place that has a bit of character. The owner said they'd been there for 25 years, but now it's a lot quieter because of the chain gastropubs and other factors, and regulars eat there mostly. Saturday night is their most quiet night. But the food is lovely! One highlight was the plum sponge, which was made with fruit from the chef's garden. My trout with almonds was amazing. The chef and his wife were really fun and we had good banter about the Olympics and the local area. I'll definitely return. For any Londoners out there, the restaurant is called "Le Moulin" and it's on Lordship Lane (near the library).