Pink Bell

Woke to a golden sunrise with cramp in my leg. Drank two glasses of water which set off an alcohol reaction. I've read somewhere that drinking water in the morning after a hard night before can trigger the hangover again. Luckily, it did not last.

Glorious morning with blue sky, sunshine and reasonably mild temperatures. Basil and I eventually reached the Open Church coffee morning to meet up with all the folks. This morning I learned that Shepshed used to be totally self sufficient. People never needed to leave the village to shop, everything could be obtained in the town. No need to go to Loughborough, Leicester nor Nottingham. Hosiery and shoe factories provided employment. The other main employment was in education and farming.

Well, the factories and the farming have long gone, The village is transmuting to a dormitory town. Both Jean and Joy could remember when it was different, and that would have been 50-60 years ago. Change has been so rapid.

At 2 pm the blue skies gave way to gloomy cloud. I asked Len to take Basil with him to tennis as I wanted to drive to Lands End in Oakham to try and replace 3 pairs of corduroy trousers that I bought two weeks ago. I know I'm not small but even these were too big.

Sadly there was no option to choose from. The sales assistant said I would be refunded. Why does the company keep changing its lines and sizing?

Called in at The Alpine Restaurant at Asfordby on the way back for tea and cake, the cafe at Lands End having closed over an hour previously.

Lovely pink fuschias continue to bloom outside the store in Oakham. They remind me of bells or lanterns (hence today's blip).