Barking Abbey

This morning.

I needed to do my long run, this morning, but had no idea where to go. On the various websites detailing runs around London, Barking is oddly absent. In the end, I managed to devise a 6.5 mile route around some A roads, which, I figured, I could just run twice, much as hate repeating any part of a run. 

Almost inevitably, I got lost, so the first loop ended up being nine miles. But I figured out how to shorten the second loop and, actually, only repeat part of the first one. Impressively, I nearly managed to got lost on the section that I repeated! Still, mission accomplished. 

This afternoon.

After recording the radio show, I went into Barking to take a look at the ruins of the abbey, which I ran past, this morning. Although there's not that much to see, it's a lovely open space and a bit of history, right in the middle of all the shops and houses. 

I can tell you that it was founded in the seventh century by a monk called Erkenwald for his sister, Ethelburga (one day to become St Ethelburga). It was destroyed by vikings in 871 but later restored, only to be destroyed in 1540 as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. That's a long history!

This evening.

This was a potential minefield. Abi and Dan came down to London with their mum, this afternoon, for Abi's operation tomorrow. We were all meeting with my parents, plus Milly, at the ex-servicemen's club near Waterloo. There was a potential for Things To Go Wrong. 

But do you know what? In the end it was absolutely great, the evening given an extra fillip by the extraordinary cricket match going on in the background. Now, I am no cricket fan but for me, this was on a par with England winning the rugby world cup (which, ironically, made me lose interest in watching rugby. What could ever be as good again?).

****
No scales
Reading: 'Case Histories' by Kate Atkinson