Kindred spirits

Thursday's weather was filthy. Cycling in wind, rain and hail. Even my full hi-vis water-proof cycling attire rendered me cold and drenched by the time I reached home after a journey of only 20 minutes.

Today, a fellow-cyclist colleague from Japan commented on yesterday's “sharp rain”, so I took a moment to explain to her what hail is.

Today was such a contrast! Bright blue skies and sunshine with the power to warm whatever it touched. My colleagues encouraged me to walk about in it at lunchtime, which I duly did.

I cannot remember how long it has been since I have stepped outside the building between morning arrival and afternoon departure.

I wandered briefly down to the river-beach where the littering is much as it always has been, the office chair is sinking far deeper into the estuarial mud, the missing luggage has all but disappeared [cannot find that link], but this odd half-mast has appeared. No idea what that is about but at least I had my camera with me.

No end of complicated personal life infiltrating the moments between end-of-work time and start-of-social time.

And then a cracking evening down at the local games club where I forgot to take my camera but introduced myself to becci27's daughter nevertheless, as well as making some lovely sparkly new friends – one of whom is a little younger than half my age and the other of whom is only a little older than half of hers.

Conversations began when my cardi was removed and the youngsters all stopped to admire my tatts. I explained that WoW was my reason for non-appearance a fortnight ago and that it had been inspired by the incident which had occurred on my way to the same club four weeks ago. Youngsters approved :-)