Transmitter reflection

No rain! We took advantage of the situation by having a longer walk through Norwood Park (with a flock of redwings) to Crystal Palace along steep back roads. When I took this photo, I didn't realise that the transmitter was also in the shot – I was too busy looking at the tree. 

We looped back via Sydenham Wells Park and on the way down the station path we met a chap named Les who we got talking to because Fred owned the same make of Raleigh Equipe bike when he was a teenager. We had a lovely long conversation two metres and a fence apart that started with bikes and somehow traversed all manner of political subjects, computing, what is the truth?, explaining that to teenagers, Bill Gates, Born Free (because Fred reminded Les of Bill Travers), and communicating long distance. It's lovely that a bike started a spontaneous conversation. 

My day's highlight was walking my neighbour's dog. I'm going to be walking Poppy (see extra) every second day and she's an absolute joy to walk with. She doesn't pull and, despite being half Jack Russell, she doesn't have small dog syndrome (it must be the half chihuahua that calms down the JR angst), she doesn't bark at small children, and she doesn't jumpon/growl at/chase joggers. Phew. She did go a bit loopy when we reached Streatham Common and I let her have the full extent of the lead – whoosh! And round and round and round, like I was a maypole. Her undercarriage got a bit dirty, which I warned her owner about when I popped her back. Her upstairs neighbour who drops off groceries was there with her puppy – awww. Both these ladies I've said "hello" to in passing for years and it's only now that I've gone beyond a greeting and know their names. Silver linings in these times.

Steve Lamacq on BBC6Music has been playing 90s tunes this week. I ramped this one to LOUD and sang while I was cooking dinner: Sparkle. I saw these guys in Cambridge with a friend and her boyfriend, who knew the keyboardist. Good times.