Night falls on Cheltenham

Today was a trying day with D. I had phoned him when I was nearly at his flat, to say I'd be popping in to drop off some wrapping paper and a cake, but asking him to be ready to leave straight away, so we could catch the bus to town.

We left, but missed the bus anyway, so walked round to the church hall to check it out as the active balance class venue. It looks totally fine. There was a Samba drumming class going on. D used to go ballroom dancing there. He said he'd be able to go to the balance class there, but only till January, because another class would be starting for him. I pointed out that he could change his group and time, as it was an online course. He worried about not being in the Cheltenham group any more. I pointed out that he didn't appear to like any of the Cheltenham group members and it was all online...

Then D panicked that we'd walked into town 'the wrong way'. I replied that there was more than one way.and it needn't be a disaster. We went to a pizza restaurant that he fancied, but I refused to eat there, because having two courses of gluten free pasta didn't appeal to me. I suggested another Italian place that he knows well. He asked,
where's that?
I thought,
'good morning, dementia, sit down'
but fortunately he remembered the place, and we got a table straight away.

Gianni' is a simple unpretentious family run restaurant. This is significant, because Cheltenham was filled to the rafters with race goers, and the town had a frenetic energy. A Camden market''s worth of bric a brac / vintage items had been set up right along the promenade, and we were witness to a bunch of tall horsegirls singing and swinging their wellbred legs in a state of joyous inebriation. This must have been about 4pm.

What else did we do? There's a new Hatchard's bookstore, which is both colourful and beguiling, and we visited some 'old shops' too. .D wouldn't buy a damson Christmas cake because it didn't come with a tin.
'What about the tin from last year's cake ?' I asked.
'I put it in the recycling'

I begin to see why he's been married and divorced three times.

Thus our day continued. Eventually we separated because I had to catch a bus back to Stroud, and D was looking for a taxi. I caught a second bus from Stroud, and walked up the hill to home. 12,000 steps today.