The Retreat

Busy day! I got a lift down to town with Steve so I could drop off a TV at the charity shop. Then I wandered around the markets in the sunshine, before having a cappuccino and GF cake in my favourite cafe, Loganberry. The chancellor's cut in National insurance contributions has made me 9 pounds a month better off. That's what a coffee, a slice of cake and the Saturday Ed of the I newspaper now cost in Stroud. 

I walked up to S's flat. I think I woke him up! He said he'd been up till 4.30 am sorting out his bedroom, and he'd had an argument with his flatmate. We tried to do some English, but I do not understand the GCSE English exam, so we ended up.doing his SA tax return. He said he needed a proper desk, so I suggested walking along the canal to the Longfield charity shop warehouse in case they had one. He'd never walked along the canal before, and somehow we missed the warehouse, but carried on to the Long Table, a community venue where we could get a spot of lunch as well as viewing some recycled furniture. We ate, and we managed to find a pine bed frame with drawers, and a teak desk with lockable drawers for S! They will be delivered next week. I like shopping with S, because he actually buys things! V is always looking for the perfect item, so she rarely buys a thing. We visited the canal bookshop too, and I chose a jigsaw (Paris in the rain) and S bought an atlas. 

Now I don't know how many times I've been to Brimscombe Mill/The Long Table, but I'd never before spotted the little hut that is 'The Retreat'. It's  peaceful inside (see Extras) with a couple of chairs and a view over the river Frome. Until a tree fell down and got covered in ivy, it was possible to see Kingfishers at otters from the retreat. We stayed there a while (it was cool, after the heat of the sun) and then walked up to the bus stop. S is not one for waiting and 18 minutes was too long for him, so we walked back to Stroud (about 50 minutes to the bottom of my road). 16.743 steps today. 

Unfortunately the peanutty rice noodles (delicious) they I had for lunch were giving me griping pains. After an urgent visit to the loo, I retired to bed until the pains subsided (homeopathy helped), slept a bit, then read the paper. Steve, who had had a terrible day at the market, cooked supper and I just had rice and dhal. No ill effects yet. Annoying, though about the peanuts: I haven't had a bad reaction to them since 1975, when I ate too many monkey nuts one Hallowe'en! 

Now I'm watching Eurovision. Why? The British entry is homoerotic. Clearly it's not 1974 any more. Can you imagine....no, I can't. 

Update on the rat: there is a bad smell in the living room. Tomorrow we will have to move the sofa. Steve keeps doing his shoulder in, but there is no way I can move it on my own. Nor can I imagine who I am gonna call when there is a dead rat involved.