Half a blip

I forgot to take my camera out with me. It's one of my first days of being up and about, and my memory was not at all good this morning.

I walked into town in strong sunshine, and made it to the library with a pile of books to return, and another to check out: one that my sister TML had told us about on Blip ages ago, called The Chimes. It's arrived at last. More about that when I've read it. I made a trip to the building society, where the staff told me me I could do most of my transactions and interactions online.

"Not if you've got a 2011 iPad" is my usual reply. I don't like the trend for bank/building society customers being made to feel that they are cluttering up the space just by being inside the buildings that they pay for. These same customers are keeping the bricks and mortar branches open, thank goodness.

I took a rambling bus ride along Thrupp Lane, as narrow as any Cornish Lane, and got off at Brewery Lane and walked down to the Hope Mill Lane industrial estate, past the new Stroud Brewery, and along to where I teach aromatherapy. This will be my new route to work on Mondays: it beats running along a muddy towpath! Teaching went well, and I am generally proud of myself for managing to stay up all day.

We're not having a Christmas tree or much in the way of decorations this year because we're going away. but I switched on the garish sea-urchin shaped LED lights that I bought in a sale in January, and attached some window lights to our corner cabinet, to make the room look slightly festive.

It's not been a great day: we found out that Steve's old friend Michael C has died. Steve has republished a photo of him on his Extras today.