Approaching Bell House, Wallbridge, Stroud

Steve left bright and early to be a polling clerk at a location near Gloucester. I had a lie in, then got up and did the usual Thursday chores, plus podcast listening, then looked online for train tickets to Fishguard, Pembs. I'm going there for a short half term holiday with GG next month. As usual, I will.play the role of travel agent. I am still feeling too tentative to be excited about anything to do with travel yet.

After lunch, I went out to the polling station where I had arranged to meet someone to hand over some packing boxes. Polling was pretty much the same as usual, apart from mask wearing, hand sanitising, bringing ones own pencil, and following a one way system. Oh, and there were three different elections. On reflection, then, it wasn't at all business as usual! I have blipped th polling station many times before, so I didn't take any snaps today.

I walked down to the canal afterwards, and along to the Lock Keepers cafe, which is joined on to Bell House, which used to be a hotel but is now the visitor centre for the Cotswold Canals Trust. I had arranged to meet a friend, J, at the Lock Keepers. We had a drink and cake then mooched around town rather slowly, noticing how much we don't need to buy stuff these days. A jazz saxophonist was busking on the High Street, playing a selection of non-jazz standards such as 'Maggie' ( I wandered today through the hills, Maggie...) Amazing Grace, and How Great Thou Art. I didn't realise until today that saxophones play grace notes (aka twiddly bits, to use a technical term). We sat on a bench in the sunshine in Kendrick Street, and listened, until a friend of J's came along and started talking for England. She seemed to have a case of dementia exacerbated by lockdown, and J's tea went cold while the circular conversation proceeded round and round. Something to do with Falmouth and Tall Ships.

Then we went our separate ways, and I was just walking home when I got a text reminding me that I was supposed to be at a staff meeting on Zoom at that very moment. What a way to end a perfect afternoon on my day off! I don't seem to average fewer than four Zooms a week at the moment.

Afterwards I finished my 8,000+ steps by walking in the lower cemetery. I favour the Eastern European section, which is nearest to our house. Cooked a fabulous dinner for one, and now I'm watching River, on Britbox. Steve should be home soon, after his fifteen and a half hour shift at the polling station.