Dog Days

After today's party for the retiring members of staff, I left work and went in search of summer clothing. I don't seem to have enough!

In the street I bumped into an old friend, Robin, who was one of the first people I met when I came to Stroud, nearly 20 years ago. He is 69 now, and has had heart bypass surgery. I'm 49, and had pneumonia a few years back. So after we'd discussed the perils of being older and the joys of being in hospital (daytime TV) we had a giggle over an iced coffee in Mills courtyard cafe, then we went to Waitrose where I acted as his personal shopper. It was air conditioned. Then he gave me a lift home, because I couldn't have walked uphill with my chilled cider! It was a real treat to meet him again. In the 90s, we worked on a telephone helpline together in Gloucester, and took the mickey quite heavily at training sessions.

This is Mills cafe, named after the owners, John and Maggie Mills. Stroud is a very cafe-ish town, with the emphasis on the independents, though there is a Costa for people who like it. (Costa is good for wheelchair users, but my aromatherapy students from rehab tend to hang out there, and I like to give them their space).
The bottle contains Five Valleys Cordial, a local mixture of lemon and mint. Christina, my niece, calls it "the smell of Bahrain". I know what she means. I bought some to go with my fan and the heatwave warning, which has now been extended to level 3 in the South West. If it gets to Level 4, it's a national emergency!

Off to change now, as I have to go back to school for the prize-giving ceremony...