The Final Four

Today was just a Friday, but both d and I took it as annual leave, so for us, it was the first Saturday of two consecutive weekends (Monday is a bank holiday here).

Woke early, somewhat against our will and the spirit of this weekend feeling, and I walked up to Ma's for our now usual circuits of the local lake. This morning, we did just two revolutions before the rain began to pour down, and we looked at each other.
"Really?" I asked.
"Really," she agreed.
The rain got cold on our heads and necks. I grinned.
"Jog to the end of the line?"
"Alright," she said, matching my grin with a laugh and setting off.
I caught up with her, and we jogged on together for a handful of paces.
Then we stopped that kind of foolishness, clutching dramatically at our chests. And then we went for coffee.

I popped in to the library to pick up some large print books for my dad, who - rather stunningly - had asked for some. He's been moved into a room of his own, with an infection. Since which time, he's asked for books, used a portable DVD player, been walking back and forth to the bathroom, and been really much more his old self. We're fighting shy of thinking we're out of the woods with him - because frankly, the woods are full of deeply disguised man-traps. But there seems to be room for cautious optimism. So we're feeding that as much as we can, hence an armful of large print Jeffrey Archer with which I came home this morning.

Then d and I went to Cardiff again, for another enjoyable day of wandering. Went back to Madame Fromage for lunch - not as stellar as last time, but still pretty enjoyable. Pleasant meandering for a few hours led us home again, and up to see dad, who was talkative, engaging and engaged, and who thought he'd probably enjoy having a look at the books tonight.

No actual exercise today, but it's felt like a positive, active sort of day - quite a bit of walking about.
Tomorrow, I have to bury myself, head and all, in some editing for the majority of the day. Sunday morning though sees me joining up with Lee to walk from Merthyr to Pontypridd...something like 13 miles. Depending on the state of the feet by the end of that, might even try and walk some of the way back. Have to try and stretch my endurance within the next four weeks - four weeks right now, as it approaches 11PM, I will have been walking for something like four hours (and so will probably be at something like the 12-mile stage of the Maggie's Night Hike). If I'm going to do the 20 miles, I really need to get some longer practice in within the next four weeks.

The one good thing about this is the new boots. The new boots are almost ridiculously comfortable. Will see how they do with an endurance challenge on Sunday morning, but so far, they're just dreamy. Mmm...To dream...to sleep. To sleep perhaps to pull my finger out...

Wonder if I should put the boots on to go to bed.
Might just try that.

Now.