SomersTownLisa

London Life
2021-05-04 11:18:03 (UTC)

16th to 21st April

Fri 16th April
Surprisingly I had a slightly fuzzy head, which didn’t help me when I had morning work requirements. We were going to Ellie’s at lunchtime, but just before our lunch-break I read in Camdenlist that Prtchard & Ure had opened an outdoor area next to the Overground (we thought they wouldn’t be open yet under the current restrictions), so we went there to lunch. After work I went on a run to Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill while Jack sat in the park until he got cold and went to the Co-op.

Spent the evening finishing the Top 100, listening to old tunes and doing Gopec on the sofa while Jack was doing his Picherwits puzzles – his mum has given him about 38 of them that she saved for him during the lockdown. Sarah wrote to tell me she was back in work after the pandemic. The play she was working on, Jack had been looking at anyway, so we booked it for July. I’m quite glad that there are gaps between the groups of seats, because of the virus, but it will give me more leg-room.

I searched for our Two-Together railcard, which we thought we’d bought in December and we need for our trip next week, and I assumed had disappeared from my phone because I had to reset it. This had happened to my own railcard, which I re-downloaded to my phone yesterday having not even realised I’d got one (I could have used it to go to Jack’s parents’ last week).

I could find no email from when we’d bought the Two-Together card, and no record on my railcard account. I could only assume that we’d not bought it after all, because the Tier 4 regulations came in about then. So I bought the Two-Together card but I was unable to transfer it to Jack’s phone, or take a screenshot, or find it on my laptop, so it will be crucial that my phone’s working whenever we travel. I can’t see why they won’t let you take copies, it’s got our photos on it so no-one else could use it.

Later I read more of my brother’s old magazines – Look And Learn this time, very detailed articles, considering they were aiming at a teenage readers audience, and I couldn’t answer many of the quiz questions.

Sat 17th April
Didn’t switch off until about 12:30 last night, woke at 08:38 this morning, so I hope I sleep all right before my long run tomorrow. Had a cuddle in bed, listening to ‘Fish’, then ran to Market Road via Barnard Park and Westbourne Road. Sarah and David were already there, as well as a girl called Julianne with an Aussie accent. I was soon talking about my ultra training. I was transferring leaves from one area to another with David, with the lively Eilish helping out, who I spoke to briefly. I then did a bit of work with Rachel and Sarah. Rather than run back, I talked to Julianne about flat management and decorating – she was heading to Screwfix.

I listened to two hours of Capital Radio from 1974. What was noticeable was that the “oldies” they played were not very obvious, some had never been hits. The news and traffic presenters were not very professional. They also had a reporter in Downing Street. He could only say that the reporters there were waiting for information, someone from the Evening Standard had been there ten hours and no-one knew what the PM was talking about in his discussions inside.

I had suggested to Jack we go to Soho, where the tables are out on the streets again as we saw on the local news last night, but having been to several local coffee houses, when he came home he seemed content to look at his phone. I was in no rush to go anywhere as I was running 32km next day and a rest was a good idea. He’d spoken to the manager of the garden centre about the origin of the building. This prompted me to get out one of my local 1870 maps and then order another 6 from the publishers, covering our local bits of St Pancras and Somers Town. We did walk down to Granary Square and Waitrose.

Sun 18th April
I managed to do a 32 km run. I was going to go along the canal, but after leaving the towpath in Islington, rather than returning after the tunnel I had an idea to go via Arsenal’s ground and see what happens when there’s a behind-closed-doors match in progress. I never got there but I did an interesting route via Canonbury, then attempted to find the New River Path but got to Mildmay Grove Hackney via, failed to get to London Fields and found myself at Hackney Central station, so followed the bike route to Victoria Park, did a circuit of that and returned via the South Bank. Unfortunately, when I arrived at King’s Cross I still had 5km to do, to get the distance in, despite being nearly home, so I had to somehow motivate myself to do an extra loop around Pentonville and Camden New Town.

At home I just sat down for nearly two hours, drinking Lucozade, watching a television programme about Chester farm and reading comments about the game at Arsenal. I had intended to wear in my over-knee boots but was quite lethargic and just went on the laptop looking at random things.
Six clubs have stated that they want to join a European Super League for next season, which would have no relegation. They intend to stay in the Premier League, so it’s not hugely different than UEFA’s proposed changed to European football, which wanted to guarantee some teams a place every season.

Mon 19th April
Jack has been ploughing through the Picherwits puzzles his mum saved for him from her paper, but he’s also ordered six paperbacks of them – probably the same ones he’s done in the past.

I cycled to Grove Estate, getting there really early, so I got a black coffee in Bethnal Green, which I could have drunk outside, but I sipped it as I walked down to the estate. I felt tired because I couldn’t sleep last night, but I was lively as soon as I saw Becky J and Jo. Then Alex turned up – I didn’t remember her name (Becky asked her) but recognised her distinctive features. As we were going in I was chatting to Becky G, who I didn’t talk to last week, and otherwise haven’t seen for a while; she didn’t come to Victoria Park recently.

I was continuing weeding with, I think, Rebecca S who is leaving London soon, and a tall girl, probably Jen, who wants to start a community café and might do it in Camden.

Tue 20th April
Went to Camley Street, about the Neighbourhood Plan. I was expecting either a presentation, or at least some placards showing proposals. Instead there were just a couple of people there, who you could ask questions. But we didn’t need to do that, as we know enough about it. We’ll be voting for it in the referendum in May. I had time to do a run in Regent’s Park, along the broadwalk and some of the perimeter, then around the base of Primrose Hill.

Wed 21st April
There was a Neighbourhood Plan Q&A, but after yesterday’s non-event I decided not to bother. I did a lunchtime run down to Holborn and Bloomsbury but had to stop short, with an ankle strain.




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