SomersTownLisa

The Tredagar and the Temple Of Seitan

Mon 22/05/2023
We went to Ellie’s for lunch, still working on our holiday itinerary. I’ve got the luxury of a whole week at my desk this week but didn’t get ahead with the chart today. After yesterday’s race (and I’ve lost my Oyster) I thought I’d better cycle to the priory, rather then run there and get te Tube back. Chris stood and watched while we did our fitness session, making comments. I had to co-ordinate with Fiona in a tight space to avoid getting intimate with her.

I asked Ivo whether we’re advertising the Camden post, and he said “we could get someone good”, in a clear reference to departed Pete. We cleared a large area of very long grass and sticky-weed which had grown from nothing since we cleared the area of rubble in the autumn. I joked with Sheree and Fiona, pulling the stuff out with my hands after they’d loosened it with spades and forks. I then moved over to talk to Sara, who I haven’t seen for a while, and a relatively new recruit, Jessica, who's fairly quiet.

I asked Fiona a specific question, about whether she’d made any living arrangements since her split. I was letting her talk about her boyfriend problem, without forcing her to. She talked a lot about their differing opinions whether to have children, and her uncertainties about whether she would continue to not want a child (she's 33). She then apologised for getting away from my question, but that’s why I asked in that way, to give her the option to expand on her issues. I told her my own experience on the matter, but I’m not really able to help or give advice. It felt the same as when I’m with Elaine, I’ve become the agony aunt who's not actually good at it.

We decided to walk up to the main road and find a pub, but the first one had a quiz on, and the second we rejected for some other reason, and we eventually walked all the way down to the Tredagar.

We talked a lot about CA in the pub, how to organise a London-wide social and a comedy night. Johnny is good entertainment, he’s a nice bloke, and is also an expert on East End pubs. Sharee seemed quite keen earlier about joining the Peak weekend, but less so later on. The pub was very close to the canal which was good for me, though my front light ran out while cycling home along the canal.

I’d told Jack I’d meet him after his fitness session, but having been to the pub, he was already at home. I offered to go to Waitrose for him, only to find it was so late it was already closed.

Tue 23/05/2023
I made some maps for our holiday train trips, while Jack went into the office. I was unable to go in as all the desks were apparently full when I checked last night, though when I wrote to Marina she told me about a third of them were actually empty. I cycled to Jack’s office for lunch ,though because of the traffic it would have been as quick to run. jack said he was there on time but I couldn’t see him when I arrived. Instead of Island Poke we went to the bagel shop, though I should have had a jacket potato (which had a lot more with it than I expected) rather than the ‘vegan special’.

I ran up to Finchley via Hampstead Heath, trying to stick to the East, but not wanting to go into Kenwood House in case it was closed at the other side (it wasn’t). So not for the first time I emerged into Spaniards Lane. I had time to correct my course, and anyway I was a lot further North than when I’ve gone wrong before. (Also, I’d got two buses that time, a much longer route than my direct run up the Bishop’s Avenue).

Anyway I was the first to arrive by some margin. Jack left work too late and turned up while we were already taking introductions and saying what we’d be doing over the Bank Holiday weekend, which gave me a chance to plug the ParkRun marshalling. Claudia was leading the group in a very efficient manner even though Paul was there as well. Jacqui turned up as she knew there’d be a social afterwards. I’d joked about how happy people are to join sessions (the publicity picture had her in it, looking none too happy).

We went to Cherry Tree Wood, which I don’t remember ever visiting before, because we usually head in the other direction from the Phoenix. Moya’s boyfriend recorded her doing a fitness session, for her course. She made it hard for herself by trying to get us to line up in two rows, which caused confusion as everyone had a different idea about where the rows should be.

We were supposed to be delivering leaflets for the Phoenix, but they hadn’t arrived so we picked up litter in the park. I was paired with Jacqui during the fitness session but she went off with someone else, so I worked with Niki who I had a lovely conversation with; she always says she’s glad to see me. We couldn’t find much litter though, which is a good thing really.

Afterwards Jack and me chatted downstairs with Rachel and Beattie from Camden, then went upstairs to join the others for a coffee before going home on the Tube with Jacqui, who we’d mainly been chatting with upstairs, along with quiet Simone, about getting rid of stuff online or giving it to charity.

We ate afterwards at the Temple of Seitan. I had to borrow Jack’s jumper as it was bit cold. They always have the whole frontage open, which is nice for girl-watching but not so good for keeping the heat in.