Another week where things have been busy. Amongst other things – new carpets and a photography lesson for me!
Sadly Hannah was only with us for last weekend but happily managed to overlap Becky and David coming to stay. It seems ages since we last saw them. Having my grown up daughters, plus hobby, come to stay brings a certain warmth and “everything is okay” feeling.
On Monday I took Becky down to Watford; I had been collecting warm winter coats and sleeping bags for a homeless charity I have admired for over twenty five years. We handed the bags over to a very grateful member of staff who said they will be well used quite quickly. I took Becky around to some of my old haunts. The old probation office has now been knocked down and replaced by a glitzy office block. The Art Deco Courthouse, next to Shady Lane, is closed with builders all over it.
On Tuesday we went to Ampthill Park for a stroll and it was there Becky gave ME a lesson in photography. She kept telling me to ditch the auto setting as “you won’t learn anything from taking those short cuts Dad”. She was right, in a way. So I had some fun on my hands and knees photographing some fungi. Please don’t tell her, my camera is back on auto now but I will have another play using the manual settings.
New carpets!
We continue to make some progress here in the Quirky Museum. This week saw our friend Jeff come to replace the carpet in thew hall, stairs and landing. We suspect the very, very old carpet was a better quality than the new carpet but we hope this will be okay. Although not the most exciting of updates, we are still grateful as it is another step forward in making the house more homely for us.
Jeff is the most entertaining of carpet fitters, telling us all of his carpet fitting exploits over the years in his East London accent. He spoke of fitting carpets for Harvey Nichols and how those posh clients would expect him to move furniture, hang pictures and wash their cars. “You’re havin a giraffe” he says to them followed by “I don’t Adam and Eve it at their cheek”.
He does a good job and, as with every tradesman coming our way, is the offer of Doug Blend Coffee and a whopping Belgian bun from the village bakers. In the shop they know how I liked to energise and encourage the tradesmen and they always look out for the biggest when I go in.
A soggy Parkrun
When I left home to collect Rosie, it was raining cats and dogs. Stair rods in fact. Thankfully the heavy rain had just about stopped when the whistle blew and us 147 runners splashed and splashed our way around.
The course is three laps of a park. When I was half way I heard a “MOVE OVER TO THE LEFT!!!” being bellowed out behind me. After a few seconds the lead runner shot past me. I was still plodding my way around as I saw him at the finish line – a scrawny young man, all splattered in mud, undoubtedly revelling in his first place victory and overdosing on the Runner’s High. I gave him the ‘thumbs up’ as I went by, a kind of fellow runner respect.
My time was 27 minutes and something, a little lower than last week and I blamed the weather.
I got talking to some runners from the club in Tring, saying how much I’ve enjoyed their Ridgeway Run in the past. Then one of them said “Hi Doug, it is Doug isn’t it?”
“Ah yes, hey it’s Tom, isn’t it?”. He was a fair bit taller than me, greying but younger. He was also considerably faster than me. We were colleagues in the jolly ol’ Probation Service, prior to the disastrous privatisation. We briefly lamented how awful that was and the wonders of a reunited service nowadays.
I hope I get to bump into him again sometime. I imagine he’s climbing the career ladder nicely now.