A return to running after missing out on Saturday. Chores and other crap kept me away from the mean streets of SW4 yesterday. My mind and body didn’t get going as a result.

I loved it out there on the Clapham Common route today. I made the effort to be out the flat by 7am. The streets were pretty empty.

The Clapham North Deep Level Shelter artwork is progressing well. It looks impressive. So far the centre piece is some cool dude wearing a pair of shades. The reflection on the glasses is the City skyline that can be seem from this stretch.

I passed some weird fella leaning against a wall past the Shelter. I thought he was pissing against it at first. It was hard to tell. I didn’t want to dwell upon the image.

And then half an hour later for the return leg and the dude was leaning, still looking suspicious. There was no puddle or damp patch. On closer inspection he had fallen asleep, standing up against the wall.

Wherever I lay my hat, etc.

It was another morning of no runners until I hit the 3km mark. Plenty of riders were rolling out for the weekend club run. Leaves were appearing in bloom around the Common. Quite a life affirming morning.

Shit. The day is only going to downhill from here, right?

Strava tells me this was the fastest time that I have run this route, going back ten years. I’m like fine wine. I age well.

Back in the flat and I thought the CPU in the MacBook Air was about to have lift off. I was in another room and the buzzing sound became louder and louder.

I then remembered that I had put a wash on and it was now in the spin cycle.

A brief Lidl run followed. I managed to blag a freebie croissant through my Lidl card. It’s about time this happened. I’ve kept the entire business afloat with my croissant purchases over the years.

There was a Covid shit length of queue. I thought Lidl would be quiet at 11am when it opened on a Sunday. Not so.

To The Oval! To watch cricket and eat a freebie Lidl croissant!

Day 4 in the match between Surrey and Hampshire was set up superbly. The ‘rrey needed to skittle off the Hampshire middle and tail end before luncheon, and then get their heads down for a run chase.

I arrived in time to see the fifth wicket fall. My Garmin also pinged at the same time saying 10,000 steps achieved.

GET IN.

Surrey kept to their side of the bargain and had Hampshire back in the hutch ahead of the lunch break. It was pretty slow going for the afternoon session.

D rocked up briefly. We had a catch up and planned summer cricket movements ahead.

It was touch and go what my precise movements would be for the rest of the day. Do I stay and watch Surrey get over the line whilst listening to Forest fuck it up, or do I watch Forest fuck it up back in the flat?

A fuck up is a fuck up, either in sound or in vision. I made the stupid choice of walking away from a spectacular Surrey win and sulked watching Forest more or less dismantle what has been achieved over the past 18 months.

There was talk on the Forest Forever podcast of the relegation battle going down to the last game of the season. We have Palace away. I liked the observation:

“Selhurst Park is the most Forest place to get relegated.”

Given that we were away from the PL for 23 years, I don’t fancy hanging around until I’m 76 to see it all over again.