It was a chilled start for the lame run around lovely Larkhall Park on Thursday morning. Mid-summer shouldn’t feel like this.
The park was empty, apart from the littering of Dott bicycles.
All cycling is good, right?
Erm…
There has been a re-wilding of Larkhall this year. That’s the middle class view anyway. It’s more like Lambeth couldn’t be arsed to cut various sections of the banking. It looks a right bloody mess.
Album of the Day: The Style Council - Cafe Bleu
I’ve always found this such an uplifting album full of optimism. Our Favourite Shop may be TSC’ masterpiece, but this is equally worthy for the joy it spreads. The two contrasting sides work really well.
Weller was pushing it / taking the piss with the jazz club feel on side 1. Flip it over and side 2 makes you want to run free and celebrate life.
I still get that buzz almost forty years later. Headstart for Happiness is such a calling card for all that is possible. Infectious.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
To SE21! A full on school day ahead was planned. And yep - that was a COMPLETE full on school day.
I cycled past Weatherspoon’s in Brixton as the pints were being poured at 8:30am. That’s either very grim, or something to celebrate.
Chin chin.
The first classroom I entered in the morning saw me being sucked into the Hokey Cokey. There’s no place to hide in schools. You have to embrace it and leave your dignity at the school gate.
That’s what it’s all about…
I then had the school conversation that I dread the most:
“Hey! I’ve got some GREAT photos you can use on the school website!”
Betcha you haven’t. They were shot on your old iPad are probably out of focus.
“Do you want to transfer them from the iPad?”
Not really. I’m not on the school network and getting files of a SILO of an iPad is a right bloody pain in the arse.
“Do you want to take a photo of the iPad and then use this on the school website?”
This is a conversation I’ve been having on and off for the best part of over fifteen years. It doesn’t get any easier letting them down gently.
A Whitney inspired lunchtime writing session followed. The kids have a new PA system in the playground. Whitney is a favourite.
It was the musical motivation I needed to spunk out 2k+ words. Or rather it was the musical motivation that Chat GPT needed to…
I cycled through Herne Hill at school chucking out time. The Great Wall of Brockwell looks bloody awful. Just kick it until it breaks.
More pleasing on the eye is the increase in Tern electric bicycles around this patch. They seem to have become the middle class transport of choice for the school run.
Which is good, right?
I moved on towards Brixton. The S Ldn sun had brought out all the Brixton old boys. It was great to see them making the most of the new ‘pocket parks’ - or whatever fancy name is currently in fashion in the dreaded public realm.
Flutie was doing his flute thing in Sunny Stockwell. The fella needs a sun hat in this weather. And a shave, tbh.
I had a brief Lidl run. There was no shame in snaffling up some shampoo with a 39p reduction thanks to my Thursday Lidl app coupon. If only I had some hair to wash.
A serious front garden tidy up took place at South Lambeth Road. I’ve not been here for three weeks. It shows. All the crap from the street gets blown into the garden.
Someone walked past and dropped an unopened packet of cheapo biscuits. I picked them, and momentarily thought of taking them upstairs.
I then embraced my inner OCD.
What would the Coffee Ponce of SW8 do is good mantra in which to live your life.
He’d leave them right there in the street. And still wash his hands half a dozen times.
I did the same.
Dauphine highlights followed. I’ve really enjoyed the race this year. Eight days of bike racing feels about right. Making the commitment for three whole weeks of Le Tour takes some doing.
All my websites are scheduled to migrate to a new server overnight. I just know that this is going to fuck up. I’m not looking forward to the morning.
