progress report

Hello to all our recently pensioned readers. I've discovered that watching Glastonbury Festival videos while you're on the step machine makes the exercise just whizz by. And makes the music sound better. Three people called Muse make a huge, rich sound, like the Dr Who music if U2 had a go at it.

A lot of these bands can actually play their instruments. It's almost like the 60s and 70s again, though the tunes now are such bleak misery. I suppose to a young audience with no worries and endless chemical ecstasy, gothic doom would sound attractive.

After my Glastonbury gymnastics I went for a run. I did a mile without getting out of puff. It would have been unthinkable a few days ago when the heat wave was still with us. I'm sore now but nothing's damaged. The stretches and warm-ups pay off. And I avoid early morning runs.

The dog trotted gamely behind me today - when I got her eleven years ago the roles were reversed.

While the heat wave was on she was in a bad way, and I would keep hosing her down. To persuade her to eat, I've been cooking all sorts of casseroles using chicken or pork. She also enjoys cheese, and pate. These days the dog's meals are more decadent than mine.