good day

The cellmate is back from the world tour, so it's no longer just me, the prowlers and a half-dead dog.

I'm very fortunate having her share my space. Not like poor Albert - his partner's an absolute menace in the kitchen.

This morning I walked the dog, parked her outside the supermarket, went in and filled the rucksack with provisions, mostly dog food.

After dumping the dog and the food back home, I set off for the pool. I only went so as to use up the season pass that expires in a few days. But it was a great swim. It was quiet, so I didn't have to share a lane with blockheids. Last weekend the changing room was jam-packed, if you were Superman it would have been good practice for changing in the space of a phone box.

I swam half a K with pauses for stretches, then half a K without stopping. Lying on my back later in the sauna, I got talking to a Sri Lankan woman. Strange experience, conversing with a stranger you can't actually see because she's sitting behind your head. At the end, I looked at her as I said goodbye. She didn't look how I had imagined her. I wonder if it was the same for her.

Tomorrow night I've invited four folk to join me at a jazz club. The only good times I've had there, I've been alone. Going with other people, one feels responsible.

On the plus side, if you're in a group, it's acceptable to grab a table, so you don't have to stand at the back all night. Try sitting at a table on your own, and you get pestered by a couple taking the other chairs. If you dare to go for a pee, someone takes your seat and your drink is cleared away. Or a couple pressurises you to take part in a threesome. Thank goodness that one hasn't happened to me yet.