Sunday morning, 12th December 2021

Yesterday I pushed myself for seventeen plus miles, between Wetherby and Otley - the first visit in a long time - to connect with Glenn, who I had not seen more than twice since the summer.

On Friday I worked on the allotment with Andy after walking merry legs (Lola) up around Wetherby Race Course and along Syke House Lane, but had a little too many Belgian "Christmas" beers. Which means very strong in Abv. and possibly unnecessary in all respects to a good night's sleep when they drive you to frikandellen frenzy or, in my case, a huge roast chicken dinner followed by numerous After Eight mints? Why I didn't eat prior to the Belgian 'trap pissed' event at Wetherby Brew Co. is a question I often ponder as I lay awake around 2am with insomnia brought on by simple carbohydrates running through my system.

The knock on effect of the binge of drinking and eating is feeling shite to attempt to gather myself for the difficult slog through churned up tracks and sodden fields - the supposed frost wasn't intense enough to create a firmer playing field, but I managed it!

Getting to the Black Horse Inn in Otley for "lunch' around three and getting a better feeling in my body from the positive input of the excellent Cauliflower Curry (£9.95) meant I wasn't heading back to Leeds as soon as the 'always late' Glenn touched down in Otley Social.

An excellent evening, rounded off by the superb £1 bus fare back to Leeds, was the simple pleasures of Hawkshead Dark Mild (3.4%) in the Old Cock: I was sober as I ate a discounted packet of pickled beetroot and head back to number 69 for a restful sleep which no amount of ambulance or police siren could enter for very long.

It's Sunday and I'm here in North Star(coffee shop & general store) for brunch slow scrambled egg and black filter: a very middle class, 20something environment, which is busy and socially distanced (which is more than I could say of either the Old Cock or The Junction in Otley last night) so I am unlikely to get Omnicron here?