A rebel without a clue.

Brilliant afternoon on Saturday. Catching the x70 to The Stray and walking into Harrogate. Having a few hours away from sterile Wetherby. Wasn't drunk but woke at 3 having had a full night's sleep, uninterrupted, again. But struggled back into sleep until I definitely awoke at 6, two coffees, one Oatsosimple and an hour around Wetherby up the old A1 (A168). Back to chill before heading to the allotment for around two hours. The lamb Madras I bought on Thursday, and ate over three days, has played havoc with my bowels! Dropped Archie at mum's and popped out to listen to 4 tedious posh birds discuss giving birth and planning an oh so stereotypical hen party. It can't be any fun being that middle of the road. They're perfect early 30s. Oohing and aahing at photos of babies. There is nothing to them. Now I will need to wait until next Saturday to escape this meaningless chatter... It's the kind of banality which makes me turn to the bottle. One down and three to go....

No hangover and an unbroken night's sleep on the top floor: also I was marginally aware of Archie's ball licking antics... I think he was as it only once, but I was in a string of dreams which were entertaining me. Saturday morning. Last night it went cold; bitterly. Walking the brief distance down York Road to North Street and I was freezing as the rain drops got warmer... Will any of the tomatoes develop a redness if the weather is so fluctuating... We need another month of summer and not a pseudo-autumn? And yesterday Glenn went to LBA and, finally, I've my backpack back! He made a joke telling me it has been sent back to Beauvais and I quite believed him... Because no one in Leeds seems capable of effective logistics? The number of calls and emails I've sent to all the several companies within that circus. It's a shite airport really: not that I can categorize airports at all? But it's a third rate gateway to 'Yorkshire'? And I don't know if York...

The highlight of today may be the chance of being stung by a wasp or the  wind ripping up the parasols... But then Paul and Claire (and new pupster Rolo) walk passed. They've not been around in ages: 5 weeks in France recently. Visit to the Opticians: Specsavers and I've a form of cataract which can be caused by a trauma (and I have had a few in the preceding two years). It's effecting my quality of life! What quality. I must go to the allotment tomorrow. *** Archie slept downstairs at first, then resettled at the bottom of the bed. Three youths hung outside on the street for a good hour: it was a stuffy night on the top floor so closing the window and having to sleep on top of the duvet for the majority of the night meant another disturbed night's rest. When Archie started his nighttime ball licking I told him to stop. With a yawn he did so and we slept pretty well for a few more hours. But it's not enough. The Mews had a quiz night thing on and it was loud and ted...

At which point am I going to throw off this dull account of the days? There is little use in the repetition? But it goes with Wetherby as there is little 'a matter' to it: with me... perhaps I am bland? No. I am not! This morning Lola, Archie and I did adventure. They had a whale of a time and both flaked out before I began making lunch: Basmati rice flavoured with onions and garlic from the allotment, nigella seeds, Turmeric and one low salt bullion cube. The short Perec piece I bought in Rouen has almost run out of oxygen as I keep going over the preceding pages of  A Man Asleep  without being aware and I have already read that 'chapter' but I will persevere... ... Second beer in a few hours. It's all there is to it. Maybe a critique of every beer is in order? However that also feels banal. It's a hazy session beer by Beavertown. Two halves is enough! Thankfully the Mews opens on Wednesday and the allotment is an option after the morning walks with Lola and Ar...

Seems strange to be on the X99, heading back to the flat, during this enforced stay with Archie on North Street. Lola's at my sister's this evening and can go without two walks in a day when it's a bit warm: which it is this afternoon, and I took Archie for his second walk when I saw it was a little overcast. Tony, Wetherby's homeless man, spends a great deal of time drinking cans of Stella Artois, etc, in Sandringham Park. This afternoon I asked him if he was there this morning as I keep seeing him and I now see him everywhere: before I saw him nowhere and thought perhaps he'd 'woken up'? Wetherby is a closed circuit for many individuals and it's getting it's claws into me too. 5 whole weeks smoothered by it... But I feel I am managing so far? And in 5 weeks... A little escape? Went to the allotment from 11 after I'd been out with Archie and then Lola(to give her a little one2one attention) and brought back potatoes, French beans, onions, courge...

the end of a long day.

Slightly one too many Delirium Tremens late afternoon and early evening. Back to Emma's with a lightly battered special and mushy peas. To pick up Archie prior to 7am and then meander with him, allowing him to have a long sniff of Sandringham Park, then collect a disgruntled Lola who is finding Archie attention to her rear end a bit intense. She was quite happy with him prior to this. Actually she hid under the dining table to keep away from his amorous inclinations. Last night met up with Andy(allotment Andy) and Co and have decided Ian is not my sort of person: like my mum he dislikes anything which might effect his conceit and he's Conservative with a capital tosspot. On the way to the Mews there was an advert for something on in the afternoon at the Methodist church on Bank Street - something about Country Houses. And I almost went there just to try something different in Wetherby. Mother mentioned something about 'u3a' - University of the 3rd Age. Apart from going ...