A rebel without a clue.

Out for a coffee, chocolate and a chapter of East of Eden . Now to keep away from Bar Three or The Mews. Will instead call in on Alan and Diane on my way back to collect Archie, take him to Mother's and bring Lola out. She was so odd this morning as she continually crept between my legs in an affectionate fashion! I think she's suffering from not having much interaction with me? I will make it up Sunday week when that will be a day dedicated to her entirely! First day of the Leeds Festival so my sister has shunted off there for what's it worth. I couldn't imagine anything I'd dislike more: except perhaps an afternoon at Elland Road... *** Good day yesterday, including going to the brewery to watch a band play standards with Nick, who looked a train ticket to watch Everton at Brentford just like that! £106 return train ticket... Never been to the home of The Bees so he wanted to visit. He must have a good income to afford it and a mortgage in Wetherby... Slight hango...

Hopped on the X70 just after 2pm for a, final, trip to Harrogate with Archie. Things will be a little more confusing come Friday afternoon until Thursday (when Archie's owners return) as I've Lola this afternoon too, will probably have to visit Emma's to feed her fish and come Tuesday will have Archie, Lola and Ruby for three days. Could all three nestle down up on Chestnut Avenue for those two nights ... I am tempted to try that as Lola has slept there with me previously and so has Archie and Ruby tolerated both of them separately... That trip to Harrogate - I think I was drunk from the final two beers and, perhaps, should have got the earlier bus back. Not a terrible night's sleep, but not ideal. A slight hangover around 4, as St James's Church chimed that hour, so at 5:30am I rolled over for another half an hour. Meeting up with Nick was probably the error of Thursday's trip, as I usually only have a half in the several bars before coming back this way, and w...

A great night's sleep. It's a calm morning outside the window, but I heard a little rain before I passed over into Lalaland. Archie is by my side and back enveloped in sleep. 10 more days of dog sitting until I leave Ruby a week on Saturday. On the 6th I head to France to connect up with where I left off in April... From Beauvais into Paris and along the Chemin southwards towards Orleans then from where I stopped along the Via Turonensis towards Saint-Jean Pied-de-Port. It was a real relief to speak to Janet & Leslie about giving up the allotment. I feel less complicated inside now that I can put some distance between Wetherby and myself in the months ahead... My renewal is in July 2023 so I could just pull out then naturally and hand over to them if they are still looking to take it on full time... Janet mentioned that there is a lady and her son who would also be interested... I had told myself this 50th year would be my last doing replaying the same old songs. And Septem...

A much needed night at the flat after a calm late afternoon around Leeds, enjoying people's company: people who I know do not judge me for being who I am, and reading more of East of Eden until Belgrave got too noisy and busy, as the DJ changed his musical style and a crowd who were attending a gig ballooned the previously threadbare solace of a place I found to read and have a dirty burger. Around 8 I headed back to the flat where a little later a helicopter was circling above Harehills for some time. After it departed and the children on the estate below went to bed I slept soundly, too, and woke up refreshed at 6am. Time for a bath shortly then a stroll across town to catch the X98 and get to my mum's around 8:30 in time for Lola and Archie together... *** I am satisfied with today. Made a decision to give up on the allotment by the time of my renewal - the Dudley's at 58 can put stuff in the plot too - I need to begin facing away from Wetherby once more. As Lola ages an...

So glad Sunday is gone. Another crescendo in Adrian and my relationship problems. Looking back on how we became 'friends' is hard to see that being ever possible. I suppose we are just so different and have different modes of existence which are absolutely the anthesis of each other. But the lesson needed learning - I won't ever be in his company again and I have learnt definitely that Wetherby could never become a 'home' for me? Just too many folks I conflict with. And I wasn't going to drink yesterday, but it started with Old Peculier and declined into a bag of chilli Kabanos in the brewery and a tearful return to mum's to rip the tomatoes out of the pots he had provided. But, like everything which I ruminate on, it's meaningless. But trying to tell my brain at 2am is impossible as tinnitus seems to be higher in volume and my heart is pounding. Here I am again. Another reset. Monday morning. Archie is still by my side and I washed my soiled attire last...

Why are white things white? Crowd Science... And a repeat of In Our Time which isn't interesting me either - the Polish/Lithuanian Commonwealth. Two cups of coffee. No hangover. Dog asleep by my side. No Lola this morning so I am going to the allotment after I've walked Archie around 7am. Interesting yesterday as I met Nick for a coffee and he told me how his relationship is grinding to a halt. He needed to talk to me and so I forgot about the allotment yesterday and meeting Andy who shares the allotment (for now). Thirteen days of Archie and an overlap with Ruby over the last two days of August and the first few days of September then I am dog/Wetherby free. My mother and I were at each others throats yesterday. I brought her some Nasi Goreng too... but she was unappreciative so I left her in her bitterness, walked Archie into a desolate Wetherby (where was everybody?) and back for a good night's sleep. No disturbances until he looked at me around 5:30am...

Archie and I caught the 1pm X70 to Harrogate to walk across the Stray into Harrogate for a couple of hours before catching the same bus back, just, at 5pm. A three hour break from Wetherby: so necessary to break up the monotony! But now I am 14 days left of Archie and we're very close together at 45 North Street: he is so very happy laid by my side as the sun breaks over the horizon. The trip yesterday invigorated him too: I can see that due to his antics on The Stray, once the bus deposited us at the stop opposite the Harrogate General Hospital, and before we crossed over the road into Harrogate. A few of our options were curtailed as Major Tom's was shut until four and two of the venues were closed until mid afternoon. Ideally I wanted to eat a pizza in Major Tom's and miss out The Starling, which I don't like really because it's simply too busy by the door(where you're allowed with dogs) and no one behind the bar ever smiles, however the first beer I had ther...