Fun from London to Newcastle

On Wednesday, while elder daughter and dentist dealt with teething issues, the Father continued to have fun with mental health issues. Which is to say that in a world which has clearly gone mad with fear, the only solution is to amuse the fearful and Resistance alike, and hope to lift the general mood of doom and despair. It's clearly too much for one old blogger, but the Resistance is growing all round the world it seems, though one keen Resistance man from Kazim's cafe had alternative theories, including a Flat Earth and instead of a flu like coronavirus a bacterial infection causing the blood clots, i.e. not so much respiratory but cardiovascular trouble. Who knows?

Since this was the only day when elder daughter required light nursing and car transport from Lavender Hill to Larkhall Rise, the responsible father stayed local, ready for action, which arrived soon enough and the patient was dropped off to rest, while the father walked back to settle the bill with the receptionist, who was having palpitations with the stress of the driver insisting on avoiding a ticket or towing away. It seems selfish now, but it seemed best to avoid stress and her stress was due to her mistrust after all. We all smiled in reception as the plastic card worked its magic and the relieved receptionist, who was Polish, and her colleague supporting her as she feared a heart attack, calmed down.

That was more or less Wednesday and an early night before dusk, a deep sleep with dreams then awake before Dawn on Thursday, ready for a rest day for daughter and an early walk over the river to see the 24 bus at Pimlico and the drivers, now without conductors. After breakfast with daughter, who was not eating solids, and permission to spend the day on the buses nostalgically, the nearby bus 88, from Clapham to Parliament Hill via Whitehall, offered free transport upstairs, without masking, obviously, then a good chat with Elvis the black driver from Cameroon via Germany about the good old days when strong unions went over the top to foment revolution, which was the reason for the silly old blogger driving buses for a living in the first place.

A coffee and pee at Roni's and a chat with Roni, an Israeli Afghan entrepreneur, a swift walk up Parliament Hill, with a view including Whitehall and Lavender Hill, plus a chat with an ex-trot and her daughter about the good old days of revolution, led down to South End Green and 24 bus back to Pimlico, a walk home to see Kazim and friends, including fellow Turks Emre and Atakan, plus Maya, Japanese wife of Kazim. .. then on for early tapas with Jean-Pierro the Sicilian and other Italians running the Spanish restaurant, this time with the help of a Portuguese chef.

Another early night led to the Friday return and a last chat with Kazim and a futile attempt to settle the bill for all the refreshments of the week, then as soon as the dentist approved the healing the journey home on a very busy road meant most of the day in traffic.

Yesterday's fun was a Freedom March from Gateshead to Newcastle with Resistance folks and Dawn from Ferryhill Station. But that's a whole other story ... meanwhile, today, Sunday, Hexham calls, and A Stand in the Park as usual, this time with an old friend and her young grandson.