The latest update to the forecast for today says there will be only  sunny periods between 9am and 1pm, but it is almost 9pm now, and the sky still looks fairly clear.  Today could be like yesterday where the forecast seemed to change several times during the morning until they were sure they got it fairly close to reality. For the moment I assume that this afternoon will be very sunny, and the temperature will rise to a nice 23° C. At the moment the forecast for tomorrow only differs in one main aspect from today, and that is it may be one degree cooler.

  A significant change to my plans for the day happened when I got an answer to a text message I sent to Richard "Dik" Tokarski. I asked what time he would be busking with Marta, He replied that she was feeling ill, and so they would not be doing anything until maybe next weekend.

  My original plan had been to go out sometime after 2pm, on the assumption that they would start their busking around 3pm. I thought I might take a less direct route than the 1.5 miles to where they would be playing. Once I found out there would be nothing to see in that direction I changed my plans to go out much earlier...or so I thought.

  I see that it was as late as 1pm (or 12:59:45 if you are pedantic) when I set out on a walk that I had been thinking about for a while. It was essentially where I might have extended the walk I did to Forest Hill a week or so ago. I knew it was going to be a long walk, and I knew that it was a very slightly uphill most of the way as far as the footbridge over the railway. What I didn't realise was how lumpy the ground was the other side of the railway. It was up and down, often quite steeply, between the footbridge and the top of Sydenham High Street/Sydenham Road. For there it was mostly downhill.

  The first time I felt compelled to get my camera out was when passing this car in Perry Vale (very near to where my dad's old shop used to be). This photo doesn't really show the texture of the paintwork. I should have videoed it to show how the thick orange paint, with tones of glitter embedded in it, glittered in the bright sunshine. It was a great effect, but I can't say I would ever want to drive a car like that, and I can't imagine what sort of person would.
  When I saw this road (or path) sign I was sort of surprised that no graffiti "artist" had changed the first "f" into a "t".
  This was the view south, towards Sydenham, from the top of the footbridge. The "slow down line", used mostly by London Overground services, was blocked by this freight train. Using full zoom on my camera I could see it was being held by a red signal, but I have no idea how long for. It looked like it may have been for a long time, but it may have moved as soon as it was out of my sight as I continued my walk.
  This National Grid, or whatever it's name is these days, high voltage switching station lies right next to the railway.  Although I have worked with moderately high voltage both as part of my hobby, and in the days when I used to repair TV, I find the sort of voltages they switch here, probably at least 132 thousand volts, is very, very scary.
  Just around the corner, so to speak, lies the smallest park in the world ! This picture shows the entire park - just a sort of grassy hump. There looks to be something like some manhole cover at the very top, and so I assume there is something under the grass that can't be built on.
  Once upon a time this elegant building was Cobbs department store. It was so prominent that the surrounding area, or maybe the road junction just around the corner, is still called Cobbs Corner. Now it is just an upmarket "greasy spoon".
  This road sign looks sort of old fashioned, and in the style of the sort that was once put up by the RAC (Royal Automobile Club). It was surprising just how congested Sydenham Road in the view towards Catford was at about 2pm. I was sort of happy to see that it was only 2¼ miles to Catford, and it was mostly downhill (provided I went through the park, and not over Perry Hill). I still felt a long way from home !
  I know nothing about this pub, but I like the portrait of Prince Alfred on the outside. I think they used to have live music in there before the pandemic, but nothing ever appealed to me. I think they had a bias towards Country Music.
  I like the way that the developers who converted this pub to (probably) flats have retained the original tiled pub sign. It is a shame it is not in better condition, but it was probably damaged when the pub was "modernised", and covered over by some crap.
  A couple of miles further along my walk, and I came across this sign by the bridge over the river in The River Pool Linear Park. It was months ago that a nearby fire, probably caused by a carelessly discarded disposable barbecue, spread to the bridge, and damaged it. For maybe three days, starting tomorrow, it will be impossible to do my frequent walks through the park while the bridge is repaired. I think I will still go there via diverse routes to take a couple of snaps of the bridge under repair.
   It felt good to finally get home. I have to admit I was in a certain amount of pain. I had covered the usual pressure points of my right foot (which seems to be slightly bigger than the left foot), and on the whole those parts were still mostly comfortable. Unfortunately the ball of my right foot wasn't so happy. This morning that red area is a dark blood blister. I know from past experience it is going to take a long time to heal.

  I am sure the problem is that I was using a pair of boots that are still in almost new condition. I bought them at the same time, back in May if I recall correctly, as the pair I have done most of my walking in since then. When I bought they I couldn't decided which of two styles was best. When they were delivered I found they were actually very similar. I tried walking in one pair, found they seemed OK, and then tried the other pair. They were OK too, and so I have used them, apart for a few occasions, on all my walks since.

  That latter pair do seem to have almost worn out rather faster than I would expect. They have little tread left on the underside, and the insole has a some deep wear marks - one such matched the position of the blister on my right foot. Given a bit of time, and probably doing some less arduous walks, the new pair will bed in. Until then I will have to be very careful.

  Despite the pain and fatigue, neither of which was all that much after a short rest, I was feeling sort of elated that I had covered so much new ground on one of my walks. Had I been in less pain I would have been planning something a bit more ambitious with an extension of the route I took yesterday. Unfortunately that elation evaporated away, and was replaced by depression. A certain website has been experimenting with a new interface that I do not like. Until yesterday afternoon I was able to switch back to the classic interface. I really hate change for change sake, and there seemed no reason for this change. I may even "take my custom" elsewhere.

  Before I went out I had eaten nothing at all, but because of dehydration my blood glucose level was measuring as quite high. Now I know that dehydration can cause such an error I wasn't worried about it. On the other hand I was rather happy when I checked my weight. It has just been through a little peak, and so it was good to see it the lowest ever ! It did have the slight disadvantage of making me feel even hungrier than I was before.

  It was still about 40 minutes before dinner time when I gave in an had a snack. I used a couple of bits of pitta bread that I had kept by from a couple of kebabs. I used the very last of my cheese to fill them, and this time I opened a jar of sliced jalapeños and put a fair amount in before giving them a minute and a half in the microwave. I have to say that they were rather good.

  Dinner, barely half an hour later was chicken shish kebab. I had two bought two small kebabs, and I ate ate both, one with it's pitta bread, and one portion of salad (I had eaten the other portion of salad with the fish and chips the previous day). Once again I spiced the salad and meat up with sliced jalapeños. It too was a very nice meal. Meaanwhile I had been rehydrating myself with bottles of beer since I had got back from my walk, but I washed down dinner with Diet Coke, and drank more of it during the evening.

  I guess my sleep was pretty similar to my recent sleeps, and so nothing to complain about. I woke up probably feeling slightly less stiff than the last couple of mornings, or maybe the discomfort from that blister on my foot put things into perspective. After my double dinner, and the beer, my blood glucose was down at 7.7mmol/l. That is a tiny bit higher than my usual (bit probably not this month) monthly average, and a pleasant surprise. I thought the beer, and three pieces of pitta bread would have raised it a fair bit. The bigger surprise was my weight. I seem to be over the hump, and this morning was the lowest yet for a morning reading - obviously not as low as in my dehydrated state after my walk, but not that far from it.

  Today my plans are very vague. I would love to try for another 5 mile walk in the sunshine, but I don't think my blister would allow that. I might manage a couple of miles, but it would probably be more comfortable to work off a bit of energy in the garden. The after effects of garden work could be almost as painful as my blister tomorrow morning....but in a different way. There is also the thing that gardening can leave a lasting legacy while a walk can only leave a good (or bad) memory. I have already been in the garden, and picked 4 ripe (or almost ripe) tomatoes. I am contemplating having them with breakfast. I think it is because it is a Sunday that I am having breakfast. I shouldn't really, but sometimes you have to live dangerously.