It is definitely foggy this morning ! I must confess that my picture makes it just look a bit misty, but some views looks a lot foggier at times. It was also very cold this morning - almost cold enough for a frost, but maybe closer to 3° C than the 2° C in the forecast. Today seems like it will be a cold day with the temperature not rising above 9° C  - and that despite some sunshine or sunny spells this afternoon.....or maybe not. The latest revision to the forecast says there will now be just one sunny spell at 2pm ! The latest revision also says the fog will turn to mist, and then dissipate some time after 11am. Tomorrow may not start quite as cold, and it should be clear. Some sunny spells are forecast for the afternoon, and it should stay dry all day.



   After a few days of being mostly inactive, and fairly lazy, yesterday was a busy day ! My plans were forming before I had a shower. The actual process of having a shower inspired one little job that I would start at the end of my shower, but finish much later in the afternoon. For several days I had been thinking that I ought to wash my bath towel. Yesterday it too 1.3 seconds to realise that I had to wash my bath towel. I don't know if the previous few days I had subconsciously picked up hints that the towel was about to get smelly, but yesterday I was instantly aware that the towel was minging !

  I left the towel soaking in detergent while I got dressed, and ready to go out. I didn't feel keen to go out, and yet I knew I couldn't waste the sunshine. Like many times in the past when I haven't been very enthusiastic, I thought that it would be good enough if I could push myself to walk 3 miles. Even just 2 miles would be OK. As can be seen from my route map on the left, I actually managed almost 5 miles.

  It was quite a struggle towards the end, and it was not made easier by getting a bit of gravel in my boot. I had to walk quite a distance until I found somewhere dry where I could take my boot off, and shake that grit out. I actually used a bus shelter to do it where I could also sit down to do it.



  The sunshine had brought out the volunteers who clean up the river, and the river bank. These two were happily walking though the river wearing waist high waders. A bit further up the river was a man standing waist high in the water, and joking that this deep dip in the river bed must have been where Boris Johnson had fallen in the river while he was Mayor of London, and would have days out supporting such volunteers.

  After the recent rains the river bank was very muddy, and on my first decent down the bank, to see what these people were up to, I slipped. Fortunately the last bit of the river bank was a very gentle slope, and there was no danger of slipping into the river (which was very shallow at that point). Unfortunately the river bank had many, and soon to be discovered, extremely vicious stinging nettles. I came down onto my bottom, and put my hands out to steady myself, and to get myself upright again, but I put both hands down in thick stinging nettles. It is now almost 22 hours later, and the last effects of those stings are still just about detectable. Yesterday afternoon, and evening, it was impossible to ignore all those stings !
  This building is some sort of pumping station alongside the river. I assume it pumps water from the river, but where it goes to is a mystery.  It was a good 3 or 4 weeks ago when I passed this enclosure on the other side, and I wondered why it seemed to have a temporary roof. At the time there had been some very strong winds, and I wondered if a tree branch had blown down, and crashed through the roof. Yesterday I saw some other equipment in the compound that the hut is in, and I think the roof may have been removed to crane in something heavy.
   Most of the trees in the Linear Park are the wrong type to put on a good show of autumn colours, but this one looked very spectacular in the sunshine. It is a shame that my camera didn't pick up on how the top of the tree seemed to be glowing gold as the bright sunshine beamed down on it.
  I don't know if this path alongside the river (on the right) existed until a little housing estate was built on the other side of the bushes seen on the left of the picture.  It seems the groundskeeper of the estate also manages some of the grass along the river bank. He was just finishing as I started walking down the path. I was quite impressed that even this bit of scrubby grass alongside the river, had been left traditionally striped like a lawn.
  I was nearly home, and passing by the old beer garden of the now closed Catford Constitutional Club when I saw what looked like just a bundle of fur. It wasn't until I whistled that I saw it was a fox when he/she sat up to look at me. Having been satisfied I was the wrong side of a strong fence it curled up and continued sun bathing. It looks like it has sever mange when curled up, but didn't look quite so bad when sitting up to look at me. I did get the impression that it was probably sick, and may have even been dying. It is sad if that is so, but that is the fate of all of us one day.

   The last mile of my walk really did seem like hard work, and it was a joy to finally get home. One problem was that my feet were aching more than the the rest of my legs. That is odd because the boots I was wearing are the same make, and apart from being a lower style, are almost identical to the the boots I have walked many a mile in with few complaints. I have already noted that I got some grit under my right heel, and that made that heel sore.

  The worst discomfort was the ball of my left foot. This has always been a tricky bit of that foot. I believe there is some hard scar tissue there after a childhood accident featuring stepping on a long nail ! Inside the boots I have been wearing for ages now, there is a small hole worn in the insole where that scar tissue may be. I think that maybe these new boots (although bought on the same day as the pair I have been wearing) will not be comfortable until a similar hole is worn into the insole.

  Although it felt like my walk had been exhausting, I think it was mostly the pain of walking that was more pertinent. I did fancy a snooze when I got home, but not before I had done a few other things - like having a light lunch of rice crackers and cheese. I eventually did have a short snooze, but the sun had moved around the sky a bit, and my bedroom was starting to cool down after it's natural heating from the sunshine. I probably woke as I started to feel cool.

  I soon warmed myself up again when I finished the job of washing the bath towel that I had started in the morning. It was because I had left it so long before washing it that it needed 5 rinses instead of the usual 5. It seems no matter how well I think I have rinsed myself when showering, I must still have some soap on me that gets soaked up into the towel I dry myself with. That towel may not have needed any additional soap when I washed it - hence the need for 5 rinses !

  In between time I also went through, and edited a selection of the more interesting pictures I snapped with my Nikon P500 camera on my walk. Then it was time to prepare dinner. I had grilled/roasted chicken thighs (with bone and skin) with brussel sprouts, and it was very tasty. I followed it up with a tub of the low sugar/calorie ice cream that I get from Aldi - and that was very nice too.

   I expected to get to sleep earlier than the previous couple of days last night. I was hoping I would because I had plans to get up, and out early this morning. I did get to sleep a fair bit earlier than the previous couple of days, but not early in the usual sense. Once I did get to sleep I seemed to sleep OK. I had wanted to get to sleep early so I could get up early, and I wanted to get up early to go for a walk in the fog.

  Two things went wrong with this plan this morning. I woke up at 5am, and a quick glimpse out of the window showed no sign of any mist. The forecast last nigh showed fog from about 2am, and so with nothing to show at 5am I thought the forecast was wrong. It wasn't, it was just very late, but until I knew that my enthusiasm was severely dampened. About 90 minutes later I woke up again, and I could see it was a bit misty, but it felt cold, and I preferred to go back to bed for another hour.

  When I finally got out of bed I checked my health, and just that one walk had done so much good. My blood pressure was nice and low on my first attempt at taking it. My weight seemed a few hundred grams less. my temperature was typically very low (35.0° C), and my blood glucose was down to a very acceptable 7.8mmol/l. I haven't been so healthy for days " Pity about the aches and pains though.

  I still had a sort of ambition to do a bit of walking in the fog, but by the time I was washed and dressed there was little time left before an early morning shopping trip to Aldi (when it is nice and quiet in there), and the fog did not seem very dramatic at all. It would probably have been much better in one of the parks, alongside the river, but in the local roads it was not much more than light mist (and I think it was even thinner on the main road).
  This is the second of two pictures I took on my way to Aldi. It's misty, but hardly dramatic. As expected (or hoped for), Aldi was quite quiet, and I was able to get around very quickly except at one spot where some woman was very aware I was waiting to pass, but left her trolley blocking the aisle as she casually rummaged through the goods on display.  There was nothing I particularly needed except for beer today, but I did buy more than beer while I was there.
   I think I bought a sufficient selection of beer to lubricate my support bubble/counselling session this afternoon. I know Jodie will be bringing more Scottish beers, and I suspect Michael will bring something or another. Now all that is left to do is to clean the dining room table, and maybe hoover the dining room carpet. That shouldn't take long, and I should have ample time for a siesta or something.