The latest revision to the forecast says there will not even by a mere flash of any sunshine. That is presumably why we seem to have had almost non stop sunshine at a time when the forecast predicts it could be heavily overcast ! The sun has just gone in again, but there are still plenty of blue patches, and streaks of sky where the sun could break through at any time. With luck the reality of today will be a lot like yesterday with far more sunshine than is predicted. One thing that is probably right, or very close to it, is the afternoon high being 14° C. Tomorrow is currently forecast to be the same as today. Let's hope it too is a far too pessimistic forecast.

  

  My original intention was to start with a quick walk to Ladywell and back. The reason for such a short walk was because I was testing an old pair of trainers - 0f which more later. Instead of crippling my feet, they seemed much more comfortable than expected, and with the sun shining I had the urge to keep walking. If there was one thing wrong with those trainers it was that they have very little "tread", giving very little grip on mud. I didn't really dare to leave the paths, and step into any very muddy area - like slippery river banks !

  Yesterday was the first time I had walked through Ladywell Fields for some weeks (maybe months). Nothing has fundamentally changed in all that time, but a change of scenery was good. I must admit that the River Pool Linear Park is getting far to routine now. That is a shame because it is so convenient as a starting point that can be expanded via a variety of onward routes.

  The wild life in Ladywell Fields is little different to The River Pool Linear Park, but sometimes the slightly more managed Ladywell Fields does give more opportunity to spot wildlife.  A ring necked parakeet, and a heron were sitting in easy view, and I took snaps of both.




   I thought it was just motorway drivers who had trouble with lane etiquette, but it seems athletes do as well !
  I seem to capture this view every year as the most colourful bit of autumn in Ladywell Fields. Nowhere else in the park comes close to this colourful view, and The River Pool Linear Park has nothing comparable.
  These little posters have been attached to most of the bridges across the river. The only thing I would complain about is "QWAG" is the River Quaggy Action Group, and the River Quaggy doesn't join The River Ravensbourne, as a tributary,  until down river in the middle of Lewisham. The best part of their website is the video section  https://qwag.org.uk/videos/ lots of people wading through most sections of the River Quaggy. It looks like great fun, although maybe best for more agile people than me. At the top of the page there is an index for the rest of their web site, and it even has a picture of Boris Johnson falling into the river !
  I found this heron posing for the camera near the back of Lewisham Hospital. This heron looks slightly different to others I have seen. I don't know if it is a male, and I usually see plainer looking females, or whether it is just winter plummage. It is mostly grey instead of dirty white, and I have never noticed a blue flash above the eye, and top of it's head before.
  Now the trees have far fewer leaves it is easier to see the ring necked parakeets, and this one posed nicely on a very bare bit of tree. I have mixed feelings about these birds. They are noisy bastards, but their colour brings a bit of variety.
  There were a lot of people in the park enjoying the autumn sunshine, and it was very crowded around the cafe. This picture doesn't show just just how many people there were outside the front of the cafe. I decided to be a bit discrete and take the picture from some distance - plus I wanted to keep my distance from all these people.
  I reckon the year may have been 1967, and if I remember correctly (unlikely) we were reading the adventures of Tom Sawyer in class. At some point in the book, if I have remembered the correct book, reference is made to rainwater trapped in a rotten bit of tree trunk. Such water was referred to as "Spunk Water", and of course being a class of schoolboys we all sniggered ! See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spunk-water#History or https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spunk-water
  These were the trainers I was wearing for the 4.4 mile walk. They don't look like much, but they have one great advantage. The last time I might have worn these trainers was probably 10 years ago, and I was probably wearing them to walk across the estuary mud around Shoeburyness. I may have bought them a year or two before that. Back in those days cheap trainers (or canvas shoes) were ordered from Chinese factories (probably), and made to a specification set by the English company (Peacocks in this case). As such they were specified to fit English feet, and they would seem to be wider than Chinese feet. The happy result is that despite being a size smaller than I tend to buy now, their width gives me plenty of toe room, and while the sole doesn't provide any cushioning, they are otherwise very comfortable. Their main drawback is that they have very little grip on muddy ground.

  I arrived home after my walk feeling quite satisfied, fairly tired, and happy to have been out in some sunshine. I guess I was very tired, but it was a sleepy sort of tired rather than worn out. I completely forgot to weigh myself before I started drinking, and having a bit to eat. I now have no idea if my weight at the end of the walk was anything to celebrate. I think I just wanted to lay down and have a siesta while the sun was shining through my bedroom windows. Unfortunately it wasn't long before the sun had moved around the sky far enough that it couldn't actually shine on my bed.

  By 5pm I started to prepare my dinner. That meant no more than putting some sausages in the mini oven and grill, and chopping up some red cabbage to part steam in the microwave. Once that was cooking I finished some laundry I had put in to soak after the shower I had in the morning. Finishing that laundry seemed like an arduous job, but I got it done, and hung it on the clothes horse to dry. Than I could relax until dinner time.

  My dinner was as simple as could be. It was no more than grilled sausages and steamed red cabbage. I did try some dilute tomato sauce on the first portion, but found mayonnaise seemed to go better with the rest of the red cabbage. It was a fairly big dinner, but it didn't feel complete, and I had a tub of low sugar/calorie ice cream for dessert. After that there was nothing to do but to watch some TV, and then go to bed.

  Once in bed, at about 8.30pm, I read for a bit less than an hour until I had finished the book I was reading. I then tried to go sleep. I thought after the fresh air earlier I would fall asleep easily, but I couldn't seem to get to sleep at all. After about an hour I got up and investigated the QWAG website. I was probably thinking about it while trying to get to sleep, and that distracted me from sleep. I first went to the videos page https://qwag.org.uk/videos/ and viewed videos 2, 3 and 4 (video 1 seemed very short and pointless). Each of the videos, all over 30 minutes long, were fascinating, and I was sort of jealous of the people in them wading up the River Quaggy, and exploring the length of most of that river. By the time I had watched the three main videos, and looked at other parts of their website, it was gone midnight, and I was very ready for sleep.

  I seemed to sleep very well once I got to sleep, but I didn't sleep for as long as I think I should have. I also seemed to have some dreams that weren't enjoyable. In fact I guess I could say they were frustrating. Nothing in them gave any feeling of pleasure. I can't remember what most of the dreams were about, but I can recall a moment from one. I was trying to carry a box of newly ordered computer bit, plus a takeaway up to my computer desk, but the takeaway was leaking huge amounts of golden coloured oil everywhere.

  Like most dreams that one faded away, and the next thing I knew was that it was just getting light, and I doubt I had more than 6 hours sleep. I need my full 8 hours sleep - or that is what I choose to believe. This morning I can feel the effects of my walk, but nothing too bad. I can feel the effects of lack of sleep more. Other than that, I am obviously healthy...well so says some of my health measurements. The really good thing is that my blood glucose was down to 7.8mmol/l this morning. A bit lower would be ideal, but it is a lot lower than yesterday. That was way too high !

  I had been contemplating a short walk this morning, but the sun has definitely gone in, and I can't be bothered to even think about it now. Later on I am constrained by two things. The first is I am expecting a parcel delivery some time this afternoon, but "before 9pm" tonight (which would be stupidly, and annoyingly late). I am also expecting a "bubble support" visit from Jodie. She has had a new delivery of beer, and needs to make a bit of space in her fridge. She will bring over those cans she has had to take out of the fridge. The only annoyance is that she was suggesting popping over at about 4pm. I would prefer and earlier session,  but I guess it doesn't make a lot of difference.