Do you want to see my day of fun looks like? Course you do. Why wouldnāt you? No plans, just spontaneously doing whatever I feel is fun at the moment.
First step - well, Iāve sat in bed for half an hour with coffee and tumblr just waking up. Now off to the coffee shop to read an Ann Cleeves book. She writes very good crime and at the moment Iām working my way through the Vera Stanhope books for a second time. Vera is a large, awkward, difficult woman who is a police detective- she is so very fond of a few special people but otherwise is very alone, she lives out on the moors and people tend not to like her. I adore her
Next is the library - the next Vera Stanhope book has come in and so has my copy of the Silmarillion. I already own the Silmarillion of course, but itās on my kindle and I have vision of me sitting under a tree, reading the physical book, so I got it from the library.
Itās a nice little library - small, but surprisingly well stocked. Got an excellent dvd collection too, and a beautiful garden to sit in and read (and also had a statue of a little dragon). Outside the library is a wooden carved cat that people leave offerings too (I donāt think that was meant to happen, people just do it)
Now for a lot walk down to the river, where I will pass a genuinely Gothick house. Yes, I mean with the k and the capital G.
This whole area has always been a goto spot for writers and artists and musicians. And a lot of their houses remain - itās possible to visit Turnerās house, for example. In the Georgian era this area was a veritable literary salon - all these writers and intellectuals all lived within a short carriage ride of each other and they all built their homes to their designs and so on
Well one of them - I wonāt say who, because Iām probably doxxing myself - built himself a Gothick castle - a very small one, with comfortable chairs - and itās still standing, and you can go and visit it. I keep meaning to do one of their ghost tours. Anyway, my path to the river goes past that.
Iāll also be playing Pokemon Go the entire way, of course.
Iām at the park now - this used to be a stately home but that was all knocked down or fell down and now itās a lovely park by the river. Itās covered in weeping willows and this was the first place in England to grow weeping willows.
Thereās a tiny little bandstand - more of a quartetstand really - and a flood marker from a previous great flood (this park floods all the time but it is an exceptionally high marker) and people sailing and paddle boarding on the river.
The grass has turned yellow - we have a hosepipe ban and weāre expecting official drought conditions any day now - itās already drought in wales
Iām sat here now, listening to podcasts (currently Sherlock & Co) and watching this view
