I thought I was just going to return home today, but impulse thought better of it and as I was about to go north to London I instead went east down the coast to Hastings. A friend of mine recently moved there.
We ended up slogging through woods in search of bluebells and fresh air and sunshine. The latter two showed up, but it’s clearly too early for the bluebells so we just enjoyed the light in the trees.
Later on, as I was sitting in a carpark waiting for our fish and chips to cook and watching the most brazen drug deal I’ve ever witnessed, I realised it’s the ides of march. A time to be careful, if ever there was one. A time to watch your back. Somehow I didn’t quite manage. Nothing came of watching the atrocious drug handover, but on the way home – driving at a reasonable speed on a long straight empty road – I failed to notice the shadowed yellow camera and felt that distinctive double flash at my back like knives in the capitol. Et tu, Gatso? 35mph, I reckon, in a 30 zone. Nothing wrong but the numbers, but enough to mean I can’t rent vans if the letter comes through unless I can plead first offence, do a course and avoid the points- (I’ve been very very lucky the last 20 years with those stupid things. I keep alert). Beware the Ides of March. Bollocks. I was listening to the radio, and a bit tired so my focus was on hazards and traffic. I wasn’t on the lookout for cameras. They’re stealthy. Correct driving awareness in the UK is about 75% camera lookout, 25% hazard. I made the costly mistake of watching out for dangers.
Anyway it’s just a flash at the moment.. I’ll feel a bit sick opening my letters for the next few weeks. But it’s not going to ruin my week until it happens.
I’m home and happy after another extended weekend at the sea. This week coming, as ever, I’ve got more to do than I can do in a week, so I’ll aim for as much as I can and try to stop distracting myself by fucking off to Hastings. I’ve got a housecat coming to stay, possibly for as long as six months. I’m rescuing him from the cattery. He comes in on Thursday, so I’ve got two days to make this Aladdin’s Cave cat friendly. Wish me luck… Maybe I’ll find my bastard passport.
AlBarclay 