The creature from black bog!

Wake at seven thirty and make breakfast, smoked salmon and cream cheese on Ryvita with black Italian coffee. Outside it is raining steadily and the skies are grey and overcast, but the forecast is for it to clear later in the morning. Put in a load of white washing and then fry the sliced aubergines for my Parmiagana, that I Intend to make later, before taking Dolly and driving to Cherry for ten. When we get there Norman is asleep in Dolly's basket and Teddy is tearing round the garden with excitement at the prospect of his walk. I load them in the car and we arrive at our usual parking space down Newbald Road, adjacent to the Westwood. It is still raining as we make our way into the woods where, once safely away from the road,I let the two boys off the lead. The woods are cool, green and smell of humus and nettles, as we make our way through. The sky to the West is clearing and the rain eases and then stops altogether as we emerge on to the common. There are very few other walkers about because of the rain, and by the time we complete our walk, we are quite dry. I drop Norman and Teddy back in Cherry, take Dolly back to Tickton and then make my way to the Leisure Centre. As I arrive there are officials stopping cars on their way into the car park, warning people, that because the Olympic torch is arriving, as part of the Para-Olympics prelude, parking is extremely limited. I find my usual spot under the trees at the back of the parking area. It is the only free space left. In the centre itself, hundreds of disabled people are attending a whole series of sporting events, but when I ask, I am told the pool is unaffected. It is about a quarter to twelve when I get in the water and the pool is still quite busy, but I find space in a lane with Crispin, another older swimmer. I manage to do much the same program as yesterday, 400m freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, followed by 4 x 100m individual medley and because it is only half past twelve as I complete the session, I fit in an easy 200m warm down on freestyle and backstroke. I am starting to feel as if I am getting back to normal, although only managing to fit in three sessions this week. Later, whilst drinking tea in the cafe, John, the centre manager tells me that the Olympic Torch will be delayed, as the train from Kings Cross to York is running late. On my way home I call at Asda for milk and some broad beans, that I intend to cook in garlic sauce and eat with a small smoked gammon joint over the bank holiday weekend. Arrive back in Tickton for two, put the oven on to warm up and then let Dolly into the garden whilst I hang up my wet towel and costume. Once the oven is at 200 degrees, I put some fish fingers and oven chips on a baking tray and set the timer to fifteen minutes. I make tea and cook a few frozen garden peas in the microwave, in a bowl that I place on top of my dinner plate in order to warm it up. When dinner is ready, I serve Dolly some dog meat and then sit down to eat. After my swim my appetite is good and I clear my plate, outside it is raining again, so Dolly and I lie down for an hour. We get up at five and after a drink of pop, I put Dolly on her lead and take her round the fields. I am baby sitting for Sarah at a quarter past seven and so need to be back for seven at the latest. There are no other walkers as we make our way round the fields, travelling in the opposite direction to yesterday, walking through the wood first. As we get to the corner I take pity on Dolly and let her off the lead for a run. Just before the little bridge on our way home, she takes off across the drain and chases a rabbit into the cornfield. It is impossible to follow her and so I continue on my way home calling to her as I go. She comes back just before the farm but has waded through a peat bog and is covered in thick black mud. Fortunately we get back for a quarter to seven and I have time to clean her off in a bucket of soapy water in the garden before drying her on an old towel and then driving to Sarah's. Louis is in his pyjamas and sits on my knee watching Batman cartoons until bedtime at eight. After a short Grandad story about winning a sandcastle competition, he goes off to sleep and I finish Andres Neuman's "Traveller of the Century" , before dozing off. I am woken by Sarah and her friends arriving back at half past eleven and head home and eat some oaties with a glass of milk before going to bed for midnight.