The cost of gentrification

I celebrated the Eucharist with eleven others at St John's yesterday morning. I'm following Clare wirh a developing sore throat. I felt well, nevertheless and walked six miles in the afternoon. Frustratingly, today the throat gave way to an unpleasant virus, attacking my lungs and digestive system painfully. I went to bed early after supper, and passed an unpleasant congested night of coughing and spluttering.

In today's post was a notification from the GPO about a letter to be collected from the main depot in Penarth Road, addressed to me, and requiring £2 penalty postage. No idea of who it's from. I drove to the Hadfield Road recycling centre on my way there, to drop off a couple of toxic items and an old blood pressure monitor which has been sitting in the car ready for dumping for the last six months. As I was about to leave one of the site's operatives pointed out that I had a flat tyre. Panic! Another couple of miles to drive back to Quikfit in Canton, and a stopover at the GPO en route. Also, I had timed my journey to end up at the wound clinic by three. Oh dear.

At the GPO, the letter turned out to be a waste of money, someone trying to benefit from a dedicated Freepost item to send me a scrap of paper with a message from Kath in Spanish relating to the first novel in Spanish she sent me last year.. How odd! And two quid down the drain.

I thought it would be safer to try and change the flat tyre for the spare on the GPO forecourt. I was the first time for me to tackle a tyre change on the Polo. I got luck, in that a passing stranger offered his help. As a result I was able to drive straight to the clinic and arrive fifteen minutes late, but five minutes within my time slot! Then, a short drive west up the main street to Quikfit, where a got a new tyre fitted. Having not noticed the deflation, the tyre wall was damaged, and that costs me just under fifty quid - all due to a small screw embedded in the tyre tread.

I think this is the third time in ten years that we've lost a tyre because careless builders and DIY enthusiasts working in the street have not checked for small screws in the gutters before finishing the job. Like it not, neighbours also suffer from neighbourhood gentrification, from builders noise, mess and carelessness.

I went for a walk before supper. I was still fighting against the effects of the virus, but managed just over four miles. Owain arrived to spend his birthday weekend with us. We dined al fresco at Stefano's as it was just warm enough for comfort. I wasn't feeling great, and survived the meal, but left before Owain and Clare, and took myself to bed early again. Such a shame, but with the prospect of a busy Sunday, with Masses at St Saviour's and St Germans, self preservation was vital.