Feeling my age

Another cold day under cloud. We're promised clear skies and colder weather tomorrow. After breakfast I drove Clare to the School of Optometry to collect a revised eye medication prescription. The one received after her visit there yesterday lacked a single word, affecting the type of medication intended. Picking it up only took a few minutes, then we returned home via Tesco's petrol station to fill up ready for the trip to our Christmas holiday accommodation. 

We had trouble with the tyre inflation machine, which is now tap and pay. It seemed to have stalled, a few minutes time remained from the previous user, but the air pump had stopped. Clare went to ask for help from the cashier, but by the time they returned the device had rebooted and could accept another payment again. Filling tyres with air was more taxing than I expected. I'm never much good any morning, my back and leg muscles stiffen overnight so mending and squatting when I'm not warmed up requires effort and caution. The last thing I need is a bad back or torn leg muscle. I must go to QuikFit and get them checked next time around, or else get rid of the car.

I walked in the park for an hour for a light lunch, to get ready to join parishioners at a church fund raising dinner this evening. I saw a pair of long tailed tits high in one of the trees opposite the stables, visible now that all the leaves have gone, but out of range for a photo. I think it's the first time this year I've seen them, though I have heard them calling occasionally. It's good to confirm visually that they're not lost from our local environment. They have better chances in the park. So many garden ecosystems have been ruined by remodelling with paving and plant pots for easy maintenance.

The dinner took place in St Catherine's church hall, looking good after recent renovation, with its wooden floor sanded and re-varnished and walls repainted in pale colours. The food was excellent, rising to the challenge of catering for a variety of different dietary needs. We were treated to live jazz from a piano and bass duo, perfectly balanced acoustically without need for the bass to be amplified as a result of the wood surfaces. The piano was an electric one with just the right amount of amplification for balance. We were at one of half a dozen tables for six people, with Fr Sion and Catherine, Sue and Monica her friend, who is a lifelong Catholic. There weren't so many people present for the buzz of conversation to make table talk difficult, so it was an enjoyable evening. Even so, we were both tired by the time we got home and ready for bed.