A series of unlikely outcomes

Wednesday 12th

Bit of an interesting and unexpected experience today … showed me how tenuous life is. Started bright enough, woke at 0815 to my first ōura readiness score of 87 and sleep score 93. Went for nails to be sorted then cycled to Borough market for lunch at Brindisa bar with Phil. Three small Estrellas, a shared steak and pepper sandwich and croquetas paid for by Phil … I thank you.

After, I cycled to the Paul on Bankside to buy a nice baguette for later – we are heading to Hyde Park for a picnic and to try and catch the eclipse.

There was a chap sitting just by door outside (of Paul) so I left my bike propped and asked him to watch for me – seemed pleasant enough (and normal) and even asked whether bike was from that shop on Gray’s Inn Road (Condor) – it is .. so I tapped him on arm as a thank you (as is my want), bought the bread and then came back out … the atmosphere then turned – he asked ‘do you always tap people on the arm, and why did I do so. Do you think I am some kind of cunt sitting here, do you want me to open your face for you’?

wtffffff?

I was very apologetic trying to descalate a situation I did not comprehend, said sorry several times, got on bike and left but just shows you … how careful you need to be – Carla definitely needs to heed this – really shook me up – lived here all my life and rarely, if ever, have I had an encounter like that. I’m assuming the guy is unwell but even so …

Came home, put air-con on and breathed – I wonder whether my ring will detect stress?

Also picked up my 4-watch winder from concierge and set that up – a thing of beauty:

Whist waiting for Carla to come home from lunch with sister and sister-in-law at the Ivy Coal Drops I made ready for our picnic later then settled down and listened to OMD with the cooling on.

Had an eMail from my big sitser Christine, – she has a smewhaot unnerving ability to spot evrey speling msitake I mkae, which is paticulraly hlepful given taht I apperantly have a smewhaot more rleaxed relatonship with othrography. So, in the intrests of sceintific enquriy, I thoguht I’d see how far I cuold psuh tihngs. The odd tihng is taht you can porbably raed tihs with almsot no diffculty at all. Your brian isn’t slavishly raeding eevry lteter in eevry wrod; it is uisng cnotext, expcetation, famliiar ptaterns and the ovreall sahpe of the wrods to wrok out waht I maen. As lnog as enuogh of the clues are tehre, maening smoehow emreges form the mses.

So perhpas the lesosn is taht prefecct speling is not alwyas esesntial to udnerstnadnig. Or, at laest, taht is the lesosn I am chooisng to tkae form tihs. My sitser will 100% of cuorse, raech an etnirely diffrent cocnlsuion — and will porbably sned me a crorceted vresion.

Talking of pedants – and she is the pedants’ poster child … reminded me of a lovely mate / colleague we had at Genesis, Graham Brown (retired about 4 years back – he eMailed me recently telling me to ‘go for it’ in retirement) – anyway – if you worked for him on a project, at project start he would hand you out a two pager on correct use of apostrophes… so, given Chris would love that here you are:

#challengechristinewebber … or anyone else … tell me where the mistake is …

So to Hyde Park and my attempt at sequencing the eclipse with my Seestar S30.

Found a great spot to watch it.

Started Seestar off and took a still every 5 mins or so and got this amazing sequence of the eclipse:

So, job done. Cycled home, watched Ep. 8 of House of Dragon (season 1) then bed. Whitstable tomorrow – exciting.