Swanning

Up to the Cotswolds this morning. The inside face of my watch misty, due to the perpetual damp and rain. Feeling washed out en route, and as soon as it wasn't rude, after being warmly welcomed by Sue and John, I slipped off to bed for a catnap as soon as was decent.

I woke up half an hour later, and in time for us to swan off to Stratford on Avon, which I'd not been to for decades. Had a cheeky beer in a cold beer garden by the canal, and then a quick mooch about. The streets much prettier than I remembered, and the theatre rebuilt to make it look a bit like a lighthouse: some kind of cultural beacon no doubt.

Back to Sue and John's for a lovely feast of chicken and chorizo and some wine. Sue, who runs a small hospital, returned visibly upset by seeing one of her staff having a sponsored headshave in a pub, as she has cancer. A traumatising thing to put onself through, let alone your children, friends and colleagues.

Below a recent sculpture of swans, with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre behind.