solitude

n's gone off to a stag do in brighton today (i know!) and i have had a rare day all to myself. well, myself and humph, who grew increasingly concerned as my telephone conversation with my mom grew near to, then exceeded established evening walk time. he thinks i'm inept, i swear. the huffing and puffing and long e.s.p-inducing stares toward the door - he's like an old man insisting that this modern stuff isn't music and it was all better when he was a pup and good grief, that's not how to dance - don't you know anything? anyways he got his walk, another lap for good measure at which point, arriving home, he promptly flopped over and has been asleep ever since. who knew altering routines would be so tiring?

i did not feel like swimming this morning despite the lovely weather (will i jinx it by writing about it?) being rather hung over (ahem) but i went anyways and had a fabulous swim. go figure. and then - wait for it - i worked on my dissertation - and even wrote something . will wonders never cease.

then i biked up to the farm - and - i biked up all the hills!! i mean, slowly, but hey. swimming has provided musculature! i'm still not thin (obviously) but my body is working better for sure. so much unexpected joy in this whole swimming lark. on the way back i detoured up to the shipright and had a yummy pint sitting on the creek bank watching the boats. a swan flew right past me - i could feel the wind from its feathers. magic.

when i got home i settled in for a good long catch up with my mom - i'm so grateful that long distance telephone rates are so reasonable - i don't think i could manage living so far away if it wasn't for the weekly connections with my mom. we dispense with the update section of our calls quickly and progress rapidly to the important topics of family gossip, yarn, politics, feminism, how crap i am at writing my dissertation, work, and bemoaning the hereditary apple body shape.

post call and walk, i cooked myself a fat farm porkchop for dinner - and i'm happily quaffing a very lovely rioja. bliss. n will arrive back in a little more than an hour - i've enjoyed my day of solitude.

although i did catch myself talking to myself sitting on the creek bank at the pub. i then proceeded to tell myself off (out loud). there's no hope.