I took this photo in the tube last Wednesday, when I made my trip to the embassy. Remember the screaming hand of Santa Cruz skateboards? I was surprised to see it turn up in such a commercial location, but I'm not sure why. I guess it's a brand like any other.
I'm happy to say I plowed through the remainder of "Demon Copperhead" yesterday. (And yes, I did mistakenly call it "Demon Copperfield" in yesterday's post, until an astute reader pointed out my error, which I have corrected! Like The New York Times, I acknowledge my screw-ups.)
It turned out to be a good day for reading. The morning was gray and rather forbidding. Olga and I took an early walk down to the high street but that's basically just around the block, to the extent that there even are blocks in London. (Funny how "around the block" seems like such a natural expression, and yet vast numbers of people -- possibly most people -- don't live in places with actual blocks.)
I saw the immediate aftermath of some kind of urban conflict but I wasn't sure what happened. A person walking with a bag, a kid on a bicycle, his face covered by a balaclava. The person with the bag was yelling and cursing, I believe at the kid, who I immediately suspected of being up to no good. Anyone wearing a balaclava on a relatively warm day is suspicious, in my book. Olga wouldn't do a lick of good if I were robbed on the street but I do think having her beside me makes me less of a target. Then again, I wouldn't even have been out there if not for her.
I cleaned the house and cared for all the indoor plants. And then, in the afternoon, we got a pounding rain shower.
This looks like pretty much every other rain video I've ever uploaded, so don't feel obligated to watch it. I made it mainly because I like going back later and seeing what the garden looked like at different times and in different years. I'm thinking it may be time to crank up the dehumidifier again. Our flat always starts feeling so damp in the fall.
In the afternoon I tried to walk Olga during a break in the rain, but she was having none of it. She was content to curl up on the couch. When I think of how that dog would drag me all over Hampstead Heath not that long ago, it seems astonishing that now it can be hard to get her out the front door! Especially if the sky is looking gloomy. She's smart -- she knows what a grey sky means.
I'd be with Olga curled up on the couch. Your garden looks pretty in thr rain.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the garden in the rain. You've created such a wonderful refuge (I don’t have to do any of the work).
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of a good rain...it's as if the universe is soothing us all, 'shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....' Just as nice as sitting in the tall grass and listening to the wind.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a dog from my childhood that was a large golden retriever. He wouldn't hurt a fly and yet many a car salesman was kept at bay because they were worried about the large dog on the other side of their car door waiting impatiently to greet them.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget how dog ageing is compressed compared to our human years.
ReplyDeleteA balaclava clad young person on a warm day? That is a bad. Be afraid.
Eons ago when I lived in an even more rural part of Jefferson County than I do now, we had two bulldogs who raised a ruckus any time someone pulled up in a car. The dogs were fantastic at preventing unwanted visitors. "Do your dogs bite?" "They might!"
ReplyDeleteWe got a nice rain too. The drops are still falling off the leaves.
I haven't had my coffee so I read balaclava as Baklava and thought it some kind of bike crash where a kid ended up with a Greek dessert on his face.
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of the rain in your video. That would be a good sound for sleeping - no wonder Olga spent the time on the couch!
ReplyDeleteWhenever I see your garden I love it and I'm so grateful I don't have to tend it!
ReplyDeleteI loved listening to the sound of rain on the video. We haven't had a good rain here in quite a long while.
ReplyDeleteIt surprised me to see Santa Cruz Skateboard sign there. My old "hometown" company. That is so cool.
The guy you saw sounds pretty spooky. I would be worried that he is about to harm the child.
ReplyDeletedogs are smarter than people give them credit for. Olga's no dummy. I pretty much did the same thing yesterday only I was sitting on the couch trying to plow through the book I'm reading. it's the third in a trilogy and I'm already over it to the point where I'm just skimming through some pages.
ReplyDeleteThat rain looks refreshing! That kid sounds like trouble to me. I'm glad you weren't impacted.
ReplyDeleteNow that you're read Demon Copperhead, you need to go on and read Trust. I didn't realize until our last book club meeting that both won the Pulitzer for fiction the year.
ReplyDeleteBob sounds like me (although this time I did read it correctly). We had a rainy day yesterday too & I never even opened our door. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteWe have late sunflowers too.
ReplyDeleteI woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of the rain, but now it's sunny. Perfect situation! Olga is clever. :)
ReplyDeleteOlga is a smart, old dog:)
ReplyDeleteI must admit I had to look up the word balaclava. I figured it was what I thought it was...like a ski mask covering the face. I would have been a little unnerved seeing all of that unfold.
ReplyDeleteI say Olga was the smart one, wanting to stay in! You're right about the balaclava. Not a good sign on a lovely fall day! (Or even a gloomy one!)
ReplyDelete