Staying at Home II

Years ago I used to go to Tooting Bec Lido. I went throughout the year. It was the healthiest time of my life. I went for a splash in all weathers.

Obviously at this time of the year, all I did was a width of about 30 yards.

It was the whole preparation for the 30 yards that was interesting and then the adrenal high of having completed such a thing.

That usually fired my cycle ride onto the Guardian via the cafe.

I was at the indoor pool in Tooting this morning. Thinking about how I used to go there when I was trying to get my head togther following the break up of a then very important relationship.

Not much has changed at the pool save the rise in prices and the installation of a sauna.

As I was cycling to my mum's flat, I passed the road where my house is and I saw this elderly figure going round the corner.

I recognised it as a man who about 17 years ago stopped me in the street and was really aggressive because - as he claimed -my mum owed him some cash.

I told my dad about it and a few weeks later my dad mentioned that the bloke wouldn't be bothering me any more.

It's the second christmas when we won't be having my dad's idiosyncratically seasoned chicken. I can understand why people want to go away at Christmas.

Heathrow and Eurostar just make it very difficult.