Running away is hard when you're older #dreamdiary 180

We’re looking for a quiet place to rest for a while. Three of us have sneaked into the back of someone’s garden to drink some beer and eat some pizza that we’ve bought from a takeaway. It’s one of those gardens where there’s not really a fence separating the two houses and you can just walk straight down the drive past the side door and park yourself at the bottle of the fence. One of my friends produces an empty pizza box and proceeds to throw it in the direction of a tree like a frisbee. Unfortunately, the branch doesn’t have much weight to it and cracks instantly, toppling onto a larger branch below which instantly collapses onto the garden fence in front of us, bringing the tree down with it. Naturally, this alerts the occupant, so we decide to flee quickly and swiftly before they work out that they can film us on their phone. One of my friends is a little slow in leaving. I hope that they don’t have a video doorbell to identify us.

Don't Dilly Daly

He’s a short and cocky loud man who has to fight to get what he wants. He’s had to work had while being friendly and hospitable in his trade. I’m not sure if he’s aged prematurely or he’s just chosen to shave his hair off and be done with it. It’s a strange choice given that he has a large Noah-like white beard too. He’s very possessive of his accessories and like to have designer sunglasses and hats. And they must be tinted. He likes to have the hardman persona while remaining friendly at the same time. Perhaps he got bullied a lot as a child. He can have a bit of a temper when things don’t go his way. He’s always up for a laugh apart from when the joke’s on him. He doesn’t like to boast so it’s a lot better when other people do it for him.

Bar Life #Richmond 5

There’s only a limited number of places that we can go at the moment, and we’re not allowed to explore them as a group. One of the easiest places to meet was at the terraced bar in the hotel that we were staying at. It was an overflow area designed to refresh people passing by from visiting the park, but it didn’t have the greatest of views. Beyond the terrace was fine, with comfy seating, heated umbrellas and waitress service. It was the prices and the view of the car park that we weren’t so keen on. At least it was free for us. The hotel itself was a large bricked building. Inside was a long brightly painted bar with a dining room beyond it where breakfast was served. It was very popular and we often had to wait for a table to ensure that we were seated with social distancing.

The Potent Artistry of Beer

To describe something as potent is to suggest a bad smell. That’s not a pleasant term when you want to describe something that you like. It’s also not pleasant to have it introduced by someone who you’re not entirely sure of their gender or what they choose to identify as. It is that month when we are told that we have to be aware of these things. But having a giant portrait of yourself in front of the article does little to make your case if it’s unflattering. Yes, you drink beer, but you also dress yourself casually to present it. I have no idea what this Wandle design is that you’re referring to, so you’re alienating your audience already. It’s great to have an opinion but people need to know what you’re talking about otherwise they just won’t bother and pick out the other things that you offer instead.

Young's London Original at the White Cross, Richmond #richmond 4

It’s a nice traditional boozer from the outside, but with all the clientele outside, it’s trying to portray itself as a trendy nightclub. There’s even bouncers on the door. We’re shown through a maze of umbrellas and into the building itself, past the bar for a brief glimpse of its offerings before being shown to an upstairs room kept for a party of our size to be able to interact together. The inside is very much a wood interior with small rooms and high ceilings. I wonder how a kitchen can operate here. There’s a balcony and even though the windows are open we’re not allowed on it. In fact, there’s very little that we are allowed which makes it frustrating when we want to order a second drink as it’s hard to get service. The food is passable at inflated prices for the area but offers nothing special.

Husband leaves wife because she becomes deformed. No one expected what she did next...

It all sounds a bit cruel and van when you think that someone supports you has decided to leave you after an accident. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to get even, especially if you do it purposefully. If she was to go on and best herself while shaming her partner, that gives her more power. However, the story doesn’t do that. You’re just lured in by the headline. There’s a lot of detail about her recovery and how people are making donations so that she get on with her life, but there’s nothing about what she has physically done. There’s no comeuppance or revenge mentioned here, or any word of her husband mentioned whatsoever. It’s also a bit unclear as to who is speaking at times. But what you do need to take away from the story is that you need to stay positive no matter what the circumstances are and work hard for a better future.

Richmond Ramble #richmond 3

We were determined to do a circular route rather than a linear one to see as much as possible. We headed north along the high street, taking in the shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants as possibilities to eat out at later. At one point we’d managed to stumble onto the Old Deer Park where there wasn’t much to see other than vast expansions of green fields. Occasionally a jet would fly over on its way to Heathrow. There was a small playground and the opening to a car park but we couldn’t see any deer here or work out where they might be hiding. Frustrated, we backed up on ourselves towards Richmond Green where a cricket match was in progress. After following a busy residential road, we climbed a hill alongside more terraced housing where a lot of it had been converted into flats. We climbed a long hill past a church with a huge steeple to pass another area of shops and restaurants before returning to our viewpoint to return to the hotel.