Back at Daphne

The Turkish restaurant in Cheltenham, where Dave and I used to eat, long ago, reopened on Tuesday. We went there today and it was empty, as it nearly always is at lunchtime. Nonetheless, we were welcomed back and had a delicious three-course meal along with an extended chat with the owner. We did not have to worry about social distancing!

Dave is very slow now. We first met at the bus stop, then walked up to Marks and Spencer, to buy trousers for his holiday (him) and for CleanSteve (me). This took a full hour.. After our long meal, we said goodbye outside Daphne, because the weather was foul and Dave had a long walk home. It had taken him an hour and a quarter to walk into town: a walk that used to take 30 minutes. I headed off to a second hand bookshop because I thought they might have some vintage crime novels (they did) and then the British heart Foundation bookshop (more vintage crime). Then back to the bus, via the Regent Arcade, which is strangely subdued these days. It's been a long time since I was in Cheltenham town centre, and it was great to see some different shops, even though some have closed.

In Stroud, I took another bus towards my home and was just walking up our street when I met CleanSteve coming down with my stock for the market hall. I jumped into the car and unloaded at the other end, set up my stall (in a different place this time), and then walked home again in wind and rain. Now I'm exhausted. Tomorrow will be rainy again, I think, so I'll have a quiet day at the market.