Lighting the Olympic flame

No, I wasn't there. These pictures are from the BBC. Each pic says BBC on the top left hand corner, just in case anyone wonders.

I am absolutely amazed to discover that my sister TMLHereandThere and I, she in NZ and I in the UK, managed to watch the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on the same day, and write about it on the same day. Because NZ is so far ahead of the UK, we hardly ever both do things on the same day. Granted, I was watching the highlights of the ceremony at 7.30pm on Friday. In NZ, it would already be Saturday morning.

The ceremony was somewhat muted, as TML has said. None of the usual strutting and cartwheeling. The Olympic cauldron was modelled on a stylised cherry blossom flower atop Mount Fuji, and was lit by tennis star Naomi Osaka. This year the torch was fuelled by clean hydrogen, for the first time.

Today, 51 weeks after the Shambles indoor market reopened following the first lockdown, we increased the number of stalls from six to twelve. Unfortunately the number of customers halved. Was it the heat (not as intense as yesterday, but still hot) or the fact that there weren't many stalls outside? Or was everybody simply self-isolating?

We reminisced about the olden days, pre-pandemic, when certain elderly and eccentric customers would come in for a chat with their favourite stall holders. There was even one Mrs W, who used to sit in the kitchen and eat fish and chips from their wrapper, and talk to N, who sold CDs. Is Mrs W still alive, and if she is, does she dare to go out? Another man called Lionel would visit the vintage stall in the afternoon and always had a cake bought for him by the dealers. They would take tea together behind the stall (Fridays were always laid-back). N the music man isn't back yet. He has recently been in self-isolation, and has a blood clot in his leg. He can't take medication for that because it will react with some of his other medications.

After we finished for the day, I went round the charity shops to buy some summer dresses. The heatwave is going to break tomorrow, but I still wanted frocks, because apparently there will be another torrid heatwave. I got four dresses for under £20, and I only have to take one back (the changing rooms are closed, so clothes have to be tried on at home). When I'd done with changing, I sorted out all my summer clothes. I think I need another wardrobe, or at least a longer rail.

Then I went and sat in the garden to read, but there were so many brambles invading the patio that I started to cut them back, but found it hard to stop. Then I had to chop up the brambles and bag them up, and I got itchy arms in the process. Fortunately Steve cooked the supper because I still hadn't finished chopping.

(I wrote more, but it got lost, you'll be pleased to read. Enough is enough).