Spot the MP's office

Grey day. Cold. Winter has returned. To celebrate my £9 per month pay rise, I grabbed a hot chocolate and chocolate brownie in a coffee shop before I left Stroud, and snapped the street scene.

Friend D and I met in Cheltenham. We caught the bus up to the Bath Road, near his flat, and had some lunch then went to a hardware store where D bought a folding director's chair and a radio, while I got a packet of power cut candles, a cat litter tray, a moisture trap and an obscene looking plush dog toy (I think it's meant to be a flamingo but it's overtly phallic). It's for a kid at nursery, long story, but I'll tell you if it works.

A couple of charity shops later, we found a fabulous Italian cafe where we had some hot drinks and cakes. (At least, I thought it was amazing. I think D might have preferred a coffee in the pub). Then I walked with D back to his flat because there wasn't a bus for a while, and he had stuff to carry. I returned to the Bath road on a bus, did a bit more shopping (presents for the boys, because I'm.leaving them too) and caught the bus home, by now feeling quite sore-throaty and under the weather.

Have spent the evening watching TV and drinking hot drinks. Just switched over to the news and seen that there's been a deadly attack on a crowd in Israel. That puts my sore throat in perspective.