Deerhunters and a Sweet Shop

What a great sleep. I needed it as a busy weekend followed by a commute from Edinburgh to Manchester had left me bashed!

Lunch and a bit after work had been spent trying to obtain an obscure part for Rosemary's time-trial bike and fingers crossed, that was a success. For such a random creature, I also have habits and North Tea for coffee before swimming is one of them. Because of time spent in the bike shop, I only had 15 minutes, so sipping a fine filter wasn't an option. Fortunately, espresso offers a solution with pleasure simply condensed into a smaller cup. They've still got Sweet Shop from Square Mile, a blend that suits my randomness and most definitely not everyone's idea of espresso. It's like sucking a soor ploom and chewing a toffee at the same time, certainly not balanced but brilliant all the same.

Then it was a pedal across town to Moss Side for swimming. I struggled in my normal lane, maybe because everyone seemed to be swimming fast rather than me going slow. I moved down a lane and intensity was ideal. Nick the coach reminds me of the slave driver in the Roman galley scene in Ben Huur. He has an intense gaze and seems to take great pleasure in inflicting suffering on others. When I'm in the mood, I love his sessions....when not I want to cut the chains and throw him to the sharks. I suspect the sharks wouldn't look forward to the prospect.