July

[Sweder]

A third trek to the Cap in three days. There's a good reason for this, and it has nothing to do with ramping up training; the back was in spasm yet again this morning. I figured the best thing to do was wash down a couple of nurofen and haul it up Wicker Man Hill to see if a bood infusion would do the trick. It did - sort of.

Perfect conditions at 7am - Battle of Britain skies, thin cloud clinging to the egde of the stratosphere, sun burning brightly in the east. The merest hint of a deliciously cool breeze wafted across soft trailes, turf damp and spongy thanks to another overnight deluge. I took it easy, completing the round trip in fifty-one minutes. I figured that at this pace I could probably make this a daily event, and with no prospect of visiting the gym this week - most appliances involve back-bending to some degree - this looks likely.

Music-wise I was spoiled. My good friend Alice regaled us with tales of early Led Zeppelin. Turns out their first bass player was the former Yardbirds rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja, allowing the promising youngster Jimmy Page to move from bass to lead. When Creja left to take up a creer in photography Jimmy's mate John Paul Jones took up the four-string and the ensemble was complete. How Many More Times followed the history lesson. I considered this for the Track du jour spot but decided to wait - HMMT, despite being a favorite Zeppelin track, was after all a former winner. It's nice to spread to the love.

Whilst I was thinking all this Mr. Cooper read out an e-mail. It was mine from two weeks ago. Regular readers will know what - or rather whom - this was about. He read it verbatim, added his own warm accolade, and played Yeah, Right!, a Girlschool single featuring Pythonesque mid-song dialogue, some particularly fine, anarchic lead guitar and Kelly's infectious giggle right at the end; the perfect choice. Thanks Alice.

4.99 miles, 51 minutes
TDJ: Yeah, Right! Girlschool.