Oktober

[Sweder]

Crammed another 7.8 ks in this morning, blending new track with old by nipping across at the stables to rejoin my regular route. A low 47-minute effort, a small improvement that tells me I'm regaining some of the fitness lost during my recent bout of knee gah!

On the approach to Wicker Man Hill a carpet of freshly discarded leaves lay draped across the muddy trail. Wind-stunted deciduous trees had shed their autumn cloak to lay like a pedestrian crossing across the well-trod turf. ‘Stop, humans and dogs; go rabbits and squirrels’. The morning light leant a golden glow to this mosaic, adjacent naked branches bowed to gaze longingly after their erstwhile companions as we pounded them into the hungry earth. So leaves become mulch, food for the Downland trees and the mud-dwellers. Not quite the Serengeti perhaps, but a circle of life none-the-less.

I timed the outing to coincide with the Planet Rock Connection, Rob Bernie's eight connected songs with one odd one out. The gamble failed as Rob dished up a bland blend of MOR ballads. One track stood out though - the Sensational Alex Harvey Band's live rendition of Delilah.

Off to Montreal for a couple of days. The forecast is wet and cool so I've packed my road-runners, hoping for an early-morning return to Mont Royal. Be a shame to waste all the recent effort on a week off. Besides, I'll certainly be visiting Hurley's (for the best pint of draught Guinness outside the Emerald Isle) and there's an outside chance of a return to the Sugar Shack (though I seriously doubt it could be as hilarious as the last one), so the Piper must be paid.