Still here

I missed another day of the Plague Years yesterday, but I'm still here.

We're experiencing May weather: temps in the high teens to low twenties, sun and cloud. 

I went for a run today and listened to more of D-Day Girls. I've decided Ms. Rose is a writer in need of some editing - the text sometimes sounds choppy. Or maybe she just needs a professional voice actor to read the book. The author does it herself. She has an annoying voice - sort of sassy-American-woman - and no natural acting or reading-out-loud ability.

Still, the book is entertaining. The three French women - one is actually from Mauritius, a French-speaking British protectorate in the Indian Ocean - have just been through training courses. The first two, Lise and Andrée, are the only ones from their two classes to graduate and be cleared for service in the field. They're about to jump into France.

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I went for a bike ride yesterday afternoon, around Old North streets. Many handsome properties, but none with striking enough front gardens to tempt me to stop and take pictures. It was a pleasant ride, though.

The day before, I had gone for a walk in the afternoon, down to the river, through Blackfriars and over into Petersville on the other side of Wharncliffe. I took a few pictures. I don't know what these little purple flowers are. I think Karen may have had some in her garden on West Mile Road. These were in a bed at the bottom of Ridout St., just before Blackfriars Bridge.

I crossed Wharncliffe into Petersville. I didn't know until quite recently that this part of the city was called Petersville. It was a separate municipality in the late 19th century, finally amalgamating with London in 1897. I photographed this grand old tree in a little park behind the Kiwanis Arena. I've taken dozens like this, but think this is among the best. I first processed it the way I do most pictures, but then decided to go a little extreme, trying for a kind of magic realist look. Not sure I was entirely successful.

This is another shot I've taken multiple times. It's the view from the west side of the north branch, by Labatt's Park, looking across the river toward downtown, with Harris Park in the foreground and apartment and office buildings, including ours, behind.

I ended up on the way back at Eldon House. The gardens were open this day, free entry, so I went in and took some pictures.

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I also did more work on my winter 2017 photos of Lanzarote. The first couple of days on the island, Karen and I drove our rental car around the north and central regions, exploring. We checked out some of the many miradors, scenic viewpoints, including two at the top of a central escarpment that runs down the centre of the island.

We also stopped into Téguise, a pretty, touristy little village that we would come back to a few times. I'm always attracted by the quiet residential streets in Spanish towns, especially at siesta time when no one is about.