afternoon tea at lanes of london. reflection: i couldn't live a life of luxury. it felt expensive for the sake of being expensive, but without actually adding value. i feel like luxury would weaken me if i were to afford it permanently. i would much rather have walked to a local greasy spoon for a brew as opposed to taking crowded public transport to poshville in central london. too many people. it's peace i want.

spent the day in st george's. saw a nurse have it out w. another nurse. workplace drama similar to my own. public sector work allows for it.

the importance of being earnest at the noel coward theatre. i went because stephen fry was performing. was briefly star-struck before realising i would much rather see my mum in scotland than an actor in london. that said, i enjoyed the performance in spite of its foppishness.

saturday morning at the park w. the black swans. i always thought they were the stuff of fiction, yet here they are. i was enamoured: they were curious & friendly compared to their white counterparts. no hissing.

peaceful breakfast at arthur's cafe in wimbledon. sitting across from me, john hartson was eating w. some friends. my old man used to love him.

cassie & i at the wandle. i can tell i'm drunk because the metal claw's come out. drunk me switches to autopilot, which, as it happens, was programmed when i was 14...

glad to get a snap w. angie. loved working with her last year. it's the last clear memory i have of the evening. grateful for the carousing since the morning after was so horrendous that it primed me to get solitudinous & figure things out.

day one's solitude: a 13-hour solo drive to scotland to surprise my mum. here's breakfast at a rando service station near sheffield approx. 8:30 am. had been on the road for three & a half hours already. got excited after driving past tibshelf, site of tam & i's first stopover on our 2024 road trip. raw-dogged the drive w. talksport.

arrived in berwick circa 2:00 pm. ate in m&s café before driving to norham. considered staying at the mason's arms while looking at my favourite river. decided against it & took the back roads to scotland. didn't take them intentionally, but found out country roads keep me more awake than motorways. must've been god's work. praise the lord.

still from a video i took on arrival at mum's circa 6:20 pm. after experiencing the splendour of driving on scottish back roads, i took a wrong turn on the edinburgh bypass & ended up driving through the city at rush hour, adding an hour to my journey. g was waiting for a delivery & had a good laugh seeing me instead; mum, as expected, was shocked; & the dogs were loving it. i slept well.

i didn't take many photos while i was in scotland -- i wanted to give mum & g a break after the incessant snapping of summer. however, i got busy on the last day. here's mum -- whose gait at the moment, for some reason, reminds me rather endearingly of... jeremy clarkson -- on a morning walk. it echoes this, but w. autumnal vibes. glad to have caught the leaves since i've been quite struck by the beauty of autumn this year. i loved looking at the wind-dancing leaves on the open road when i drove the country.

little selfie w. mum.

little autumn selfie. on the subject of self, scotland gave me time to reflect & to dream. revelation, understanding & change came in abundance. i'm grateful.

artsy shot of mum cooking egg & bacon pie. n.b., english scran is underrated.

mum w. finished egg & bacon pie.

bon -- african wild dog in miniature. she, avec bud, were surprisingly noisy this trip.

bud giving what bud gives best: KISSES!

drove back on halloween & stopped at services in dumfries. had a cornish pasty (yet more english tucker!) in the company of this little guy. similar to my mates in santorini.

cont'd on to service station hotel in stafford. couldn't sleep for the lorries. woke at 4am for a dark drive home w. radio 4 for company. learned about salmon farming & now have another food to feel bad about eating...