Early portrait

I accidentally put my T shirt on back to front this morning.  I thought of leaving it tha way, as a protest against the sameness of life.

(The Ballad of Lucy Jordan is not about a 37 year old suburban housewife - it's about the quiet desperation of all those for whom life has not lived up to its promises - or their expectations.)

But it felt uncomfortable - so I took it off and put it on the right way round.

I am drinking a cup of Green Tea. It was recommended to me by my granddaughter. (yes I know, I appear far too young to have a granddaughter - but remember, I was married very early - to my first wife - and naturally, being a virile type of guy... well, there you are.)

The early morning rain has cleared and the sun breaks through, so I am going for a spin on the motorbike. Hector has offered to let me have a go on his Harley, but relationships between us are strained at the moment; his nocturnal activities with our landlady have been disturbing my sleep. I have told them both about this and suggested they move the bed slightly away from the wall. So far there has been no response to what I consider to be a reasonable request.

Yesterday found me sitting on a seat on the city railway station concourse. A young man was sitting next to me and a woman was standing talking to him. Eventually the man got up and walked away. And it was only then that I realised they were not together.

The woman, turned to me and, smiling apologetically, said, 'I know I talk too much when I've had a bit to drink.' I noticed then that her young, rather pretty face, had that slightly vague, but amiable look of someone who is companionably drunk.

I felt a sympathy - and indeed a sort of envy. She was real. No attempt to stick to the rules, and refrain from striking up a conversation with a stranger in a railway station. She was completely without artifice, and yet was not being aggressive or indeed impolite.

She said something else, which I didn't catch, and then offered me her hand. I shook it and wished her all the best and told her to look after herself. She smiled, and wandered away.

I wonder who she is? Where did she go? What happened to her? And I feel a bit sad; ships that pass in the night and all that. No, it's more than just that, but I can't put it into words - at the moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPk8jYiyhtU