No breakfast

So we could use excuses about not running today - we could blame wedding anniversaries, inclement weather, in-law visits or swine flu but that would be a lie.
The real reason is that our breakfast venue was closed ...



We didn't even get an invite to join them on their outing - we'll report back next week on who was being outed and why...

Plague and plinth

Our run today started with a nose around some filming going on in Smithfield - unfortunately it was only for a hand cream commercial - not sure why they needed 4 juggernauts of gear to film cream being rubbed on hands.

Mark had seen something on TV in the week about the Crossrail construction project running through the meat market. He took me to the site below, a covered up Plague mass burial pit, which may have to be disturbed to build the new railway - just when we've got through swine flu in 18 months time we will have to deal with bubonic plague.



Apparently the plague peaked in 1665 in London and was only erradicated by the Fire of London in 1666 .

The symtoms of the plague were best summed up in a popular nursery rhyme of the time:
"Ring-a-ring of roses,
A pocketful of posies,
Attischo, Attischo,
We all fall down."

Now I never knew that .

On a jollier note we were met by polka dot trees on our regular route along the river



and then by a real Angel on the Plinth.



She didn't respond well to our request to jump ..

Running alone

This Sunday the run was cancelled due to much more important events happening up North - Mark's son , Richard was competing in the British Weightlifting Championship - more of this in a future post.

With somewhat less enthusiasm than normal, I went on my regular run along the Thames from Barnes Bridge to Hammersmith Bridge and back.

Nothing much happened - there were no busty models to leer at, no Plinths to fill and no butchers' shops to nose around. More importantly, there was no fellow runner to chat to.

The highlight was looking at the scaffolding going up to support the £3m of repairs to Barnes Bridge ,



I know - I need to get out more...

Too many distractions.

"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."— Samuel Johnson .

The run this morning was surprisingly eventful - we initially stumbled on a Harley Davison fashion shoot in Smithfield Market.



This was followed by watching some really big lifting gear in action ...





... and then some piano playing near the wobbly bridge ...



The final preparations for the plinth were being made but we were unsuccessful in the ballot to stand on it so our plan to send up 60 rockets in 60 minutes will have to wait for another occasion.



We finished off with a trip round the new Smithfield Butchers shop with a detailed discussion on knives ...



And finally back to the fashion shoot ...



Whew - time now for a long lay down.