My early morning walk today and I am not alone.  My very good friend has changed her job and can now also walk in the mornings.  I make my way to her house, starting on a different route is always a bit unsettling, but it made a change.  We set off and it is good to be able to chat as we travel along.

It is a miserable morning, the fine almost nothing rain is steadily falling and soaking us as we walk.  The sky is grey but it is not cold at all.  Weird weather, hot but damp, a British summer.

Later in the day I am heading up to a nearby town to check out bargains for our little shop.  It is not a comfortable shopping experience.  The people working in the shop are all losing their jobs next week.  They are selling everything, and we are lucky to pick up some bargains that will smarten our shop up, and yet it feels a big wrong.  We talk to the assistants who are mostly resigned to what is happening.  One woman is close to tears as she cashes up our purchases and it feels so very unfair.

Altogether I have managed another 13,000 odd steps towards my total today, most of it in the rain.