Tuesday 29th May 07

An odd day... a slow start but at 10ish we decided to go to town and get some shoes for the boys as they're growing out of them, and I need some summer sandals too. Gill wanted to cycle in on her own and I went in with the boys the quiet route, and we went to Out Of This World to pick up the compostables first.

We had agreed to meet up at the fountain in Parliament St at 11.35 but as we arrived, Gill was there and looking flustered and unhappy. She said that she'd just had her bag snatched off the back rack of her bike, and it had £100 in it and various cards and other things...

She said that she wanted to retrace her steps incase it had fallen off, but I wanted to phone the police and check various back alleys where stolen bags are dumped after being rifled through for money. She asked me to take the boys home and she'd retrace her steps home. I tried to phone the police but had no coins to do this (no mobile phone either, as part of my 'low carbon lifestyle') so went to Whittards shop and asked them for help. They phoned the police (non emergency) and I explained what had happened, they said that they'd look out for the bag.

Then the boys and I cycled home, via the Heslington Road Veg shop where Ipicked up some more recycling. When we got back home Gill was there looking relieved and happy... she'd found her bag, in the road outside the Shell Petrol station, with cars driving over it... and everything still in it! The funny thing was (for her anyway!) that on the way up Lawrence St, she passed a black nun from the Poor Clares whom Gill has given her seat to on the bus a couple of times, and the nun greeted her. When Gill found her bag, she thought that the nun must have blessed her. This is the first time Gill has ever expressed any religious sentiment at all, very odd. Maybe she was joking....

Anyway, the bag was safe and we all relaxed. Didn't buy shoes.

I did some gardening, had lunch, did some paperwork and more gardening stuff.

Went to the lottie and did a load of compost heap management, weeding and a bit of earthing up the potatoes I've already put in.

Home for late tea and had yesterday's reheated bulgar wheat with a good tomato, onion, spinach and blue cheese sauce on top... lovely.

Quiet evening, no excitement, just blog, email and sober but happy chat on Googletalk with my friend accross the pond.