Trouble in the Family

As intended, I rose at 4 a.m. overnight, and probably did not feel too poorly because I had no alcohol last evening.

I even managed to be away on my grocery shopping expedition by 5:57 a.m. ─ this was to leave me a few extra minutes so that I could stop at the elementary school playground three or so blocks from here in order to engage three token sets of pull-ups and chin-ups.

Well, I had no sooner laid down my wrapped up tote bags and was about to ascend the jungle gym monkey bars when I saw some aimless fool about a third of the way across the nearby play field and slowly walking my way.

The field had been empty when I first approached the playground.

This was so damned infuriating that I immediately picked up my tote bags and headed away, audibly cursing that "aimless fool" and my foul ill luck. You can be assured he was not there in order to work out his upper body with any strenuous exercising ─ he was simply possessed of nothing else to do with his time but ruin my plans.

My ill mood lasted a long, long time.

I put in my usual five-mile+ walk, stopping on the return at Save-On-Foods about ¾ of a mile from home where I did some shopping, and then I proceeded for home. I first meant to bypass the school, but then it occurred to me that if no one was around it, I might have enough vigour remaining to at least handle those three sets.

There was a possibly older (Asian?) chap slowly ambling the play field ─ a lean chap with his hands clasped behind his lower back, yet with a swollen belly. In other words, no one who does anything more physical than walk slowly for activity.

So I started in the direction of the playgound.

He appeared to be going in the direction of the opposite side of the school, but no sooner did I begin my course for the playground than he stopped ... and began idly ambling towards there as well, walking as slowly as if he was going to live for eternity.

I actually wondered if he had noticed that I was going in that direction, so he decided that he might as well, too.

And yes, the thought was enraging.

There is a kiddies playground on the opposite side of the school that had initially seemed his course, so I switched course myself and went there.

Finally, I was able to have my three sets: five pull-ups in the first set, three chin-ups in the second set, and two pull-ups between a pair of stationary rings in the final set ─ I held the last pull-up for a fairly comfortable 30-count.

That was all I wanted to do, but this wretchedly overpopulated region makes such opportunities so extremely difficult to obtain.

Even when I was a young man, I felt too inhibited to exercise if anyone was nearby ─ and I was good at it back then. Now that I am 74 years old, I am not so strong and capable.

After I got home and put away my purchases, and then dressed down in my bedroom, I did not waste too much more time before returning to bed to see if I could nap, for no one else was yet up.

I roused maybe an hour later ─ it may have been around 9:30 a.m. As I lay, quite reluctant to yet rise, I began to believe that I could hear the T.V. newly turned on. My brother was evidently finished looking through the Sunday morning edition of The Province that I subscribe to. I had never heard him leave his bedroom and go downstairs earlier, so I must have managed a nap.

I soon enough joined him, and we watched some of the currently ongoing Paris Olympics coverage ─ specifically, the women's gymnastics competition. Naturally, the Canadian team was being featured.

I was reminded to mention to my brother something that I forgot to write about in yesterday's blog post.

When I was on my early a.m. walk and had travelled just over ¾ of a mile ─ I was walking along Fraser Highway at the time ─ I was to see someone coming in my direction. It was maybe 3 a.m. at the time, or slightly after.

At first I thought that it was some lean South Asian male.

But as we began nearing one another, I could scarcely believe my eyes! Instead of a lean fully clothed male, it was a beautiful young Black girl garbed just like one of the female Olympic athletes, whether a gymnast or else one of the powerful sprinters. Her gorgeously sculpted dark chocolate-hued legs were absolutely magnificent.

Why she was out at that late time of night dressed as she was, I cannot even speculate. But I could see that she was likely uneasy about me as we approached, even though the sidewalk is very wide and includes a bike lane. We had some woods and a creek in quite a ravine to our side, which likely added to her concern about me.

So gentleman that I am, I kept my eyes on hers, rather than gawking at the rest of her; and as we were about to pass, with a sincerely warm smile on my face, I offered out a somewhat hi-toned and friendly, "Hu-lo!"

She responded likewise right away and with a bit of a laugh, smiling hugely.

Once we had passed by one another, I did not look back after her ─ it was out of concern that she might be looking behind her at me to ensure that I wasn't about to sneak up after her.

What a beautiful young thing she was ─ quite likely she was yet in her teens, and she was fairly short. Because she had so little on, she looked very fit and trim; but had she been fully clothed like the young Asian male I had originally taken her for, she would have of course appeared as someone with a substantial physique and have been a larger presence.

She was inspiring. And once again, I was keenly reminded of just how socially insulated and isolated I am, having no one in my life beyond my household comprised of my brother, my aloof wife, and my two adult stepsons.

But back to morning T.V. with my brother. Once the women's gymnastics were off the focus and men's volleyball was set to commence, we both agreed that it was time to watch something else. I tuned in a couple of what I consider to be poor YouTube videos, so I will not mention them.

And then I played the video we had to cut short yesterday for want of time ─ we had about 40 minutes of it to watch.

At 58 minutes (58:23), it had been published "5 years ago" to BitChute's Adaneth channel: Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Years War | Trouble in the Family: 1337-1360 (Episode 1).

A 2013 History Documentary hosted by Janina Ramirez.

Dr. Janina Ramirez explores the fall-out of the longest and bloodiest divorce in history, when little England dared to take on the superpower France.

Episode 1: Edward III rips up the medieval rule book and crushes the flower of French knighthood at the Battle of Crecy with his low-born archers. His son, the Black Prince, conducts a campaign of terror, helping to bring France to her knees.

Episode 2: https://www.bitchute.com/video/iT4dhnX7Ar17/

That Janina was darned cute ─ and distracting! There were two or three occasions when I got so drawn into checking her out and "imagining" that I neglected to concentrate on what she was saying and 'lost the plot' for a bit.

The more I learn of what England did to France back then, the more I find myself detesting them as ruthless invaders.

The video brought us to possibly 12:15 p.m., so my brother then headed on back to his bedroom for some bed rest prior to leaving for the day to socialize.

I had a light meal, so I wasn't yet into my bed for a nap when my brother eventually emerged and left for the day. My wife had been up for quite some while by then.

My nap left me feeling worse overall than before I had taken it ─ I was near to having a headache. The afternoon had become quite sunny, and I felt obligated to sun, but I had no desire to subject myself to the brilliance and heat of the afternoon.

After my wife left to work in the latter afternoon, I had to force myself to at least sun for a short while, so soon after 3:30 p.m., I put in what I would estimate was at least 40 minutes, if not even around 45 minutes. It's not going to be sunning weather all year, after all.

Part of my early evening was spent watching 9-1-1: Lone Star ─ episode 12 ("Swipe Left") of season four. Along with a slight meal, I then drank a can each of Cariboo Malt (8% alcohol) and Bumper Crop Crisp Apple Cider (7% alcohol).

That actress Natacha Karam as character Marjam is one outstanding beauty!

Immediately after the show's conclusion ─ I had been home alone ─ my eldest gym-rat stepson (29 years old) came riding home on his Harley-Davidson while a number of our South Asian Sikh neighbours were out front in the cul-de-sac.

He seemed to make quite a hit. One young boy was put onto the back of the bike by the lad's father, but the boy was too timid of the bike's roar to sit there while the bike was idling.

There was some interaction with the father and my brawny stepson, and then they tried to coax the guy's mother to climb onto the back of the bike ─ despite her full draped female Sikh garb.

Naturally she was not tempted, but all seemed to enjoy the interplay.

It made me feel a little better about our neighbours, I confess.

I want to have a latter evening 5.625-mile round trip shopping hike to Real Canadian Superstore ─ it closes at 11 p.m. Consequently, I am going to try and rest a little if I must after readying for the trip, so I am going to sign off here at 9:01 p.m.