Wednesday 26th April 09:26 – 10:07
19 days have been and gone since my last entry to this blog. How have you been? For me, it is two-and-a-bit weeks until I run the Oxford Town and Gown 10k. I am excited. Ever since the London Marathon on this Sunday just gone, my TikTok ‘For You’ page has been littered with running content, whether on the event itself or videos containing ‘tips for beginners’ etc. I am feeling inspired and my recent outings around Oxford are showing my desire to clock in a quick time. We shall see on the day (May 14th, Sunday).
I had a trip to the dentist yesterday who gave me the news that I will need a filling on my next visit. Oh well – I have always had something wrong with my teeth so nothing out of the ordinary. Later on in the day I met Nannyann and walked over to Green Routes cafe on Magdalen Road. Here we had the most delicious Tomato and Basil soup that either of us have ever eaten. Thick, full of strong natural flavour, a small pouring of cream too. A Tuesday treat. Both of us had bread as well. Sourdough for myself and garlic bread for Nannyann. I helped her with the last slice and I must say that it was a beautiful taste. Full of butter and garlic which in my mind is never a terrible thing. Thank you Nannyann, it was lovely.
I played football last night and scored. 18 of us in total (I think?) and it was a good night for it. A dry day meant the already bobbly pitch did not turn into more mud. We still managed to slip around though with the majority of us not wearing studs. It was my first match in a few weeks and it was a nice activity to be involved with. I got nutmegged once though, so that decreased my happiness slightly. Also nearly scored with my right foot, a fiercely curled shot, taken with instinct, which the goalkeeper unfortunately tipped out for a corner. So close.
April is almost over and it has been a packed month. Something I have been art of for the last few months has been a campaign for the podcast ‘Stammer Stories’, created and hosted by William Laven. The campaign is called ‘Ju_st Sa_y _It’. I was asked by William to write the poem for the campaign and it was such a fun process. This poem goes with a short film following someone with a stammer walking into a cafe and ordering a drink. It is these every day situations that can become the most difficult and stressful things for people with a stammer. Raising awareness for stammering/stuttering (they are exactly the same) is vital. We need to get the conversation going so everyone is aware. If you have a few minutes, I highly recommend watching the campaign video on the @stammerstories Instagram. Please share it and tell your friends and family about the campaign.
Whatever you do today, go out with a smile, spend little, and treat yourself to some delicious soup.
This has been #5.
R.
Pen to paper 