I’m loving the weekend missions that have come up as they have given me running motivation at the weekend, while I feel I can’t run with others during the current restrictions. So, while there’s no social running, at least there’s running with purpose. That’s what I had today as I ran 9 miles there and back to help Mr A with his curtains. Along the way to Bordesley Green, I passed through the glamour of Nechells and Alum Rock, with the picture I took of the legendary Taroni’s scrapyard along the way with an awesome Motorbike-riding skeleton on the roof.

I got to Mr A’s and he was grateful that I came out to do ‘a little job’. He explained that he’s able to do a lot for himself but his balance isn’t very good, so getting up even on a little stepladder to do this job would put him at risk of a fall. Up on the ladder I could see that he had tried to fix the curtain hooks himself over time, with a lot of frayed strings making them hang imperfectly. I was able to take the time to make sure all of the hooks were hanging well, and we discussed how he had been given his first dose of the vaccine, with another to come soon and we agreed how reassuring it was to get the jab. With the curtains fixed, I departed into the industrial streets of East Birmingham to home where I took a bath of Epsom Salts after a day of good running miles.