Rain fell all night, light as spider silk. Fat water beads on the grass blades are splashing over my cheery Wellington boots, as I’m out with Dog in the fields on morning walk duty. I am not convinced that this can be the same water as last night’s delicate precipitation; part of the same costume, like netting and sequins, but not the same material. The sky is made of monocloud, softly overcasting the day. Dog explodes five pheasants from some reedy undergrowth by the stream, but later fails to take notice of a rodent which quietly vacates the path behind her. I see a waddling brown fur back in the thick grass, big for a mouse, small for a rat, and it disappears into a tunnel system under the blackberry thicket.
There is weather today, I do note it: take a few moments to reckon the size of a cloud (big) and the frequency of rain (sporadic.) Centre of my interest though is a stack of magazines. Not the fashion kind. This is martial arts research. I'm not even sure what it is I'm looking for, but intuition calls loud. A range of old adverts skew some amusement. Contact pants, for example. Pants are not trousers where I come from. They are underwear. Professional contact pants: improved smirk value. But why would a person be likely to purchase a grappling hook and a lock pick set? For specialists and hobbyists only, the blurb assures. Guidance on the pheromone spray that attracts women against their better judgement? I doubt it works any more proficiently than the mysterious potion that defines your muscles while you sleep. But, then: I wonder is some sprayed on this paper? What was my intuition thinking, making this ghastly shout… Tea break time. There's a lot of words...

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