And here we are, sprung forward an hour into British Summer Time. This daylight saving time scheme is also known as Western European Summer Time and is practised in the Canaries, Portugal, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, the Channel Island Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, and the Isle of Man, as well as the UK. Whatever we are calling it, the sun feels obligingly bubbling hot. It’s a spring heat but winter being the nearest season we have for comparison, it seems hotter than it is. In a temperate climate, and especially if you should happen to live in a rain-belt, a sunny day is something to leap on. I have jumped as far as the sun lounger, sprawled back on full tilt, flip flops kicked off. Dog lies down, chewing a bit of grass. Last night’s bonfire gives out a shudder of dew-damped ash. I watch aeroplane trails smudge and disperse, while a little blue butterfly sits on a honeysuckle leaf, like a flake of sky.
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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