Out and ab0ut early in Ponte de Lima. And a bit of Michael Rosen.

 After yesterday evening’s late and rather copious meal I didn’t sleep as well as might have been expected last night. After all I’d been up since 4.30 in the morning and, if fact, I fell asleep almost immediately I went to bed. The problem was that I woke up every hour and a half or thereabouts. 

When I woke for the final time at 7.30 I switched off my alarm and got up and donned my running gear. It was very misty but it had the look of those early morning mists that burn off as soon as the sun hits it. So I picked up the keys and went downstairs. And hit a problem … I couldn’t unlock the door. There was a key in the lock, which I turned. No result. I took out that key and tried my own key… I still couldn’t unlock the door! 

After some jiggling I got the door open and off I went, wondering if I would be able to get back in again. 

I ran down to the river, admiring the little chapel of Sāo João, and then alongside the river, until I came to a delightful Alameda!

 

 

The old part of the town is delightful and the Roman-Medieval bridge is impressive.

I ran back to think about breakfast. Yes, I managed to to open the door. The three chess players were still asleep. All was quiet. The sun burnt the mist away. The day proved very pleasant. 

Here’s a bit of Michael Rosen, to remind us to keep thinking:

'Tutor,' said the KIng, 'can anything be completely and totally flat?'

'No,' said the Tutor, 'but it's possible to make something as flat as it can be.'

'That's an interesting way to look at it,' said the King, 'and yet we do say things like 'as flat as a pancake'.

'Yes,' said the tutor, 'that is odd, especially as a pancake, even to the naked eye, is not really flat. Not as flat as kitchen top, for example.'

'But we do try to make things flat, don't we?' said the King.,

'Yes,' said the tutor, 'there is something pleasing to the eye about flat things, so we should regard the ambition to make things flat, a noble mission.'

'That's a very fine thought,' said the King.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone.