No, I don't know, why do corner shops never stock boxes of tissues? I wondered if it might be because they take up relatively large amounts of space for the price, but that sounds a little farfetched. At the end of a ride to Chiswick and back I had an unplanned excursion to the chemist to finally get some tissues in.

The lodger has managed to destroy the tin-opener, though in fairness I hardly ever use tinned food and so it might have been ready to fall apart for years. Also today I have changed the lock on the front door - a Yale lock, whose inside-the-door part was loose, but once taken off wouldn't go back on again. Turns out the turning mechanism, which is cut to fit, had been cut too short, so I couldn't reassemble it. Have new one. The man in the shop said he wouldn't cut it for me but never said - because at the time I hadn't realised what the problem was - that I'd have to do it myself because he couldn't say how much I would have to cut off.

Yesterday, went to the Hog In the Pound, near Bond Street station, and got talking to a Lithuanian woman, whose friends were Bulgarian and Swiss. That's London for you. Earlier I'd been to the Bar Italia on Frith Street. Sure it isn't my first time there but the first time since I sourced my List of Cafes to Visit. Bar Italia, its walls adorned with Italian sporting memorabilia, would be better if it was cheaper - £9 for a panini and a coffee is as steep as the Alpe D'Huez. And prior to that I'd been for a test ride on an Airnimal, a high-performance folder that I am not going to spend £800 on. More performance for less cash by simply buying a classic touring bike, I think. i am into simplicity at the moment. The Airnimal was nice but too overengineered as it needs to fold.

On Thursday it was the last Writing class and some of us went to the Queen's Larder, a Greene King pub but not bad for all that. I shouldn't have more than three pints, I start talking (more than usual) bollox. I do need to slow things down a bit though - last week, was out on Tuesday (CAMRA meeting), Wednesday (in the Fairfield Tavern), Thursday (class), and Friday (Hog in the Pound). Even if Tuesday can count as Voluntary Work. Well, I won't be drinking for the week leading up to next Sunday's bike ride anyhow.

This afternoon I have been watching eps 4 and 5 of Torchwood, via iPlayer, as Sky+ seems to have indigestion, believing it still has to record programmes that have already gone out, and having 'technical faults' with a lot of channels.