Wednesday

 Good morning.  It's another very early start - I'm writing this at just after five but have been awake for an hour and a half.  It is what it is and, as I can't force myself to go back to sleep again, I may as well make the best of it and get stuff done.  In some ways it's a very good start to a day.

Yesterday was fab.  Well, most of yesterday but perhaps not the dentist.

I went in as always and he started putting in the implant but it felt really strange, absolutely enormous and not in the least what we had decided which was an implant with a sort of 'cantilevered' bridge to another by the side.  He was puzzled, his assistant was puzzled and it was very uncomfortable.  
In the end, he took it back out saying something was wrong and he would have to follow up and, possibly re-measure.  Personally, I think maybe names got mixed up because it was so totally different to what was needed and decided.  So I booked another appointment (beginning of October), paid no bills and left.
I wasn't cross, just disappointed really but stuff happens and, even if it was the right tooth, Dr Clough wasn't accepting it but was sending it back.  That's reassuring.

On the way home, I stopped off at t'allotment to water and pick.  More baby corn, more raspberries and loads more runner beans.

And then Beth and I set off for Colchester.  Beth was driving, which was nice and a real treat for me.
The spa was good.  Not in the least bit posh or fancy, but there were four pools - a cooling pool which was a bit bigger and in which one could swim around a bit, a plunge pool (no, thank you) which was jolly cold, a bubble pool and one with lots of currents to stand against and feel the water pummeling your body.  The last is hard to explain but it was really nice and felt great.
Then there were various sauna like rooms - a dry sauna which they called the volcano room, several steam rooms of different kinds - salt, aromatherapy, etc, and a massage room (which you had to book).  
Then there was an area for reclining and resting or reading and a place to order a lunch which was surprisingly varied given it was just a corner of the spa, plus tables and chairs.  I had a jacket potato and tuna and it was HUGE - I could only manage half - plus a black coffee that was really nice.

It's obviously quite a popular place with all sorts and types of people using it.  I can quite understand why and we decided we much treat ourselves again at some point.  My only complaint was that there was only a communal changing room, not a few cubicles as well.  Limitations of space, I suspect.

The spa is far enough away to make it something that needs to be planned rather than a pop in on the spur of the moment thing.  About thirty five minutes up the A12 and very easy to find.

Back at Beth's afterwards, we had a bit of a chat and then I came home.  Beth has a week off at the end of September so we will probably do something then.  That's definitely to look forward to.  Also, I really ought to make more of the steam room and sauna at the gym, I have decided.

Today, things are back to normal.  I need to go into town this morning as one of the silicone nose pad thingies has come off my glasses and it's uncomfortable.  It will only take a moment to repair them and I'm wearing my other glasses at the moment.
I have a little list of things to do while I'm there, including a few things for Beth, so it will be a useful time and I may very well pop into Primark and see what's there as well.  Not to mention the big M&S!
As my Dave says, spending the kids' inheritance.

I don't know if I ever said but around eighteen months ago my two sat down with me and had a serious talk to me (definitely to me!) about how I needed to treat myself a bit more - having worked hard for a comfortable retirement, enjoy it!  That sort of thing.
I wonder if they are now regretting it, bless them!   :-)

Later on, it is personal training with Lindsey.  We've changed it to three o'clock this week as a one off and before then I have a fair old pile of ironing to do so I won't be idle.  At some point I need to do my watering duties too.

Well, it's half past five and it's not even started to get light yet.  There's that lovely Autumnally smoky aroma that I love so much drifting around and today is supposed to be the last of the sunny days.
Have a great day, everyone, and may you have sunshine too.  xx