I’d just finished swimming and suddenly something hit me on the head. At first, I thought it was someone larking about but after the item bounced off my noggin, I caught it in my hand to discover it was a piece of rusted metal about the size of a large coin. I could only presume it came from above and looked inquiringly upward. Throughout the swim, there had been a large rumbling sound coming from somewhere that was difficult to pinpoint. Apparently, they were cleaning the roof using some noisy machine and that was loosening rusty parts of the roof on the inside. I looked down and saw that the pool had pieces of brown rusty metal on the swimming pool floor. It was my last swim today before going to Sweden, so it won’t be affecting me directly if they have to close the pool to clean it and fix the shedding roof but there will be a lot of unhappy swimmers if that is what they have to do.

The sun was hot but the wind was making the shade cold, it seems to be the pattern at the moment. With the leaves back on the trees, the wind was making a whooshing sound as the treetops in the Marquês square were swinging. Dogman’s dogs have become more animated in recent days, as I walked past the fountain close to the bench where they sit, one of them, the brown one, started barking loudly, continuing long after I was gone. At the traffic light beyond the square, I waited to get to the sunny side of the street. The difference between the two sides is autumn versus summer.

Somewhere in one of the buildings on my route school children were singing. I couldn’t determine exactly where the sound was coming from either. I looked up to see fast-moving clouds that occasionally blocked out the sun making everywhere momentarily cold until they were whisked on their way. I made it back in time to eat lunch and relax in front of the snooker world championships for an hour before my sesh with Craig in Atlanta. Olivia went into town because she felt like walking and she used the opportunity to find some Portuguese trinkets to bring to Sweden. One full day left before we leave, a break in the routine and an adventure ahead, shows, different cities, playing guitar in a cool band. Actually playing to an audience, what a concept.

I’ve been so busy I’ve only been able to do minimal language lessons but I caught up today in between dinner and Chelsea/Arsenal and the Easter Dr Who episode. In the kitchen, the suitcase is out and tomorrow we’ll be packing in advance of an early flight. I have to figure out which effects pedals to take, and how to protect my guitar as it hits the baggage carousels. I’m desperately trying to get to bed earlier and be prepared, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been on a flight.

I saw the Renault 4 driving in the street today, so it goes, haha. The car’s sculpture is one thing, its ability to get from A-B another. Sadly reliability isn’t governed by design but does it have to be that way? Obviously, there are some expensive beautifully designed and reliable cars out there but now it’s all about affordable, reliable and bland cars, whereas it used to be affordable, reliable and evocative shapes.

Music today has kept the contemporary and a bit of the madness but this band might be best described as post-punk and more like a less sneery The Fall – with Florence. This is Dry Cleaning, the same kind of driving band sound as Wet Leg, Nick on drums, Lewis on bass and Tom on (great) guitar – with Florence on narration. Is that a Hot Rod DeVille in the KEXP live performance? I just like their sound and energy, the words, it’s so English. Plus, there’s something about legs, their album is called New Long Leg (2021).

Music Of The Daze