Atypical evening - bowl bowling bowls

What are you doing tonight?
Before you say 'the same thing I..' yeah yeah
Oh I wasn't even thinking that. Probably just have a quiet one. Three birthdays running as of tomorrow.
Yeah and sunday if we go up we will be drinking until you can't walk or see.


I walked into my front door and put the shopping away. I made a pitta sandwich and decided to go out to the skatepark. Georgia asked if I had got that Teeline book from the library for her and I said I'd forgotten but I'd have a look.
They didn't have it so I got her three other slightly relevent ones, one of which it turned out she had. I drop these off on my way to Tolworth, enjoying driving with a cd on and The Dolphin beside me small and blue. I don't know where the bowl is but The Dolphin wants to ride the bowl and I want to ride The Dolphin.
After asking strangers at Charrington Bowl (the tenpin kind) I am directed past the station, right. I push myself atop The Dolphin along the pavement weaving around two townies on the corner and down the road. Some middle aged men are playing football and I watch their game through the zootrope of the flicking by fence with the setting sun playing on my eyes. I climb the fence after seeing the gate is locked to the park but unnecesarily it turns out as I see someone gliding by in a way humans don't move as standard. I walk towards the lawn bowls club which is where the skate bowl is and the kids shout that the gate is on the other side. I go in and the surface is smooth but there is just a bowl and nothing else. It is decent but I don't know if The Dolphin can handle it. I mess about finding my feet and then learn to drop in on it. Not that hard.
I leave before it gets too dark and skate back to the car. I drive away but can only turn left so decide to take another left turn and explore. Part way along a road I may never have been down I start coughing and am sick out of the window. This could affect my driving so I carry on cautiously trying to breathe regularly and pull up in the Toby Carvery. A car is pulling out and I take it's space and walk in the back door. I ask at the bar for a glass of water which is filled from the kitchen and tastes slightly like bitters or something.
I decide to order food. Mushroom Jalfrezi, which I find difficult to say. The man doesn't understand me, and when he does he struggles to find it on the til, until realising it is listed as 'mushroom curry'. I say I am sitting in the fenced of raised sofa area by the window. I sit down. There are no newspapers but the music is occaisionally worthy of a modicum of attention.
As I wait a woman sits down, sent over by a man at the bar. I assume she is with him. He brings over the drinks, asks what the deal is with 'just a coke'. She says she's been drinking a lot recently.
It turns out this is a first date. They sat down opposite me so I think about getting up. I also consider listening intently. Instead I half listen and wait for my food, quietly amused by the hopelessness of the date and the guy's insistence that she's easy to talk to even though she seems entirely uncomfortable. It's a blind date and he's accidentally insulting her, apologising and talking about his ex. He says the woman he's on the date with looked better with curly hair then says he meant different. Maybe slimmer. I leave them to it and recieve my food from the bar, which I eat in a different area of Worcester Park Toby Carvery. The food is adequate and warmish and I eat it happily alongside the 3 flavoured prawn crackers. The sauce is out of a packet but it is served in a cold balti dish. It wasn't expensive. I finish my food and leave.
I get back in the car still driving at random, not wanting to return home the way I came. I arrive back and say hi to Antony down the intercom. He buzzes me in and we work in the artwork concepts for his track.
Later on I meet Chris in the alley. It is dark and shadows lurk in the corner. I am listening to Joy Division. I walk the legnth of the alley and wait by the river. I ask some strangers for a light and they make me catch it. I look at the CCTV and look at myself standing waiting at the end of an alley. I walk back through, meeting Chris half way down. We quickly discuss the shoot and I rattle off 18 shots. Half way through a lairy crowd swagger passed with two girls traipsing behind. They yell 'no photography in the alley'. One of the girls says 'band photos?' and a guy says 'one man band'. Chris' band was once a one man project. We are done so we walk out, talking about portfolios. We shake hands on the corner opposite the chippy and disappear into the night.