I'll admit that the correct use of (if any) punctuation isn't an essential ingredient of the average shopping list, until it is - on today's Mr R list he'd written Bananas Cheese...so I just had to check...

At the end of this morning's session, as we were packing everything up, and a small industrious team of little volunteers were token sorting on the ground, Run Director Rue turned to us and said he was a bit disappointed as he'd expected today's turnout to be "closer to 50"...you know you're in extremely tough company when today's actual total of 47 enthusiastic runners doesn't meet the RD's clearly very high expectations on turnout...!!

At 0855 today we had one runner, and about 6 volunteers, and were wondering what we would do if that proved to be today's turnout...but as the minutes ticked towards 9 the crowds appeared from all directions, and we definitely had a parkrun to organise. After a few callouts to the crowd for last minute Marshalls and a Tail Walker, we had all the essential volunteer roles filled and were good to go.

Rue led his now infamous (I'm sure this is what draws the crowd...) Hackney Haka as the warmup act, and it was impressive to see how many of the junior runners now know all the moves by heart, before timekeeper Johnny set them off on 2 laps around the sunny Fields. Marshall Nick briefly had to step in as Tail Walker when a large gap appeared after the final runner, but it transpired that the actual Tail Walker was doing his job perfectly by stopping to check on the welfare of one of our first timers...and soon caught up the back of the pack once again.

Another close finish for the top two positions (separated by just 2 seconds), and then a steady stream of happy faces appeared in the finish funnel - the spring like conditions (and the dried out mud) clearly were inspiring as we had 14 PB's...Rue was probably thinking it should have been at least 20... See you next week for more fun at the Fields.

My geography of northwest London clearly failed me this afternoon, when the friendly Mrs N handed me her very neatly written list and I asked which shop to aim for. There's a Tesco on Clifton Road she said, just a short walk away. A quick check of the map to make sure I was heading in the right direction and off I wandered...only to find myself in a very familiar Tesco that I occasionally shop in for another beneficiary in the area, but just approach it from a completely different direction...

Strangely all the shelves were bare of sardines in olive oil this week - surely this can't be blamed on what's happening in the Gulf? Fortunately Mr T's request for just one onion was more easily fulfilled thanks to his local Tesco - a stickler for not wasting food (I went home with two carrots), he was firm in his instructions that one was all he wanted, otherwise it would end in tears...