Dogged determination .

 I am come from Istria, via Slovenia, Austria,  Germany and France and now I get to walk by the Thames.  

Sun, sea and sour notes.

 I see I have been chided for flying.  Apparently the biggest thing most of us can do to help the planet at present,  is to change how our pension is used - and I have not actually shifted my few pennies.  I could virtue signal at this point the things I do instead, but I will just imply them as of course I do things to offset my flights.   I have had people who have five kids have a go at me for flying and people with no kids.  And of course I do not feel especially happy these days to fly,  but weirdly the whole of humanity is not resting on my few flights.  I think there are more things at play here, but at some point I will probably be drummed out of the green movement for having the audacity, like the oranges I eat for example,  to fly from time to time.    In fact I have just flown home from Spain just now and I was going to share some wonderful things about Spain and the sun, and the food and the friendships made, but a sour mood has come over me when I realise my only reader has not disappeared and is as warped as ever so time maybe, especially as this blog is really just a nice way for me to remember things,  to recall no one cares what I have done -  my life is too little.  I am stupid to keep a record of it anyway and I do not enjoy the comments, but it does help me remember.    

So, rather than a detailed happy blog, just a few words just a few celebratory pictures from a very good time.   Well done, Diane, you have saved yourself some reading. 

                                                     La Alberca, just after the snow in my first week. 

                                         Some of the more serious runners at the Valencia Marathon. 

El Parmar, the rice growing area, just outside Valencia. 

City of Sciences. 

Colon Market Christmas scene, Valencia

Water ceremony Valencia

Alicante market place. 

In Torrevieja with JC. 

Johnny in Torrievieja

Alicante

Madrid Plaza Mayor

La Alberca

Madrid, Tribunal first stop. 

Too much going on to keep up, but this is great fun.

 So much is going on at present it is almost hard to keep up.  Alongside the negative news about Covid and many countries in the world etc we continue with our attempts to relaunch the Greens locally,  and  internationally there have been the Earthshot awards which have been inspirational and positive.  I felt very pleased and a little smug to realise that a small group I donated to back in 2018,  Coral Vita was not only still going,  which was a relief,  but that it was one of the winners so that is really positive news.  One of my tenants best friends has just become one of the joint leaders of the Green Party,  so really hope he can help the party break through and make a difference.     I am over three quarters of the way through my short Introduction to Permaculture Course,  put on by Wyld Edges, and now have to do some design work to complete the course, so writing this as part of displacement activity.    And at last more locally the allotments seem to have more support.  I was up there today with my neighbours planting bulbs, so that was lovely.   And having fallen over and broken my guitar teacher's guitar,  I finally have a guitar of my own, as he kindly found me one.   I have even written a song inspired by the racist attitude of my son's headmaster who attacked my son for his beautiful cane rows and when my son refused to give in to his bullying,  the school found a way to punish him, by not allowing him to flower educationally.     If I can work out how to play the tune I can try and upload it but just present the basic lyrics for present.  

My baby's hair don't cut it. 

Oh my baby's hair don't cut it. 

My baby's hair don't cut it. 

That's what the big man said.  

You can't do that in my school

Don't care that it looks cool

I'm the one that makes the rules

That's what the big man said/says.  

Don't care what your muma says.  

Don't care what your popa says. 

Don't care about the folks back home. 

That's what the big man sayZ. 

My baby's hair - reprise or add additional verses as you want. 

And from a mum's point of view, how wonderful to have my son's beauty captured in a wacky ad for a Swedish company.   His previous ad has been viewed over a million times.  In this one he is the main lead and it has been viewed by almost half a million people.  Extraordinary.  

The Joy of Having Very Very Very Little Work followed by an insane weekend.

 8.15 - 9.15 Tai Chi at local community centre  followed by a walk back through the Lee Valley collecting rosehips. 

After breakfast a read and a relax.  I fell over and broke the guitar I have been loaned on Tuesday, but trying to get a tune out of it still just to have some practice, so spent some time on this. 

Followed this up by time on the car parking space that thinks it is a garden,  by drawing a zone of plants for the Permaculture course activity. 

Cooked a lovely aubergine dish in the oven with fruit pie for afters, then headed upstairs to do some research for the Green Party.  

Have just started work on video of the holiday in Croatia but will then finally have some work and then sort out the rose hips before watching TV and going to bed early ready for my weekend in London. 

Work pays for these activities but now lucky if I get 10 hours a week, but instead I have time.  

Saturday ,Sunday, Monday

Lovely sunny day.  Train to a very busy Windsor.  It is years since I have been there and everyone was out enjoying the sun.   Had a slight panic on route that it was beyond the zone of my train card, but not charged extra once there.  Popped into a little art exhibition and spent 5 minutes with artist Carole Benton looking at her work, then had a nice wonder along the river before heading back into town and the London Film Festival showing of Encounter starring Riz Ahmed, which was very frightening at times so was very glad I was in both the company of friends and a full cinema.   It was wonderful hearing everyone gasping together.  When we came out London was absolutely packed and each restaurant had a long queue.  Luckily my intrepid friend pinned down a Pizza Express member of staff so got us on the waiting list, then manoeuvred us to a pub for quick drink.    I cannot get served when a pub is quiet, so hats off to friend for getting served straight away in a packed London pub.  Tube up the creak after, so did not get home to late, so spent much of Sunday recovering before heading back up to London for the Sting hip hop dance production Message in a Bottle.    At the beginning we were told we should not film during the production, but could film the end dance, so I found it annoying that a couple of people were filming during the show - the former usher in me kept getting distracted, so I raised it with the usher hovering on duty.  However, the problem with that is she was next to me at the end so whilst I knew we could film then I felt too shy too and so didn't get Sting coming on to stage to take a bow!   The show had been on last year but the poster did not grab me then I saw a TV s how on it and realised it was exactly my kind of thing,  as this You Tube example from the end of the show highlights. 

The weekend had a slight downside, as I could not get the computer I had taken with me to work so had to cancel work, rushed back from London late last night and now back home and my other computer did not work so more cancelled work.   I am also shattered as unexpectedly got to see family members on Monday evening and did not get home till midnight, so quite a weekend. 

Gridlock and exciting developments.

 The allotment project in the area had a re-launch and to our delight and amazement lots of people came. It turns out there is a growing Home Education movement locally and the parents are just beginning to meet together and they want somewhere to develop their education with the kids, so the allotment could be just the space.  But in addition to several families, individuals turned up too so who knows this precious thing which has been hanging by a thread just might thrive. 

However, some people could not even get to the allotment as there was so many cars gridlocked on the road, that they could not get through. The gridlock was caused by people trying to get petrol.  I had originally planned to go to a green event in Hertford but decided it was a non starter as the roads were so blocked.  

I have bought a climbing rose for my developing front car parking space and hope it will thrive.  

St. Augustine - a green example. Austen - A red example.

 As Cop 26 comes ever nearer and to help celebrate the Great Big Green Week, the local parish church held a rather nice event.   Some activities highlighted how we could help e.g. Fairtrade, moving to a green energy provider, but elsewhere their were stalls ,were we could just engage goods. There was a lovely atmosphere and loads of people attended.     Local cllrs also attended to talk about what the Council here is doing and Green Party members dropped in to enjoy the occasion.  I felt a bit odd, being both a resident and a Green Party now activist when talking to the Cllr,  he was very nice and realised we both had an agenda but were genuinely asking question about what is happening in the area with regards to climate change and sustainability.  

I have eaten my pepper.  It has been a tiny green pepper for many weeks so I left it to see if it would grow, but instead it has turned red.  It was delicious.  I have grown a pepper from seed. :)

Bus stop.

 Just ventured out despite the torrential rain to catch the 11.38 bus to the next town down.  Gave up at 12. 27.  Not sure what is going on.    In Croatia as least I could wait in the sun, but then I had to pay for the privilege of catching a bus.  Glad to be home, but have started working on my Croatian again,  so obviously looking forward to the next trip too.  

Post script.  Next day the person I had had an appointment with notified me he had Covid, so now thanking my lucky stars that the bus did not come.    He is now about the fourth person who has been double jabbed that I know about who has had a very nasty bout of Covid. 

Badly behaved in Croatia.

 Don't know what is wrong with me.  Have just walked out of the local supermarket, not wanting to pay for the goods as they were not what I wanted or expected. Think I am just tired of not being able to understand things, tired of all the emotional ups and downs and even of the heat. I am still happy to be here, but feel I just keep getting things wrong and that is taking its toll.  Plus I am not sure feeling well.  

When I was a teenager I had a slightly similar melt down. Every day I would go out on time to catch the bus to college and every day I would either be late because the bus was late, or I would be late because I missed the bus as the bus was early. One day my body had just had enough and I collapsed for a day or two.  I am not in as serious a state as that, but things are definitely catching up with me.   

I have decided that buses are a bit of a metaphor for life.  The bus fills up at the beginning and then bit by bit there are fewer of us left till there are none, or one is at the bus stop early and still misses the bus etc etc.   I am sure as I get a bit more of the language and can remember to laugh more at my inability to understand and I will be fine but perhaps age and travelling does make it all a bit more challenging.  And I am not well  I treated myself to a meal out a couple of days ago and have not been right since.  I am normally never tempted by hamburgers, but this one promised 100% Croatian beef and everyone has been saying the local hamburgers are the best.  So I gave in.  It was delicious everything about it from the handmade brioche, to the crunchy salty bacon bits on top but it was rather red inside and I felt too shy and too lacking in knowledge about hamburgers to know if that was right or not.   Anyway based on how ill I have been since, I guess in this instance, perhaps that was not right.  I think burgers can be pink like this one, but perhaps it wasn't cooked to the right temperature level.  Time to slink back to cold old England and try and get back to a bit of work and " normality" whatever that is in a world where the Taliban are back in control and the weather is up the creek.   

Rookie errors, and teetering up and down hills.

 I have taken myself off to view some more of Croatia.  It is a really beautiful country, travelling by coach first from Split to Tucepi and then from Tucepi to Dubrovnik,  has given me a great opportunity to know more about its geography if nothing else.   It is very mountainous to Ploce, with winding roads and stunning sea views,  then suddenly there is a wide valley, with wines growing followed by a steady rise.  A bridge is partially completed, so not in use, but one day will take travellers south within Croatia   but at present one suddenly has to give in passports as one is in Bosnia for a few kilometres, and then once back into Croatia, the land drops down to Dubrovnik and its generous port and old town. 

City Walls Dubrovnik. 

However, I feel I have made a few rookie errors when doing my bookings.  Croatia has a great bus system, but as I booked through a website that checks all the options for buses,  rather than via specific Croatian bus companies, I paid a lot more as I did not get a pensioner discount.  Yet , the website I did use Getbybus,  was good at giving specific location pick up point details, which was just as well as another error made was booking to go to a small destination, rather than one with a bus garage and easy access to information.    Which was why last Tuesday my nerves were almost shattered and I was trying to work out how to find out what was going on,  as I had been sitting by the side of the road for over an hour by the time my bus did suddenly appear.  By then I had already managed in my anxiety to drop my phone and break it and weirdly my camera is not functioning properly either in sympathy.     So note to self, no more bookings to more difficult destinations.  However, in many ways Tucepi was a great way to wind down from the last few weeks.  Much more touristy than anywhere else I have been to in Croatia, I was very happy to just sit on the beach, read, walk along the front and generally relax.  I did try and work, but the internet was not good enough.  Unfortunately that was also the case in Kastela.  Hopefully Dubrovnik might be better, though I can only risk booking one class in case there is an issue.  The front at Tucepi is 4 km long and I walked about half of it,  luckily as they have not felled the pines along the front, walking is a nice gentle pursuit and not too hot, but up above the main road  there are tantalising mountains and the paths are very well signposted but I just cannot walk up hills anymore and so only got to do a short distance in the evening.  . However, one can see how well the lower reaches of the mountains have been terraced to enable olive farming.  Some of the terraces must be very old, but routes through have been made that go down all the way to the coast and water runnels also are catered for which is interesting.    I could not see anyone working the fields and there is so much tourism perhaps that takes all the workers, but it would be nice if a balance can be found between the sea and the land and the locals and the tourists.  

By the way maybe avoid the Studenac supermarket if you ever visit Tucepi.  The first night there as I wanted to cook,  I went to the local shop and was initially charged 162 kuna, for a few nuts, a banana and some peaches, tomatoes and roll. More than a decent meal in a restaurant would cost.  But the guy said well some bananas and nuts are just that expensive.  In the end I persuaded to run the stuff through the till again and it came to 20 kina.  The last day, I bought breakfast there and again he over charged me but as it was only 2 kuna this time, I did not complain.    /when it is working the store has decent and cheap coffee and hot chocolate, so it worth going there, but only when one is not overcharged.  The one next door to where I am staying in Dubrovnik has proved that good service can exist here.  

Halfway up. 

When I visited Lisbon, I found I could only walk downhill, I had to have a bus to go uphill.  I had not realised till I arrived in Dubrovnik that Dubrovnik is even steeper. In the heat, and despite having only a small bag with me, I thought I was about to have a heart attack when looking for my lodgings.  They are very nice and only half way up the hill, any further and I think I would have had to find somewhere else.    Lots of stairways are cut up through the houses, which is very clever, but on a dark night having somehow missed the bus back to my lodgings, it was also alarming to find my way here during the coolers hours. Why I did not think to stay in the Youth Hostel heaven knows, it is much better located even though I like where I am now I know my way around.    In the UK it is very difficult to book just a bed in a hostel because of the Covid virus and these days many hostels have only mixed bed dorms, but I did not even think to look for Dubrovnik. I no longer think I am a youth even though I know one can be any age to stay there. Fitter older people will cope with and enjoy Dubrovnik. It is quite an amazing place, the history of the Dubrovnik Republic is very impressive, so I am glad I have been and hope I might come again, but I have added it to my list of places one should visit when more energetic.     For example I would love to have the courage to do what lots of visitors do here and that is to go sea kayaking, but I would be too scared and even walking around the walls, I had to give up as the last bit was just too scary with my vertigo.  It never occurred to me I would be so scared, but I got encouragement from some Brits also going around the route and congratulated myself with an extravagant 15 kuna salted peanut ice cream to steady my nerves, half way around.   

Late night fireworks just before missing the bus even though I was at the bus stop!. 

One thing I did get right though, having failed at Tucepi, to spot they had an evening of entertainment on at the harbour whilst I was there, this prompted me to check what was happening in Dubrovnik and to my delight it turned out that a Beethoven concert was being held in the Open Air the day I arrived, and whilst I had to go half way through to miss aforementioned bus  is there anything nicer than sitting on a church step on a warm evening enjoying the most beautiful sounds in gorgeous surroundings and watching the world go by.  So despite the flaws, mostly in my planning,  I am very glad to be getting to know my adopted country better. 

A wonderful wedding.

 It is hard to believe it is the 1st of September, as here in Croatia it is still lovely and warm and the beaches in the tourist town of Tucepi are still packed. I am kicking myself for not buying the little flat in Kastela, that I had the chance to buy last year - I thought that there would be very few tourists out here this year with the Covid virus, but I am wrong,  so I really missed a trick there, however, I do know that there were lots of reasons I did not progress with it and my offer had been rejected.  So even in another country still stuck with old concerns. Sadly I have also been a bit freaking out all holiday. I often do the first day in a new country, but this time it has stayed with me much of the time, though I do not fully understand what it is about, so whilst I am enjoying it all very much,  I am also weirdly freaking out.    I suspect it has to do with the weird year it has been and the emotions connected to what has been a very happy time, but also  I suppose a very intense time.    However, everything has been made much easier by how calm Mr and Mrs Austen, have been throughout this time and how kind.  They really have put others first,  even though they should have been at the heart of the event.  

First they gave us the family time before the wedding,  just chillin time,  they especially spent time with the children, then they ensured that we visited key places and for fun they added in time at the local aqua park.  There have been lots of nights watching TV together, or playing computer games and tons of takeaways in between trips to hairdressers and wedding dress companies.   Bit by bit they also had to dash to the airport to pick up more of their guests, and when the car stopped working, that meant via bus.  Two days before the wedding they had to get pcr tests for the guests who had come in from Sweden, Portugal and France and they also put up Nathan's cousin when her accommodation did not come up to spec.   The night before the wedding a whole bunch of them went out for a meal, including  my 14 year old nephew and on the wedding day they also ferried several people to the event which was taking place out on Ciovo island. 

I wanted to make the most of the hotel we were staying at so I took myself off their early by bus.  It was a rather touristy place - it had that old familiar feel of a holiday hotel that was a bit past its best but that in a way was its charm, except you had to climb about thirty steps to the uninspiring reception where a sour faced greeting sent you off to a side door entitled Hotel Bike.   The actual room I stayed in was stylish and big and very promising, except that when I needed a hot bath,  I got a cold one instead and could not work out how to use the shower and to add insult to injury it cost £26 more to stay there for a night than I expected, however, it was just above the wedding venue and that was useful as we could go on the beach, help with the decorations and then rest before the event, and when I was all danced out I could slip away to sleep away.    

The wedding had a few dramatic events to it, such as the grooms wedding ring going missing,  the audio being such that even though an English translator being present, I often couldn't hear or understand what he was saying, and for a moment I was a very sour faced guest as I felt a bit overwhelmed by it all and was upset when the little English band were not all together at the reception.  In the end it was quickly sorted out and for the most part it was a very lovely occasion.  The priest himself was great,  the little church really sweet and it was completely full.  Musician friends from Sahaja came and played and Mooji was kind enough to send personal greetings to them and the bride and groom.  My nephew handed out the sheets with the reading in English and my niece being the flower girl got to sit in the front row with me.  Despite the cold wind outside it was roasting inside.    Most of the ceremony was in Croatian including the vows,  my son is really coming along with his language,  and it was wonderful to see the loving smiles between him and his wife.  It seemed much nicer and more friendly than most weddings.    I was really taken by the fact that both me and the bride's mother wore the same colour blue.  We had pride of place, but no ceremonial function but every now and then people would congratulate me both on the wedding and on having such a lovely son.   I would have loved it if I could have made a brief speech to thank everyone for coming, but speeches are kept to a minimum, which is probably as it should be.   However, I was busy taking pictures and sending them back to the UK so that made me feel more purposeful. And at key moments the bride and groom did manage to hook up with family at home too, so that helped it feel inclusive. 

Then it was off to the wedding venue next door. There were only 50 guests but that was a nice number. N and M were at the top table with their best man and best woman.  The best man gave a brief speech and then that was it.   We had a lovely starter of prosciutto and cheese, followed by a meat dish with prunes or rice and squid, which people seemed to really enjoy.  The meat was very tasty,  and then I had fish which was really lovely.     It is served with chard, which is really popular here.  I need to find out how they make it so much tastier than my chard at home.    As the wedding had not started till 7.30 we were eating really late and in between each course we all got up dancing.  There was a really special mood as each number seemed to signify something to the other for example my sister and I suddenly found ourselves dancing the opening bars of a song, alone before everyone joined in.  And the 8 year old ring girl surprised everyone with her robot dance.    Apparently some of the people up and dancing were famous for not normally joining in so I do not know what had happened, but the choice of music, which was designed to reflect everyone's various tastes helped. There was a lovely moment when M danced with her very elderly grandma.  Then there was a very delicious cake,  each layer had a different flavour,  lemon and chocolate were the ones I tried and then having danced and danced I slipped away, but apparently it only! went on to about 2.30! by which time I was fast asleep. But I woke at 7 so went up to the swimming pool and then enjoyed breakfast and started taking down the decorations.  I was able to get a boat back to Trogir which was fun, or would have been if I  had not left my camera behind at the hotel.  However, luckily others at the hotel were able to retrieve it, so whilst I felt their service had not been good (like much we have experienced this trip) on this occasion they came up trumps.  .   Then I crashed out at home, waking up in time for a second day's celebration for neighbours who had not been able to come to the wedding.  It is so lovely that maybe 20 people can sit outside and share a meal together.  Apparently it is traditional to serve roast lamb or pork the day after the wedding,  and there was a special heart shaped cake and a toast to end the evening.  (however, I had crashed out by then)  And it was good to get to know the neighbours who now people my son's life. 

The last day of celebrations come holiday was a boat trip out to the islands.  The sun shone, the company was good and it was a perfect way to relax together.   The owners even gave the newly weds a present, and their attention to detail was great.  Fish, wine,  the famous local drink and swimming off the boat, made for a memorable end to memorable celebrations. 

Oh so easy, after months of stress.

Back in January flights were booked and then for months the situation was viewed with varying levels of anxiety - green, red, amber systems influencing what trips were legal or not.  On top of that PCR tests and vaccination certificates were required, - the information given about what was necessary changing at times and often not clear Then suddenly the Croatians banned wedding receptions and even now rules influence who can attend. .  It has been a topsy turvy year for all concerned.  But then suddenly we were on a flight,  and two hours later and a rather long queue to have our passports stamped (We are now out of the EU)  and we were out into the relaxed atmosphere of a warm evening in Split.  Since then the family have happily pottered locally, swam, had meals together,  and generally chilled.   I often travel alone, so it is very nice to have my niece and nephew here, to share the fun, have Sunday lunch with etc.  And it is nice to meet more of the Croatian family here too.   So all is good 

Split

Split

A busy week

 Monday Yoga and work 

Tuesday guitar and work 

Wednesday art and work. - 

Thursday- tried sewing but even worse at it than I was at school  and work. 

Friday down to Cheshunt for the allotment 

And at the weekends - work.  

Next week I have two meetings on Monday evening - the book group and the Green Party, but will have been to London too for my PCR test so not sure I will be doing anything really that evening.  

I love that there is so much going on in this area and even more is coming on stream as pottery might be back,  so why am I still thinking of moving.  This is exactly what I wanted all these contacts with people and learning so much. I still want to do Tai Chi and swimming too   

Home from home, or home and away.

 I spend a lot of time in my head imagining I am being interviewed,  I have these narratives running around. Probably not unusual. When I stride about in my leggings for example I tell myself I am a youthful older person, which is probably why I was using my nieces scooter when I fell off and sprained my ankle badly,   but when she asks me to run up hill, the voice in my head says run but my legs do not obey, my legs tell me I am not pretend elderly I am elderly.  Young older person statistically yes, but the old lady legs and arms skin also tell me the same story.      Like all things in life it is how one squares that version of oneself with the internal version, it is a constant dialogue.    

Inverness

When I moved from my home to my flat, I imposed a narrative, your son has left home, you are no longer a family you are a single person again,  revive yourself and enjoy this next phase by downsizing. The minute I arrived in my flat, I realised it was a false narrative, and ever since I have not known how to tell myself my own story about where to live. Perhaps where I am living is home, yet I still hanker for home. 

Pitlochry

Yet I also hanker for travel, but this Covid world has made that seem a smaller space dream, and so I embraced this and my old lady narrative, by booking for what I knew would be a holiday mainly occupied by older people by coach up to Scotland and I am pleased to say it went well.  I did tell myself I was one of the younger ones,  but the 80 year old who outwalked me showed that youth is not always fitness.  But that was why it was so wonderful, not having to drag my own case around, not having to get myself from A to B or worry about when the bus or train would come. My only worry was the torrential rain that was forecast which might have seen us all off, but which only materialised thankfully when we were in the coach.  Because of the restrictions imposed in Scotland, some things were off the agenda including a train ride and whiskey distillery visit, but the scenery, history, food, location and company made up for it.    I have now spent so much time in the north of England this year that I begin to feel like a local.   But when I get home, will the south still command my attention?

                                                     

Carousel production Open Air Theatre Regent's Park. 

Moray Firth

Well done. UK team,  brilliant Olympics,  both the winners and the participants, but how lovely that we did so well in this show without an audience, where the Japanese were watching events on their doorstep via TV and yet where excitement was still conveyed.  

Happy as a borboleta!

 At the grand old age of 66 I have finally fulfilled a teenage dream and had my first guitar lesson. 

It was a perfect day, so I walked the back route through the Lee Valley, almost all the way there,  and delighted in the dancing butterflies, taking the route with me.   To my relief, the teacher, did not faint with shock when I arrived, although he rubbished the guitar I have been nursing for years,  and mainly talked - though I did get to play Happy Birthday and attempt some chords - which is fair enough for a first session , which was free.   And three more have been booked!  I will have to borrow his guitar, but suffice it to say I almost skipped home the mile or so and as I danced a little song came to me about the little borboleta floating by.    Rarely have I felt so happy. 

Originally I was on a waiting list as a teenager to have lessons, but then the rumour circulated that the man was not to be trusted, so when my place came up, I turned it down.    In today's climate we are rightly aware of child safety and it is clear that the rumour then was attempting the same thing,  but I have no idea whether there was anything in the rumours so shame on me and I felt too scared to tell me parents about things so they never knew why I did not do the lessons.   Meanwhile my piano teacher gave up on me, and in truth even though I have a piano at home, I can scarcely play more than my 11 year old self could.   And with arthritic shoulders etc perhaps this is a dream that has arrived a bit too late, but I will give it a go, 

I had also planned to have a sewing lesson this week too, but had to work, however, I was crap at sewing at school,  and for a long time have wanted to try again, so I will try and reschedule,  old age a chance to be a teenager again. 

Whilst I have been very happy, all over England and now Europe flooding on a virtually unprecedented scale seems to illustrate again how serious the climate catastrophe is, yet sadly the Green Party seems to be going through the types of problems normally associated with the bigger parties.  Both leaders have stood down recently over various issues including trans rights. 

Italy V England.

 Amazingly we are still in with a chance of winning the European Football Championship,  it has brought joy across the nation. Tomorrow night millions of us will be watching football with a knot in our stomachs.    I still remember a school project I did when England won the world cup,  I can see the kids coming home now with their England flags and they are clearly doing something similar.    After a year or more with the pandemic it is bringing joy.  However, it is not uncontroversial.  The thousands watching the games - people are worried that is spreading the virus and whether it is or not the virus is spreading again.  But we are told the vaccine will keep us safe. It is hard to know.   

Meanwhile I am trying to enjoy the summer and actually prefer to do things before we fully open up and things are absolutely packed, so I have been to an exhibition and a social distanced concert with violinist Nicola Benedetti, up in London, both of which were fabulous and seen several friends, and I am paying for all this fun, by feeling ugh.    The exhibition was a follow on to a huge community art project that included a march to Whitehall a couple of years ago to celebrate women getting the vote.   It was housed in a placed called the London Scottish, so these wonderful works celebrating women's power,  were exhibited against a background of soldering and war. 

Whilst in London,  and after the exhibition, the friend I was with, who also has M.E,  was suddenly so ill she had to just go home and recover.  I know I sometimes get like this and I hate it when I feel like that, sometimes I just try and find somewhere to sleep and rest, luckily although it was horrid for my friend, we were a relatively short taxi ride back to her place and safety, but whilst it was at its worse it really was horrid.    The condition is mostly manageable thank goodness, but it still sometimes comes back to bite one.  It has taken me a week to recover and my friend is still recovering. It is the backdrop to our lives so thank goodness for Wimbledon and the likes of Raheem Stirling for making it a memorable summer.   Good luck tomorrow.  

England V Germany.

 2 - 0 The jinx is broken

Rightly or wrongly sport is back.  Having not missed sport when the pandemic started, suddenly it is really wonderful to have a crowd, to be watching the tennis and to actually be winning in the football.  

The number of people with the virus is going up rapidly but who is winning vaccines or virus.  I still do not know I just know I seem to want to go out, to see people, to be active etc. 

I have finally got down to our sister allotment and loved their approach to permaculture and the presence of real coffee, so definitely hope to go down again. I have finally done a walk I meant to do a long time ago and I am gradually catching up with people.  This weekend I will go to a concert - two in fact, so things seem to be progressing. So a great relief.  For a while I was seriously down, but reading, the weather and friends seem to be helping to lift things.  Still do not know if one can go to the wedding but still hopeful. 

Hancock, has truly cocked up his own career, after a dreadful start, the vaccine role out had saved him, so he decided to have a secret affair and snog his aide surprisingly passionately   I do not know how it is that I cannot manage to just get up and go to work, whilst the people running the country through the worse situation is at least a decade and perhaps since the war, manage to have babies, get married, have affairs and finally agree perhaps they have been a touch hypocritical and fall on their swords . Great soap if it was not our lives they are playing with . 

It is in theory summer, but it is raining and the days are getting shorter, the plants on my allotment, apart from the weeds, are not doing well, but luckily on my car park that thinks it is a garden there are lots of beans and indoors the tomatoes are producing a bumper crop of tiny delicious fruits/vegetables. 

Worrying news from China, but here in the UK life is semi normal

 One of my Chinese students was suddenly back in a lockdown situation and surge testing is going on in her area.  People all have a code to say whether they can go out and about and her husband's code has changed from green to amber, so he has had to be tested.   The problem is that this is the Indian variant that is in the area and very few people have been vaccinated in the area.  Up until scientists have said that the Chinese have managed to suppress the virus, but others have also predicted that the south of the country is still vulnerable because so many people live near animal production units.    If the virus spreads, what will this mean for China or in the long run the rest of us.  Oh dear.    

Because I have been vaccinated and have access to lateral flow testing on a regular basis,  I have almost been functioning as normal. I can visit friends and family indoors and I have been going out and about.  Luckily most places one goes to take hygiene very seriously - the B and B for example in Poole wanted my details before I could go there and yesterday in London only 6 people at a time were allowed to visit Turner's House and even then we could not be in the same room at the same time, but these restrictions aside,  it is easy to feel at ease really.    But this news, could have implications for us all. In China if people are told do not go out,  they do not go out,  however, the virus got back in somehow! 

When Turner moved into the house in Twickenham it was in the countryside, and he could see up to Richmond Hill and down to Marble Hill House. Now it is surrounded by housing.  However, it was such a lovely day and the park was open afterwards for an open air repast, the virus.    And whilst it is not sure that the country will re-open up by June 21st it is within touching distance, however, this news may change everything again. 

And at last we are allowed to holiday and at last the sun comes out in celebration.

Blissful Lulworth with HF holidays.  A tiny walk up a hill that even friend and I could do,  whilst most other guests, many older, traipsed far and wide,  followed by ice cream, masses of food and lots of just blissful sitting in the sun and enjoying the views.    As a child we did HF walking holidays,  and once took Nathan on one too, but usually their walks are too long for me now, but with the covid restrictions in place,  their holidays are now self guided,  so that was perfect. 

Poole seemed a bit sad in comparison,  though it was lovely to catch up with distant and long neglected cousins.  However, I did manage to get into the sea and it was lovely watching everyone pottering about in the water.    And it was lovely being able to go by bus from Lulworth to Poole and all for nothing.