Sunday, 20 September 2015
How about . . .
. . . taking a walk with us along a section of the Kennet and Avon Canal. We'll start at Bradford-on-Avon and walk as far as the aqueduct at Avoncliff, at which point we'll rest a while with an ice cream, and then walk back again. Enjoy.
Sunday, 6 September 2015
Five in five on five
On the 5th day of each month Sandie at itchifingers invites us to join in with her, here is my post for September.
Last week GM and I enjoyed a day at the races. Salisbury has quite a small course, it doesn't host any major races, most of the meets are for novice horses and young jockies - I think this young man will go far.
We were only in the cheap enclosure but still had very good views of the horses as they made their way down to the start.
This course, as with most others, is as flat as it can be given the geography of the area, however there is still a gradual climb to the finishing line.
Here you can see the winner and the second placed horses approaching the finishing line, but not the one I chose to back, she finished second-to-last!
Still, at least that means I can have a consolation ice-cream.
To join in, and/or view other posts, please see here
Last week GM and I enjoyed a day at the races. Salisbury has quite a small course, it doesn't host any major races, most of the meets are for novice horses and young jockies - I think this young man will go far.
We were only in the cheap enclosure but still had very good views of the horses as they made their way down to the start.
This course, as with most others, is as flat as it can be given the geography of the area, however there is still a gradual climb to the finishing line.
Here you can see the winner and the second placed horses approaching the finishing line, but not the one I chose to back, she finished second-to-last!
Still, at least that means I can have a consolation ice-cream.
To join in, and/or view other posts, please see here
Friday, 4 September 2015
Who do you think you are?
This is not a political post, I prefer to keep my politics and religion (lack thereof) to myself, but, just out of interest, I am wondering how many of us are able to trace our family roots back to immigrants or political refugees.
My grandmother's maiden name was Le May, french in origin, and my sister has been able to trace the Le May family back to when they came to the UK as Huguenots to escape persecution from the French authorities. They were silk weavers, and lived, sometimes 10 or more family members in one room, in the East End of London for many generations.
GM knows that one of his father's predecessors made their way from Ireland to Liverpool, probably to escape the great Irish potato famine.
These are known connections, there may be, and probably are, others.
So we are both descendents of immigrants and grateful to this country for accepting them.
My grandmother's maiden name was Le May, french in origin, and my sister has been able to trace the Le May family back to when they came to the UK as Huguenots to escape persecution from the French authorities. They were silk weavers, and lived, sometimes 10 or more family members in one room, in the East End of London for many generations.
GM knows that one of his father's predecessors made their way from Ireland to Liverpool, probably to escape the great Irish potato famine.
These are known connections, there may be, and probably are, others.
So we are both descendents of immigrants and grateful to this country for accepting them.
Wednesday, 2 September 2015
New beginnings
Hello, and welcome to September. Ever since my oldest son, who is now approaching 45 years old, started school, September has been the start of the year for me, and this year is no different.
2015 has, thus far, been one of the most difficult years I've had to face for a very long time. Several things, outside of my control but inside my sphere of activity, have happened which I don't wish to go into, but which have caused me a deal of pain and anguish and soul-searching. I have, since the middle of July, withdrawn myself from social activity of any sort and spent a lot of time asking "why?". Since the beginning of August I've also been in some physical discomfort due to what I was told by the surgery nurse was a pulled muscle. However, yesterday, while in a great deal of agony, I saw a doctor, who diagnosed arthritis in my hip, and initially prescribed painkillers and physio-therapy. Early this morning, two hours before it was time to get up, I took my first dose of the strong painkillers, and by the time I got out of bed I found that, although I could still feel a slight niggle, I was pain free, both physically, and more importantly, mentally. A lot of fog and uncertainty has cleared, and now I feel ready to move back into the outside world and re-engage.
So, to all of my friends, both real and virtual, who have been quietly supportive of me during my reclusion, I would like to say a big thank you, and to reassure you that over the next few weeks I'll be re-establishing contact. I don't intend to spend the rest of my life on painkillers, so I'll be making some significant lifestyle changes in order to ameleorate the effects of the arthritis, the main two being exercises to increase suppleness and dietary strictness with regards to my sugar intake (reduce) and omega 3 intake (increase). For the first few months of the year I had successfully shed 8 kilos of excess baggage, and if I am able to release another 5 kilos I'll be inside my target healthy weight range.
There is really nothing I can do to change the family circumstances which caused the initial and secondary hurts, except to accept things as they now are, continue to love and support all those family members who need it, and rebuild my own life accordingly.
Happy New Beginnings.
2015 has, thus far, been one of the most difficult years I've had to face for a very long time. Several things, outside of my control but inside my sphere of activity, have happened which I don't wish to go into, but which have caused me a deal of pain and anguish and soul-searching. I have, since the middle of July, withdrawn myself from social activity of any sort and spent a lot of time asking "why?". Since the beginning of August I've also been in some physical discomfort due to what I was told by the surgery nurse was a pulled muscle. However, yesterday, while in a great deal of agony, I saw a doctor, who diagnosed arthritis in my hip, and initially prescribed painkillers and physio-therapy. Early this morning, two hours before it was time to get up, I took my first dose of the strong painkillers, and by the time I got out of bed I found that, although I could still feel a slight niggle, I was pain free, both physically, and more importantly, mentally. A lot of fog and uncertainty has cleared, and now I feel ready to move back into the outside world and re-engage.
So, to all of my friends, both real and virtual, who have been quietly supportive of me during my reclusion, I would like to say a big thank you, and to reassure you that over the next few weeks I'll be re-establishing contact. I don't intend to spend the rest of my life on painkillers, so I'll be making some significant lifestyle changes in order to ameleorate the effects of the arthritis, the main two being exercises to increase suppleness and dietary strictness with regards to my sugar intake (reduce) and omega 3 intake (increase). For the first few months of the year I had successfully shed 8 kilos of excess baggage, and if I am able to release another 5 kilos I'll be inside my target healthy weight range.
There is really nothing I can do to change the family circumstances which caused the initial and secondary hurts, except to accept things as they now are, continue to love and support all those family members who need it, and rebuild my own life accordingly.
Happy New Beginnings.
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