Monthly Archives: January 2011

Superb walk at Lyme Park

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Julia, Dot and Dave on a bridge over the Macclesfield Canal, coming towards the end of our walk. We are headed for the ridge top right.

The best kind of wintry day: cold, but with sunshine and a certain stillness in the air. The weekend was much the same, and our longish walk at Lyme Park on Saturday was superb. We covered just under five miles, with a fair bit of ascent, and happily Dot and I were relatively untroubled by our recent ailments. I felt pretty well throughout. She had a slight ache in her back, but had no problem completing the walk, which left the car park at Lyme Park (which is in Cheshire and was used by the BBC in the filming of Pride and Prejudice) before heading over a low ridge and down to the Macclesfield Canal. We walked along the canal for about a mile and half and spent some time watching geese skating on the ice and eventually plunging through it. Then we headed back up over the hill to our start point.

We were actually staying in Derbyshire – at the Lee Wood Hotel in Buxton – with Dave and Julia Evetts. Unfortunately the excellent food there negated the slimming work achieved by the walk, and at the end of the weekend I found my weight had worsened rather than improved. So this morning I did another couple of miles. I am really too heavy now and am determined to take off about half a stone. Dot is quite keen to assist me in this.

Didn’t feel 100 per cent in Derbyshire and had to go to bed earlyish both nights, but we still had a very good time. However an ambulance was called for someone else and I think it must have hit our car, because there is a dent in the back wing. Rather irritating.

On the way north on Friday we called in at Coventry with Andrew’s new TV/DVD combi, which I managed to set up in his room after walking to the shops with Andrew to purchase an aerial lead. Bitterly cold, and at that point quite windy. The set-up was very easy, and Andrew seemed to get the hang of it. The Langleys staff, who seem to be taking a closer interest in Andrew than the previous owners did, have said they’ll make sure he can operate it. They also took him into the city so that he could buy some clothes last week.

Before Coventry we had called in on A Ethel to give her her birthday present and stayed for a while. She seems very frail, but looked better than she had a couple of weeks ago. Rosemary is out of hospital and recovering from pancreatitis.

Clear drive back from Derbyshire via Chesterfield and the M1 on Sunday. Stopped at Cambridge Services for a snack, and both felt very tired. Nevertheless I took Rupert to Lowestoft in the evening for another poetry reading event at the Seagull Theatre, while Dot relaxed at home in readiness for an early school visit today. The reading went quite well, though it was a mixed bag as usual. Host Ian Fosten in good form, except when he omitted me from part two by mistake, and I had to point it out to get my second three poems in. Quite a good reception: did a couple of light-hearted ones (Directions and At the Chemist’s) which provoked some laughter. Also did Careless Rain, Mother of a Year Six Boy, Denver Sluice and In Love with the Second Cello.

Sweet birthday candle for Jessie

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Jessie with her becandled birthday meringue

Feeling pretty tired: not sure if this is a combination of a continued infection (if that’s what it is) and the stronger antibiotics that the doctor gave me or just the result of a packed few days. Because of the tiredness it’s hard to tell if I’m actually feeling better, but I think I am: I don’t have the nauseous feeling any more, and the strange headiness is much diminished, but the heaviness in my abdomen is no better. The doctor wants me to get this looked at by insertion of what he calls a telescope into my nether regions. The letter for me to book an appointment has arrived, but when I tried to book, neither Norwich nor Cromer had any appointments available. I am resisting the massively uncompelling lure of Gorleston and Bury St Edmunds.

Dot meanwhile still has a back problem: she is under the chiropractor and feeling a bit better, but nervous of doing any stretching at all. Walking is a bit painful after a while. Meanwhile my brother Phil tells me that he and Joy are both suffering severe leg pains. Nevertheless he came with me this afternoon to John Lewis (before he told me about his legs) to buy a television/DVD player for Andrew. A quick operation: I had gone home for the car and returned to pick it up within half an hour. Just hope Andrew will be able to use it. I’m dropping it off on the way to Derbyshire on Friday.

Yesterday I had a bit of déjà vu at Wicklewood, where I had been invited to talk about journalism for a modest fee. Year 6 class and teacher proved very amenable once I had managed to find the way into the school, and it all came back to me. Seemed to go well: I enjoyed it anyway. Afterwards I met Dot at Park Farm for lunch. In the evening I played Steve Crane at chess and won on time after seeing a winning combination earlier and wrongly dismissing it. Made hard work of the whole thing.

I made my first tentative stabs at being church treasurer last Thursday, when I called round Vicky’s for an explanation of how it worked. Seemed reasonably straightforward (hah!), but she is hanging on to the accounts until she finishes them off for last year and reconciles a discrepancy on the statement.

The next day we went to the Banningham Crown for a birthday lunch with Jessie. Also present: Roger, Jude and Philip; Janet and Ray and their daughter Judy and her husband Don. Meal and service were first-class; they even lit a birthday candle for Jessie and stuck it in her sweet. Went back to Jessie’s for tea and coffee and suddenly realised it was 5.45pm, and we were supposed to be helping to set up St Luke’s for Robert Beckford at 6.30pm. Well, we were a bit late, but there were plenty of helpers. RB is a theologian who makes documentaries for Channel 4, and he was very challenging on “picking a fight” with people who were persecuting the poor. He highlighted the USA’s exploitation of Ghana by dumping subsidised rice there and ruining the local farmers, with appalling results (teenage girls leaving the villages and working in town brothels). Hard to understand how people can do this and still sleep at night.

Dot has just returned from visiting another school (Wreningham) and the odd shop on the way back. She heard a story on the radio about headlines, which included one about a road crash on the Azores, where there were only two roads and only one crossroads on the island. Azores a first time. Olé.

High quality exhibition

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Flooding on Carey's Meadow at the bottom of Harvey Lane, where I went for a walk a couple of days ago

I’ve been feeling a bit rough this past week, off and on. Not sure if it’s the antibiotics or an infection. Yesterday was bad; today is a bit better. I’m seeing the doctor this afternoon on what I believe is known as an unrelated matter – results of recent blood test – so I will mention it to him. Meanwhile Dot’s back is not much better, and she is seeing the chiropractor tomorrow. We’re going to Derbyshire the weekend after next, and it would be nice if she was fit enough to walk in the hills. It would be nice if I was too.

On Sunday after church we went to a big exhibition by Martin Laurance at Mandell’s Gallery in Elm Hill. As expected, very high quality, but nothing actually screamed “Buy me” at us. Even if it had, we probably wouldn’t have been able to afford it. Many of the usual crowd were there: Annette, Mike, Teri, Caroline, Hilary Mellon among others. Had a quick chat with Martin too. Very pleasant hour: we parked in the Monastery car park, which I think was full of exhibition-goers’ cars. It’s normally empty on a Sunday. We only drove there because we had to go somewhere else first (he hastened to add).

Yesterday Dot had lunch with Anne and was in the city till late afternoon. Much of the time she spent at the exhibition I went to last week. I meanwhile was stocking up at the supermarket in preparation for a large Tuesday Group: 12, if you count month-old George. Just about capacity, I think. We started watching The Nativity, but TM only managed about three minutes, saying it was too Anglicised. Not sure what that meant. He started trying to explain afterwards, but his argument was rather weakened by his only having seen about three minutes of it.

Today Barbara is here, working with Dot on their Philosophy4Children days at Dudley next month. I spoke to Maryta on the phone and discovered she had to cancel her holiday because of her back, which is still far from good. She finds any kind of travel by car difficult; needless to say, she’s still going in to work, mainly by rail. At least there’s no snow to stop her: it’s turned colder again, but blue sky the last couple of days.

OK, I’ve been to the doctor now, and he was ecstatic about my blood. I don’t think  he’s a vampire: it was more that the PSA level was about as low as it can be, which is very good news. He also gave me some stronger antibiotics for the urinary tract infection, and I’ve going to have a something-oscopy to see if my bowel is OK – mainly because I still have this tight, heavy feeling in my lower abdomen. We both think it’s scar tissue, but he wants to be sure. Sorry if that’s too much information.

We’ve just heard that Rosemary has gone into hospital for tests after having severe vomiting. OK, enough information.

I’ve just read Natural Mechanical, by J O Morgan, which I got for Christmas. It’s an extended poem about a lad from Skye who is a kind of naive genius at living off nature, but also brilliant with anything mechanical. Beautifully written, with elements of Dylan Thomas but also very distinctively different. I heard the author read at Aldeburgh and was much taken by it: the book sold out at the festival shop almost immediately, so others must have been taken by it too. Some lovely touches.

Startling red

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Dramatic sky over Thorpe Road offices

Feeling woozy and a bit achy this morning, but I don’t think it’s flu: I think it’s the antibiotics I’m on for a UT infection. I’m about to have my hair cut, so monitoring the effects of that should be interesting. Our hairdresser Linda, normally blonde, has arrived with startling red hair, so I shall have to keep my eye on her. The weather has turned much milder, but there’s been a fair bit of rain, with the usual flooding in the Tas valley.

The recycling stuff hasn’t been collected since before Christmas, so yesterday Dot and I went to the tip and were strangely exhilarated by getting rid of a carload. Later, and coincidentally, a council guy came round and explained the new system; happily, he also noticed the mounds of uncollected rubbish in the street and made inquiries. He was told it had been collected, which must be one of the least convincing lies ever told.

The week began, as I mentioned last time, with Dot and Barbara doing a philosophy session at Dulwich College prep school: very good result – both of them extremely impressed with the school and hoping for a return match. In the evening I got a good result myself, winning quite a good game against a player ranked higher than me. It was in fact the return match of our club A and B teams, and the B team won 2½-1½. (Burrows ½, Moore 1, Tuffin 0, Lenton 1)

Apart from my annoying UT infection, Dot managed to injure her back and was incapacitated for a couple of days. She’s still pretty stiff. Both feeling our age for a while, but no doubt it will pass, though of course there will come a time when it doesn’t. Meanwhile I’ve been landed with the job of DCC treasurer, at least on a temporary basis, and am going for a clarification session with our current treasurer, Vicky, next week. Vicky has recently given birth to George, who isn’t quite ready to take the job over yet.

As I was in the city a couple of days ago and feeling rather below par I decided to go and see the Art of Faith exhibition at the Castle Museum. It occurred to me that if I was getting flu (for example) it would be closed before I recovered. Dot obviously wants to see it too, but she was happy that I went. Sometimes you miss things simply because you can’t co-ordinate as a couple. Still, we did get together to go to the cinema last night for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the latest Narnia film, in 3D. Pretty spectacular and nicely done, I thought, justifying its good reviews. The exhibition was also good, though I don’t get as blown away as some people by artefacts and the guesses as to their functions. Some nice artwork, though, and interesting links to the Paston period, including Oxburgh Hall. I did enjoy the exhibition film Something Understood, which cut the practising of different faiths with shots of the Norfolk countryside; and a stunning painting by a Baha’i artist.

On leaving, and after buying the catalogue book for Dot, I was accosted by a woman doing market research about my museum experience and was reminded how useless such research is (How many times have you been to a museum in the last year? I have no idea; let’s say four.) The woman was interesting, though: on  hearing I was a writer, she revealed that she’s written a book called I’m a Street Girl Now which, in case you were wondering, is about her market research experiences. Not often you come across a marker research person with a sense of humour.

I’ve just finished Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen – a quite long American novel given to me (together with four others) by David Coomes. I quite enjoyed it: it was witty and you got involved with the characters, though you never really liked any of them. At least, I didn’t. It did have some striking things to say – by implication– on the nature of freedom, though you did wonder if it would all have worked out so nicely if one of the main characters hadn’t been killed in a road accident.

OK, I’ve had my haircut now and am reminded of some lines from once-Poet Laureate Alfred Austin on the medical condition of the King at the time: Across the wires the electric message came / He is no better, he is much the same.

Philosophical encounter

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Temperatures are up a bit, but it’s turning windy and, after today, wet, we are told. Yesterday I went for a 3.5-mile walk round the outskirts of the city centre, as it were. Felt very cold and rather unwell at first, but things improved. Dot had just left for South London for her philosophical encounter with Dulwich College Prep School. She picked up Barbara on the way and then drove to the Hendersons’, where they stayed the night, before arising at some unearthly hour to drive to the prep school. Although this is only seven or eight miles, it took them an hour,  mainly along the South Circular. Rumour has it that the session went well, but they are not back yet. Afterwards they had something to eat and then spoke to the head of the junior section of Eltham College, with a view to philosophical activity there in the future.

Ironically, in view of her picture two posts back, Maryta is now in quite bad pain after a fall from a horse – so bad in fact that she is considering cancelling her horse-riding holiday. To anyone who knows Maryta, that means it must be very bad indeed, but not of course bad enough to stop her going into work. That requires death, or at least unconsciousness.

Things have been quiet here, especially after I tidied the house up. Earlier this afternoon I went to the supermarket in the MX5 and deposited some recyclable stuff that the council persistently declines to collect. This morning I went to the Post Office and submitted applications for our new passports. We both look miserable, of course. This is partly because you mustn’t smile in a passport photo, but also because we’re never quite sure the machine is working properly.

Room at the village inn

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Rather pleased with the quality of this iPhone picture taken near Carrow Bridge a couple of days ago.

Snow has returned, but not for us. Quite severe in the Midlands, but we have a grey, wet and thoroughly uninviting day, and Dot is about to go into the city to lunch with Anne, who is celebrating her retirement. In view of the rain, I shall probably drive her up there.

Things have been quiet after the excitement of Christmas and New Year. For me, that is. Dot has been busy: first, preparing for and then delivering her presentation on the distinctiveness of a church school to staff from Easton, Hockering and Great Witchingham. The event was held at Ringland – not on the hills but at the village inn – and went very well. Since then she has been preparing for her Philosophy4Children event at Dulwich College Prep School, who have just rung up to check what she needs in the way of IT support and accommodation. Refreshingly professional of them, and reassuring for Dot.

As for me, I have managed a walk or two – the longer of them yesterday, when I paid in church collection money before calling at Phyllis Seaman’s to check that she was OK: she’s normally a regular at church but hasn’t been seen since the Sunday before Christmas, when she had a bad cold. She’s in her 80s and has no phone, so it’s hard to contact her. She was out when I called, but a neighbour said he’d seen her shopping recently, so she must be well enough to get around.

Yesterday, on twelfth night, we took down the Christmas decorations and deposited them in the loft. The house looked very bare without them, but at the same time tidier.

Last night England won the final test match against Australia, which meant they won the series 3-1. A historic achievement, especially as their victories were all by an innings. Makes you wonder how they managed to lose in Perth. Lots of Australian jokes going round, many of them weak, along the lines of What do you call an Australian with 100 against his name? A bowler. I think it was Graham Swann who said that over-the-top celebrations were out of order. Quite right: things can change so quickly in cricket, and there is a huge amount of luck involved. This does not stop me being delighted, however.

Had my six-monthly blood test the other day. Always a time for holding my breath, but I feel OK.

What have I let myself in for?

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Brilliantly exposed shot catching the speed at which Maryta demonstrates how to bend, or possibly how not to.

So here we are in 2011, and here too is my 500th post. The year hasn’t shown any very promising signs yet, and some might say the same about the blog. I suppose it’s more a diary than a blog, but it’s a way of keeping track. Aiming to keep on the path less travelled, but tending to drift. The weather is a bit milder, but damp and grey, rather like a slight hangover.

Things have gone quiet with the departure of David, Oliver and Amy, two of whom have now transferred to Nottingham for a few days. Dot is revelling in her new MacBook Air (after we sorted out one or two issues), and I am just revelling, in a quiet way. The real extrovert revelling was on New Year’s Eve, led by Amy, who was surprisingly resistant to falling asleep and stayed up, with Oliver, until midnight. A born organiser, she made sure we played games and had fun, and didn’t doze off. Oliver was also lively right up to the wire. Where they get the energy from, I have no idea, unless they are extracting it from me in some way. I did manage to create a New Year Quiz, which David won despite disputing some of the answers.

Dot cooked a lovely Greek lamb and garlic meal, and I did sausages for the children, with pasta for Amy and potatoes for Oliver. We were joined by Anne and Philip, who survived the experience remarkably well and seemed to have a good time.

David and the children packed and departed by just after noon on New Year’s Day, which left us just about time to clear up before the arrival of Paul and Maryta for afternoon tea. During this Dot was offered a job as consultant, which may prove interesting.

Yesterday I preached at St Augustine’s on Epiphany – seeing the light. As usual I didn’t feel it came out quite right, but several people said they liked it. Howard led, and Vicky M brought her new baby, George, who is only a couple of weeks old and looked gorgeous, but with a slight air of “what have I let myself in for?” I guess most babies have that, with every justification. I suspect babies know more than they are telling.

Afterwards we went to see A Ethel, who has not been well over Christmas. She looked very frail. Dot made her a cup of tea and promised to return today, which she did, preparing her a little bit of lunch. Hard being alone in your late 80s when you’re not mobile. Dot is now preparing for a session she’s doing tomorrow on “The distinctiveness of a church school” for some staff in the Ringland area. At least, that’s where she’s doing it. I don’t know where the staff are from.