Striding Edge in the Lake District - a metaphor

I have walked this several times - years ago. It is a metaphor for how my life feels just now. I walk in the sunny uplands rather than in the valley of the shadow - but it is often a narrow path with steep sides - and things can go wrong. It is a very beautiful, if scary, walk along the Edge to Helvellyn - so the metaphor is quite a good one.

Today I feel as if I might slip off the sunny uplands. Yesterday I was due to have a maintenance dose of Pemetrexed as usual but this was aborted becuase the blood test results for kidney function were outside the limits. Some more blood tests showed that it was not due to high blood sugar or leaching of calcium from my bones - which is a good thing. It is probably due to toxicities building up from the chemotherapy - and so I am off the drug for a couple of weeks. This has the advantage of no side-effects - but I worry about whether the 'holiday' from the chemo will allow the cancer to grow again (although I am told it won't grow in that short time!) and also whether it is knackering important organs. Fret - fret - worry - worry - all rather pointless but understandable.

So I take active steps to do stuff - a long session in the gym and now off nurture Lookfar in sunshine (for once).

A fine barge at Woodbridge quay - with Tidemill behind and mud in the foreground.

It came up the river the other day - inspite of the nasty weather. It is here for the Woodbridge regatta - whih is also a sort-of festival of boats.

a special heritage train at Woodbridge station seen from my flat.

We get all sorts here. It was powered by two massive diesal engines - and had a lot of carriages - most with posh table lamps on tables - and a lot of people. Pity it was not a steam train!

Strange to see that nearly a week has passed since my last entry. I have, of course, yet to finish the cover for the engine because it is harder to do than I thought it would be.

I have been better at doing things in the morning - I am trying to make sense of aspects of the geology of the Pyrenees and I do a bit of reading and writing every day. Interesting and enjoyable and tiring for the brain. I am also getting back to doing resistance training in the gym and have improved both the weights and my endurance. On Monday - the last meeting for a while of the U3A geology group. I also  took the car for its MOT on Wednesday - before having lunch with Aidan near the Tower of London. I went to the sailing club a few times during the week to sort out my boats, took my bike to be serviced in the hope of riding it sometime, I went to the shops and market on Thursday and had chips for lunch today. I have not put my improved mainsail back on Lookfar - the twice I have gone down to the boat to do it - it either rained or a big wind came up - so I am leaving it snug and warm inside until the weather gets better.

The snag with the week has been that I have felt like going out and doing things but I have become exhausted by the afternoon. But it is very boring just sitting around - and I have had enough of it.

The cockpit of Lookfar - not a very tidy sight.

 Chaos as I try to cut up an old jacket to make a new cover for the outboard engine. The one I had blew away in the recent high wind. I also tried to do a cover for the tiller from the smaller bits.  I mostly lazed about in the sun and drank coffee and read the paper. But I prepared myself for doing fittings.

Stratigraphy of the Pyrenees

The weather here is unmentionably awful - so although I have picked up my improved sail and have all the fittings to make Lookfar easier to handle - I have not ventured out to do the work on the boat.

Instead I have searched for material on the geology of the Pyrenees and tried to understand it. This has taken time and all my energy - I have barely heard the rain lashing the windows and have merely glanced at the tele.

Why? Rhoda is now living there and their place seems to be in a geologically interesting area ( a bit south of Tarbes - near the small N-S fault there, near the dark strip (which is metamorphic rock). I have yet to locate her place exactly on the map above). The one below shows they are near a seismic zone - their place is a bit to the south of Bagneres - where the large dots are.

Cool or what?

 You can follow Rhoda, Doug and the pigs - not to mention unwary visitors (including Aidan) at http://laviealapetiteferme.blogspot.co.uk/

The bonfire and moon seen from DYC

Yesterday evening I walked to the sailing club to eat nibbles (yummeee) and watch fireworks - set off on the other side of the river. The star of the show was the moon - rising over the trees and reflecting in the calm river. I went to bed much too late and got up late this morning. Fatigue continues - I did not race today inspite of ideal conditions (ie lots of wind).

The parade of boats along the Thames - I watched it - and tried not to listen to the commentary. Sky News was the best as it showed more boats.

The front of the parade at Chelsea - impressive

The train - fantastic.

It rained here most of the day - otherwise I would have been screwing fittings on the deck of my boat. I have experienced some fatigue from the chemo - which made staying indoors easier. I have managed to return to doing weights in the gym - for about 35 minute sessions.

Why is it raining? Is the weather telling us something?

Gloriana: rowed from Chelsea to Tower Bridge and beyond - must have been exhausting

Today - the jubilee parade on the Thames - which I will watch on the tele because I like boats. But - - how are we republicans to deal with the celebration of monachy and the gross commentary that accompanies the whole carry-on.

 It would be nice if we were celebrating something more meaningful. Perhaps the people - 'fanfare for the common man' (and woman) sort of thing. Or acknowleding events of the growth (not yet complete) of democracy in our country - such as universal voting (1928).

If we think what monachy symbolises - not a nice picture -  hierachy - privilege - unearned wealth - deference - militarism - and much more. Republicans need better symbolism - many people don't even know that this country was a republic for a while in the seventeenth century.