Lull

Malvern, June 2021

After a flurry of things going on, there's been a bit of a lull. Not that I haven't been up to much, but nothing juicy to write about. I've done a couple of vaccination shifts, been to a family party, went for some walks, had friends stay over on their way from Scotland to Cornwall, and done quite a bit of work for Mr MXF.

Nothing to report on the dog fostering front. My referees have supplied references, I have sent off photographic evidence of my house, garden and car, and I am now waiting for an interview.

I played badminton! Twice! The first time I was quite cautious because I am very much out of condition, and it didn't hurt too much the following day, so I was less cautious the second time and similarly got away with it. My technique has suffered a great deal from the 18-month hiatus and I can't cover the court like I used to, but perhaps I am remembering the halcyon days when I was at my best rather than what it was really like 18 months ago. Having said that, I doubt that my badminton skill is going to be improving with age at this stage. Now I've got to wait until the Thursday club starts up again, because Mondays are reverting back to the Buddhism course which took a break in August.

And that's about it. Sometimes less is better.

Field of Games

Field of Games, August 2021 (photo credits: all Lola II in this post)

There has been a lot going on and I'm a long way behind in the news reporting department. Key events: 

• Vaccination continues, but the centre is only open for three days a week. The customers we're getting are mostly the 18-year-olds who generally have beautiful deltoid muscle definition.
• The most dangerous thing I've done this year is go to a gig in a basement without air conditioning and people dancing without masks. I kept away from anyone else for the next few days and was glad that my lateral flow status remained negative.
• Filled in the fiendish Attendance Allowance form with mum, seemingly designed to be impossible to complete by the people it is supposed to help. It took us two sessions and more than seven hours.
• Decided to get a dog. Yes, I'll just slip that one in here. 
• Joined the 'Borrow My Doggy' website community and arranged to walk with a lovely lady who owns a husky, King. Over the course of the walk and our chat it became clear that not only would a husky be a totally inappropriate breed for me, it was also a pretty poor choice for her.
• Investigated the options for rehoming a dog from the Dogs Trust before discovering the fostering option available by applying to Guide Dogs. A friend is already in this scheme, so went for a walk with him and dog in training, Morgan, and found out lots more about it. My application is under way.
• Field of Games is an event that I found out about from one of the doctors I used to work with. It combines camping and board games, two hobbies that I enjoy, so I persuaded Lola II and Mr M to sign up for it with me for last year. What with one thing and another it took place a couple of weeks ago, and Lola II helpfully made notes and took photos for me. So here's my report.

I got to the field first and had just finished putting up  my tent when Lola II and Mr M arrived. Once the tents were up we wandered round the small campsite and saw that there were three larger tents containing tables, and people were already playing games. We wondered where to start. We had a look at what was going on in the games tents - I don't think I've ever seen such complicated board games. Most had a board with at least four different sections and multiple games pieces representing people, goods, money and much more. There were a couple of cars parked nearby with the boot open and full of games, as well as big bags containing more games belonging to people in the tents.

Everyone was really friendly, though. One chap in particular was very helpful, and one of the car boots was his, so he suggested a couple of the simpler games for us to get started with. At that point all the tables in the tents were occupied, so we sat at a picnic table outside and assumed our roles. I was generally the one who read the rules out, and Mr M interpreted them and generally identified how things ought to be done. As ever, Lola II was responsible for morale.

Deep Sea Adventure

The first game we tried involved us diving from a submarine to retrieve treasure and trying to get back to the submarine before we ran out of air. It didn't go well on the first round and we were surprised by the low scores we were getting when throwing the two dice. It wasn't until the second round that we realised the dice only contained one, two or three spots so six was the maximum roll. We played three rounds, with everyone suffocating each time. Thumbs down for this one.

Azul

Not a good start, but then we tried the other game that had been suggested, Azul, which involved selecting different ceramic tile designs and winning points for various arrangements of these tiles. This was actually my favourite game of the weekend, and I would have liked to have another go at it later but there were so many other games to try that we never got round to it.

After lunch (local pub, two portions of fish and chips between three of us plus a jam sponge for Mr M) we returned to the fray and were lured into playing a game with one of the more experienced gamers - actually his son, although he stuck around to show us how to play. It is called 'Quacks of Quedlinberg' and involved cards, rubies, rats' tails, droplets, more cards, victory points, a long spiral track and another track around the board perimeter, and I didn't get on with it at all. Every so often there was an extra rule announcement that made no sense - "this round your rubies are worth double or allow you to win two potion points" - and combined with the fact that the son was cheating shamelessly and continued to do so even after he'd been asked not to, I was quite glad when it was over. I got a telling off from Lola II for being so grumpy.

Lola II and Mr M were in charge of catering that evening, and produced a delicious nacho dish followed by the obligatory chocolate. I don't think we played any more games that day, but it had been a great introduction and we'd met some nice people already, so I was looking forward to more of the same. And the weather had been kind - there had been occasional showers but not for long, and some sun but not too hot either.

Chakras

On Saturday a different person let us borrow a game called Chakras that involved collecting gems, aligning them on your chakras and meditating to replenish your energy. We were joined by another stranger, a grown up this time, who knew the game from playing it online, so we had a bit of a struggle with the rules and scoring because online it was done automatically. It wasn't bad, though. The fabric bag that contained the gems was torn, so I got out my sewing kit and  mended it, which felt like a useful contribution and thanks for the loan of the game. 

Apotheca

Lunch was at a local airfield. Mr M was enjoying the whole thing enormously, so when we came back from lunch he joined a hugely complicated game that lasted 3½ hours while Lola II and I tried another recommendation where the aim appeared to be to create a potion to satisfy three mystical apothecaries (who comes up with these ideas?) We played twice, and each time it seemed strangely unsatisfactory, although I couldn't say whether that was the fault of the game or our interpretation of the rules.

Then Lola II and I were invited to join in a game called 'Word Slam' with some of the other people, including children, and it wasn't bad and resembled Pictionary but using word cards instead of drawing pictures. Mr M came to join us at this point, and was playing with a card that said 'starfish' but halfway through he'd converted it in his head to 'octopus', so that was confusing. We got as far as guessing 'moonfish' but never quite made it to the finish line.

Bites

Supper was my responsibility on Saturday night, and was a chilli that I'd made at home and frozen and which had been thawing gradually over the past 24 hours, with boil-in-the-bag rice and, of course, chocolate to finish. And fruit. We're not complete heathens. This time we returned to the fray for an evening session, and joined another player who introduced us to 'Bites' which was all about ants eating picnic leftovers, and had the virtue of being quite short while also having lots of different ways to play. Then we played the classic game, Rummicub, which resembles the card game Gin Rummy, and then Lola II and I were ready for bed. Not Mr M, though, who was up for another game, retiring half frozen at 12.45 a.m.

On the last day we started with 'Bunny Kingdom', with a complicated board containing representations of forest, plain, mountain or farm with pieces representing castles, cards containing rewards or instructions, and each player represented by increasing numbers of rabbits on the board who amassed treasure in the form of carrots, wood and fish and other items while moving a game piece to record the score. We were joined by another stranger for this one, and at last I'd found something that I could win, although I was probably helped by the luck of the draw as well. Lola II had the same look that I'd had during the Quacks game, so I don't think she enjoyed this one very much.

Mr M stayed on to play another long duration game while Lola II and I headed off for lunch at a cafe, which was observing Covid ventilation rules by keeping all the doors open. This meant it was so cold that I kept my coat and hat on, and while the food was good I wouldn't choose to go there again. The poor waitresses were allowed to wear only the branded T shirts, and looked frozen. While we were gone Mr M finished the game, took the tent down and started another game, so Lola II and I took down the other tent and tried yet another game.

This one, called 'Santorini', contrasted with all the other games in its simplicity - a five-by-five board without any other decoration, two player markers each, four different components of a tower, and only one significant rule: move your player one square and build part of a tower in an adjacent square. You can climb up one layer or descend any number of layers, and you win if you can get one of your markers up to level three. It was impressive how this developed into a chess-like strategy game, and in fact it could easily be reproduced without the sophistication of the actual board and plastic pieces.

That was it for the games, and although Lola II and I enjoyed it a lot, Mr M enjoyed it even more. When I was back home I got in touch with the doctor who'd told me about it, and he told me about more venues and options, and I am even thinking of going back to my local games shop and am only hesitating because of all the other things I cram into my spare time, and is there really space for this too?

What I've been reading

Uncontrived Mindfulness: Ending Suffering through Attention, Curiosity and Wisdom
by Vajradevi

"The Buddha emphasized that happiness is found through understanding the mind rather than getting caught up in sense experience. This simple yet radical shift is key to a relaxed and uncontrived way of practising."

Written by someone whom I know well, the book has really given me a better grasp of the meditation style that she teaches. I was aware that she's quite an advanced practitioner when I signed up for an online retreat that she led, and found it pretty hard going. But her writing is first class and explains many of the conundrums I was trying to unpick, while remaining utterly readable with some wonderful personal anecdotes that set everything in the context of imperfect human beings trying to do the best we can.

Selected English Short Stories (Nineteenth Century)
edited by Hugh Walker and H. S. Milford

"The stories of the nineteenth century are remarkable for their variety. They cover nearly the whole range of human interests and appeal to every emotion, from horror and fear to tenderness and pity. They touch heaven and earth and hell. They are dreamy or intensely active, domestic or adventurous."

They were, indeed, short stories in English from the nineteenth century, including some notable authors (Walter Scott, Charles Dickens) and stories that I'd heard of and never read before (The Pit and the Pendulum, The Fall of the House of Usher.) But none was particularly memorable and many really didn't stand up to the test of time.

A Bend in the River
by V. S. Naipaul

narrated by Simon Vance

"When Salim, a young Indian man, is offered a small business in Central Africa, he accepts. As he strives to establish himself, he becomes closely involved with the fluid and dangerous politics of the newly-dependent state."

Written and set in the 1970s in a country that's probably Congo/Zaire, it conveys some of the corruption and uncertainty of a situation in which power is transient and foreigners of all kinds, colonial and entrepreneurial, have little to bargain with if they end up on the wrong side of the power balance.

The Hollow Needle
by Maurice Leblanc

narrated by B. J. Harrison

"In a country manor, a terrible noise awakes the household. Downstairs, the estate’s secretary has been murdered. There are signs of a break-in, but everything appears to be in its proper place. What kind of thief would commit murder to steal nothing?"

This seems to be about three different stories strung into one book. It's not bad, but after two of the stories I'd probably had enough. Sherlock Holmes is introduced as a character pitted against the hero, seemingly to demonstrate the superiority of the French criminal over the lesser English detective, which is amusing.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by J. K. Rowling

"The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can't wait for the start of the school year. It is his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and there are spells to be learnt and (unluckily) Potions and Divination lessons to be attended."

She has some great ideas, but this and the succeeding books suffer from bloat, where she includes all the ideas, not just what is necessary to keep the story moving. I'm sure the hardcore fans love it, but for me it just makes the book unnecessarily long. Thankfully no Quidditch in this one, though.

Moo
by Jane Smiley

narrated by Suzanne Toren

"Everyone at the large agricultural college dubbed Moo U. has an agenda. Whether it's massaging data, running secret experiments, or seducing the powerful, each person is dedicated to a plan."

Oh dear. There are far too many characters, including students (customers), teaching and admin staff, and I didn't care about a single one of them, not even the huge white pig being raised in secret in an unused campus building, which dies after escaping during the demolition of the building. The book might be of particular interest to someone who has worked or taught at a university, ideally one in the mid-west of the USA with an agricultural faculty. But not to me.

Awake at Work
by Michael Carroll

"Work can often be frustrating. On the job we frequently face conflicts, difficult personalities, disappointing results - a variety of challenges and obstacles. The author, a Buddhist meditation teacher and a corporate executive, shares Buddhist wisdom on how to transform the common hassles and anxieties of life in the workplace into valuable opportunities for personal growth, heightened wisdom, and enhanced effectiveness."

This was a present from someone who knew I was thinking of giving up the diabetes work and thought it would help, but I didn't get round to reading it before I gave up the diabetes work. I don't think it would have helped but it was a nice thought. I recognised a couple of scenarios where I could have tried using its advice, but honestly I think I had let my dissatisfaction grow too large and all-consuming, and I was lucky enough to be able to step away. I'm planning to pass the book on to another friend who is having a tough time at work.

I am a Buddhist

July 2021 (picture credit: the Buddhist formerly known as Sas)

The ceremony marking my status as a 'Mitra' has taken place. A Mitra (literally a 'friend') is a designation specific to the brand of Buddhism that I have adopted (Triratna), and signifies three things - that I consider myself to be a Buddhist, that I will do my best to live according to five 'Precepts' or ethical guidelines, and that I intend to do all of this within the Triratna community.

I am surprisingly passionate about all of this. Since starting this blog (14 years ago!!) I have certainly put more of my life in the public domain than at any time before that, but generally I don't write about personal stuff, and becoming a Buddhist definitely falls into that category. 

The conversation about becoming a Mitra actually took place a year ago, but the ceremony has been delayed by the pandemic and lockdown, and then was nearly scuppered by the lack of a suitable venue. Previously all our ceremonies have taken place at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre, to which we are affiliated as a small outreach group. Although most of the activity in this area is coordinated by the Birmingham Centre, I wanted to make a statement about the existence and strength of the local group by holding the ceremony here, rather than expecting everyone who wants to attend to travel there.

It would have been so easy to go to Birmingham - a ready made centre with all the facilities we needed including a beautiful shrine room, WiFi, microphones and speakers, a kitchen for tea-making and the garden for cake. I was expecting to hire the village hall where we used to meet pre-pandemic, but unfortunately during the day they are now occupied by a kindergarten. When we went there to experiment with the technology to see if we could run with Zoom in a village hall with no WiFi, we found every surface completely occupied by toys, books, games, paints and clutter. It was no longer a serene, peaceful location, and we agreed that we would need to find somewhere else for our ceremony.

We had postponed several times and set the final date months beforehand so we weren't going to postpone again. It wasn't all that easy, but in the end we hired a different village hall. Since it was only a day after the lifting of lockdown restrictions they hadn't updated their processes and were only prepared to allow 14 people to attend in person to allow for social distancing. Each of us two Mitras-to-be had 3 guests, there were 4 Order Members who were attending in their official capacities, and 2 people running Zoom and the rest of the tech, and that was it. So my plan backfired a little - I wanted a local ceremony so that members of the Warwick group could attend, but as it turned out, none of them was actually allowed in. Even Mr M and Sister D didn't make the cut, and due to technology problems Mr M didn't even get in via Zoom, and I don't think that a recording was made.

But never mind all those issues, it went ahead and was lovely, and I've been smiling ever since.

Two new Mitras (picture credit: Lola II)