Retreat

Adhisthana, October 2021

I've been away on a lovely retreat in the Herefordshire countryside. Because the retreat centre is situated close to where Bee Lady and Landrover Man live, I arranged to drop in on them for lunch before the retreat started. 

I was all ready, packed, sorted, had bought some chocolates as a present for BL and LRM, and was on my way home from a vaccination shift when the car started to sound odd. I stopped, about a mile from home, and discovered that I had a puncture.

First I was cross, mainly with myself, because the garage had pointed out the state of my tyres at my MOT but said they probably had about two to three thousand miles left in them and it was two thousand miles since then. Then I pulled myself together, opened the boot and had a rummage. It's been a very long time since the heady days when I considered myself even slightly competent at manual tasks - with relative wealth comes the ability to delegate unwanted tasks to paid help. Anyway, there was a wheel, a jack and various other bits and pieces including a gadget that turned out to be for getting the fancy bolt covers off the bolts, and the special shaped anti-theft lock nut, so I knuckled down and got started.

No fewer than three people stopped to offer help, and I expect more would have done so except that when the third one turned up I was having a bit of trouble getting the wheel off, so he did it for me and then put the spare on and tightened the bolts and recommended his preferred tyre place in town. Except that it was now 5.02 p.m. and they shut at 4.30. Kwik Fit, however, was still open even though they shut at 5, and I asked them very nicely if they would mind helping, and they did. So I gave them BL and LRM's chocolate, and wrapped up some flowers that had been in my house for a week or so to give to BL and LRM instead.

Bee Lady and Former Landrover Man are very well, and living in a new place with different walks, so we had lunch and did a walk and it was lovely. Then on to the retreat which allowed me to turn off all electronics for nearly a week - no social media, internet, email, nothing. It was like taking life and pressing pause. My only responsibilities were to try and keep and eye on the time and turn up for things like meals and talks, but if I hadn't even done that it would still have been fine.

Coming home and plunging straight back into the modern world after that sort of break can be jarring, so I didn't turn the phone or computer on for a day, but manage to get jobs done in a meditative way, like more pruning, laundry, cooking. While I'd been away Glf had finished the pointing, which looks very fine and makes me happy that there's only one job left in the first round of the LTRP - decorating the porch and downstairs hall.

And then I turned all the gadgets back on, but tried very hard not to go down some of the rabbit holes that suck time out of my life, and I've done quite well so far. I have another retreat booked (at a different centre) in November, to top up my level of chill.

Let the Games Begin!

Birmingham, September 2021

A busy week after the week's holiday, starting with a trip to see mum and dad that incorporated a Zoom interview with Guide Dogs. I thought it went pretty well, and they sent me a lot of information to read afterwards. I will be invited to the centre in person to meet a dog handler next, but haven't heard anything yet. On a subsequent visit to mum and dad I helped them get to their Covid booster jab appointment. The chap who was checking appointment times and supervising the 15-minute wait recognised mum as the person who had taught his daughter 13 years previously. Just like at the cemetery earlier in the year...

I was intending to do lots for Mr MXF this week, but kept finding more pressing things to do, including another walk with the Leamington History Group, taking another 10 bags of garden cuttings to the tip,  and cleaning the house from top to bottom (it really needed it). But I did get round to a bit of work, and by this week I'd really got to the bottom of one of the problems I was having. Progress at last - Mr MXF always seems delighted at what I've managed to do, even if I do get the impression that he would have been able to achieve the same results in a tenth of the time.

Thursday badminton has started again, and hasn't gone too badly despite the fact that a whole lot of members have decided not to return. I'm one of the younger players in the Thursday club, and I think during the prolonged break many older members found better things to do, and they also are more aware of the risks of returning to serious exercise in an enclosed space. In contrast I'm one of the older players in my Monday club, which seems to be thriving, but I'm still doing the Buddhism class on Mondays so can't go.

I signed up to a whole lot of lectures as part of the Cambridge Alumni Festival, including subjects as diverse as punishment in Victorian workhouses, the treachery of Edward VIII (the Duke of Windsor), the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, the latest thinking about Calories, the role of the statistician during a pandemic, the gut microbiome, and the history of computing at Cambridge University. All very interesting, with the oddest thing being the nature of actually listening to a live talk. All programming used to be like this - you can't pause the talk if the phone or doorbell rings - but it's been a long time since I've listened to anything live.

The next phase of the LTRP continues with the pointing of my wall on the pub garden side. While I was away camping, Glf was digging out the old decaying mortar, which generated a vast amount of dust. While in the wilds of Yorkshire with no phone signal I missed several calls from the pub manager followed by a very cross message saying that the dust was all over his pub furniture and he was going to charge me for cleaning it. I managed to get hold of Glf, who was very apologetic and agreed to get in touch with him, after which I got another message from the pub manager asking me to ignore the previous message as he'd calmed down a bit now. Glf was back this week to do the pointing, and it all looks very lovely.

The most interesting thing to happen recently has been my interview for the role of volunteer at the Commonwealth Games next year. It started badly due to the train sitting at an intermediate station for a whole hour ('a fault on the track'), but the kind volunteer at the venue (Birmingham's Central Library) fast-tracked me through so I didn't miss my time slot. 

First there was an exhibit all about the different venues that will be used, with cases showing things like medals and videos showing highlights from the last Games. Then there was a ridiculously over-the-top video which stated that without question the Commonwealth Games would be the greatest event that the world had ever seen and would end all disease and war and bring together the whole nation/Commonwealth in a frenzy of joy and positivity. I'm not joking - at that point I truly thought that if they wanted me to reflect this level of enthusiasm I would have to withdraw my application. 

Luckily the interview itself was much more sensible, and all I had to do was come up with some examples of times when I had e.g. been interested in sport, showed some initiative, communicated within a team, put myself forward for something a bit challenging etc. Running a conference for RNIB, being thoroughly obsessed with badminton and volunteering to be a Covid vaccinator provided plenty of satisfactory material. Then I was measured for a uniform (including hat), had my photo taken, and that was it. I'll find out in the New Year whether I've been picked, and if so, for what role.

Lolatastic in the Yorkshire Dales

Buckden, September 2021 (photos by Mr M, Lola II and Lola I)

Another successful camping trip undertaken, this time in the splendid company of Lola II and Mr M. The campsite was on a farm in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and when I say in the middle, it really was. We were there for four days, the weather was mostly kind, and Lola II made notes so that I can put extra detail into the blog. Whether I satisfy her or not is another matter...

Monday

The campsite was long and narrow, and we pitched our tents facing one another at the far end of the site, down a short slope. The first day is always spent getting there (I stopped for lunch at an unlikely vegan cafe north of Bradford), pitching the tent, getting all the gear sorted out, getting familiar with the campsite facilities and planning the next few days. 

Unusually there was a little kitchen with a kettle, fridge and microwave as well as the usual toilets and showers, so hot water bottles could be filled very easily rather than boiling water in pans. In the toilets there was free midge spray - not a good omen. We were tormented by midges in the evenings to the extent that we couldn't eat out in the open but had to retreat to the zipped-up porch of the tent.

Because the Leamington Food Festival had been taking place over the weekend, I brought a contribution for our dinner - two different felafel bakes, which confusingly turned out to be three different types, and tasted just OK. Lola II and Mr M contributed the most delicious French cheese and crackers, made even more delicious by the fact that I very rarely have cheese at home. And dessert wine. These guys know about high class camping.

The tiny village with the farm and campsite also contained a tiny village shop (which we visited the following day) and a rather nice pub. It's been ages since I was in a pub so I was quite excited when a visit was proposed, and it also meant that we could charge electrical items and get a decent mobile signal and escape the midges too. The beer was tasty as well, although of course Lola II ordered her traditional lime cordial with water, but also treated herself to a hot chocolate with Baileys in it.

Tuesday

The sky was grey and the forecast was for showers, but we decided to get out while it was still dry and planned a short walk to the next village where there was a pub, although the information provided said there was no food on Monday and Tuesday evenings. The walk took us up high on the way there before dropping down into Starbotton and the pub, which turned out to be closed altogether on Tuesdays. Big disappointment - we were hungry. The walk back was along the river, and then we drove to Hawes and a very late lunch. Mine was a 'half portion' of fish and chips with peas and salad which was so big that I was glad I hadn't ordered a whole portion, Mr M had chips with cheese and gravy, and Lola II went for egg, sausage, chips and beans. Not quite so high class today.

We didn't do much more in Hawes except top up our chocolate and cheese supplies before driving back in the rain. After a nap we went off to the pub again, and despite  arriving 10 minutes after the kitchen closed they were kind enough to let us order food anyway.

Wednesday

Sunshine! Today the walk took us to Malham Cove, which is a famous attraction formed by river and glacial erosion. A dry river valley ends in a spectacular limestone pavement and cliffs (which featured in one of the Harry Potter films). We did the circular walk starting from the top, so were able to descend the hundreds of steps rather than climbing up them. We met a school party coming up - we didn't envy the staff in charge, given the unprotected nature of the drop from the top. 

We made it to Malham village for a pub lunch before returning over the heathland, passing a few notable features including the ice cream van, more waterfalls and cliffs with climbers abseiling around them, and an abandoned bath tub miles from any habitation or road. I really enjoyed the walk; Lola II and Mr M found it a bit challenging, but the roles were reversed the following day.

Thursday

Lola II and Mr M had arrived at our four-day camping holiday at the end of a longer break where they had been in the Lake District and hired electric bicycles. They had enjoyed this so much that we hired bikes for a day with the aim of cycling the Swale Trail from Reeth to Keld.

The guys in the shop showed us how the bikes worked - there were normal gears operated by the right hand, and extra controls for the electric power operated by the left hand. The weight of the battery means that with no extra power it would be impossible for us softies to go anywhere much. Eco mode provided enough power to make the bike ride as though it were a normal weight, then there were three extra boost modes. A low gear and Turbo mode made it possible to ride joyfully up a one in five hill as though it were completely flat.

A quick test ride around the car park made it very clear to me that the optional cushioned saddle cover would be a good idea, but it didn't prevent the pain derived from being battered on the rear end for six hours by the gravel trail and uneven surfaces. Mr M finished the full length of the trail, but Lola II and I turned back when it stopped being fun, and continued to lunch at the tea room in Muker via the road. By the time we got back to the start Lola II was having a bit of trouble with her gears and I was not only suffering pain in the rear end but at the base of my spine as well, so when we got back to the town at the start of the trail I was happy to sit with the bikes while Lola II and Mr M had a quick look around the shops and brought back a restorative Freddo chocolate bar for me.

After returning the bikes we came back to the town centre. Lola II and Mr M have a habit of taking pencils and blank postcards on holiday with them and doing a bit of drawing, so we each took a section of the view and sat quietly for half an hour creating a triptych of the church, buildings and view. Then it was time to find something to eat, and we decided to try a different town that had a selection of eateries, all of which were fully booked except the Indian restaurant (which was perfectly fine).

Friday

Time to pack up and go, and minister to the many bites and bruises that we had accumulated. Before we left Lola II kindly provided me with a haircut, and while she did the same for Mr M I examined the outcome and returned for a few extra bits she had missed the first time round.

Lola II and Mr M were going to finish their holiday in Staffordshire while I went straight home, so we drove together to Skipton for lunch before splitting up. I must say, our choices of food had been exceptionally good throughout the holiday, and this was no exception - I had an egg sandwich which was perfect; Mr M had a great ploughman's lunch (the cheese in the Dales is really good) and Lola II had a salad without onions where they had clearly just tried to pick out the onions and missed quite a few, but the cheese scones were great. The vegan hot chocolate with oat milk was the best I've ever had.

So that's the end of the camping season for this year, and we were lucky with the weather and not so lucky with the midges.

What I've been reading

Ruth
by Elizabeth Gaskell

narrated by Eve Matheson

"The orphaned heroine Ruth, apprenticed to a dressmaker, is seduced by wealthy Henry Bellingham who is captivated by her simplicity and beauty before abandoning her to her fate. She is offered a chance of a new life, though shamed in the eyes of society by her illegitimate son."

The fate of fallen women and illegitimate children was mighty cruel in those days, but the story and writing are excellent. It doesn't exactly end well, but that's the 19th century for you.

The Card
by Arnold Bennett

"The book tells the story of the rise of Edward Henry ('Denry') Machin from washerwoman's son to Mayor of Bursley. His success is accomplished through luck, initiative and a fair bit of chutzpah."

An early twentieth century setting this time, but with a lot of the nineteenth in it. The writing is excellent but I couldn't warm to the hero, who was successful but never seemed warm-hearted, and only generous when it suited his ends. The book ends with him in mid-life, married, and in the position of the youngest mayor of the town - I would actually have been interested in the rest of his life, except that he would probably have continued to irritate me.

Whisky Galore
by Compton Mackenzie

narrated by David Rintoul

"It's 1943, and the war has brought rationing to the Hebridean Islands of Great and Little Todday. When food is in short supply, it is bad enough, but when the whisky runs out, it looks like the end of the world."

A lovely book that celebrates all that is Hebridean, improved further by the narration which delivers the correct pronunciation of the Gaelic words. Much gentler than the famous film version, the salvaging of the shipwrecked boat's cargo isn't the main story, but runs quietly alongside the tales of men and women sometimes getting along with one another and sometimes not.

Back Story
by David Mitchell

narrated by the Author

"David Mitchell, who you may know for his inappropriate anger on every TV panel show except 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks', his look of permanent discomfort on C4 sex comedy 'Peep Show', his online commenter-baiting in The Observer, or just for wearing a stick-on moustache in 'That Mitchell and Webb Look', has written a book about his life."

I like David Mitchell's work, and thought he seemed like a decent chap. This memoir doesn't change that view, and fills in some detail about his background, which isn't very posh but is nicely middle class, much like my own.

The Painter of Signs
by R. K. Narayan

"In this wry, funny, bittersweet story, love gets in the way of progress when Raman, a sign painter, meets the thrillingly independent Daisy, who wishes to bring birth control to the city of Malgudi."

Quite a light read: a small story about a man, his aunt, and the woman that he falls for. It is pleasant and serves to illuminate some aspects of India in the 1970s.

The Shell Seekers
by Rosamunde Pilcher

"A mother loves her children; of course she does. But sometimes she may not like them very much. In Penelope Keeling's case, two of her three grown-up children often give cause to dislike. And when they put her under pressure to sell her most treasured possession - one of her father's paintings- they provoke a family crisis."

I read this long book in a weekend - admittedly a weekend in which I was at a festival with nothing much else to do - and it was great. At last, a proper story with lots of interesting characters who are introduced in such a way as to allow me to remember who they are and how they fit into the story, and fleshed out into people that I recognise and can sympathise with (or not). There wasn't anything much to learn from it, which is often what I look for in a book (even fiction), but I really enjoyed reading it.

Solaris
by Stanislaw Lem

narrated by Alessandro Juliani

"When Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface, he finds a painful, hitherto unconscious memory embodied in the living physical likeness of a long-dead lover. Others examining the planet, Kelvin learns, are plagued with their own repressed and newly corporeal memories."

I think this is a beautiful book without actually liking it all that much. It's ostensibly about a scientist arriving at a research station where they are studying the planet's sentient ocean. This is an attractive concept in itself, but the main evidence of sentience is that the scientist's dead wife is recreated in near-perfect detail, but over time comes to know that she is not 'real'. There's very little story, no suspense, and it's hard to say whether the ending was happy or not, but I found the experience pleasant without wanting to repeat it.

Mr Norris Changes Trains
by Christopher Isherwood

"After a chance encounter on a train the English teacher William Bradshaw starts a close friendship with the mildly sinister Arthur Norris. Norris is a man of contradictions; lavish but heavily in debt, excessively polite but sexually deviant."

Loosely autobiographical, this is set in Berlin in the years leading up to World War 2, and I'm sure it's really good - it's very readable - but I lack the knowledge of political history at that time. Of course I know what the eventual outcome was, but I get confused with the names and forget where the different parties stand: Fascist vs Communist vs Nazi, and this puts me at a disadvantage when the plot is revealed.

The Snow Goose
by Paul Gallico

"Set in the wild, desolate Essex marshes during the second World War. this is an intense and moving tale about the relationship between a hunchback and a young girl."

Just a short story, not really a book, but it's in my list of classics and it's utterly beautiful.

Odds and ends

Leamington Spa Food and Drink Festival, September 2021

The 'lawn' (perhaps more accurately described as 'scrubland' or 'prairie') has 'grass' that is now short enough for a dog to survive, but there is much more to be done in keeping the 'garden' ('nemesis') under control. If moss and wisteria prunings were a cash crop then I'd be pretty wealthy. It will take at least two trips to the tip with the car full of bags of green waste.

I went on a walk around Leamington with two gents from the Leamington History Group, another lady from Leamington and some tourists on a lovely hot day last week. I didn't learn a whole lot of new information, but we wandered down a street with beautiful old buildings which I had never seen before. There are a few other walks scheduled in the next couple of weeks which I'll probably sign up to. This flexible working arrangement is brilliant.

The actual work for Mr MXF, however, is rather frustrating at the moment. I have now established what the triggers are that cause the platform to seize up and refuse to work any more for about 12 hours, and I have an idea or two about how to get round it, but have to wait until it untwists its knickers before I can try.

Glf has come round to look at the wall and share the annoyance of unreliable plasterers that get full time jobs when you want them to work for you. We also shared a love of 70's and 80's music - he is a collector of vinyl and recommended a website where he goes to augment his collection. He was very impressed with my vinyl collection (which I am looking to diminish rather than augment), and suggested it might be worth something. I had a quick look at the website, but it's a bit like selling stuff on ebay - I could probably make a couple of hundred pounds, but the effort involved may not be worth it.

And Leamington has hosted its annual Food and Drink Festival, after having to cancel last year's, and apart from less free food to taste (no more dipping crackers into vats of different curry sauces) and a few more face masks in evidence, it is as good as ever. Except that since two years ago I no longer eat meat, so it takes much less time going round all the stalls. The weather was kind, and I stocked up on some treats for our camping next week - yes, the last camping trip of the year is about to happen in a northerly location that could bring pretty cold weather. I'm taking a hot water bottle with me...

Summer ends

June 2021

August has come and gone; that's the end of the summer and there has been even less 'summer' weather than in most years. September sometimes brings pleasant sunshine, so that's what I'm hoping for. I don't mind clouds as long as it's not raining, and it hasn't rained much, but it would be nice to wake up to blue skies once in a while.

Enough of my complaining, there's a small amount of interesting material to present. Firstly, dog news. As requested, I sent off photos of my house, garden and car. Ten days later I received a message informing me that they hadn't received any photos, and could I send some if I was still interested in fostering a dog, so I sent all the photos off again. The next message said that unfortunately the grass in my garden is too long, making it difficult to pick up poo and potentially leading to risk of disease for the dog.

Cutting the grass is actually quite an enterprise. It's much too long for the lawn mower so I had a go with a strimmer, but made little impact and eventually the strimmer packed up (probably overheated, but it is very old). I carried on using ordinary hand shears in sessions of two hours so as not to cripple myself, and it's nearly ready for an attempt with the lawn mower. I'll be sending off new photos when it's respectable.

I spent August Bank Holiday weekend camping at the Shrewsbury Folk Festival, with my phone turned off and no camera. Covid precautions meant that instead of being in marquees all the stages were in the open air, and we were incredibly lucky that it didn't rain at all. It would have been pretty miserable if it had rained, as well as being cold - it was very cold in the open air at midnight anyway. By the last evening I was wearing all the clothes I'd brought - two T shirts, fleece and jacket and two pairs of trousers as well as my woolly hat and scarf. The music was great as usual, but not as much of it as in previous years because of extended changeover times, during which I understand they have to sanitise a load of equipment (e.g. microphones).

The English National Lawn Bowls Championship is back in Leamington, and this year for the first time they offered local residents two free tickets to one day of the event. I invited a friend who also used to be a Dietitian, and we installed ourselves on one of the greens for an afternoon. We happened to watch the Senior Singles semi-finals (men and women), and then came back for the finals. There are a myriad of competitions divided by age, sex and number of players, and the whole event lasts more than two weeks. It was nowhere near as interesting as watching badminton, but I can see the attraction of playing. Spectating is a fairly dull affair, though, and all the other spectators appeared to be players and their spouses.

Quick LTRP update - the pub wall has been drying out, and as planned I got in touch with Glf's plastering mate who was going to put on more permeable lime render. After a prolonged delay he came to look at the job, and gave me the news that the price of lime render had gone up a great deal, but he would let me know what would be involved. After another prolonged delay I called him, and discovered that he's taken a full time job, but wouldn't mind doing my job at weekends except that I would have to buy and store two tons of lime render. I expressed some dissatisfaction about this situation to Glf, who has arranged to call round so we can work out what to do next.

I continue to provide my services to the vaccination clinic, where we are mostly vaccinating 16 to 20 year olds along with a handful of older people who weren't able to get vaccinated earlier because of pregnancy or allergies but have now been given the all clear. The clinic is still only operating three days a week, but after a break is due to come back full time at the end of September when it will be giving booster shots to front line workers - or at least, that is what is suggested. What actually happens is anyone's guess.

And lastly, my work for Mr MXF is getting on quite well, as long as I don't imagine that I can do more than four hours (and sometimes less) before hitting the buffers. Either there's a problem I can't get around, or something fails, or most recently the website slowed to an impossible crawl for no apparent reason. But I'm really tantalisingly close to actually achieving some useful results.

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)