The Last Post

1. First and foremost - Qatar Airlines from Doha arrives at the South Terminal!!!!!

2. Thanks for the account of the meetings - the second seems to proceed at a slicker pace than the first. And an account of the accounts. Has September been closed or have I to unravel again.

3. I am all blogged out as news from the bubble is scant. I managed four lengths of the large swimming pool before attending my appointment for pummelling with herbs.

4. A Thai massage although somewhat painful does help these old joints of mine. A thorough going over I should say. Two hours long and I emerged with every part of my body stretched and massaged. The hot herb compress was unusual but pleasant. Imagine a darkened room with a thin mattress on the floor, some funny pyjamas. That was me.

5. The little family will get rid of me only to welcome the other Grandmother and Aunt tomorrow. Fortunately that pair will be going to China on Friday for a fortnight before returning to spend two weeks here.

6. I finished yet another book the Yacubian Building about the characters, from poor to rich, who live in the building in Cairo. It gives an insight into modern day Egypt. Nine books in five weeks and endless television programmes, the most I have achieved in the last nine or ten years.

7. So back to the fold with my feet firmly on the ground for a while.

Look forward to seeing you.
The bugler

1 The executives took their places along the sides of the rectangular table. It was to be our new chair's first meeting. He has a light touch. He led us gently through the agenda, a check-list in other contexts, so gently that it took us three hours to make the journey. A long journey. A preparation for the sandwiches. And the pork pies. There was to be a session after the break as well. However, Liz wanted to get back, so I left the meeting in hurried fashion. (I couldn't find, we couldn't find the way to open the gates, so there was the prospect of returning to the meeting to ask 'Does anyone know how to operate the gate?'. However, a second essay was sufficient: the gates opened; we were released.)

2 A lovely autumn afternoon. The sun shone over the trees into the kitchen. I made a pot of tea, took my kit off, and stood on the patio, cup in hand, in the sun. Bliss.

3 Then it was time to turn again - 'Turn again, Don Cooper, thrice chair of the East Grinstead and District Credit Union Ltd' - to the credit union. Last night my concluding activity was to send a copy of the Business Plan, together with a long commentary, to the officer who services the County Local Committee, the body which (I hope) will grant us £2500 for brochures, laptop, and telephone. Earlier I had begun to e-mail the Members' Newsletter and the invitation to Christmas Cheer to the members. Today, after the exposure to the sun, I began the preparation for the meeting.

3.1 As ever, there is no substitute for preparation. The meeting went smoothly. We began, with a tray of tea, at 2000, and we concluded by 2115. James Hennessy attended and was welcomed. He seemed at ease, and I hope that he will find opportunities to pull his weight.

4 There was time, a few minutes ago, to talk to David Scott. Molly has returned to her home, with her white cardigan and with the other clothes which she was given. And, remember, she also was showered. David will leave on Friday for a five-week period of work, alternating between Mayaya and Dubai. So I may take the opportunity to drive over tomorrow morning for a cup of tea, a chat, and a chat with Molly. We'll see.

4.1 I have a meeting scheduled with James and Bobby tomorrow at 1400. Preparations for the Soames meeting. In preparation for this meeting about preparations I hope that James has thought about the revision of the Business Plan. In the best of worlds, he would have set out the headings, at least.

5 Following the meeting, a lecture at LSE. I have a ticket for a lecture about the state of women. I'll give you an account. Of course.

6 So I wish you a pleasant return flight. You have been a good grandmother, a grand mother. Leave the little family to themselves. Return to other families here in England. Bring your tales with you.

6.1 Remember, in the absence of instructions to the contrary I will be expecting you to land at Gatwick (North) at 0655 on Thursday. I will be lurking somewhere close-by, waiting to receive a telephone call on my mobile telephone.

Looking forward to seeing you.

Stayathome.

1 You are in your concluding week. You will be packing tomorrow (Tuesday) in order to be ready to leave on Wednesday, the first stage of a journey which will terminate in Gatwick at 0655 on Thursday morning. So bring the thoughts together. Look over the notes. Settle on the big issues which are to be discussed in tranquillity. Well, perhaps not in tranquillity, just in East Grinstead as the opportunities arise.

1.1 I have it in mind to be waiting for a text message or a call to say that you have landed. Perhaps one to say that you are on your way from Dubai.

2 I attended a screening at the FR Film Society on Friday evening. I was there at 1930, in good (unexpected) time for the 2000 showing. The new projector was being used. A big crowd. The film? About female hairdressers in Beirut. About lives in Beirut. A film to complement a cup of tea and a piece of apple cake. I have joined, and I reckon to attend. A different experience from the commercial cinemas.

3 To Horsham yesterday. In company with David I visited Molly in the Horsham hospital. I admired what I saw of the hospital. And I admired Molly. She was well. She was wearing a white cardigan. She sniffed the flowers we brought. She was pleased to see us. She may be moved to a residential home for further convalescence. If she is, she may come to like living in the home. Ah.

3.1 In the ward was a 93-year-old woman, also living on her own. I chatted to her. And I'll chat again when I visit.

4 To Wadhurst today. Along the track to the end. Goodbye flatlands. Hello gentle uplands. Hello HighWealdland, not-at-all gentle up-and-down-lands. Rather the reverse. Forty-five good miles. Next week we ride to the area around Handcross. Not so hilly. A suitable ride for the Maid and the Mistress.

More tomorrow

Stayahome.

One pedal-a-lo

1. Yesterday was an exciting day in comparison to some others. The visit to the city was abandoned on account of a bad night with the young man. Instead we visited the large Carrefore supermarket nearby. The event was too much for some so we retraced our tracks to the local bike shop just outside the main gate of the bubble.

2. No gears bikes with baskets galore and some more sophisticated looking models. Kaaren wanted the bog standard Thai bike for cycling around the bubble. A helmet was chosen and I got one too as a birthday present. They are much cheaper here and I though it was time to dispense with the elastic band. A gold bike was chosen and the deal was that we would collect it later in the day and I would cycle it back to the house.

3. Kaaren had a meeting here in the afternoon so I entertained the young lad, wanted to ensure he did not cry and subsequently disturb Kaaren. Karstein went off to the golf range promising to be back by 5.30 in order to collect the bike. It gets dark here at 6.30. Well just after six he arrives and off we go.

4. I take note of the route back and we collect the bike. He passes me in the car and I call out this is great. A couple of seconds later the pedal fell off. Luckily he had looked in his rear view mirror and noticed that I had stopped. We tried to get the pedal back on but a few pedals later it fell off again. He suggested he put the bike in the boot of the car but it was too big and too dangerous. I agreed I would scoot back and do the best I could. We both reckoned it would make a good mother in law joke. 'How I abandoned my mother in law'

5. The journey back was not the easiest. I kept trying the pedal but everytime time it fell off after two pedals. The neighbours were having drinks when I returned. They said this always happens. Buy a new bike here needs sorting once or twice then is good for three years. We are working on embellishments on the story. Snakes in the curb and that sort of thing.

6. I was pleased to hear that Giles has written. It sounds like hard work to me. I take it that he was in good heart, doing what he wants to do as you tell me. How is Helen getting on without him?

7. Where or rather when does Hadrian appear? I have no idea of the chronology. He did build the wall did he not and why was he immortalised?

8. I have finished the Ukranian Tractor book. It brought to mind the family (whose names I have forgotten) who were in Tinsley. The idea that life is better in the West, the illegal employment to make ends meet, a desperation to obtain British Citizenship through marriage etc. It was funny though and made me smile.

9. I have been musing about why life is so difficult for me here. I am pleased I came to be with the little family and certainly would not have missed it. I am of the opinion that it is to do with the lack of independence, the lack of knowledge about the system here. One is relying on others all the time. Of course, that happens when one goes somewhere new, but it seems that it is possible to find out for oneself more easily. It is all in my head and not others. I am made welcome. Perhaps its like groups, norming, forming, storming etc. It takes time to bed down and find one's role in the set up. Well that is enough of my rambling.

10. I had better find another book to amuse myself with. Drat I forgot to look for some glue to start sorting out the China Book.

11. I hope this finds you in good fettle!

Unpedalo

1 Yes, the longer one stays, the more the opportunities, the more that what was hidden, unmentioned, becomes known. The local town, as it were, with shops, probably with stalls. A place to explore. There might even have been a place to take a cup of tea. You know about it now; there's time to know more.

2.1 I've received a letter, a bluey, from the young officer. I learned that there are some 15,000 personnel on the base, including British, American, French, Estonians, Danes, and others. Heavy transports and medium, the airfield is constantly busy. As he said,d it's much like being in barracks only the scale is different, and so is the urgency. And the heat. So I can imagine that he has settled in .

2.1.1 Remember his address: 547112 Maj Giles Cooper, 91 GS Sqn RLC, OP HERRICK. BFPO 772.

2.2 The bridge result was something of a surprise. It was a reminder that what matters is what other pairs do. Out of 24 boards, it emerged that we had eight top-scores and two shared tops. Yet, we could do better. We're not as closely in touch with each other's plays are we could be.

2.3 Ah the day in London. As the northbound buses from Waterloo were not crossing the bridge, I walked from the station to the British Museum. A fine day, a steady walk. We bought our full-price tickets to the Hadrian exhibition and had time for a cup of something to drink. The exhibition? It took us about two hours to make our way through it.

2.3.1 And what has remained with me? I'm working on that question. Of course, the exhibition strengthened one's perception of Hadrian. I can place him in the set of emperors. I have also been prompted to think about the progress from emperor to god and how that progress is represented in statues. The emperor-as-commander is represented in military uniform, the hard aspect of the person. The god is expressed in a nude statue, and, as I key, I am reminded of the statue of Napoleon in the Wellington museum. The commander is rooted in this material place; the uniform identifies the man, the rank. The god has the unadorned attributes of a young, unblemished man. The god has the quality of the ethereal. The person is nude, not naked.

2.3.1.2 And Hadrian the builder. There was a remarkable three-dimensional model of Hadrian's villa. His mausoleum was also shown and discussed, the building which we now know as the Castel d'San Angelo. And the Parthenon. And the buildings which he caused to be built throughout the empire.

2.3.1.3. And the empire. The extent of the empire. When Hadrian became emperor, the empire already extended beyond the Caspian sea. It was Hardian who ordered the withdrawal of the legions from the distant, unconquered provinces. From Spain to Asia Minor, from the northern plains of central Europe to the settled lands by the southern side of the Meditteranean.

2.3.2 We also talked about Byzantium: remember the ehibtion open at the RA later this month. The western empire remains in the recollection. The eastern empire is less well known. As I put it, 'We view Byzantium through a Roman lens'. Yet that eastern empire continued for a 1000 years after the sack of Rome in 410. Ken is reading about Byzantium and was enthusiastic.

2.3.3 We will exchange book titles: he will send me the details of the book about Byzantium; I will send him the details of McCullough's The Reformation. (I talked to him about my enlarged compass of the Reformation in Europe, or Christendom, a compass which now includes the reformation, the energising of the Catholic church in Spain after 1492)

3 The cases. They continue to be lodged with me. There are three new ones to handle. I must set up the first visits, whilst seeking to visits Brian Wright and others.

3.1 There are the Thank-you letters to be sent to the collectors. And I am about to telephone the Events co-0rdinator at ASDA to say Thank you and to seek another collection. What for? It's in the blood. Get out, get the money.

4. Liam has paid your Maypole subscription.

5.1 Next Monday, Liam and I may play at East Grinstead. Liam will not be playing next Thursday (as he will be leaving early on Friday morning for Ireland). Between now and then he will have to arrange for others to open the hall, to close the hall, to collect the travellers (and, if I am not there) to deliver them to me. On Thursday you will have an option: play or not-play.

Go forth; explore.

Stayathome.

foiled again

1. I am wondering whether you have had to buy another bottle of whisky yet or is the pace slowing down. Mind you when you do not have paid employment on Fridays, it does not much matter. How does it feel to be such high scorers all the time? Does the challenge diminish the higher you go?

2. I thought I had cracked it yesterday, but the gremlins are out to get me. Kaaren and I walked down to the epi-centre yesterday morning to observe the dying stages of Karstein's squash game whilst having a Star Bucks Frappicino. See how the mighty have fallen. As we were leaving Kaaren asked Karstein to drive to the main gate to show me another aspect. Another aspect, there is another world out there, little shops, Thai shanty houses all within cyclable distance. I was salivating at the thought.

3. On our return to the house, we noticed the bike. Would you believe it, the bike had a puncture. Talk about the wind being taken out of one's tyres. The walk to the other gate would be one step too far in the heat.

4. Well Plan B, I decided to walk to the Epicentre after phoning my Dad and have a swim at least. The place was awash with swimming lessons. However, I did manage to find a space in that large pool and completed 10 lengths. I decided to find the entrance to the little church which was closed of course. Only open shop hours.

5. The walk back was exhausting - one hour plus walk in the heat, and 10 lengths of that pool. I did need that glass of water and sit down on my return.

6. On to the next book - the history of the Ukrainian Tractor. Funny in a pathetic sort of way. I feel for this poor 84 year old man, who believes he still has the touch when a 34 year old busty blonde from the Ukraine wants to marry him. What a poor fool.

7. How was the day out with Ken. Give a full account of the goings on. And more about the cases etc. I enjoy reading all. Incidently do you think your oven needs a clean. Standards, my good man.

8. Out into town today to do some shopping. Not for me but for others. At least we can escape from the bubble. Cooking duty tomorrow and Saturday. That will give me something to think about.

9. May have a convert to the Economist. They relished the article on Thailand and Karstein enjoyed one or two others.

Be good
Rapunzel

hospital or hotel

1.Kaaren commented that it was the first time outside the compound. Other things to feast my eyes on. She is sensitive to be aware that I am in a bubble. No more than I expected really with new parents and a tiny baby. Still I can give wise old motherly advice and help with the day to day attendance to his needs.

2. The Hospital or were we mistaken was it a hotel. Men in uniform ushering the traffic and opening doors for those visiting. The place was awash with staff. Everything was neat and tidy and despite the amount of people there appeared to be no panic or frantic activity, the like of which I have seen recently in the Banbury Hospital.

3. The young man is growing well and all is in order. The number of vaccinations babies have to have here was surprising. Then perhaps not because of the diseases that exist in Asia.

4. I have had my morning splash in the little pool here. Everytime I get in I wonder whether I will see any snakes. Apparently Kaaren has seen one on the fence. That really would get me rushing inside and locking the door.

5. It was suggested we have lunch in the hospital yesterday. I was somewhat sceptical bearing in mind my own experiences. My word, what a selection, every nationality each with its own stall touting for business. Just like a five star hotel. The choice was almost overwhelming even for me.

6. No proper swimming yesterday. On our return the parents were exhausted - a bad night previously so they had a swim whilst I minded the precious bundle.

7. Kaaren and I watched a film which seemingly had won many awards 'No country for old Men'
I am still trying to figure out what it was all about apart from killings and being chased and a sherriff who felt he could not handle the job any more. Too old.

8. I thought I may have heard from you this morning regarding the Credit Union. You can imagine I read the email just before going to bed consequently I lay awake trying to fathom out the problem and come up with the solution. I need the data!

9. Keep the news coming, that forms part of the entertainment. And have you completely dispensed with my services regarding Maypole Bridge scoring. No directing no companionable. Am I now expendable.

10. And will you still become a monk? Should I know about these things?

Nichada Prisoner

1 Sixteen lengths, and a bike-ride. Well done. And just an elderly man for company in the pool. The contrast between the facilities - which will have been advertised, with a photograph, in the brochure - and the usage. So perhaps in the remaining week, you can make up for the first week. Thus, when you return, you will have to be careful not to knock your head into the end of the CP pool.

1.1 Coming into the world this morning was a pleasure. The collection had been accomplished. That had been done yesterday. It was possible to lie in bed, in the dark; it was even possible to lie in bed, with a cup of tea, in the dark. And still there was time to be in the pool by 0730 for half-an-hour's swim. Forty lengths, the equivalent of your 16. Let's keep it up.

1.2 Not only that but, being shaved, I have just eaten a grilled-bacon-on-bread. Remember the packet of bacon - well, three rashers - you left? Well, it came to me - grill them and enjoy bacon-and-bread. And it's just 9 o'clock. Time to go to the post office with the first inpayment, £195. All in bags. Time to read something of the paper before the credit union will call me. And a funeral at Whittington College chapel.

1.3 One thought leads to another. Yesterday, in the ASDA café, I had a coffee and a shared muffin with the wife of one of the RBL chums. Whilst I had seen her now and then, I had never spoken to her. The collection provided the opportunity. A companionable conversation at a window table. Later, she and I were two of six around a table. All chatting. George Hillman made of particular point of saying how enjoyable the collection had been. He had travelled to Crawley on the bus, collected, returned with me, and counted the takings. In company.

1.4 He served in the First Army (as opposed to the Eigth) in North Africa. There are five members of the First Army Association in Crawley and East Grinstead. They meet once a month. George produces a newsletter. A good egg.

2 Remember to have a look at Timesonline.co.uk (and corresponding websites) for news about Thailand, news about events in Bangkok in particular.

3 Giles has been in touch with Helen. As I understand it, he (and others) are working long days. Over-stretched, I recall, is the word.

4 Do give some time to China. And the gall stone? And an English bookshop in the city?

See you soon.

Stayathome

mission accomplished

1. Firstly well done on the collection. How pleasing it must be to have the support and the money rolling in. And I hope the stomach is better this morning.

2. How right you are. Sitting around all the time is more of a punishment than a reward. Only a certain amount of reading can be accomplished in any one day. I rue the day when my body will not let me move about much. Confinement does not suit my personality.

3. Well rucksack on my back, leg over the crossbar and away I bounced on the mountain bike. How very different from the road bike. I thought it better to ask permission to swim even though I had Kaaren's pass. Nobody seemed bothered. Just one elderly man with a snorkel and myself in the large pool. 16 lengths, I swam, 16 lengths. How about that! The other end always seemed such a long way away.

4. As I was swimming I noticed a church at the other end of the pool which I tried to investigate after the swim. The gates were locked and it was not evident how to get to the other side. Another time maybe.

5. I dried off in the sun and found an American lady to chat to. I needed to talk to somebody. She is a law student, who has just been on a conference in Hong Kong and was visiting friends who worked at the International School. She expressed a desire to visit China, so that was a prompt to talk pleasantly about my trip.

6. Shower, change and off to the shop to buy some fruit juice and a bottle of water, which disappeared very quickly. I cycled round the lake to explore a little. Not much to see except more big houses. The size of this place captured me.

7. When I returned here, I was absolutely dripping but once cool I had the pleasure of reading the article in the Economist about Thailand. I found a copy in the shop. The article made much more sense than the Bangkok Post reports. I believe I have some sort of grasp on what is going on.

8. Yesterday's letter page had the word Kakisocracy - a state ruled by a Government of ill intentioned citizens. The writer was applying that to Thailand.

9. The little family returned around 6 having had a good day and produced a book entitled the Brand of 2008 in which Kaaren features. Photographed and two pages on her perceived management style. I have been given a copy as a gift.

10. Today we leave the gated community for a visit to the hospital. Hurrah the outside world. I might even ask them how much it would cost to have my gall stone removed. The endurance of the pain has lasted long enough.

11. And what about the other 50 pounds and how is Helen. Any news from Kandahar. I noticed in the papers that there has been more fighting in the last couple of days.

Must be time for the boiled egg.

Always good to hear you.
Bangkok lady

1 The day has been a good one. Yesterday evening, I prepared for the collection at ASDA. Numbered collection tins, a reminder e-mail, a collapsible table that was recovered from its place in the rain, a note-book - all in place. And that preparation was followed by an early rise, ironed shirt, polished shoes. By 0900 I was in the cafe at ASDA waiting for my colleague with whom I would take the first shift.

2 We took our stations, at first inside then out. The people passed, and I waited for the first donations. They came. There were the occasional chats. I settled. I became at ease. It wasn't going to rain. A sufficient number of people would contribute. Later, the two chums from East Grinstead (RBL) arrived for their shift. They were followed by two clients, who had responded warmly to the invitation to collect. The man sat outside on his buggy; I placed a cup of coffee on the table; he could have stayed there for another hour. But two more collectors, including George Hillman, had arrived.

2.1 George and I closed the collection; I drove to EG and we began the count. Whilst there were 173 one-penny pieces in the tins, there were 140 £1 coins. And there were two £10 notes. In all, the collection amounted to £273. A record. And not only that: the day had been companionable.

3 Since then I have exchanged e-mails with Helen, amended a draft agenda for the next Board meeting, thought about credit union jobs for tomorrow. (Mike has e-mailed to say that he and June have input the September data. I'll open the message fully tomorrow.) It's time to lie in bed in the knowledge that the collection has been accomplished, that it has been successful, that there is a band of collectors who are ready and willing to come again.

3.1 My colleague is the recently-enrolled caseworker who lives in Horsham. She took her course early in the year, but she was unused by the Horsham colleagues. Now she has just about completed her first case; she has collected; she will accompany me on a first visit to a further client and she can take that case as well.

4 Another day given to SSAFA. But some relationships have been nurtured. It's all been worthwhile.

4.1 And relationships in Evenley? I wonder how you are influencing matters from faraway.

5 And I must attend to my eating. A hurried consumption of a mixture. I have a pain in my stomach. However, it will ease. Tomorrow, I may lie in (or I may stick to the familiar routine of swimming). We'll see.

6 The days go by. It will be good to see you back in East Grinstead. No more roaming, eh. Not until the New Year at least. Concentrate upon being a Woman of Jerusalem.

7 And think about the benign effects of work (voluntary of paid). Sitting around all day is more of a punishment than a reward.

Send more news.

Stayathome

Home alone

Cher restesala maison

1. Well here I am home alone. The little family have gone off to the Sheraton Hotel to stay overnight so that Kaaren does not have to get up too early for the start of her course. Well at least I have the television for company. Somebody to listen to. Apparently the whole of the Telenor Board are over here at the moment, so it is important that she makes an appearance. It is quite remarkable how much work she does and has done since the little one was born. I suppose it's possible when there are others around to help.

2. The bike at least has had the tyres pumped so I shall cycle to the epicentre tomorrow morning to try out the olympic swimming pool. The first bit of real exercise since I arrived. I shall entertain myself in the usual fashion, swimming, reading sleeping with a bit of food thrown in. I have said I will get my own lunch. The maid can have some time for herself.

3. I would not even know where to go for a hand of bridge. Plus the fact that I did not bring Klinger with me. Liam has been promising to buy that book for the last couple of years.

4. I cannot quite make out what all the protests are about. It seems that the Thais agree to have a protest but once held have no plans for further action. According to Kaaren they need to be told what to do all the time. Not too happy to think for themselves.

5. We have a visit to the hospital on Wednesday so I shall see if there is an economist at one of the shops. I cannot quite make out how those who do not work get out of here. Kaaren says many of them are involved in charity work, but in my limited surroundings I have not seen any reference to it.

6. Had another outing today - feet and nails done and a visit to the supermarket. However, the little lad is endearing and I am called to wind and bath and walk the floor of course.

7. Reading 13 moons about the Cheroke Indians now. What they used to get up to in them there days. Should have brought another seminal book with me. A bit of education would not have gone amiss.

8. Glad to hear Amanda finally made the ride. Sounds as though the weather has been lovely.

9. Have you expressed my interest in the passion play yet. I noted the reference to possible female parts.

10. I have not yet had the enthusiasm to tackle the China project. The diary lies in the bedroom unopened. I feel as if I am standing in the wings all the time, waiting to be called.

11. By the way what was that 60 pounds in my bank account. I do not understand, please explain.

Well it must be time for another hour of the book, or should it be the television. Too early for bed and nowhere to wander outside.

Keep the news coming.

Solitude

1 Perhaps you could have worked in the kitchens of a closed order, or, better still, in the garden. There's plenty of work in the open for those who are enclosed. Perhaps you could have worked openly in an enclosure whilst being supervised closely. (Enough, enough. Ed)

2 Yesterday, as it happened, was an open day. It began with a chilly ride down the hill to Forest Row. There was a chill in the air. Amanda was there, and so was a new rider. The others joined, and, under John's amiable leadership, we set off for Heathfield. Over the High Weald, that is, up and down. Still, there was the open, airy ride along the top of the Forest. All good stuff.

2.1 In fact, the day was a fine example of a warm, autumnal one. To be on one's bike (or otherwise out on the Forest, on the cliffs, by the sea).

3 Two hours out, Gordon, Amanda, and I turned back. The return ride was slower than the outward. Both Gordon and Amanda were on low-power. I kept station at the rear, as, mile by mile, we made our way back. It was just a joy to cycle from Chelwood Gate to the A22. The open forest, the blue sky, the warmth. It was a joy.

4 Back in time to complete one or two jobs before leaving for the second Passion rehearsal. The project develops. It looks as if I will be one of Caiphas's mates. In robes, of course. Feel no regret, though, as there will be space for yet another Woman of Jerusalem. Or perhaps Pilate's wife. Or maybe the lovely Lady Mayoress of Jerusalem. (There wasn't a lady mayoress in the story. Ed)

5 A meeting this morning with James in preparation for the meeting, in March 2009, with Soames. A good meeting.

6 There was a piece in The Economist about the disturbances in Bangkok. Look for a copy in the shopping mall.

7 No news from or about Kandahar.

8. I visited Lowdells Tower yesterday; however I now realise that I did not look amongst your post for your ROH tickets. I received two for Der Fleigende H, for Rigoletto, for Les Contes, and for Elektra. (No ticket for the opera which we had not seen before.) I also have your ticket for Aida.

9 Do you have your copy of Klinger on card-play? Now is the time to get on top of things and to be ready to run the next workshops. Liam has spoken of buying a copy.

10 Send news.

Stayathome.

Oh no

Cher Un
I have just typed a long blog and it has disappeared. I need a while to recompose.

Rats, rats and double rats.

Frustrated of the gated community

Escape a last

1. Exhausted having nothing to do except sleep, read, swim, walk the floor. How on earth could I survive two weeks on this regime. It is of course a help to offer words of wisdom and take the lad when he is fractious. Life as a nun in a closed order would never do for me. I need to be out and about.



2. Hurrah the maid is off today, I have some more jobs to do. Shopping and cooking for the week=end. Requests for dishes I have never cooked before. Looking for the implements was a challenge. No scales all done by guess work. Phew Cheesy biscuits with herby filling, carrot gnocci all turned out OK.



3. Grandma is off duty now having been cooking since three, it now being eight. Bath time can be accomplished by the parents tonight.



4. Kaaren was supposed to go to her course today, but all was not well with the parents, so it might be tomorrow. It might mean I have a day off.



5. The book was not a novel - it was the reporter from the Washington Post recording some of the interviews with human rights' activists. A good insight into the happenings within the communist state.



6. Glad to hear Ashley is in good form. I thought he had accepted the post in Brighton. Now I am confused.



7. We drove to the epicentre for the shopping today and one can tell the American influence on the gated community. Every other tree had some hallow;en character on them. Ghosts, witches etc. and we are still not half way through the month.



8. I am still wondering how those who do not work entertain themselves around here. Are there bridge clubs or other clubs. Definitely no cycling club as I have seen.



9. Keep me posted from the metropolis of East Grinstead. There must be more going on there.



10. Should not be unkind to the new parents, they are feeling their way.



11. I shall have to send you Sam's email with the list of jobs, cannot give a real digest.



Enjoy the bike ride tomorrow and keep me amused with the news. Even watched Midsomer Murders, one of Kaaren's favourites.



The lady who goes from here to there

Cheré voyageuse

1 Travelling, international settlements, the Napoleonic wars and Jane Austen: let's see how I get on. Yes, of course you should read the book before you travelled. Of course? Well, maybe. Having travelled, you were better able to understand the book. Had you read the book, you would have been better prepared for travel. On balance though I take the view that one should read the introduction to the novel, read the novel, and then re-read the introduction, concluding with a re-reading of (at least) particular parts of the novel. There is too much going on (in the novel, on the journey), too much for a mind which does not possess the frameworks by which we can comprehend what we experience.

2 I wonder what sense those who live in the international settlements make of the surrounding life. The settlements, like the Hilton hotel in Addis Adaba, appeal precisely because they are apart. They replicate our day-to-day living in our own country. Nightingale Close, West Hill, the gated settlement at Felbridge - they all signal the separation between the income classes. We seek out our own kind. Our expectation is that those who live in Nightingale Close will be closer to us than those who live in The Close. In previous time, the Chinese government was forced to grant extra-territorial rights to the international settlements; nowadays, the settlements, in the day-to-day experience of those who live in them, enjoy the right to live with their own kind. In Cyprus, by the way, the sovereign base areas are extra-territorial.

2.1 And it is the servants who speak the local language, the language of servants. In Fathers and Sons some well-to-do people are being rowed on a lake, in moonlight. The rowers sing haunting songs in Russian, a foreign language.

3 And those Napoleonic wars and Miss Austen's accounts of life in rural England. Ah, we say, there is scarcely a mention of the wars in her accounts. Well, I have had Miss Austen in mind as the winds have battered the erstwhile strong financial organisations. There was no talk of these winds on Thursday night in the church hall. Instead, the talk was of bridge and the other matters which are the usual topics. There was no talk, so far as I could gather, in the church hall this morning. Things seemed to be going on much as they have been for the past weeks. I wondered if the conversation in the coffee houses in 1776 was about the American colonies. It probably was. I also recall the national response to the relief of Mafeking.



4 Evenley? I wonder how you are influencing matters from a distance. Sam's proposals? Send me a digest interwoven with your own responses. A preparation for your contribution to the next meeting.

5 Ashley remains in good shape. He continues to work for his employer in Haywards Heath. He continues to think about the previous employer in Brighton. He has also been in conversation with a one-time colleague in Brighton who, having lost his job there, is now running his own procurement business. The colleague expects increased business from people in faraway countries (such as Mauretania); if the expected increase is realised, then he will be unable to handle it on his own. Perhaps Ashley would like to join?

5.1 There was another e-bluey to Giles yesterday evening. Still no news from the man himself.

6 And it's another sunny day. The collection having been accomplished, it is time for a bowl of soup, yet more tea, a scone, a change of clothes and some work in the garden.

Stayathome

The Bubble

1. Life feels somewhat like a closed order in the land behind the gates. A large land with many houses and streets. The house with its mosquito nets and closed doors and air conditioning.

2. Yesterday we walked 25 minutes to the epicentre. What was in the epicentre you may ask - a supermarket, hairdressers, starbucks, restaurant, gym and olympic sized swimming pool (yet to be tried out). There is a bike here so perhaps I can cycle down one day for a swim.

3. Public transport does not exist here. How does one get out other than the driver or phoning for a taxi. I understand the housewives here attend classes at the local international school.

4. My morning usually starts with a swim about 8 a.m. - well sort of a swim round the little pool for many laps, then a cup of something and sit on the balcony to read and wait for noises from the other bedroom. The morning is normally sunny but then deteriorates later in the day either rain or black clouds.

5. We are so far removed from the riots in one street in Bangkok. How often have we talked about being at the bottom or the close and not knowing about the unrest in the London Road. They want democracy and not corruption. There should have been a coup they said, but no-one moved swiftly enough.

6. Back to the daily routine - walking the floor with the little lad when he is restless, whilst Kaaren works and Karstein is playing squash. He has had permission whilst I am here. Proper lunch cooked by the maid then more walking the floor or reading. There is not much else to do on the domestic front as it is all catered for. As I said a different world.

7. News from Evenley. Sam has drawn up a job list for Evenley and asked for responses none apart from me have been forthcoming. I am wondering whether to send it to you to see what you think.

8. In the shadow of Mao is an amazing book and I wished I had read it before I left. I would have questionned our minder a lot more about human rights. The accounts were extraordinary

There seems to be a bit of hard crying so I had better attend.

Keep enjoying the patio. I shall think of you there.

Grandma W

Cheré voyageuse

1 Well, it could have been memorable. During the week, after swimming, I entered Haulcon Towers, picked the mail from the floor, made a pot of green tea, and took a cup on to the patio. And it was not yet 8 am. Earlier this morning, I drove to the Towers intent on doing much the same. It was not yet 7 am as I approached. Cup of green tea, enjoy the morning, proceed to swimming. As I approached, I saw the familiar blue car on the drive. Had the young couple put the car in the garage ..... .

2 The sun does take longer in the morning. There is an autumnal langour. The air is still. And there were just two people in the pool shortly after 7 am. Steady lengths. Up and down. Autumnal swimming perhaps: no sense of a race, just steady, unremitting swimming. A pot of tea, and a round of toast, and the papers. A slow start to the day.

3 Later today I join my recently-appointed colleague in a second visit to the young man whose passport is being held by the Home Office. She will complete her first live application for assistance. Yet until his passport is released there is scarcely any significant assistance to be given. We'll see.

4 And bridge? Liam and I are now a practiced scoring team. I have the table open on the laptop. The scoring is completed. Then Liam reads and I key. (He is content with that division of labour.) WSe returned about 2300, and I sent the results just on midnight. The impact of the recent workshop on the play? None that I could see. Yet I have hopes for the introduction of (i) touch and play, (ii) odds and evens, and (iii) responses to an opening lead of a king. We'll see.

5 I registered your observation about life in the gated settlement. (Settlement is a more appropriate word than community?) It resonates with an elderly man who spent much of his early life in such settlements. The clear division between the inside and the outside. Remember the International Settlement in Shanghai? Our ways, our modes, our retreat. And the native members of the settlement are there by invitation.

6 Sometime today I must write to the principal of the London Kingston College about Rayhan Mommon. And I must e-mail the young man himself. Day by day though his misfortune has a diminishing claim on my energy. He has been returned. There was just the one meeting. I can hear the Home Office/Immigration Service/Borders Agency key turn on the lock which is marked 'Closed'.

7 Oh, yesterday I visited a man in The Close, the crescent which is situated beyond the Copyhold quadrant. When I arrived, another visitor was leaving. I mention that small point because the man himself was wearing just tracksuit bottoms. (The fact of a previous visitor, perhaps a member of a caring service was re-assuring.) In any case, we got on with the business. His daughter, who lives in the adjoining house, is his carer and she made me a cup of tea.) It struck me though that my practice of making a first visit to all new clients was relevant to the handling of this client. He is not someone to be visited by a woman. I did wonder, and still wonder, about my own response. Some such words as 'Ah, I'll come back when you've finished dressing?'.

8 So there. The world continues to spin. I hope to see something of David today or tomorrow. I had thought of a bus-ride to Eastbourne. We've spoken about taking such a ride. Like travelling to Hampstead to swim in the pond, or like travelling on London buses for a day - such episodes are always postponable. Yet there does come a time when each has to be done.

9 Send further news.

(Meanwhile, I'll wait until Monday before I visit the Towers again.)

Stayathome.

A different life

1. The palm trees flourish here. What a contrast to the hustle and bustle of the busy city streets that formed part of their life in Bangkok. Out in a gated community with big houses, large palms and quiet streets. Only the maids speak Thai here. You can hear them chattering when they take the family dogs for a walk.

2. The rainy season is upon us. Water is always close by in the swimming pool or falling from the sky. I managed a swim before breakfast not in the style of Chartham Park, of course. I still have to work out a way of avoiding the scraping of the knees in the shallow end.

3. The maid business is a strange experience. For two hundred pounds a month plus full accommodation and food, she works five days a week. She has a five year old daughter, looked after by her mother, who lives in the North of Thailand. Goodness only knows when she sees her. She is a remarkable cook and enjoys looking a recipe books.

4. We are completely untouched here by the riots that are going on near the Parliament buildings. The newspapers carry the pictures.

5. Kaaren has been working, she had a two hour meeting here whilst we entertained the young lad. Generally he is very calm, quite unlike Ollie and Tom. She will attend part of her fast track course at the week end. Presumably dash out when he needs feeding. We shall be the minders.

6. Glad to hear the bridge session went well. Everyone went away having learnt something?

I think I am required again.

1 And I thought it was Bournemouth you'd gone to. Bournemouth, Bangkok - it's an easy mistake to make. Still, I don't suppose there's as many palm trees in Bangkok. There's more? Well, there's something else I've learned. And I don't suppose it's the WI annual conference you've gone to. They probably don't do WI in Bangkok.

2 Well, never mind. just you go ahead and enjoy yourself. Look out for some wool - perhaps you could start a knitting circle. Yes, yes, finding the patterns might be difficult. But for a starter-group, you could draw upon your memory. Of course you could

3 The bridge-group had a good meeting here yesterday evening. Billandbarbara, the 2Bs, attended; so did Marilyn and Rita, their attendance being a surprise. A welcome one. Liam was there. So we dealt with standard plays. Whilst the idea was familiar, if not the content, to M, R, and L, it was entirely unfamiliar to the 2Bs. Yet as the boards were played, and re-played, so it became evident to all that it was a good idea for the defenders to have a way of communicating, besides nods, winks, kicks, grimaces, pursed lips, and suchlike codes. By the end of the two hours, there was a general approval. (And Liam was attentive. He was a player, not a director.)

4 From a group to a young man, one who served the Queen, who took his discharge, and who, since then, has been in the grip of the Home Office. At least, his passport has. He is a Cameroon (from the French-speaking part but with fluent, easy, unaccented English). Without has passport, and a declaration that he has a right (ILR) to be in this country, he cannot work. He has no income. He sleeps on a mattress in a cousin's house in Bewbush. His distress has been running for six months. And what can I do? Well, if Doug is bested, day by day, by HO apparatchiks, I can have no hope. We'll see.

5 Otherwise, at the close of the day, I am listening to melodic voices whilst waiting for my food to cook. The newspaper awaits. So does an early bed. A read.

5.1 And an early rise for swimming (and, yes, yes, for putting out the green bin).

Continue to enjoy your Isaac.

Stayathome


Stayathome

1 This post is likely to be the last one, the last one, that is, to China. Three weeks. Undoubtedly, an adventure, one which was experienced far, far away from East Grinstead.
Ah, what is it to have been to ...., I will ask. I wonder what you will say.

2 Remember ? Of course you do. Well, what do we take from, what do we return with from Morocco? In a way, a visit to Morocco may be akin to a visit to an opera, one which was enjoyed at the time but which was overlaid by later ones. Yet some operas do stand out. We do remember them. They help us to make sense of things (What things, I ask myself.) Or we are able to say 'I understand what the composer - Wagner comes to mind - wanted to say'.
Morocco, Morocco. What went on in Morocco, we'll ask.

3 Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there are jobs to do. There's never a day without a job. When the time is convenient, I want to get my mind round the management of the credit union finances. The day-by-day inputting, the day-by-day ruminations in front of the PC in that shared office. Something to look forward to.

4 And having you back, safe and sound will be something to look forward to.

Send a concluding message.

Stayathome.

Foxed and foxed again + allergic to China

1. Well that well and truly foxed me. Your last posting was all in symbols and strange signs and not even Chinese, hence the comment. However when I reverted back from the comment I could read the English. I wonder whether you will see the same thing when you open up.

2. Sorry to hear about the laptop. I wonder if you have left it on for a long time as it tends to overheat and then die. I only switch it on to do the business and then switch off. I certainly will not do the August Accounts on Monday!

3. It seems that finally I am allergic to China. Two days ago I came out in lumps and bumps over the lower part of my legs and arms. Luckily I have some piriton with me, though it makes me feel very sleepy and not with it.

4. We have just flown from Lijiang to Kunming where we will spend the night and then fly out to Beijing tomorrow about 4 p.m. local time. We have an afternoon free without the minder. Hurrah. We are right in the centre so easy to wander about and explore.

5. Jan and I have got on very well. Had similar feelings about things and were quite happy to relax in our own company. Our santuary was reading in the hotel room and have demolished four novels each. Both of us are ready to return and be in familiar surroundings with our own.

6. You seem to be having bad luck with Pells and your teeth. I had to have similar gum treatment a couple of years ago otherwise I would have lost more teeth. We shall see if you go ahead.

7. Yesterday we had a final visit in Zhongdien to a Buddist Temple where 2,000 llamas (not the animals) reside. All ages from 6 upwards. Dark Tibetan temples with much money left on various statues and the like. Not quite sure what they do with all that money, but I know they bought 10 tons of gold to refurbish the temple last year. What about the poor I asked?

8. The face of communism. On our long journey back we had to stop at a manual car wash because our driver was not a local of Lijiang and should the police spot an out of county car or mini-bus the driver would be fined. 60% of the fine goes to the government and the rest to the local police force. I wondered why he bothered as we still had 100k to go along dusty roads.

9. Lijiang is the first really touristy place we have visited. The old town has been refurbished and each little house is either a restaurant, bar or shop. Most of the merchandise is very samey.

10. News from Brackley is scant. The Occupational Therapy visit went well and

1 Where, I wonder, are you both? You'll read this message on 18 September, that is, if you have access to an internet cafe; you are scheduled to arrive at Gatwick at 1935 on 20 September. So I suppose that you are about to leave for the return journey to Peking (or you may have made that journey). I'll send a short text.

2 Rats. I telephoned Pells, heard that it would be open to 1730, and that there was no-one in the pool. (Hmm, I thought. There must be a reason.) As I expected today to be the last day, I resolved to drive there. And so I did. I had to divert from Danehill to Nutley for petrol. Even so, I reached the locked gate at 1700 or a minute or two after.

2.1 A conversation through the bars. He wanted to get home. The pool will be open on Friday from 0930, on Saturday and on Sunday from 1300 to 1730. Sunday, I gathered, will be the closing day.

3 Rats, again. I switched on your laptop during the afternoon, looked at the Form 4 for August 2008, and thought 'Ah'. Yes, that's what I thought: 'Ah'. I opened an Excel document on my own laptop, having decided that I would create my own reconciliation worksheet. Alas. When I returned from Pells, keen to get going, your laptop would not do what I wanted. It has died on me. So I'll have to take it to the Wolfcats and ask them to resusitate it.

3.1 Meanwhile, if all else fails, then it will be a matter of restoring Conaccess to end-July and re-entering the August data. Monday, I know, is not the day to spend with the EGDCU. So we may have to report that the August accounts will be settled soon after the Board meeting on Tuesday.

4 Rah, Rah. I have made my first entries on the EGDCU website.

5 Time to be coming home, lady.

Stayathome.

1 Have swimmed. Have done so more slowly than, I sense, I have been accustomed to. Or perhaps I have been swimming at this (slow, slower) speed but just haven't been aware of the speed. And my teeth. And I've turned on the heating. Perhaps it's time for you to return so that you may assure me that I am much as you left me.

1.1 Meanwhile, the water became silky to the skin. A pleasant swim. Of course, I should concentrate upon the pleasure and not upon the lithe, speedy swimmers in the neighbouring lanes. Of course. And I turned on the heating so that the house would be warm for a GDWG meeting tomorrow morning. A warm house may facilitate the emergence of a new co-ordinator.

2 Am about to take your laptop to the Lighthouse. I will also take a calculator. And a pad. I expect to be there for some hours.

3 However, the day is warming, is brightening. Later today, I will telephone Pells. It may be that there will be an opportunity for the end-of-season two lengths.

4 I put some clothes in your washing-machine on the way back from CP. No car in the garage. I take it that your younger daughter has possession.

5 An obituary in The Times of the Dalai Lama's elder brother. I'll keep it for you: an account of a life which was directed against the Chinese occupation. Indeed, he favoured guerilla warfare (whilst his brother has steadily avowed a non-violent resistance).

Stayathome

1 Ah, the news. Not the news from Shangri-La and other such places, including the places where yaks are milked, but the news from Northamptonshire I wonder how your folks are getting on.

2 And the news from Wiltshire and from East Sussex. I've just had a long chat with Giles. All is well, all, that is, save the installation of the new Sky all-in-one package and the replacement of the MP3 player which he had recently bought and which has even more recently been damaged.

2.1 He wondered when there could be a visit from East Grinstead. They are keen to see you; they are keen that you should see young Sam. I explained that a visit on Sunday was unlikely. Indeed, it does look as if the next visit will be after Giles's deployment. Perhaps the weekend after next, allowing for the claims of Northamptonshire.

2.2 Brian Wright, too, would like to see you.

3 I've also spoken to Ashley and heard that his previous employers will offer him a post, the salary to be no less than the one he is presently receiving. An unusual sequence of events, I reckon. For my part, by the way, I regret his leaving his present employers as, by his account, they are friendly and they think highly of him.

4 Otherwise, the day is coming to a peaceful close. The sky has remained overcast. The evening is chilly. Being a man, men being what they are, I have put on a sweater (rather than turn on the heating). I am about to take to bed for an hour. (Somehow I sense that I will not read for an hour.) There might just be time for a short conversation with my sister.

4.1 I cooked potatoes and vegetables this evening. Pots, implements - that sort of thing. And the paraphenalia have been washed.

Do give my regards to Jan. I think of her. Let me know how she's getting on.

Stayathome.

1 Well, the first tutorial has been accomplished. Andrea has left with the intention of creating a blog (with her daughter's help). When she comes, next Tuesday, I shall ask her about her blog.

1.1 I have sought to explain the taxonomy of messaging: short-text messages, e-mails, and blogs. The blogs, I explained, are for the more reflective, the enduring compositions.

2 I was treated this morning by a dentist whom I had not seen before. You may remember that I reported the loss of two fillings. As I have not been discomforted, I was at ease when I entered the room. The dentist put on a mask and and eye-protector; she also put and eye-protector on me. I left the chair with two new fillings, including a filling behind one of my front teeth, the one which was broken by a cricket ball some 50 years ago.

2.1 I was also given the news that 'many of [my] teeth' will not outlast me. There's 'a gum problem'. The problem, I was told, can be addressed by a life-long commitment to a programme of gum maintenance. In the meantime, I am to return in two week's time for a further filling. At that time I will learn more about the programme, and I may begin it.

2.2 I then observed the division of labour. The dentist entered what I understand to be a description of what she did. (The entry was in dentist-script, you understand.) The dental assistant then took the card and entered what I could readily understand: £100.

3 My plan did not survive a contact with the dentist. I had intended to go into the Lighthouse, with your laptop, so that I could seek to re-trace what Mike West and June Vincent had done after I left. (Of course, I should have stayed; of course, I should have made it plain that I needed a step-by-step record of what they had done.) However, the thick lip slowed me. I have waited until I can have an egg and a cup of tea. I will then be ready to continue with the affairs both of the credit union and of the local division of SSAFA, the well-known, or not so well-known, military charity.

3.1 However, I must go into the Lighthouse sometime today. I'll need to read and view myself into the task. According to June, I had set up the as instead of . They had been unable to undo that error. So the Form 4 remains to be completed. I hope that I can retrace the steps. Your composition will be my guide.

4 I also sought to explain Shangri-la to Andrea. Now you had just added to your distinction from the rest of the population of the town. In all probability, you will find that no-one else has been there. You have. You have been to Shangri-la. Record your senses, your emotions. Maybe there is something in the place which will take you towards Nirvana; alternatively, perhaps you will remember the place because you took apple pie there, or close to there, together with a cappuchino.

4.1 Of course, there is the possibility that you have been admitted to Nirvana. After yak's milk and suchlike, after further exercises at high altitude, after being exposed again to the feeling that it was time to return to East Grinstead, you were given the apple pie and the cappuchino. As you enjoyed the foods, you were in the highest state of feeling, the altitude aside. You were in Bliss-land, you were in a place, a condition, from whence unease had been banished. Whilst you may already have left, you will be left with the recollection that you were there. The Shangri-la of the imagination. The private bower.

4.2 However, before I leave the topic, I can imagine that you have been taken to a place called Shangri-la. After all, I remember the Flanagan and Allen song which included the lines 'Underneath the arches, down Paradise Way .... . And there's many a house, no doubt, which are called Shangri-la (or Dunroaming). Perhaps the Chinese (central or regional) government has given the name to a likely place, somwhere in the south-west, somewhere close to Tibet, somewhere close to the fabled valley.

5 The day is dry, still, and overcast. It could be a day for Lewes. However, I think that I will postpone the concluding visit to Pells for a further day. I will take my (last) chance on tomorrow. If the pool opens tomorrow, then I will have to go. A chap will have to do what a chap has to do.

5.1 There's a Chums' lunch on Thursday. There will also be a game of bridge. The Excel frame awaits the direct entry of the scores. No news from Alan Lloyd.

Send new news to the

Stayathome.

Civilisation Found

1. I noticed that it only saved a little bit. What we found is what we know. We sat in the sunshine outside on wicker chairs, the first time during the last two and a half weeks.

2. Sorry to hear about Sheila Lloyd - what is the trouble.

3. Give my best wishes to Brian Wright when you see or speak to him.

4. All the people here are Tibetan and speak Tibetan. Very few Han people live here. They live in Tibetan houses. Each group has their own distinctive style of house, it identifies the group.

5. I think we must be more than 12000 feet as we are 4.500 metres up. One walks a little more slowly and is conscious of a slight headache.

6. The little chap has a name - Isaac Benjamin. Isaac one who laughs. He will be a happy lad with a bit of luck.

7. Are you intending to pick me up from the airport?

8. Have to curtail this now, shame about the lengthy one lost.

Leave form 4 if it is too much trouble I will complete on my return.

Have we got the lost or the found sign up today. Looking forward to coming home.

Noddled out

Civilisation found

1. We have been allowed to wander throughout the afternoon and we discovered civilisation. Apple pie and chocolate together with a cappuccino

1 Traveller, you are transformed. You are living at an altitude two-and-a-half times the height of Ben Nevis. You have taken a meal, at that altitude, with a Tibetan family. You have eaten what they have eaten. You have extended the content of your direct experience beyond that of anyone I know, certainly anyone, without a doubt, here in the Close, probably beyond anyone in Lowdells Lane, perhaps anyone in East Grinstead.

1.1 There could be an article for the local newspaper. You're taking photographs? Of course.

2 I registered what you said about the family's support for the inclusion of Tibet within China, within a Chinese sphere of influence. As I read (and as I key) I wonder if I have ever asked 'What do we know about the preferences of the people who live in what we know as Tibet?'. To what extent are the expressions of feeling in Katmandu representative of the feelings of the other people who live in the country?

3 From your account, the family were welcoming. They shared their food. The people came in from the fields. I wonder what they found interesting about you. (Perhaps the answer is 'Everything'.) I wonder what they wanted to know. They had a considerable impact on you. I wonder about your impact on them. You hadn't taken a Tibetan meal before; I wonder if they had served one to previous travellers from beyond the mountains. Gifts: did you leave one; did they give you one. (No, not another glass of yak's milk.)

3.1 As I key, I remember that account I heard of the nomadic peoples in southern Ethiopia. Four million of them, I heard. I wonder who had counted them. Now those peoples, I heard, whilst sticking to their nomadic ways, use their radios and mobile telephones to check their position and to help them to find the likely watering-places.

4 Twelve thousand feet, 3700 metres - a considerable height. I can imagine that it slows a person who is not used to the height. It slows the ascent, and it slows the movement once the ascent has been completed. I wonder now about the day-time and the night-time temperatures.

5 Here, on the third successive rain-free day, the sun is concealed again. The clouds have returned. Pells has been open since 1500, and it will remain open until 1800. It will also be open between these times tomorrow and Wednesday, weather permitting. I was thinking of going, but it may be sensible to complete some jobs here. I have earmarked tomorrow for Form 4. Fingers crossed for Wednesday.

6 Form 4. I will take your laptop, and I will seek to construct a Form 4. However, I will need to know what has been entered. I sense that I will be occupied tomorrow, after a visit to the dentist.

6.1 I also intend to visit Brian Wright, who is poorly. I visited him on Friday when he reported that he was declining. He is in touch with the hospice. He reported today that he remains poorly.

6.2 Sheila Lloyd was discharged from hospital last Friday. Alan gave the news that she had been re-admitted yesterday. We wait.

7 Mick Roberts is on his way round.

8 Continue to enjoy the good news. Continue to garner those experiences which will add to the content of the adventure, which will mark you out from those who have stayed at home.

One of those

Into the inner sanctum

1. A return from a Tibetan family meal would you believe. Our driver has invited us to his house to share a meal with his family. His wife has prepared slices of pork fat, pig's ears, chicken with their feet still on, and phew some courgettes, sliced celery, mangetout and rice. Various uncles and aunts, who have come in the from fields have joined us. They opened a bottle of sweet local red wine to celebrate the baby's birth and the culmination was a bowl of warm yak's milk. Oh boy I do not like yak's milk. Remember some of our conversations!

2. The day, of course, was a wonderful one hearing about the birth of my third grandson. We were just about to set off for the day when Karstein phoned a mere 30 minutes after the birth and an hour later Kaaren phoned. It was delightful. They ran into problems towards the end and she had to have a caesarian. The doctors thought the baby's life would be in danger if they left it any longer. He has no name yet, they want to look at him thoroughly before deciding.
He weighed 9lbs 15oz and was 23 inches long. A big lad already.

3. We are now 12,000 up on the plateau with the Yaks and the Tibetan people. Those we spoke to said they did not want to be independent of China. Why should they when the Government give them so many advantages over the Han people. According to them it is just a minority who follow the Dali Llama.

4. The Leaping Tiger Gorge was magnificent. The noise of the water pounding over the rocks, the Yangste flowing towards the China Sea. As I mentioned the descent was 397 steps and the ascent was 397 and at altitude.

5. The distances here are great and we spend much time in the van or mini bus, which gets a little tedious at times. We are now only 100 miles from the actual Tibetan border.

6. So today has erased the awfulness of yesterday and we are moving slowly on to our final destination home for a wonderful cheese sandwich!! and of course all the other lovely comforts.

Here's to the full moon and a good life Roman Soldier.

The weary traveller

1 News from a different world. A second day of late summer, early autumn sunshine. Up early, on with the jobs. Ironing, a couple of letters. Still looking for my railcard, the one I couldn't find yesterday, the one which is still missing (even as I key). At the railway station, in cycling kit, with bicycling, in time to catch the train to Hurst Green. My first outing with the club since the tour. Three months.

2 Just five others, including three Chadwicks, as we cycled from Hurst Green to Morrisons, the re-fuelling stop for the three who had cycled from Forest Row. (I did think of cycling to Hurst Green, but I decided not to.) Off westwards towards Lullingstone. I remained with them for about half an hour. Then I turned down Westerham Hill, the hill, remember, which I am to tackle. A pause in Westerham. People sitting on the green in the sun. Passing cyclists.

3 From Westerham I followed the uphill road through the North Downs. A pleasant ride, a ride to my own rhythms. The sun shafted through the trees. The day was warm. I climbed the hill, rode through the undulations, and then I enjoyed the downhill ride to Crockham and onwards to the outskirts of Edenbridge. A diversion through the country to Haxted, to Lingfield, and back to EG by way of Baldwin's Hill.

3.1 I was reminded of the pleasures of solitary cycling. The day was warm, the tyres were fully inflated. All that had to be done was pedal. The pace was mine. Indeed, I was indifferent to pace, an indifference which is not possible when one is cycling with others. Remember, the woman who was swimming in the water at Courseilles? Of course, you do. Well, I remembered her as I cycled. She and I were one.

4 To Worth for a Passion Play rehearsal. About 45 adults attended, some 15 men and 30 women. It could be interesting. The director, a woman, has produced a Passion Play in Lewes. I reckon she knows what she's doing. There's room for everyone. There's a strong chance I will be a Roman soldier. If Liam wants to be Pilate then he will have to turn up. (Liam will attend a rehearsal for a Passion Play?) Mass at the Friary. Home. The possibility of a swim at CP passed with being realised. I'll just have to get up in the morning.

5 Meanwhile, do not adjust your mind. There's a fault in the surrounding reality. Just believe that there is a plan, that the plan will return you to Peking, to an aircraft which will be flying westwards towards the UK.

6 People ask about you. I say that you are 'somewhere in China, that you will be home at the end of the week'. I go on to say that you will have stories to tell.

6.1 Giles and Helen send their good wishes. So do Jo and Roy.

7 Tomorrow will be a SSAFA and a credit union day. If the sun continues to shine, I will telephone Pells Pool. If it will be open, then I will take my early autumn swim.

Keep sending the news. Hold on to the rails.

Stayathome (who is looking forward to an evening of chat).

I do not like green eggs and ham, Don, I am

1. I do not know where we are. The route has been altered and I do not know where I am, and I do not like it, Don I am. Where am I, Don, where. The hotel is strange and the town is strange. I do not know what is here.

2. Another journey in the van. We stopped in one village and was invited into a local house by a farmer. A chance meeting. We sat in his Courtyard. He made us tea and his wife picked a pomegranite for us. He grows rice, broadbeans and garlic and has three mos. 1 hectare is 15 mos. The Government support farmers now and his gets 30 yuan for each mo. He has to pay 20 mo per annum for water and irrigation. He earns about 1000 to 1500 pounds per annum. His daughter's husband who works in a milk powder factory earns 100 pounds and gets accommodation and food thrown in. They own a pig, a cow and chickens. All supplement the income from the crops. They were very hospitable.

3. In an extremely smelly internet cafe at the moment. The hotel does not have one. I wonder how we shall spend the evening and what on earth we shall eat here.

4. Good to hear about Jo and Roy and the new house. A hog roast how posh.

5. Let me know how the bike ride went and the rehearsal. Are you aiming for a star part or something? A monk or Jesus?

6. The moon festival is being celebrated at the moment. Quite an auspicious festival in the calendar over here. They all buy moon cakes, though do not look particularly appetising.

7. Got to get out of this place

Good morning (English time)

1 There's time to post a paragraph or two before I leave for the train to Hurst Green, there to join FRBC bikers (who will have cycled to the rendezvous). The sun is on the way up, the day is light, there are scarcely any clouds. However, whilst I will cycle for a while with the bikers, I will have to leave them if I am to cycle back to East Grinstead in time to buy some stuff in Sainsbury's - you probably remember Sainsbury's; of course you do - and be in time for the rehearsal at 3 30 at Worth School.

2 My washing machine is still out of action. It may be dead. I called in to Top of the Town, and I'm still ruminating about £50 call-out charge. A visit just to see what parts are required, you understand. Still, your machine works; I guess I could clean Doug's surplus one and set that to work. The challenge will be moving my one to Siberia. A two-, perhaps a three-person job. And then what?

3 It visited Roy and Jo in their new house yesterday. They have bought an old house in Southwick village, to the west of Brighton and Hove. A village atmosphere. A big, roomy house with different levels on the ground floor and little rooms here and there. A garden which qualifies as A Secret Garden. The whole thing is just a wonder. A life-long - or ten-or-more-years - project. They, the place, has to be visited. Joe has a Trek bike so there will be scope for bicycling. Though both work.

3.1 And there was a hog-roast. The first time I have seen a (dead) hog being roasted on a spit. On arrival, I prompted to take a bread roll which was filled with roasted hog-flesh. It was a meal in itself.

More later on

To bike or not to bike that is the question

1. Never, never has there been such a tortuous prelude to a bike ride. The trick cyclist (nickname for the man in the tuc tuc who carried our three bikes) followed behind our mini bus and we lost sight of him in the traffic. Firstly our driver drove into much oncoming traffic and no-one stopped to let him turn round; they weaved around him. I could not look. Subsequently we drove for at least 30 minutes through a road construction site, bouncing and bumping all the way with throats constricting with dust. We lost the trick cyclist and eventually found him again and unloaded the bikes.

2. Off we went by 11.30, hot sun, saddle too low and at altitude of 6000 feet. Different kind of cycling. I am uncertain how many kilometres we cycled but we did not reach the planned destination as Jan nearly blacked out on two occasions. She could not manage the slightest hill, probably due to the altitude and heat. Our rescuers found us and loaded us into the vehicles and we drove to a cooling lunch.

3. Good to hear your news about the comings and goings at Nightingale Hall and around. Good news too about Ashley's increase. Perhaps Dawn will be a little more relaxed when she has given herself time.

4. Still no baby, though we send each other a text every day. She will be induced next Friday if nothing happens. We do hope that the little chap will come before then as we shall be travelling home. By the way I take it that all was in order at Haulcon.

5. The minority group, the bi people, have wonderful decorations on their houses. The white washed exteriors are bordered in black then all sort of flowers and designs are painted within the borders.

6. In Dali we are living in the lap of luxury. The hotel has a swimming pool so we made the effort to swim at 7 this morning. A touch cold but bliss. Something I have missed on this trip.

7.The quote I gave you on travel from Daniel was not exactly correct. 'Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased' and 'Travel has the practical merit of placing one's locale and its inhabitants in an informatively fresh light'

8. I am probably ready to come home.

9. On the move again tomorrow, up to the Tibetian village.

1 Thanks for the news. The eight-hour train journey will be remembered. Within the general recollection will be the particular recollection of the officious officials. I imagine that the officiousness was not so regarded by the rest of the passengers. That's what officials do; that's what they're for.

2.1 Doug was here earlier today. He is scheduled to start his OU course at the beginning of October. So where, we wondered, will he find the ten or so hours of study-time. And where will be study? A question. Young Doug, remember, watches television, and, according to Doug, his girl-friend seems to live in the house. Two of them watching television. Duncan too visits. Three of them. So I urged him to lay down a rule: on two evenings a week, the house will be closed to anyone other than himself.

2.2 And Ashley has been around. A welcome visit. We chatted amiably. His job? He has been given a rise by his present employers. He has had conversations with his previous employer, and he expects an offer. Meanwhile, on Monday Dawn will give notice of termination to her employer, the first step towards taking six months off. Time to spend at home, time to catch up with herself.

3 Unwise it was to begin this post. I am tired. I must postpone until tomorrow, when I shall continue. Continuation time. So let me turn to the preparation of the Form 4. There were three of us: Mike, June, and me. I was at fault: having entered the collections, the bank inpayments, and so on, I should have prepared a Form 4 on your laptop. I didn't. In fact, I left the other two. On Monday I will go over what was done. I hope I will be able to make any necessary corrections. Otherwise, the exercise was all to the good. June, in particular, is good to work with. She is the person, I reckon, who could become the back-up to you.

4 And today - Saturday - the sun shines. It could be a warm day. There are jobs to complete in East Grinstead. Here, I must complete the bridge scores. And Roy and Jo are running a hog-roast as a house-warming. They have moved to a house elsewhere in Hove. I will visit during the late afternoon, having left the car in Three Bridges. And tomorrow? There might even be a bike-ride. (And I want to attend the rehearsal for the Worth Passion. )

Good fortune to you both.

Well done.


Stayathome.

The train, oh the train

1. Hum, hum they said they wanted to try the train and try the train they did. Nine hours later they arrived at their destination. Nine hours, they were told it was four. Nine hours of constant hooting and long, long tunnels, through the mountains, through the valleys. The first class, of course. First class not as we know it, but hard bench seats with hard backs and two bunks above.

2. The officials were assigned one to each carriage and officious officials they were. No suitcases on the bunks. Their duties comprised bringing hot water to those who wished to replenish their teas or start on their pot noodles; sweeping the floor every 30 minutes and mopping every hour. As we passed through stations, officials on the platforms saluted as the train went by. Chinese music was being played and much chatting went on. We, of course, could not understand a word of it.

3. Eventually the destination was reached and to our amusement all the officials had to line up outstide the station and have their standard bags and themselves checked by no. 1 official.

4. I spoke to our minder on the way who told me that 40 million people died of starvation during the great leap forward. His own father decided to join the army as he was assured of food and a place to live.

5. Grayling wrote about travel and his first quote was from Daniel. 'People rushing to and fro, knowledge is acquired' There were other parts which entertained and enlightened but the book is upstairs.

6. With a bit of luck, we may be able to bike tomorrow, round a huge lake.

Got to go they are shutting up the shop. No baby yet.

Chere voyageuse

1 Liam has just left. He and i have been talking since 1030: a couple of hours of scoring and then of talking about this and that. We did touch on China (which we both sense is somewhere beyond the mountains - remember Papageno - but as China is as big as Europe to know that you are in China is to know that you are somewhere between here and Warsaw.

2 Seven tables in the Maypole bridge club, as many as there were last week. Seven tables, 28 people. Two nice young men came top of the North/South. They had a little help from some of the pairs they met.

3 It's bed-time. I'll take up the story tomorrow.

4 In the meantime, continue to look out for the yaks. And for an internet cafe. And it may be as well to look out for your minder. You may need him.

5 Continue to record what you see: the people, the costumes, the activities.

And be sure to brush your teeth before you go to bed.

Stayathome.

Chere voyageuse

1 Well, I can only wonder where you will be, and what you will have eaten for breakfast, when you read this post. You have gone far, far from East Grinstead. (You probably recall East Grinstead, the little town in Sussex - Sussex, dear; you know, Sussex - where you used to live. Bridge, bicycling, opera - you remember? Of course you do. Just take it easy for a while. It'll all come back.)

2 The day has been a long one. I mentioned in my comment on your post that it began with a first step towards the construction of a forecast of income and expenditure for 2009. Credit union. Well, that exercise had been preceded by a swim, at 0730. And by the collection of the washing from your washing machine. (Mine still languishes.) Tomorrow, I will put that washing on the clothes-horse and collect the second set from your machine.

3 Bah. Banalities. The concluding event of the day - this posting aside - was an illuminating hour with the Website Man, Dave Brook. I am now on the verge of editing the credit union website. Hold on to your hat, or to handbag, or to whatever may be at risk of flying away when you hear that there is the possibility that I will have edited the website - that is, put up fresh material - by the end of Monday. (I need a day to dedicate to the site and to the software which lies behind it.)

Enough, enough. It's time for refreshment. Time for bed and for a few pages about The Reformation.

(Continue to) be brave.

Stayathome.

Back in Time

1. The time machine has taken us back an hundred years or so to unmade roads and primitive living. The town Yuanyang has two minority tribes populating it. The Yi tribe who wear colourful embroidered costumes during their daily life and the Hani tribe who wear black and a blue headscarf. The women wear the costomes and the men wear ordinary clothes and the women do the hard work.

2. We had an amusing incident today when we came across two women taking a break from carrying their heavy load of sticks. We asked if we could try to lift them onto our backs. We put the band round our heads and tried. However try as we may we could not begin to shift the load from its resting place. It weighed about 40 kilos. The pair of us even tried and we could not manage. The girls were laughing their heads off.

3. We see women at the road side crushing rocks into tiny pieces, herding the cows carrying large baskets of produce, and carrying vegetables for sale at the market. The men drive the mini buses or work in the big towns. They do help gather in the rice harvest.

4. The rice terraces are a wonder to look at. The crafting of the terraces on the hillside and the colour ever changing depending on the position of the sun. Apparently it is a photographer's heaven. It has been likened to one of the wonders of the world. Sadly my pictures will not reflect the true beauty of the terraces.

5. We visited a school this morning. However the teacher's had an inset day, so no children. The desks were all in rows with hard benches beneath and the blackboard was at the front of the class. All China follow the same structure and same materials. No small groups here, no workshops, no self exploration. The walls were bare and the teacher seem to have very little material to work with. The maths for 7 year olds consisted of work-books and blackboard work. One teacher explained that some of the farming children cannot grasp the concepts, but teachers are not allowed to deviate from the structured timetable.

6. The hotel's idea of an English breakfast is a few bits of sponge cake with some jam and congealed fried eggs. Even that would not tempt me to go native and take the noodles etc.

7. Back to Kunming tomorrow and off to Dali by train. Not sure when the next opportunity for posting will be. I sense that it is more back of beyond.

Going native

In with the locals

1. Here we are back in the internet cafe before embarking on another journey into the hinterland. Up in the mountains I understand. A further wilderness and stranger terrain. Not a Western face was in view yesterday, save ours. Mostly people went on with their daily business and did not give us a second glance unless we happened to be in their path.

2. A visit to the hospital was illuminating. Half the building was open to the elements with bikes and motorcyles parked in the corridors. The patients lying on beds were on view to any passer by. One could see into the doctor's consulting rooms, usually three or four people accompanied the patient. One thing China is not short of is people. You know the joke, of course, how many people does it take ..... well that certainly is applicable here. Ten people discuss one tiny thing.

3. This morning, Chinese was broadcast over the loudspeakers. When I asked I was told it was the communist party conference, which has to be spread throughout China. Our minder said that they believed they had to spread sunshine everywhere.

4. People draw water from a large well here, which we witnessed. Fish swim in the water. So long as the fish are alive then the water is fresh!!! Apparently this water is sweet. I did not feel inclined to taste it.

5. The village was alive with everyday activities. We watched the farmers bring in the rice harvest. They lay the stalks on the ground then drive over them with their lorry. This separated the grain from the stalks. The grain is then left on the ground to dry and the stalks are made into small haystacks. The farmer is obliged to sell a proportion of his crop to the Government. The portion depends on the size of the family. He gets very little money for this. The rest he can sell at profit. It seems that anything that lives is eaten.

6. We happened upon the Doyenne of the village, dressed rather glamourously for the conditions. Her family used to live in the big house in the village and were the chiefs until the Communists threw them out. She said she hated the communists. They gave her a small dwelling in the village. Part of the property is a museum now including the Chinese Opera stage, which every grand house used to have.

7. Another women had builders working on her house, some 20 for whom she was cooking supper in a huge pot. Looked like bits of pigs' ears and tails. Um was not tempted to join them.

8. Still no baby and she is getting rather bored. I get the impression she has got through all her books.

9. I noted your comments about the Credit Union and the tensions between SSAFA and the CU. In order to accomplish each properly one needs more time. I noted also the email from Sue Joy about another person willing to join the CU. Perhaps you will be able to relinguish some of the duties. This week is the time for the month end!!!!

10. I seem to recollect that you are visiting the little family today. Give them my love and send me a woman's type report back, not an etherial one.

Take care

Chere voyageuse

1 Many thanks for the use of the washing-machine. I haven't taken up the offer yet; however, I will do. And I will also seek to find someone who can fix my machine. Or else I shall have to enter a market from which I have been absent for years.

2 It's time for bed after a long day. SSAFA, of course. And a conclusion with Marketing & Administration. There is too much for a chair and a divisional secretary to do. The observation remains: either one, on its own, would be fine. Both together are too much. The credit union gets the smaller part of me as a delay in SSAFA work has immediate consequences.

3 Otherwise, thanks for an illuminating message. Compared with East Grinstead, Peking was oriental and exotic. Compared with your present experiences it seems that Peking was East Grinstead. And there may be yet more exotic places and experiences beyond. You seem to have left the manicured garden and entered the wilderness beyond which there may be yet another one. And beyond? There's time, there's time.

Main à la main.

Stayathome

A stranger land as we travel south

1. First and foremost something on a practical level. Please go ahead and use my washing machine You have the keys and everything is there. Do not get involved in the intricacies of the laundrette.

2. A big first, an internet cafe. I have never seen the like before. 200 screens in banks of 11. They play and key all night according to our minder. The room is vast and dark. In the relative earliness of the morning, the place is quiet with just a few people. The place smells of cigarettes and ashtrays which have not been cleaned.

3. Fortunately I was able to obtain a Chinese sim card and I have been in touch with Kaaren every day. She usually sends a text and I reply and every so often we have a chat. The baby is getting bigger and heavier but as yet has no inclination to emerge.

4. The comments about James in the unity room were lost on me and perhaps I have forgotten what the talk was about being so far removed from anything European. We are certainly in the back of beyond now and travelling further into the depth of Eastern ways.

5. A Chinese joke we were told. The chinese eat anything that flies except planes and eats anything with four legs except a table. That was certainly true when I experienced locals eating locusts and donkey at a barbecue yesterday. We are definitely among local life which we requested, but I am mostly sticking to vegetables. No more Tofou, no more tofou. Breakfast was the wierdest today.

6. I had no idea this was such a large tobacco growing area. We visited a Mongolian village yesterday where women in their late 70s were threading the tobacco leaves onto poles, and another was hammering rocky earth to break down the particles. They were not keen on having their photos taken. The people smoke everywhere at tables and all over.

7. Most towns have been recently built and generally modern, though perhaps not modern conveniences. The shops and markets are interesting. The stuff they sell is amazing.

8. Keep in touch and send a text now and again. We are looking forward to getting on some bikes but no opportunity yet.

The oriental

Chere voyageuse

1 Thailand is in the news. I wondered what news you had had from your lovely daughter. I wonder if you are able to say 'We are a grandmother'. Your lovely daughter will be concentrating on the birth. In the streets of Bangkok, more particularly in the grounds of Government House, the protesters are seeking the overthrow of the recently-elected government. The Economist tells me that the government contain bad guys; yet the government was formed as the result of an election. The challenge is to uphold the process. I wonder if you have heard anything of the events in the city and the country.

2 Glory be. There was scarcely any rain today. I did look out when I got up as there was the possibility of a bike-ride. But the laden sky suggested that though there was no rain falling it would be unwise to assume that no rain would fall later on. I tackled some jobs. I collected my kit. Soon after 1030 I began my training session. Glory be. I completed: the biking exercise, the full - 5k - run, and the trundling. The first completion for six months or more. No aches. No pains. I washed down with a short swim. A pot of tea, a round of toast, and a chat with James Baldwin concluded my time at CH.

3 Alas, alas. Bill revealed the defect in the washing-machine; he could not repair it. I shall report to Top of the Town tomorrow. And to the laundrette. I can't remember the last time I used one. For as long as I can remember, I have been accustomed to putting to-be-washed clothes in a basket. Laundrette - que? Still, there is likely to be a friendly person who will put me right.

4 A visit to the Burma campaign veteran in Crawley hospital. Reception was closed. I couldn't remember the ward. Eventually, I found a ward - sounds odd, but that was my feeling - asked a member of staff and was directed to the man. A friendly nursing assistant made me a cup of tea. Before leaving the ward, I said Hello to the three men on the other side. A timeless place. Still, a better place, I reckon, that the Gables nursing home, where another elderly man is starving.

5 The first week has been accomplished. Let me know what you've learned about travelling in China.

Into the second week .....


Stayathome