1. The carvings on the temple walls tell a familiar story. The story of human beings everywhere, be it now or then or even in the future. The preoccupation with procreation, building, worshipping and working. Those were the images on the walls of nine thousand years ago and on the steets around Siem Reap.
2. The Shinti Mani Hotel is a small 18 bedded one situated next to the school of hospitality. The school is integral to the workings of the hotel. Young Cambodians from poor families or those ophaned are taken to the school to be trained in hospitality and hotel work. They are given uniforms, school books, 10 dollars a month and 5kg of rice a month to send to their families. One could not have stayed in a more appropriate hotel. The hotel was the idea of a Cambodian who wished to help the unfortunate youth of Cambodia.
3. One young man had been working in the hotel for 2 years having completed his nine month certificate course. He had begun in the restaurant and progressed to reception as his English was now fluent enough. He still has English lessons every week. It was noticable that the Cambodians have a better command of English in Siem Reap than the Thais in Bangkok. The young man has nine brothers and sisters. One sister has trained to be a good and earns 50 dollars a month.
4. Similar projects were in evidence as one roamed the streets. Landmine projects, art and craft making projects from Orphanages. One advertisement stated that one could cycle for a week and help on various projects throughout Cambodia.
5. The Cambodians do not like the Thais, particularly as the Thais claim the temples of Anakor Wat belong to them. How fortunate for the poor Cambodians of today to have had such kings build numerous temples to their Gods. The temples create the wealth of the area.
6. The bikes, the bikes for 50p a day. Imagine a delapidated version of the Pashley, which rattles and shakes and brakes occasionally. Negotiating the traffic was tricky, tricky. Buses, lorries, cars, tuc-tucs and endless motorbikes, all hooting and honking as they made their way. One wondered often whether one was on the correct side of the road, as vehicles came bearing down on us. It was something akin to cutting corners. One factory debauched a hoard of workers straight into our path. One man lost his shoe in front of us and we had no alternative but to cycle over it.Once out of the city we cycled along metaled roads through the cool, leafy jungle. It was a joy. We stopped here and there looking at this temple and that. Some we just glimpsed at through the trees. 30k's worth of cycling left Kaaren with a numb bottom. A really good biking day.
7. Siem Reap is now awash with hotels and new ones being built all the time. The hotels must not be more than four storeys high, so as not to dwarf the temple of Anakor Wat. Our first impression of the largest temple Anakor Wat was a disappointment. We wondered why folk raved about it. However, once cycling round the route we discovered other delights which made the trip memorable for us.
8. Many tourists spend at least two or three days visiting the temples, but we felt we had experienced the size and flavour of the place in one day, and wished to see something else of the area. We hired a tuc tuc which took us 10 k out of town to the floating villages on what is reported to be the largest lake in Asia. As we were jolted along the road, I wondered about the relationship between poverty and rubbish. The sandy patches in and around the dwellings were rubbish free, but the sides of the roads and river were brimming with garbage. The dwellings, which can hardly be called houses, were of wood and matting built on stilts. One puff of wind and the whole structure would be raised to the ground.
9. Children were everywhere, some with no clothes on. One wondered about schooling. How many actually attended a school. The boat trip took us through the village on the water. We even experienced a novel house move. One such dwelling was being towed through the water by boat. Looking for a better spot perhaps. We did not spot any crocodiles.
10. One is warned to keep to the main thoroughfares as some of the smaller roads are still mined. One sees a few folk minus limbs. People speak of the civil war and a better life since 2000, but not in detail as English is limited.
Homewardbound
Monday, 7 January 2008
Sunday, 6 January 2008
1 The concluding meal yesterday evening, between Vespers and Compline. An amiable gathering: people had come to be at ease in company. And, the meal being taken on the vigil of the Epiphany, was laced with wine.
2 During the review this morning, the Offices emerged as one of the notable features of the weekend. You know that I regard them as the spine of the day. Saturday, for me, is the engine-room day of the three days. Each of the Offices has a special quality. Compline, you know, closes the day. At Mattins I have the sense of the gratitude at having traversed the night and a sense of optimism about the new day.
2.1 Otherwise, I was struck again by the ordinariness of the extraordinary. The monks do God. That's what they're for. Accordingly, the weekend is the occasion when conversations about God, about the supernatural, about the spirit (and spirituality) are the common-place. That's what the people talk about. Now that I have attended weekend retreats at Worth, I wonder why so few people attend.
2.2 Meanwhile, it was clear that those who were attending for the first time had had a satisfying experience. One used the wind and rain of Friday evening and the sunshine and clear skies of the [Sunday] morning as images of the change which had been wrought in her own condition. It was evident, on Friday evening, during the introductions, that she was ill at ease; it was equally evident when she spoke during the review that she was entirely at ease.
3 Doug was here for a couple of hours; I trained for an hour of so, including the full five kilometres; then I visited Liam to collect the bridge scores. Ahead of the collection, there was time to talk about the weekend and to joust with Damien and Emma about the extent to which the death of a young person is to be regarded as the waste of a life.
3.1 Liam had scored last Thursday's session. He and I came fifth out of seven. We talked about demand openings and the responses to them.
4 So you'll find that those here at home have got on with their quiet lives whilst you have been having exotic adventures. We will look to you to present those adventures. In return, we will be ready to talk about our quiet lives.
5 I'll look out for your posting or your e-mail; I'll keep an eye too on my inbox. It does seem that you will soon be leaving Farawayland, after three companionable, familial, exotic weeks, on your way back to Homeland. Have a safe journey. Be ready to be welcomed. Be ready too with the tales.
Levieuxquiestprêtfairelebienvenu
2 During the review this morning, the Offices emerged as one of the notable features of the weekend. You know that I regard them as the spine of the day. Saturday, for me, is the engine-room day of the three days. Each of the Offices has a special quality. Compline, you know, closes the day. At Mattins I have the sense of the gratitude at having traversed the night and a sense of optimism about the new day.
2.1 Otherwise, I was struck again by the ordinariness of the extraordinary. The monks do God. That's what they're for. Accordingly, the weekend is the occasion when conversations about God, about the supernatural, about the spirit (and spirituality) are the common-place. That's what the people talk about. Now that I have attended weekend retreats at Worth, I wonder why so few people attend.
2.2 Meanwhile, it was clear that those who were attending for the first time had had a satisfying experience. One used the wind and rain of Friday evening and the sunshine and clear skies of the [Sunday] morning as images of the change which had been wrought in her own condition. It was evident, on Friday evening, during the introductions, that she was ill at ease; it was equally evident when she spoke during the review that she was entirely at ease.
3 Doug was here for a couple of hours; I trained for an hour of so, including the full five kilometres; then I visited Liam to collect the bridge scores. Ahead of the collection, there was time to talk about the weekend and to joust with Damien and Emma about the extent to which the death of a young person is to be regarded as the waste of a life.
3.1 Liam had scored last Thursday's session. He and I came fifth out of seven. We talked about demand openings and the responses to them.
4 So you'll find that those here at home have got on with their quiet lives whilst you have been having exotic adventures. We will look to you to present those adventures. In return, we will be ready to talk about our quiet lives.
5 I'll look out for your posting or your e-mail; I'll keep an eye too on my inbox. It does seem that you will soon be leaving Farawayland, after three companionable, familial, exotic weeks, on your way back to Homeland. Have a safe journey. Be ready to be welcomed. Be ready too with the tales.
Levieuxquiestprêtfairelebienvenu
Saturday, 5 January 2008
Early this morning
1 Well, about 0615, at which time I was making my way to the Abbey church, there to join the monks and the others at Mattins. There was a bright, bright star just over half-way between the southern horizon and the top of the sky, A quarter- or eighth-crescent moon lay below the star. The rest of the sky was clear. What a picture, what a presentation. Of course, I stopped (and so did others). I, we, looked heavenwards. And the configuration was there to be admired as I and they returned.
1.1 Ah, if I could but imprint the picture; if you could imprint the picture of the private bay beyond the cave; if we had the easy ability to capture what otherwise requires a wide-angle lens. I know I have seen that star and that moon. I will tell you again that I have; I will tell others; as I tell I will have something of a picture in my mind, but the picture in my mind, the imprint, a partial reflection of what I saw, will fade. In the telling, I will not be able to convey the impact of the heavenly picture. It was a show, and I could have applauded. Author, author!
2 The retreat is going well. It's doing the business. It's providing me with the opportunity of following the Offices, of doing so yesterday evening and all day today. Amiable company. Amiable discussions.
3 There has been no call to use the key to the filing cabinet in the Lighthouse, where, I gather, there are some papers which belong to the EG and District Credit Union, Ltd.
L'hommeenretraite
1.1 Ah, if I could but imprint the picture; if you could imprint the picture of the private bay beyond the cave; if we had the easy ability to capture what otherwise requires a wide-angle lens. I know I have seen that star and that moon. I will tell you again that I have; I will tell others; as I tell I will have something of a picture in my mind, but the picture in my mind, the imprint, a partial reflection of what I saw, will fade. In the telling, I will not be able to convey the impact of the heavenly picture. It was a show, and I could have applauded. Author, author!
2 The retreat is going well. It's doing the business. It's providing me with the opportunity of following the Offices, of doing so yesterday evening and all day today. Amiable company. Amiable discussions.
3 There has been no call to use the key to the filing cabinet in the Lighthouse, where, I gather, there are some papers which belong to the EG and District Credit Union, Ltd.
L'hommeenretraite
Friday, 4 January 2008
A return to sailing
1. My next transport purchase will be a kyake. By the end of the week it was clear that I was becoming proficient at paddling my way through the waves onto the beaches. Even the girls commented on my skills. The question is where will I keep it and where should I practice. Do you think Chartham Park would mind if I used the swimming pool!
2. Wild life - two species caught my attention on the islands. 1. The monkeys on the beach. It was evident whose island it was. They were not hesitant in chasing humans back when they felt inclined. 2. The sicardias. The noise they made was akin to a high-pitched electrical noise which began around mid-day and continued until dark.
3. Night adventures. We ran out of gas on one occasion so had to find somewhere ashore to eat. We rode in the dinghy - torches to the fore to spot the rocks. We landed on the beach near an eatery and the staff brought tables onto the sand and set up our meal. Full of laughter and friendliness. The resort was a small place with few people, but good fun.
4. The film - the beach. Since the film Ma Ya bay has become extremely popular with tourists. The huge speed boats arrive in their droves about 10. Time for yachts to leave. We walked on the island for a while and found the rangers' house in the middle - rustic and authentic Thai looking with a satelite dish.
5. Cambodia. Departure early tomorrow with the prospect of views the temples on bikes. A mother and daughter trip.
Nearer home
2. Wild life - two species caught my attention on the islands. 1. The monkeys on the beach. It was evident whose island it was. They were not hesitant in chasing humans back when they felt inclined. 2. The sicardias. The noise they made was akin to a high-pitched electrical noise which began around mid-day and continued until dark.
3. Night adventures. We ran out of gas on one occasion so had to find somewhere ashore to eat. We rode in the dinghy - torches to the fore to spot the rocks. We landed on the beach near an eatery and the staff brought tables onto the sand and set up our meal. Full of laughter and friendliness. The resort was a small place with few people, but good fun.
4. The film - the beach. Since the film Ma Ya bay has become extremely popular with tourists. The huge speed boats arrive in their droves about 10. Time for yachts to leave. We walked on the island for a while and found the rangers' house in the middle - rustic and authentic Thai looking with a satelite dish.
5. Cambodia. Departure early tomorrow with the prospect of views the temples on bikes. A mother and daughter trip.
Nearer home
Un melange
1. Daughters - Kaaren looked like something out of the advert for Scottish Widows this morning. Completely attired in black, she was to attend a ceremony with Buddist Monks, who were going to bless the company and pray for good business during the coming year and offer condolences to the king on the death of his sister. The shops are running out of black and white clothing. Kaaren and others in the management team are to run 10k on February 3rd. Something to do with team building or building spirit.
Emily and Simon have departed back to the worn torn country for the last stint. Emily was suffering from a horrible stomach bug yesterday and so was not relishing the travel much. I found out that she has to wear a bullet proof vest when she goes out.
2. Accidents - the papers stated that there were circa 5,000 accidents over the two day New Year holiday with 262 fatalities. That surely takes some beating.
3. Shopping trip - the sky train deposited me at a huge shopping tour where all kinds of fake designer label merchandise is sold. The sight was overwhelming and I wondered how on earth anyone made sense of either where to start or what to believe. The mobile phone, ipod and general electronic floor was stashed high with goods. You may remember during the summer the dash to the shops for a cloth bag labelled 'I am not a plastic bag'. People queued to buy and even paid over the odds for the bag. Kaaren gave me one for Xmas and I bought two today for under three pounds.
4. The suit looks superb. The finishing touches are admirable. Now fingers crossed that all the measurements were perfect. The carrier states the name of the tailor and Bangkok. Perhaps you could leave that hanging about somewhere!
Weary shopper
Emily and Simon have departed back to the worn torn country for the last stint. Emily was suffering from a horrible stomach bug yesterday and so was not relishing the travel much. I found out that she has to wear a bullet proof vest when she goes out.
2. Accidents - the papers stated that there were circa 5,000 accidents over the two day New Year holiday with 262 fatalities. That surely takes some beating.
3. Shopping trip - the sky train deposited me at a huge shopping tour where all kinds of fake designer label merchandise is sold. The sight was overwhelming and I wondered how on earth anyone made sense of either where to start or what to believe. The mobile phone, ipod and general electronic floor was stashed high with goods. You may remember during the summer the dash to the shops for a cloth bag labelled 'I am not a plastic bag'. People queued to buy and even paid over the odds for the bag. Kaaren gave me one for Xmas and I bought two today for under three pounds.
4. The suit looks superb. The finishing touches are admirable. Now fingers crossed that all the measurements were perfect. The carrier states the name of the tailor and Bangkok. Perhaps you could leave that hanging about somewhere!
Weary shopper
Thursday, 3 January 2008
The year is under way
1 There are two new SSAFA cases. The first, the opening one of the year, will be an application from a familiar client, a widower, one who misses his wife, for a respite holiday at a residential home which is run by the RAF Benevolent Fund. The man has two holidays there every year. His applications are expected. The staff know him. His applications and holidays are part of the annual cycle of events.
2 The second is from a woman whose forename is Princess and whose mother is 83, widow of a Serviceman. The latter is in want of a new freezer and refrigerator, the former, who cares for the latter, is in want of a cooker. Bread-and-butter stuff. I hope so.
3 A long conversation with Dennis Yeomans, West Sussex CU. He and his board are dealing with the FSA's observations on their application. Otherwise, I felt experienced and, speaking for the EGCU, accomplished. The achievement of our first year of operation, apart from survival, was to switch from a paper-based to a computer-based system. Yeomans had heard of Conaccess, but he didn't say that they would be computer-based. (I'll find out when we talk again.) Secondly, we have come to a recognition of the burden of deposits and the need for donations. WSCU may not yet have come to that recognition.
4 We can learn from each other. I sense that his connections with WSCC are good. Secondly, there is scope for a meeting of credit unions, for a sharing of experiences.
5 We talked about Provident. A task for us: find one person who uses or who has used Provident.
2 The second is from a woman whose forename is Princess and whose mother is 83, widow of a Serviceman. The latter is in want of a new freezer and refrigerator, the former, who cares for the latter, is in want of a cooker. Bread-and-butter stuff. I hope so.
3 A long conversation with Dennis Yeomans, West Sussex CU. He and his board are dealing with the FSA's observations on their application. Otherwise, I felt experienced and, speaking for the EGCU, accomplished. The achievement of our first year of operation, apart from survival, was to switch from a paper-based to a computer-based system. Yeomans had heard of Conaccess, but he didn't say that they would be computer-based. (I'll find out when we talk again.) Secondly, we have come to a recognition of the burden of deposits and the need for donations. WSCU may not yet have come to that recognition.
4 We can learn from each other. I sense that his connections with WSCC are good. Secondly, there is scope for a meeting of credit unions, for a sharing of experiences.
5 We talked about Provident. A task for us: find one person who uses or who has used Provident.
Ko hopping or Island hopping
1. From Ko Phi Phi to Ko Mok to Ko Lanta to Rok Nok to Floating Islands, the huge rocks were the prominent feature on the landscape. Terracotta colouring fused in with the grey strata. Above the base of the rocks verdant vegetation flourished; tree roots have been clinging onto the rocky formations for thousands of years and looked perfectly natural in their surroundings. Beautiful white soft sand covered the bays and at once one could imagine a Robinson and Crusoe effect and a second world war scene with the guerillas bursting through the jungle onto the bay to fire at the boats about to land. As you can imagine such scenes were unique to us as boat travellers. The boat avoided the day trippers by docking after the rush hour and departing before. Something akin to the M25 I suppose.
2. Scenes from Paradise, unspoilt, unpopulated, living a simple life. Away from the madding crowd, it has an appeal. The sea is a beautiful aquamarine colour and so clear, one can see the bottom even at 6 or 7 metres.
3. The Tsunami. The impact of the Tsunami drove home on the Island of Phi Phi which was badly hit. As I stood on the narrow strip of land between the two bays on the Island, it was possible to imagine the huge wave crashing over the whole area. All the islands now carry signs indicating escape routes to higher ground. Watch towers have been installed on the beaches and on high ground.
4. A personal highlight was the visit to the Emerald Cave. An awe inspiring experience which is now down on my top ten greatest sights. A dinghy ride of five minutes through a dark cave with a torch to light the way brought us out into a small secluded bay flanked by tall rocks. The silence and calm was truly amazing. It was indeed a secret garden - white soft sand, silky green water, large leaved plants. Yes a sanctuary. The rocks in the cave groaned and moaned. One had the feeling large monsters were hiding behind the rocks.
5. More adventures later - time for some activity.
Scribe
2. Scenes from Paradise, unspoilt, unpopulated, living a simple life. Away from the madding crowd, it has an appeal. The sea is a beautiful aquamarine colour and so clear, one can see the bottom even at 6 or 7 metres.
3. The Tsunami. The impact of the Tsunami drove home on the Island of Phi Phi which was badly hit. As I stood on the narrow strip of land between the two bays on the Island, it was possible to imagine the huge wave crashing over the whole area. All the islands now carry signs indicating escape routes to higher ground. Watch towers have been installed on the beaches and on high ground.
4. A personal highlight was the visit to the Emerald Cave. An awe inspiring experience which is now down on my top ten greatest sights. A dinghy ride of five minutes through a dark cave with a torch to light the way brought us out into a small secluded bay flanked by tall rocks. The silence and calm was truly amazing. It was indeed a secret garden - white soft sand, silky green water, large leaved plants. Yes a sanctuary. The rocks in the cave groaned and moaned. One had the feeling large monsters were hiding behind the rocks.
5. More adventures later - time for some activity.
Scribe
Thailand to Afghanistan
1. The king's sister died yesterday. Everyone is requested to wear black and white for the next fifteen days. The traffic was light on the way back from the airport. An unusual occurence. Apparently many people were outside the Palace to show their respects.
2. According to Kaaren and others, Thai people can be frustrating to work with particularly if you come from the West. They live for the day and have scant regard for time management and deadlines. Perhaps a different kind of management from our customary style. Kaaren organises her employees.
3. The business section of yesterday's newspaper carried an article about her boss who has just written a book in Thai. He was pleased that none of his employees attended the book launch, and that they were at their desks working. He reported that the concept of working rather than participating in activities just to please the boss had finally filtered through.
4. Comments on Afghanistan from Rory Stewart. 'Most of the policy makers knew next to nothing abot the villages where 90% of the population of Afghanistan lives. They came from post-modern, secular, globalised states with liberal traditions in law and government. It was natural for them to initiate projects on urban design, women's rights ....But what did they understand of Seyyed Kerbalahi's wife who had not moved more than five kilometres from her home in forty years? Or Dr. Habibullah the wet who carried an automatic weapon in the way they caried a briefcase. The villagers whom I had met were mostly illiterate, far from electricity or television, knew very little about the outside world and had very distinctive attitudes towards politics, Islam and ethnicity. Policy makers did not have the time, structures or resources for a serious study of an alien culture. They justified their lack of knowlede and experience by focusing on poverty and implying that dramatic cultural differences did not exist. The differences between the policy makers and a Hazara such as Ali went much deeper than his lack of food. Ali rarely worried about where his next meal was coming from. If he defined himself it was chiefly as a Muslim and a Hazara, not as a hungry Afghan.
Rory Stewart reports that within a week's walk he had come across areas where the local begs had been toppled by Iranian-funded social revolution and others where feudal structures were still in place, areas where the vilence had been inflicted by the Taliban and areas where the villagers were inflicting it on each other.
4. Religions, like camel caravans, seem to avoid mountain passes. Discuss.
The traveller
2. According to Kaaren and others, Thai people can be frustrating to work with particularly if you come from the West. They live for the day and have scant regard for time management and deadlines. Perhaps a different kind of management from our customary style. Kaaren organises her employees.
3. The business section of yesterday's newspaper carried an article about her boss who has just written a book in Thai. He was pleased that none of his employees attended the book launch, and that they were at their desks working. He reported that the concept of working rather than participating in activities just to please the boss had finally filtered through.
4. Comments on Afghanistan from Rory Stewart. 'Most of the policy makers knew next to nothing abot the villages where 90% of the population of Afghanistan lives. They came from post-modern, secular, globalised states with liberal traditions in law and government. It was natural for them to initiate projects on urban design, women's rights ....But what did they understand of Seyyed Kerbalahi's wife who had not moved more than five kilometres from her home in forty years? Or Dr. Habibullah the wet who carried an automatic weapon in the way they caried a briefcase. The villagers whom I had met were mostly illiterate, far from electricity or television, knew very little about the outside world and had very distinctive attitudes towards politics, Islam and ethnicity. Policy makers did not have the time, structures or resources for a serious study of an alien culture. They justified their lack of knowlede and experience by focusing on poverty and implying that dramatic cultural differences did not exist. The differences between the policy makers and a Hazara such as Ali went much deeper than his lack of food. Ali rarely worried about where his next meal was coming from. If he defined himself it was chiefly as a Muslim and a Hazara, not as a hungry Afghan.
Rory Stewart reports that within a week's walk he had come across areas where the local begs had been toppled by Iranian-funded social revolution and others where feudal structures were still in place, areas where the vilence had been inflicted by the Taliban and areas where the villagers were inflicting it on each other.
4. Religions, like camel caravans, seem to avoid mountain passes. Discuss.
The traveller
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
The custodians of the boat
1. A 57 year old Austrian, Frankie, and his German wife Gabi were the skipper and crew, cook and custodians of the charter boat. On a boat of their own they have been roaming the oceans for six years now. When in need of funds both work on charters to accommodate the likes of us. With thirty years experience of sailing, Frankie was knowledgeable about boats and he spent many a minute telling us about it. Once a restaurant owner who decided the trade was too stressful, now a skipper on many a boat.
2. With water between each boat, much water at times, how surprising it was to find our hosts knew every boat and the people on them. Seemingly spread out, but such a small community. Wolfgang, our contact, managed 40 charters and by his account the job was a worrying business at this time of year. The day we arrived, one man had broken a leg on his first day of his trip, our boat had flat batteries and needed a new alternator and so it goes on he informed us. However he had successfully been involved in the business for 12 years.
3. Swimming in constant warm water was a joy despite the slight anxiety there could be stinging fish or a shark suddenly popping his head out of the water. On one occasion the current was strong. To observers on the boat my swimming was taking me further away from the vessel, whilst I believed progress was being made. The skipper felt obliged to rescue me, lest I was really taken out to sea.
4. Snorkeling provided many a moment of captivation. The colours of the fishes were vibrant particularly the bright blue and yellow variety and the long tailed bat fish. Others saw baracudas and large makerel.
5. Fishing. On board one is obliged to find one's own food on occasion. The most that could be mustered was one medium sized tuna. The killing, gutting and cutleting was adeptly accomplished by Karstein, who being Norwegian is used to such matters. No cellophone or plastic wrappings on our food.
6. Daily life on board comprised reading mainly. All members of the group settled amicably with their books. In fact conversation was sparse the majority of the time apart from the skipper who told tales of the seven seas every day. Lest we were not listening some of the stories was told again either in German or English depending on how the fancy took him. There was no wish to talk about Afghanistan. An express wish to leave such matters behind was stated at the beginning. One learns more about the place from the latest book by Rory Stewart entitled 'the places in between' The man, a diplomat, amongst other things walked from Herat to Kabul in 2002 with a mangy massif he picked up on the way. He has not yet reached Kabul.
7. I am intent on searching google upon my return to seek out the Cathars and the Crusades in Southern France. The holy grail was an integral part of a fiction by Kate Mosse. The history has now caught my attention.
8. Shattered lives has had a great impact on me. At once a tremendous admiration for the Iranian woman, Camila Batmanghelidjh and the retold lives of the children she helped emerged from the book. The reading of it has engendered a sounder understanding of how the shooting of the young people this year could possibly happen.
9. Island hopping tomorrow!
The weary traveller
2. With water between each boat, much water at times, how surprising it was to find our hosts knew every boat and the people on them. Seemingly spread out, but such a small community. Wolfgang, our contact, managed 40 charters and by his account the job was a worrying business at this time of year. The day we arrived, one man had broken a leg on his first day of his trip, our boat had flat batteries and needed a new alternator and so it goes on he informed us. However he had successfully been involved in the business for 12 years.
3. Swimming in constant warm water was a joy despite the slight anxiety there could be stinging fish or a shark suddenly popping his head out of the water. On one occasion the current was strong. To observers on the boat my swimming was taking me further away from the vessel, whilst I believed progress was being made. The skipper felt obliged to rescue me, lest I was really taken out to sea.
4. Snorkeling provided many a moment of captivation. The colours of the fishes were vibrant particularly the bright blue and yellow variety and the long tailed bat fish. Others saw baracudas and large makerel.
5. Fishing. On board one is obliged to find one's own food on occasion. The most that could be mustered was one medium sized tuna. The killing, gutting and cutleting was adeptly accomplished by Karstein, who being Norwegian is used to such matters. No cellophone or plastic wrappings on our food.
6. Daily life on board comprised reading mainly. All members of the group settled amicably with their books. In fact conversation was sparse the majority of the time apart from the skipper who told tales of the seven seas every day. Lest we were not listening some of the stories was told again either in German or English depending on how the fancy took him. There was no wish to talk about Afghanistan. An express wish to leave such matters behind was stated at the beginning. One learns more about the place from the latest book by Rory Stewart entitled 'the places in between' The man, a diplomat, amongst other things walked from Herat to Kabul in 2002 with a mangy massif he picked up on the way. He has not yet reached Kabul.
7. I am intent on searching google upon my return to seek out the Cathars and the Crusades in Southern France. The holy grail was an integral part of a fiction by Kate Mosse. The history has now caught my attention.
8. Shattered lives has had a great impact on me. At once a tremendous admiration for the Iranian woman, Camila Batmanghelidjh and the retold lives of the children she helped emerged from the book. The reading of it has engendered a sounder understanding of how the shooting of the young people this year could possibly happen.
9. Island hopping tomorrow!
The weary traveller
Sailing - rocks and sea
1. Where does one begin when the sound and motion of the sea is still with one even in the big city, even sitting at the computer. The brain still gives out messages - swaying from side to side, stabilising the legs to counteract the motion.
2. Motions are the first and foremost thoughts about sailing. The acclimatisation during the first days were prominent. The body and brain becoming attuned to the rocking, the hands and arms accustomising themselves to the lever of the toilet - pumping ten times for one and twenty for the other with one foot on the lid. The legs had to learn to stretch from the dinghy to the boat; the art only being mastered on the last day. Another week and one would have obtained the sea leg certificate.
3. Clambering and being confined in a small space presented a challenge. A clamber onto the bunk, out of the hatch, up on the deck. The muscles which are used are different to those of cycling. Seven people on the ocean - two of whom we had never met. The week progressed with hardly a cross word between us.
4. The air, the sea, the boat allowed one to just be. There was nothing else for it. One could only be. Read, swim, snorkel and be. Sleep took over. More sleep in concentrated fashion than in a whole year.
5. More tomorrow. A call away.
Sailor Suzie
2. Motions are the first and foremost thoughts about sailing. The acclimatisation during the first days were prominent. The body and brain becoming attuned to the rocking, the hands and arms accustomising themselves to the lever of the toilet - pumping ten times for one and twenty for the other with one foot on the lid. The legs had to learn to stretch from the dinghy to the boat; the art only being mastered on the last day. Another week and one would have obtained the sea leg certificate.
3. Clambering and being confined in a small space presented a challenge. A clamber onto the bunk, out of the hatch, up on the deck. The muscles which are used are different to those of cycling. Seven people on the ocean - two of whom we had never met. The week progressed with hardly a cross word between us.
4. The air, the sea, the boat allowed one to just be. There was nothing else for it. One could only be. Read, swim, snorkel and be. Sleep took over. More sleep in concentrated fashion than in a whole year.
5. More tomorrow. A call away.
Sailor Suzie
Tuesday, 1 January 2008
Many thanks
1 Many thanks for the presents. The railway map was just the job. I've spread it on the desk, and I've pored over it with a magnifying glass. The extent of the railways in Ireland, in Wales, in addition to England. What a demonstration of the penetration of railways into all parts of the kingdom. And I can imagine the extent to which lives were influenced by the time-tabled operation of a railway. The characteristic figure is the uniformed member of staff with fob watch in hand. Working, in factories and on railways, to the rhythms of a machine.
2 I had those thoughts in mind at Horsted Keynes station earlier today. The sights and sounds of a steam engine. The evident, unmistakeable, power of the engines; the regularity of the setting and the procedures; the uniforms, the protocols. It was satisfying to be on the platform, in cycling kit, with a container of warming tea in my hand whilst the activities followed one and other in an ordered sequence around me.
2.1 The down (to Sheffield Park) train was in the station. As the up (to Kingscote) train ran slowly towards the neighbouring platform, a signalman held up a rigid oval loop with his right hand whilst holding his left hand in such a way that it would capture the loop which the fireman (I suppose) was holding out. Signalman and fireman, each handed over and collected a loop, a permission to continue the journey from Horsted Keynes. Each in uniform, each working to the rule. (Remember that factory and other workers wore their own clothes.)
3 Thank you too for the other small present. I am trying hard to remember what it was. I really am.
4. And now the next news must be from Farawayland to this land.
Levieuxquiarestéici
2 I had those thoughts in mind at Horsted Keynes station earlier today. The sights and sounds of a steam engine. The evident, unmistakeable, power of the engines; the regularity of the setting and the procedures; the uniforms, the protocols. It was satisfying to be on the platform, in cycling kit, with a container of warming tea in my hand whilst the activities followed one and other in an ordered sequence around me.
2.1 The down (to Sheffield Park) train was in the station. As the up (to Kingscote) train ran slowly towards the neighbouring platform, a signalman held up a rigid oval loop with his right hand whilst holding his left hand in such a way that it would capture the loop which the fireman (I suppose) was holding out. Signalman and fireman, each handed over and collected a loop, a permission to continue the journey from Horsted Keynes. Each in uniform, each working to the rule. (Remember that factory and other workers wore their own clothes.)
3 Thank you too for the other small present. I am trying hard to remember what it was. I really am.
4. And now the next news must be from Farawayland to this land.
Levieuxquiarestéici
New Year's Day
1 It's a recent innovation, you know, prompted by a desire to keep in step with European practice. Before the change, the year began on 25 March, a sensible date for the beginning of spring. And winter? Well, Christmas marked the beginning of winter, an opportunity to have a bit of a rave-up in preparation for the snow. If we had to start the year on the first of a month, then 1 March would have been a good choice. So would 1 April. Begin the year with spring. Still, I suppose we're stuck with the change. We'll just have to get on with it.
2 I marked the first day with a bike-ride, one, during which, everything worked. Eventually, that is. The thighs hurt as I cycled up to Saint Hill Green and then up to Sharpthorne. From there the downward glide to Horsted Keynes helped.
2.1 The trains were running. There was a fire in the entrance hall. And the buffet was open. A fine cup of tea. Then the train from Kingscote, puffing dark smoke, arrived in platforms 4 and 5. ('The train arriving in platforms 4 and 5 is coming in sideways'.) The train from Sheffield Park, arriving just a few minutes later, was accommodated in just one platform. Two puffing trains, both well-laden.
2.2 I thought about the achievement of Bluebell Railway Ltd. The company runs trains all the year round. It maintains its permanent way and the stations. It has extensive workshops at Sheffield Park. It produces high-quality brochures. And it's all done by voluntary labour. I wondered about the engine-driver, about the training, about the rules, and about the continuous assessment. I wonder how he handles the question 'What's your job?'. And the guard, a man who looked every inch a guard, someone who swished his green flag with a flourish. Swish.
2.3 Away with no settled notion of what I would do at the cross-roads. Of course, it was too early to turn towards Ardingly; the turn was towards Lindfield, and so the thighs were tested again at a sharp incline, which brings an unsuspecting cyclist, in the wrong gear, to a halt. Even a cyclist in the right gear has to work it.
2.4 To LIndfield, and then the sharp turn towards Ardingly. 'Hey, what's going on?, I called out, silently, as I drove the bike up the incline by the golf club. The long pull past the school to the village. On my own, I walked along the path which runs parallel with the high road and by which a line of houses, tucked away from traffic and noise, stands. The peace comes at a cost: no garages. To Turners Hill, onwards to Grawley Down, to Felbridge, along the back road to home.
2.5 Forty-one kilometres. Kilometres, you ask. Yes, the numbers go round quicker.
3 I mentioned that everything worked. The day was cool, with the possibility of rain. But the rain held off, whilst the old cycling jacket was snug and was resistant to the wind. And the legs worked. Once they started, they kept going. Old jacket, old legs, old(ish) bike - they all worked.
4 What's this all about? Be indulgent. It's the first day of the year. Give space to an elderly blogger.
5 Meanwhile, you've completed your silent phase. You're back in communication. You'll have much to say. So where will you begin? At the beginning.
Happy New Year
Don
2 I marked the first day with a bike-ride, one, during which, everything worked. Eventually, that is. The thighs hurt as I cycled up to Saint Hill Green and then up to Sharpthorne. From there the downward glide to Horsted Keynes helped.
2.1 The trains were running. There was a fire in the entrance hall. And the buffet was open. A fine cup of tea. Then the train from Kingscote, puffing dark smoke, arrived in platforms 4 and 5. ('The train arriving in platforms 4 and 5 is coming in sideways'.) The train from Sheffield Park, arriving just a few minutes later, was accommodated in just one platform. Two puffing trains, both well-laden.
2.2 I thought about the achievement of Bluebell Railway Ltd. The company runs trains all the year round. It maintains its permanent way and the stations. It has extensive workshops at Sheffield Park. It produces high-quality brochures. And it's all done by voluntary labour. I wondered about the engine-driver, about the training, about the rules, and about the continuous assessment. I wonder how he handles the question 'What's your job?'. And the guard, a man who looked every inch a guard, someone who swished his green flag with a flourish. Swish.
2.3 Away with no settled notion of what I would do at the cross-roads. Of course, it was too early to turn towards Ardingly; the turn was towards Lindfield, and so the thighs were tested again at a sharp incline, which brings an unsuspecting cyclist, in the wrong gear, to a halt. Even a cyclist in the right gear has to work it.
2.4 To LIndfield, and then the sharp turn towards Ardingly. 'Hey, what's going on?, I called out, silently, as I drove the bike up the incline by the golf club. The long pull past the school to the village. On my own, I walked along the path which runs parallel with the high road and by which a line of houses, tucked away from traffic and noise, stands. The peace comes at a cost: no garages. To Turners Hill, onwards to Grawley Down, to Felbridge, along the back road to home.
2.5 Forty-one kilometres. Kilometres, you ask. Yes, the numbers go round quicker.
3 I mentioned that everything worked. The day was cool, with the possibility of rain. But the rain held off, whilst the old cycling jacket was snug and was resistant to the wind. And the legs worked. Once they started, they kept going. Old jacket, old legs, old(ish) bike - they all worked.
4 What's this all about? Be indulgent. It's the first day of the year. Give space to an elderly blogger.
5 Meanwhile, you've completed your silent phase. You're back in communication. You'll have much to say. So where will you begin? At the beginning.
Happy New Year
Don
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