Pilgrim's Process

After an intensifying frustration with my inability to lead a more active life, I suddenly realized that I ought to make a greater effort. Yesterday I emptied out, and gave a thorough cleaning to the aquarium, transferring the minnows to a temporary tank with all the algae laden plants. After thoroughly scalding the gravel, and cleaning and sterilizing the ornamental rock, came the task of refilling the tank with AquaSafe treated water. It really is amazing how bright the gravel looks now! Next replaced the mechanical & chemical filter, and applied a fresh dose of live bacteria to encourage the bio-foam filter to keep up its good work, then turned on a bit of additional aeration.

At teatime Beth called around, arriving at the same time as Helen returned from work, to give her Mum her birthday present. We enjoyed a glass of delicious Burgundy Chardonnay (Roux Pere & Fils 2002) together and, later in the evening, Cathy (with partner Ken) came around on a similar mission to Beth. Ken & Cathy enjoyed a glass of the self-same Chardonnay followed up with a glass of Jacques Lurton’s ‘Finca Las Higueras’ Pinot Grigio 2005.

Today I arranged a few fresh aquatic plants and added another dose of good bacteria to the aquarium. The White Cloud Minnows, meantime, are intent on hanging and hiding in the multitude of ailing plants of in their temporary holding tank. It really is quite a while since the currently illuminated (for the new plants sake) main aquarium looked so pristine.

This morning decided to take a walk, whilst my beloved was at work and, within five minutes bumped into Iris who attends St. Marks and stopped for a little chat, eventually I walked down to ‘Open Church’ at St Marks for Coffee and a chat. By the time I returned home I felt much better for having ventured out into the normal world. After a rest and, listening to an excellent Afternoon Play (Radio 4), decided to stretch myself a bit more by getting out the lawn mower. I think this sudden burst of activity was inspired by my current relief from recent back and hip pain, as well as relief from the aforementioned frustration. If only I could now do something about my lack of concentration!

I rejoice and am glad in these two good days the Lord has made. There are certain times when it’s much easier to give thanks, and the past couple of days have been two of them!

Seek and (sometimes) you shall find

Yesterday morning saw the return of Abstainer’s Hangover, clogged sinuses, excruciating headache, earache, sore throat and generally feeling flushed and burning up. The only accompaniment lacking was the sudden shivers; apart from that, it seemed like a return to my days of excess. If temperance can be so devastating on one’s sense of wellbeing, perhaps it’s getting to the time when moderation should be avoided like the plague. At least in days of yore it was quite usual to (eventually) acknowledge my own culpability for the following morning’s symptoms; in that sense an undeserved presentation of the symptoms is much more difficult to cope with.

Shortly after noon, I emerged from the duvet realm in a kind of discomfiting stupor and, energised myself sufficiently to prepare salmon pasta for my beloved and I. After lunch we went down to PC World, where my beloved had to pick up a copy of the new Clait 2006 handbook for a colleague and, I enjoyed a brief session browsing. Later in the afternoon we went out for a walk and, I discovered that, with my troublesome back, it was much easier to walk at a quicker pace, assisted by a trusty walking stick, than that recommended (on other grounds) by my therapist. Quite strangely, a slower pace seemed far more jarring on the spine. Come early evening, I prepared one of my special minced beef curries ready for Sunday lunch.

After watching ‘Dr Who’, we decided to watch the most recent film of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ which, to us, seemed perfectly cast and really captured the wonderful humour of Jane Austen. The experience was admirably complemented by a shared bottle of Taittinger ( a pre-emptive strike for Helen’s birthday on Monday.

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This morning, apart from my normal weariness, I felt much better than the day before and, even managed to take a shower before ma belle helper went out to chapel. A hunt for my favourite cardigan, firstly by me and then by Helen, ended in futility so, I had to settle for a crew-necked jumper. Lunchtime and, the curry, prepared last evening, was thoroughly enjoyed by both of us, a slightly sweet forward taste being delightfully underpinned by a gradual release of ginger& chilli heat. Whilst Helen was finishing her dinner, I retreated to my comfortable supportive chair to relax. Some ten minutes later, I became aware that I wasn’t wearing my spectacles so, another hunt was underway.

As I knew I’d taken my glasses off to put the jumper on, the room in which that action was performed made an obvious stage for our investigative work. No joy. Next we checked the bedroom, twice, and still no result from our quest. Twenty minutes down the line, my beloved discovered that which was lost down the side of of the dining room’s comfortable supportive chair! There was much relief and rejoicing in the land.

As we decided to take a walk in the rain, anoraks were called for as the day’s uniform. Guess what, I was unable to fasten the zip within my first five attempts; bet you thought I couldn’t find the anorak! Some days, I surpass myself and actually find that which has never been lost and, I even manage to fasten my clothes without too much difficulty. If only these events weren’t carried out in such deadly earnestness then, this grouch might even find it vaguely amusing.

Moany Moany

No sooner had my beloved got through the door, on return from her volunteer work at Oxfam, than the ‘phone rings and, I finally get to greet her some ten or fifteen minutes later. Mal’s Murmurings has already recorded this afternoon’s telephone confrontation but, some people just won’t give up! Actually, it was a different person from the same company that I had cut short less than two and a half hours earlier but, at least they had come straight to the point on what ‘service’ this woman, from Yorkshire Water Home Services, was trying to sell. Sadly, my beloved is genetically incapable of putting the ‘phone down on unsolicited callers, even though she had explained that she’d just that instant got through the door on return from work.

Unless the quotation, which we are now expecting, dramatically undercuts the extremely competitive rates we are paying for the same services elsewhere, the only response will be to tell them to get stuffed if they insist on making unsolicited calls to our number! Oh what a sweet temperament I have; ma belle and I seem predestined to play out the “good cop bad cop” routine when it comes to unwelcome telephonic intrusions.

As I seem set in the “Grumpy Old Men” mould, I may as well go on to another technological moan. This time the topic is my website Guest Book. I seem to be receiving an increasing amount of spam entries in the guest book; well they don’t actually get into the guest book pages themselves but, I’m getting sick of notifications that I have received an “entry” whose submission I have to “Approve” or “Delete”; online casinos, web pages about supposed celebrities, landscaping services, all of which originate from that home of decadent late-capitalism, the US of A. I’m rapidly coming to the opinion that it’s not worth having a guest book on the site at all. I don’t mind whether submissions are favourable or legitimately critical but, why do these ignorant spamming gits have to waste their time and mine, I’ll never understand!

J.K. Galbraith's Towering Spirit

He challenged the national conscience with a series of thoughtful books, provocative interviews, merry rejoinders and lethal wisecracks. The Bush presidency led Ken to muse aloud that it had caused him to think thoughts that he never thought himself capable of thinking. I asked, "For example?" Ken replied, "I begin to long for Ronald Reagan."
- Arthur Schlesinger Jr.


J.K. Galbraith's Towering Spirit

Nature Unreserved

An (at times) excruciatingly painful back has forced me to reduce my already limited activity and, led me to the role of overseer as my beloved attempts to get to grips with the lawnmower and its height adjustment mechanism. Were I not such a nice guy, I could so easily get used to the role of bully! Whilst Helen carefully manoeuvred the grass cutting implement, I spasmodically used the end of my walking stick to move the trailing lead out of the way of encroaching blades. Although we’ve not been able to fend off the total invasion of the garden by the dark forces of ground elder, we are at least successfully decapitating some of it’s number who dared to encroach on our would be lawn!

At other times, I simply enjoyed the pleasure of relaxing on the bench beside the garden pond with its abundant tadpole population. Regardless of the water’s murkiness, I really find it relaxing watching the Brown Windsor Soup [aka Pond Water] swirl around and away from the water spout. My halo still gleams a little from all my efforts to re-instate the pond-pump. A simple need to ‘do’ something tempted me into applying a further treatment of the pond with ‘SludgeBuster’ but I’m not anticipating any overnight transformation. The water boatmen, skimming the surface, seemed hyperactive today.

It was wonderful, just sitting and relaxing amidst the activity of honey and bumble bees and the occasional sighting of flutter-bys. Today, for the first time this season, we were visited by a Small Copper butterfly by way of a change from the regular welcome trespass of Tortoisehell and Peacock varieties.

All Change

8.15AM, my beloved answers the bedside telephone, to be told the new comfortable chairs are already on their way. Ten minutes later, the doorbell rings, Helen opens the door and, the chairs are brought in. It's so unusual these days to receive such prompt service that one can easily forgive an early morning 'phone call!

Tomorrow morning at 10.00AM the bulky, far too yielding, sofa will be evacuated from these premises, en route to its new home in Starbeck. The new chairs cry out for me to make an impression.

Bliss was it in those days

I have frequently heard that “a little goes a long way” and, I have just realized how much a little incorrect posture lives on in the memory, with constant reminders from a de-conditioned body. Yesterday afternoon, I expended a modicum of energy trimming the roots of a couple more pond plants, bending my spine rather than my knees in the process. Within a very short period, during which I sat on an all too yielding sofa, the base of my spine was most definitely in need of a bit of TLC. The tender loving care was supplied by ma belle amoureuse, as she carefully massaged and applied Ibuprofen Gel to the afflicted area. In the course of the evening, both Ibuprofen and paracetamol tablets were summoned to my aid.

Needless to say, the process of getting undressed was much impaired by my spinal sensitivity. [There, I’ve said it anyhow!] The back proving even more discomforting, as I set off for a routine appointment with my GP, this morning seemed to be crying out for action. I suddenly realized just how frequently I’d felt muscular and spinal twinges after sitting, for any period of time, on the offending comfy (?) sofa. Next port of call was to a furniture shop in town, where my beloved had been trying to lead me for several weeks past, and looked at a comfortably supporting two seater sofa. Having recognized a fellow back-pain sufferer, the proprietor then drew my attention to an upholstered ladder back chair and … wow … comfort and good posture could be sensed immediately. Within the course of the next couple of days we will be taking delivery of a couple of these beautiful and practical items of furniture. There are times when you simply ‘know’ something is right!

Beth and her partner have been ogling our offending sofa for sometime now so, they will be doing us a favour by taking it off our hands. Bliss was it to be young, when an ‘obviously’ comfortable, overly yielding, floppily designed sofa could be taken at seat and bum value without any of the deleterious effects that beset these older bones and sinews.

One Step At A Time

I’ve been carefully monitoring, or at least imagining, the results of my slower paced but more frequent walks, even though it’s really too soon to recognize any signs of significant improvement / regression. A minor part of the theory behind the slower paced walking seems to be less sensory overload; I certainly find that my powers of observation as I walk seem more finely tuned. The earlier breathing discipline, set by the same therapist, seems to enhance my ‘relaxation’ as I perform some of the routine almost unconsciously. Last Thursday evening as I lay back with the magic needles inserted in my limbs, the acupuncturist commented on how well I was “breathing”.

Over the past few days I’ve been able to manage to fit in a few more tasks (moderate exertion) on top of my gentle perambulations. Most mornings are still pretty washed-out events and, I’m still not ready for much socializing but, I generally feel that things are moving in the right direction.

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