Sunday 14 August 2016

Sunday Morning

Terrible, depressing church service on the radio from Accrington. I‘m expecting Alan Bennet to star a short monologue.


Yesterday was ‘marathon cycle ride’ day. I went out with the husband of a good friend who is a very keen cyclist. He’s 10 years younger, has an exceptionally good bike and all the gear - including the clothes and shoes. He is also spectacularly fit. I don’t know him very well - it could have been a bit like one of those awkward ‘father/son’ bonding exercises that end badly - but it was fine, in fact it was pretty good. I’ve cycled this route before myself - but never in ‘competition’. Starting at my house - to Fairlight Village, then Pett Level, along the beach to Rye Harbour, then Rye town - down to Camber Sands, along the coast then up to Lydd - over to Dungeness (for a break) then up the coast towards Folkestone as far as New Romney and back to Lydd to return home via the same route. Going there was fine - coming back was very difficult - against the wind on the flattest landscape I’ve ever seen. It took about 4 and a half hours and was just under 60 miles. Really enjoyed it, caught the sun and appreciated the exercises. Didn’t humiliate myself either.

Camber is pretty fantastic - miles of beautiful beaches - lots of windsurfers - the coast road towards Dymchurch is also fantastic - I’d love to live there.

Dungeness

Sea Defences at Camber looking towards Dungeness



Mothballed nuclear power station



Had a bit of recovery time when I got home but feeling good now - need to do at least one decent ride every week to build up a bit more strength and get rid of some weight in the middle. The way back yesterday was made much harder by having to climb Battery Hill at Fairlight - right at the end, I had to walk it - I’m nowhere near fit enough to get to the highest point in Sussex from sea level in half a mile.

I shall be cleaning the house today and doing washing - nothing exciting. I had planned to cycle over to Eastbourne for the last day of the Airshow - or to Bexhill to see the new Peter Blake exhibition - but I might leave that until later in the week.

I have 3 projects starting tomorrow - only one will be paid. The other two are ‘difficult’ portfolio pieces. I also have to invoice for something that’s ‘political’.




I started writing this blog about 10 years ago - when blogs were fashionable. I wasn’t having a great time - I was in the process of moving from Liverpool back down south after my mother’s death, the end of a relationship, just about to hop into a financial crash that wiped me out and left me in a lot of debt and other things, like trying to distance myself from ‘friends’ who I didn’t want in my life, a nasty episode with a neighbour who had taken against me and a thug who had tried to steal one of the dogs. I started really because I just needed to vent - I knew few people here and most of my posts were riddled with rants and swearing. I live on my own so talking to the TV doesn’t really work. At the time, there were far more personal blogs and I found them interesting and engaging - in particular - I cane across The Age Of Uncertainty - and have followed it ever since. The owner of the blog has now decided to close it, and I totally understand why - it’s explained very well in his final post. Over the years, reading Philip’s posts haves encouraged me to at least attempt to be coherent and lucid, try and improve my spelling and grammar, and actually have something to say - rather than just venting (I’m not sure how successful I am at that). Also, it’s reminded me that I am not the only person in the world who has problems and challenges, we all tend to gloss things over in real life but can be a bit more honest when talking ‘in the dark’ - and that I’m not the only person who finds interest in the dullest and strangest places. So, for all of that and much more - I’d like to thank him.

3 comments:

Steerforth said...

Thanks for your kind words about my blog - we seem to have had a similar effect on each other and when I've had a bad day, your tales of existential angst make me feel less alone. I miss your liberal use of word cunt, but I quite understand why you've had to be more circumspect. When you realise that friends, relatives and ex-colleagues have discovered your online self, it can be inhibiting. That's one of the reasons I wanted to stop - if I do anything else, my mother-in-law won't know anything about it.

Sandra Morris said...

What a coincidence.
My blog is also ten years old this year and is currently languishing in the doldrums.
I too shall miss Steerforth's shimmering prose... blogs are going to the wall left, right and centre.
There are only a handful of blogs which I read frequently, of which yours is one. Over the past decade, I've followed, and subsequently been bereft, when some outstanding blogs have bitten the dust.
I do hope you don't decide to discontinue yours. Let alone anything else, I don't think I could cope with not knowing the status of Small Dog's bladder. ;) Sx

Anna said...

Yes, how sad, but how absolutely understandable that the Age of Uncertainty is, at least for the time being, put on hold... I've so enjoyed it. And I discovered Grey Area through it, too. So I'm grateful to Phillip in at least two ways...

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