A lovely trip to the uk visiting london and the north.

wednesday 10 – arrived at manchester and take rickety fast train down to harrow

friday 12 – lovely evening in the garden listening to radio 4 – saw a bat flapping around and later at dusk, an owl swoop down to pick something up in jose and kathy’s garden

saturday 13 – we spend the day working in the garden doing the fence creosoting and eating meals at the table outside, very hot, drought weather

monday 15 – do paul’s side creosoting the fence, then crack on with other bits and coating the shed

tuesday 16 – take train to exmouth to have flying visit to pete and rosalind
go to the bridge for pizza night then out to salterton arms and the feathers in town, alternated shandy and beer

wednesday 17 – took paper on the train back to harrow and reading this article and associated links around freeports and charter cities, some good comments
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/17/freeport-turbocapitalism-tramples-over-british-democracy-teesside-plymouth#comment-158189745
https://medium.com/@cormack.lawson/charter-cities-the-real-reason-for-brexit-and-the-bigger-picture-4de80dbb69fb
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/maps-of-uk-freeports

thursday 18 – finishing off painting / creosoting the fence – applying second coat everywhere today and tomorrow – john helped a lot which meant it was good fun

friday 19 – a few jobs in the morning, clearning up and then train to preston followed by 280 bus to clitheroe

noting this book recommendation:
Deborah James: How to Live when you could be Dead
some quotes:
“every day i stand a cross-roads: down one path is depression .. fear of the unknown, heartbreak and mourning – all out my control; down the other .. is positivity and agency.
I can’t change what’s happened or what will happen, but .. I am in control of .. how I react to my circumstances – that’s 100 per cent in my control …
I have the ability to make my feelings about my situation .. anything I want them to be, regardless of the final outcome. The way I approach advertisty is my greatest weapon .. a game changer ..
How we learn to respond to any given situation empowers us or destroys us – it’s how we react .. that makes or breaks us.
.. question your life as if you didn’t have tomorrow and live it in the way you want today. Being positive … is helping me to pick myself up and put myself together over and over again.
(having no regrets or being bitter .. doesn’t bring anything)
.. You have to savour life and enjoy the little things. Be grateful that you can simply move around. Take pleasure in being with your family .. these are what give me the most happiness.”

monday 22 – day off and go for long walk in gisburn forest with katie, we park at the furthest spot in, better would have been the middle or initial one and sticking to the trails in and around the central area, but we know now.

wednesday 24 – we visit nick and gill at arnside

friday 26 – went for long run of 40 minutes into brungerley park to extend as long as possible – perhaps i can do a half marathon after all

saturday 27 – up at 5.30am to leave at 6.30am for train to airport
nice line, thought of coming out of m/cr and looking at the skyline:
“flat tall buildings ironed on the sky”