Teasels

Teasels. I see these spikey fellows and for some reason I think Triffids.

Oranges and Apples

Found out about the wildly successful career and life (at least on the outside) of a school classmate this morning. She emigrated to the US apparently and has been a publicly recognised mover and shaker in her profession in New York and, latterly, California.  In a way I'm not surprised - she was head girl at school and an academic star from her teens. I knew she would be a success but even so. 

We are the same age and lived in the same street but lost touch decades ago.  She went to university, was a shooting star and I stumbled and spluttered and fizzled out for a good many years. Just survived, in spite of appearances to the contrary.

The immediate reactions to my sister's news were a mixture of wow and gosh and I'm impressed and what on earth have I done to match this. Oranges and apples I say to myself.  Oranges and apples.  But shame and a nagging sense of inferiority still lingers.

But to hell with it, surviving is a huge accomplishment in itself.  Many don't. Once I'm up and about properly I'm going to polish up what I am good at, discover new things, meet new people, get out there and see where I can be useful and what's enjoyable.  I'm going to look at sunsets and talk to my neighbour.  Walk by the river. And learn to crochet.  And even though all that's not possible yet I can still do what I can do.

I've only just begun.  The aim is to be a wildly successful old age pensioner.

Empty headed

 Empty headed.  Head in the clouds/Clouds in the head. Nothing between the ears.  The spaces inbetween.

This is Sir Edward Elgar's head.  To be more explicit it is part of one of three sheet steel portraits of famous local people, erected alongside the nearby cycle path.  And Sir Edward, a keen cyclist himself apparently, was indeed illustrious and it's fitting that the path passes close to the site of his house on the edge of town.

I'm so pleased I can now walk the fifteen minutes or so to reach this.  The cycle path was opened last year but it's only recently that I've been fit enough to get here. Energy levels are still very up and down depending on the day but on good days it's not a problem.

 I shall return.  These figures plus a camera have a lot of potential.