After a day of low key retail therapy, shopping for knickers and a bikini for Josie, we were all looking forward to a pleasant early evening picnic up on the hill just along from the Dower House in Stapleton.
We were expecting to watch the balloons launching from Ashton Court, and the weather was beautiful, bright and sunny with nice cooling breeze. So with picnic packed and arrangements made with the rest of the team, we set off on the short walk to the hill.
By the time we made the climb to the top, Sam, Georgie, Nigel and little Merrin had already set up camp and were tucking into their picnic. We laid out the blanket and tucker and made ourselves comfortable while we waited for Charlotte, Rob, Zach and Oliver to arrive.
Now it isn’t the easiest place to find, even though you can see the big house for miles around, and the Savage clan took the circuitous route to get to us. But it was worth the wait. Sam, Rob and Nigel had fun climbing onto the monument on the top of the hill, the rest of us sat and chatted while we munched our way through the sandwiches and other goodies.
But the wind was getting up and the temperature dropping as the sun sank behind the hill to the East. We sat and sat, waiting for the balloons to launch but nothing appeared. Rob and I went off to the cottage to get the binoculars and another bottle of water, but by the time we returned, the team were decamped and clambering down the hill.
It was way too cold for the children and way too windy for the balloons, so although we had a great family picnic, the main reason for being there never came to fruition. Still, fun was had by all, families were introduced to families and all in all it was a success, even though we had a failure to launch.
I’ve sometimes wondered exactly who reads my blog each day. Not that it’s hugely important in the great scheme of things, because I write it, partly as a log of my progress, partly as a diary and partly as a way of sharing my observations and the lessons I learn along the way.
When you make a commitment, be that a personal thing, or to your practice, you must make it wholeheartedly and never let that commitment dwindle. If the commitment is to your practice, only you will suffer if you let things slide, but if it to another person, remember that you will make them suffer too if you allow it to slip.
Leaving the works PC in a dishevelled state last night was not good for my peace of mind. But my fears of being left with an unusable machine for a week while Dan ‘the man’ went off to Barcelona on holiday proved to be unfounded.
You know the saying, ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ meaning that some things are best left alone. Sadly today has been a day of trying to mend something that wasn’t broken in the first place.
I have no idea why, but Bumble woke with a bad back this morning. Maybe we stayed in bed too long, listening to the rain lashing down outside. Maybe it was the result of our abdominal exercises yesterday morning, who knows. Whatever the reason, she was in no fit state to be her usual busy bee self, and it showed.
Saturday night and we’re out with Charlotte and Rob at the Rupali restaurant in Kingswood. The boys are being looked after by grandma and we are free to have an evening to remember.
The path to enlightenment involves a lot of learning, much of it about yourself.
It is important to remember that our prayers reflect our state of life. In that respect, prayer is a solemn means to raise our life-state or condition. To receive exactly the results for which we are praying, it is crucial to make a determined, single minded effort toward that goal.
The Search For Enlightenment 
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