Waiting, Just Waiting

16 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Waiting, Just WaitingSitting here, in ward 107 of Frenchay hospital, with Bridget, her mum, her sister Sue and her husband Steve, we are all waiting. We are waiting for the current situation to change, for the pain that B's father Ivor is currently suffering, dulled by morphine, to stop.

We do not know what course this path will take, nor do we know the length or duration of the journey. But we are all here, together, supporting each other and here most importantly for Ivor. We, in turn, are surrounded by caring people, whose sole aim is to make this journey as peaceful and dignified as possible.

The Wheel of Life turns at a never changing rate, although there are times like this, when we might wish that it would go a little faster, or just stop altogether.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

A Delightful Detour

07 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Mom and BumbleSo the holiday is nearly over, the boat was returned to the marina first thing this morning, everything transferred to the cars and the account settled. It’s always rather sad when you have to say goodbye to those you have shared time with, but we had planned to take a detour to my Mom’s on the way home, so still plenty to look forward to.

The satnav decided to take us on the scenic route to Sutton Coldfield, rather than opting for the motorway, but even driving on the A roads felt like we were flying, compared to the sedate 4mph of the last week.

The weather was kind, the day had started bright and sunny, and the rain managed to hold off until after we were on the road. There were a few heavy spits and spots as we made our way around Wolverhampton, through Cannock and then on via Shenstone to the town of of my birth, Sutton Coldfield.

Bumble had been to Sutton before. On Mother’s day we brought her Mum Jill to meet my Mom Margaret, but this time we approached the town from a different direction, so there were other landmarks to show her.

Surprisingly, considering it is over five decades ago, the maternity home, Oakhurst, where I took my first breath, is still standing. Nowadays it is a rather swanky set of luxury apartments, but the exterior hasn’t changed from that I’ve seen in the photos all my life.

Amazingly, today, Bumble and I have been going out for six months. In some ways it seems as though we have known each other for longer, in others the time has just flown by. But we are, naturally, still learning about each other, so showing her a little more of my history and background was a lot of fun.

Naturally, my Mom made us feel very welcome when we arrived. She had cooked a nice lunch, and even though I’ve eaten at some top restaurants over the years, Mom’s cooking always tastes the best. I’m sure you know what I mean.

After lunch we went out into the garden, where Mom showed us apples on her new tree and some beautiful flowers growing in pots and in the garden itself. Being in her eighties, Mom can’t do some things around the place, so Bumble and I moved some bags of compost and the bench up to the top of the garden.

The sun shone beautifully and Mom and B sat on the newly positioned bench to chat, while I took photos to remind us of the day. It is always great to visit Mom, but living so far apart means that it doesn’t happen as often as I would like.

With the journey back to Bristol still ahead of us, and with Bumble keen to check that the house and the new lodger were safe and sound, we set off just after 5:00. Again the weather was kind until we got near to home, then the heavens opened.

Suffice to say, we made it home in one piece and everything was indeed ship shape and Bristol fashion when we arrived. With things back to normal, the holiday really is over, but with a combined total of over a thousand photos, we will remember it for a very long time.

The Race Is On

06 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

St. Alkmund's Church - WhitchurchBy close of play tonight, we had to back within minutes of the marina, ready to hand our trusty craft back first thing in the morning. As though to amplify the sadness that we all felt as the week afloat came to an end, the heavens had opened and it remained that way pretty much all day.

Donning our wet weather gear, we made our soggy way back towards Ellesmere, leaving time to stop off for a walk into Whitchurch. Strangely, though we were getting soaked through, it really didn’t matter. So by the time we moored just outside the town, we were all, apart maybe from Steve, keen to make our way along the route of the closed Whitchurch spur.

It really was very wet. I was wearing my ever present shorts and a cagoule, but by the time we had walked down the high street and found a quaint little cafe, I even had puddles in my pockets and my wallet was soaked. An alternative meaning to money laundering.

The cafe, Percy’s Coffee and Curious, was a fantastic little place. The hot coffee and toasted teacakes went a long way to warming and reviving us, and the collection of interesting antique items soon made us forget the rain. We stayed long enough to dry out a fair bit, but Steve had had enough of traipsing around the town, so set off back to the boat.

After a focussed expedition to find sausages made from ‘happy’ pigs, and the procurement of some properly muddy organic potatoes, we stopped off at St. Alkmund’s Church. It is a truly magnificent building, both inside and out. The stained glass windows are stunning, and although I have no particular feelings for the religion it houses, it is hard to not be impressed with the architecture.

Bumble was absolutely in her element. Her love of architecture means that she spends more time looking up at buildings and not enough time looking where she is going, hence the extensive history of sprained ankles. But we were all happy to share her enthusiasm in such an atmospheric place. Even the cleaning lady’s vacuum cleaner couldn’t dampen our admiration.

The walk back proved a little too eventful for comfort too. Apart from the fact that we were, yet again, soaked through, down to our unmentionables, Sue failed to negotiate a rather rough section of the path. She tumbled, rather gracefully I thought, into the biggest, muddiest puddle you have ever seen, and had to be hosed down when we finally made in back on board.

Steve, all snug and dry in the cabin, made a fine job of turning our purchases into a magnificent meal of bangers and mash, more than welcome after the moistest of mornings. Then, after getting things all ship shape again, it was time to brave the elements again and get ourselves back to Ellesmere.

The day had been strangely pleasant, despite the rain. We were back close to the marina, so all set for handover in the morning. Once you are soaked through, you can’t get any wetter. If you can come to terms with the slight discomfort, it really isn’t bad at all. We had seen a beautiful church, explored a delightful market town, and because of the weather, we had the place almost to ourselves. A truly fitting last full day afloat.

Sleeping Beauty

01 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Llangollen Station

After a communal breakfast, we set off towards Chirk just before 9:00. The canal was rather narrow and it was difficult to make much headway, having to stop and start to pass boats coming in the other direction. After a while, we came to the Chirk aqueduct, the smaller of the two we would cross today.

It is amazing to see the lengths that the engineers and navigators went to, to circumvent the natural obstacles, hills and valleys, to allow the canal to wend its way across the landscape. It’s also impressive to note that many of these structures predate even the early railways.

Following successful navigation of both the Chirk and Whitehouse tunnels, we took a sharp right turn and were confronted by the awe inspiring Pontcysyllte aqueduct. Crossing is just like flying, to the right there is the towpath and a stout railing, to the left there’s nothing but blue sky and the drop to the river below, amazing. Photographs really don’t do justice to this incredible piece of engineering.

Turning in the Trevor basin, we made our way up the, oft single file, spur towards Llangollen. Following a boating novice from New Zealand made progress a little slow, but hugely entertaining. We turned the boat in Llangollen basin, moored up, and after a lazy lunch made our way down from the towpath into the town.

What joy! A beautifully restored steam engine in full steam was shunting carriages ready to take visitors off to Carrog. After a quick photo session, we had a stroll around the town, including the obligatory ice cream, in beautiful, if slightly blustery, sunshine. While the SAS went to stock up on provisions, Bumble and I sat on the station in the sunshine and watched the trains. Does life get much better?

Coming back across the aqueduct we decided to moor up short of the Whitehouse tunnel, in a leafy clearing, tranquillity personified. Steve cooked diner, but after a rather exciting and slightly physical day, walking to and from the town, Bumble found her eyelids just too heavy to keep open and retired at 8:30. The rest of us didn’t do much better, so by 10:00 the crew were all sound asleep.

Getting Started

30 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Moored Up For the Night

So we’re up at 6:30 and under the illusion that we packed everything in preparation for the trip up to Ellesmere. The plan was to leave at 7:30 in good time to drive the 2.75 hours up the M5/6 and M54 towards Telford and on to the marina.

In fact it took us until 8:00 to get going, and Mrs Satnav told us we weren’t going to arrive till past 11:00, so the SAS would be sitting there waiting, Steve drumming his fingers on the steering wheel and muttering about Bridget always being late.

Now I’ve driven to mid/north Wales more times than I’ve had welsh rarebit (cheese on toast) so I knew she was exagerating and her diversion through Worcester, though picturesque, was not the quickest route. So we ignored her insistances to turn round, take the next exit etc.

And after a couple of minutes she gave in, capitulated and recalculated the journey time, which just kept coming down and down. By the time we hit the M54, we were doing to be 10 minutes early, then the phone went. It was the SAS to ask where we were. Thinking that they had been sitting at the marina since 9:00, I was greatly relieved to hear that they were still on the M6 and we were going to be there first.

In the end, we were seconds apart on the same road, and turned into the marina together. Bumble sorted out the paperwork, as it’s her timeshare, and we then set off to the town to get the provisions. While we were in the Co-op the heavens opened and it was a sign of the weather to come.

We left the marina after a short induction, how the engine worked, how the water and the toilet should be used, and we were off on our adventure. Cruising at 4mph or less gives you lots of time to view the scenery and we headed off towards Chirk and our first overnight mooring.

Well before 7:00pm we had found a nice spot, outside the Poachers Pocket pub. A nice establishment, with a pub garden, Marston’s ales and friendly, if rather inept staff. A couple of Guinness’s later we were ready for a game of Scrabble and then it was time for bed, a great first day had by all.

Excited Anticipation

28 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Canal LockIt’s funny isn’t it, how something you have been planning, thinking and talking about for ages suddenly appears just round the corner. Our much anticipated canal holiday, which was booked way back in the spring, starts tomorrow. Well ok, Saturday officially, but I’ll be wending my way up the A36 to Bristol tomorrow evening, ready to leave bright and early on Saturday morning, so that means our holiday starts tomorrow in my book.

Not that there’s that much to plan actually. We have to be up in Shropshire around noon to pick up the boat, then a trip to the supermarket for provisions. Some sort of induction follows, so we all know which end of the narrow boat is which and how to start, stop and steer it and then we’re off up the cut for seven days of fun.

I know that anticipation can lead to disappointment, but I think I’m fairly safe in this case, having three experienced ship-mates aboard. It’s the first holiday I’ve had in some little while and the first away with Bumble, so it will be a good test of where we are in the relationship.

Naturally, I’m chanting for a good outcome, good times, even for good weather, and I’m confident that things will go swimmingly. I just hope that none of us do too much of the swimming. So the packing is almost done, all ready to make a swift start after work tomorrow.

There’s an old saying that ‘there’s many a slip twixt cup and lip’ meaning that until something is complete, there’s still room for trouble. But in this case I think I have put all the causes in place to encourage a fortunate and pleasing outcome. Now where did I leave my captain’s cap?

Croissants and Canal Boats

24 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

The Canal In The SkySunday morning, and the SAS arrive. No not that Army lot with their blacked-out faces and rubber dinghies, but Sue and Steve in their black Passat, all ready for a croissant laden breakfast and a canal holiday planning meeting. We’re off to Shropshire in a few days, to take charge of a narrow boat and cruise the Llangollen canal, come hell and high water.

Now Bumble, Sue and Steve are old hands at this sort of thing. To them a lock is a way of changing level along a canal, not two users trying to access the same data or the thing I put my front door key in, as it is in my world. Despite the water being only a few feet deep, I sense I’m out of my depth already.

Actually, I’m really looking forward to the challenge. Not the challenge of learning about locks and boats, knots and navigation and the like. The challenge of getting around a narrow boat with Steve around, who was never designed with narrow boats in mind. He’s a proper, old fashioned, jolly giant, so I’m sure we will get to know each other all too intimately during the seven days afloat.

I have to say, that I have been having a few reservations about the trip. For one, we will be going over the Pontcysyllte aqueduct at Trevor. When Thomas Telford and William Jessop opened the aqueduct a month after the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, it was the tallest canal boat crossing in the world and at 126ft (over 38 metres) high it is still an impressive and buttock clenching structure.

I’m also going to be thrown in at the deep end, figuratively I hope, in terms of being out of my comfort zone, with no experience of canal navigation whatsoever. But as they say (whoever they are), feel the fear and do it anyway. We are hoping for at least a day or two of good weather, though North Wales is better know for its lush green valleys than its sun-soaked beaches, so a fair deal of chanting is required before we cast off.

Naturally, being immersed in the Welsh countryside, blogging may prove to be another challenge. But be assured that I will post as often as connectivity allows, and fill in any missing bits when we return to ‘civilisation’. With a maximum speed of 4mph, it going to be a great excuse to chill out and take things nice and slow.

Time will tell whether the natives, and my fellow crew members take kindly to me chanting from the bow (the pointy end apparently) first thing in the morning. So if you hear a loud splash and the blogging stops abruptly, you’ll know what’s happened. Please tell my kith and kin I loved them all dearly.

Cuddles, Cakes and Choo Choos

23 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Avon Steam RailwayDespite the mixed weather, today has been a really nice mix of family and fun. It all started with a visit to The Chiefs Trading Post in Oldland Common for a birthday breakfast with Charlotte. Sadly she couldn’t bring the boys with her because Jake and Zach are both suffering from the Slap Cheek virus, so it was a fairly quiet affair.

Following copious amounts of Tea Cake and coffee, we took a stroll around the place, which is ostensibly a garden centre, but punctuated with huge numbers of an eclectic mix of statues. We managed to avoid buying anything on a whim, though we did procure a couple of nice plants, including a particularly beautiful pelargonium for Bumble.

Leaving with a plethora of kisses and cuddles, B and I decided to take a diversion through Bitton, with a visit to the Avon Steam Railway. The visit was well worth the trip, and as the rain held off, we were treated to the sight, sounds and smells of a nice tank engine in full steam. That smell is so evocative, bringing back memories of past times spent with my paternal grandfather, down at the shunting yards in Margate.

Memories are such sweet things when they conjure up images of pleasant times past. I always find it strange that the passage of time deprives us of our most recent recollections whilst enhancing and enriching our older memories. Whilst not all memories are of pleasant times, it is wonderful that we can relive times gone by through the simple experience of a long forgotten scent or smell.

Friday Night And All That Jazz

22 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Cool JazzWorking from home can be really productive, no phone calls, no interruptions and a nice environment of peace and quiet. So today I have been camped in Bumble’s kitchen,  accessing my works PC from my laptop and apart from Bob the Builder, who came to install an extractor fan, I hadn’t seen a soul all day.

Don’t tell the lads at work, but I really missed the banter and the company. So even though I got a ton of work done, it’s been a funny day really. I’ve had an eclectic mix of really nice clients and really not so nice clients, but i can say hand on heart, that I treat them all with respect, though it’s not always easy.

So having made it through the working day, I’m looking forward to an evening of Trad Jazz with Bumble and her parents over at their place. It will round off the week nicely and set us all up for another fandabbydozey weekend, including Charlotte’s birthday. I hope you have a great one too.

A Fine Father’s Day

17 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Lady Boys of BangkokToday has been pretty perfect. It started with a family breakfast at the Porto Lounge in Fishponds. Apart from my son Stas, everyone was there. Charlotte and Rob, Hannah and Jay and all four grandsons, tucked up round a nice long table and seemingly taking over half the cafe, just brilliant.

The lads were all well behaved. Jake taking photos of everyone with his camera, Zach colouring in a picture B had found for him, Oliver doing the rounds of people’s laps and Stanley helping his granddad by eating the marshmallows off the top of my latte. So lovely to all be together, and not before time, actually we couldn’t remember the last Father’s day we spent time together, but the next time will be soon.

A quick trip over to pick up B’s mum and then back to Frenchay to see Ivor and deliver his card. Again, he was in good spirits and we had a nice time telling him about the breakfast and the choral evening. It’s always hard to leave him, but I think he was getting tired, so he was already dozing as we left.

While B took her mum home I mowed the lawn, then we tackled the rose arch together. Although roses are pretty and have a wonderful scent, those thorns are little devils. I have the war wounds to prove it. A quick shower, change and back out again to see The Lady Boys of Bangkok.

I’m not going to excuse myself by saying that they are a Buddhist act, even though they are. I was a bit sceptical when B told me that she had got tickets, but I was wrong, they were absolutely amazing. It was difficult to remember that all these gorgeous women on stage were actually all men, you would never have guessed.

So another brilliant day, fun and family in perfect harmony. On days like today it’s important to remember those who don’t happen to be so fortunate. But it is also important to realise that the causes we have made brought these effects about too.

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries