Say No To The Rig

We had a trip to Bournemouth to join the protest against the drilling taking place off Poole Bay checking for sufficient deposits of oil to make large scale production worthwhile. The rig is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday next week.

There were a number of speakers including from the Green Party, Labour, Friends of the Earth and other groups such as a guy who is an authority on seahorses.

We also had a walk along the pier.

Protest

The photos are of our walk this morning which took us around Woodlands. The specific objective was to get a better feel concerning the proposed excavation of sand and gravel from the area around Clump Hill. I have actually got some idea of the access points, the site for digging and the potential for damage to the local environs, including the tranquillity of the area.

As a result, I have  now completed a comments form on the site requesting feedback ahead of Monday's deadline. We will see what happens next.

Tomorrow is scheduled for a demonstration against the arrival of an oil rig off Poole Bay set for Monday. We will be joining hundreds of others showing our feelings about another potentially damaging development in the locality.

Other activities today included a 4 mile run, 4 mile walk round Woodlands (11 miles covered today according to the app), cooking lentil soup, red cabbage and pea curry, lentil dahl, curried swede and rock cakes and flapjacks. A productive afternoon. I was pleased to get further on with the novel, hitting the 2500 word mark.

Icy weather

A cold start to the day meant getting out for a run later than usual, after the school run and after some more work on the novel. I'm up to 2000 words now and it is flowing nicely. I have felt happy enough to give it to Alison to read and she has been very positive about it. How much credence to give her view is a difficult one. At least she doesn't hate it and I think she would say if she wasn't getting it.

The  later run went well. Over 5 miles at 8.30 per mile which is good going for me. It was still cold but I got some music going early on and that seemed to help. Ended up with tracks from the first Clash album.

Got a round in on the 9 hole Woodland course at Crane Valley and took 44 shots which is my worst round. And yet I played 7 holes pretty well, parring 3 holes too. It was the start that cost me with a huge 8, unheard of, on the first, followed by a 7 on the second. Not being warmed up was part of the reason but the main thing was the soaking ground which I just couldn't get anywhere with. The irons were going nowhere, as I topped the ball several times. I did chip for a birdie as well on the third though which was a lovely surprise.

Retirement means I can enjoy my leisure and the next activity was walking the dog. I was watching a buzzard being pursued by a crow and then spotted a kestrel moving from tree to tree, perching to scour the ground for prey rather than the skilful hovering I more commonly notice.

One thing was odd on the walk. A roe deer appeared to have scars along its back, quite long scars, three of them, which revealed pink skin rather than brown fur. I can only think these are old injuries from fighting another male. The photo doesn't capture the markings sadly.

January - Blue Monday?

It's been an eventful few days domestically with lots of utensils breaking down resulting in a new washing machine arriving today, new vacuum cleaner and new fridge freezer on order. We are fortunate to be able to replace the items without too much fuss, especially with me now teaching a day a week at Parkfield.

It was not something I was keen to do but agreed as a favour. Not long after I was starting to get anxious about things, particularly with the teaching being confined to one day which meant four hours of English with Year 11 on a Thursday. That is hard going for anyone and for a 15/16 year old, it must seem an age. However, after the first two days, I am a lot more at ease and have found it straightforward enough to get into, including a Parents' Evening last week.

Lots of running again this month with 85 miles completed, just over 4 miles a day at present. Getting a run completed every day and have done for quite some time now. Not suffering any ill effects i.e. injuries, aches and pains. This is at the same time as going vegan for January, something I will continue as it has proved far easier than I had thought. I have also avoided alcohol this month but that has proved far more of an annoyance. I am looking forward to Feb 1st and could easily cave on a Friday or Saturday.

The photo is of a goldfinch from our garden this morning. It doesn't look injured but was on the path, perhaps stunned having flown into something or, more likely, been ambushed by one of the cats. It is currently recovering in a box in the lounge.

Finally, I am pleased to write I am now writing properly again. Just the first 500 words but Alison was impressed by the start. Enjoyed it thus far. The plan is to get to around 5000 words and then contact literary agent or similar with a view to publication. There has to be a huge market amongst teachers for the novel I am writing. I would also hope that it would find favour amongst others too.

2019

Happy New Year. We spent New Year's Eve at Moors Valley including railway trip. Three runs completed already in 2019 with record time 8 mins 21 secs achieved. As well as that, had a round of golf this morning, dug green manure into Joy's vegetable patch and have taken up veganuary. Healthy start to the year.