Come all ye faithful ...

The recent death of Ram Dass, popular guru of Eastern forms of spirituality, friend of Timothy Leary and fellow explorer of consciousness aided by LSD and student of Hinduism after joining the hippie trail to India in the sixties, raises the interesting question of faith, often referred to as Faith, and well known as a requirement in Christianity, and a great escape clause when atheists or agnostics ask tricky questions following rational routes to truth, often referred to as Truth ...

The quote attributed to him triggering this question decries scepticism, insisting Faith is essential access the transcendent realities ... Buddha, on the other hand, insists on questioning everything ... echoed by HHDL who is very clear that ancient teachings contradicted by scientific evidence must be discarded ...

Since it is Christmas time, in case you hadn't noticed, dear readers, there is a deeply held belief by many Christians around the world that Jesus was born at this time 2019 years ago to Mary a virgin married to Joseph who was not the father. .. now this story is quite tricky to follow without Faith and there are Christian theologians happy to explain it's all metaphor and not meant to be taken literally ... still the carols carry on, including at the local Community Christmas event, a heartwarming experience not so much for the carols or the deceased turkey but because the day itself really focuses on happy family gatherings, which is lovely if you are getting together happily with family and maybe miserable if not ... anyway 26 folks sat down to lunch in the Church Hall, some, but not all, signed up to the story ... peace and goodwill much talked about around much of the world and sometimes practised too, before hostilities resume in the run up to 2020 ...

Just to keep the polarised political pot bubbling, The Eton Mess is reported flying off by private plane to Mustique,  whilst Saint Jeremy feeds the homeless ... perhaps a little healthy scepticism required to process this story too ...

Happy Boxing Day ... the light slowly returning and a long walk planned to make up for yesterday's unusually sedentary, though satisfying, day ...

Hypnosis ...

Reflecting on human behaviour, specifically in the context of the recent polarised political drama of the general election in the DUK, leads to serious concerns about how ostensibly sane, rational, compassionate human beings can come to contrary conclusions influencing the simple action of placing an X in a box, given an apparent choice of around four to seven alternatives, only two or three of whom have much chance of gaining a majority in a specific constituency and nationally only two representing parties likely to form a government (post-election coalitions being a potential complicating factor) ...

The trigger for this enquiry is the demonisation of the blue collar Tory voters in social media and some very spiteful comments questioning their intelligence... itself likely to entrench positions, since nobody likes to be called stupid ... the emotional outpouring from many of the disappointed Labour voters understandable given the raised expectations of a government offering the possibility of reigning in the worst excesses of post-capitalist callousness in social policy and practice, plus, for many, the opportunity to rerun the referendum on membership of the EU ...

A broader context for suggesting mass hypnosis is the irrational behaviours of humans through the ages ... killing fellow humans in individual acts of violence and in organised groups in wars, often justified by religious leaders espousing peace and love as preached and practised by their prophet ... at economic level obsessed with buying goods of limited practical or aesthetic value, eating and drinking chemical concoctions to such excess that the individual organisms become disabled by obesity whilst in other places children die of starvation ... clearly an insane society, yet many humans operate in civilised ways in their local areas ...

A quick comment here, before careering off into various realms suggesting hypnosis, to acknowledge self-reflection in case the very story you are reading, dear reader, is the product of a hypnotised mind ... or even a sinister attempt to hypnotize you! Those posing as purveyors of objective truth, smuggly offering a way out of the polarities are perhaps more dangerous than the demagogues like the Eton Mess ... observed here by a daily dose of BBC Radio 4 and their sophisticated style of interviewing politicos ... trying to force them to answer spurious questions whilst avoiding any semblance of deep investigation into facts ... for example, Saint Jeremy, the reluctant Messiah, consistent opponent of DUK membership of the EU as a backbencher, savaged for trying to appease his MPs, most of whom were for a second referendum ... and, his fatal weakness, failing to call out the Mossad Big Lie of Labour (and by implication JC) anti-semitism ... for fear of the fate of the disgraced MP Chris Williamson who dared to speak the truth ... reports from the doorsteps and local informants confirm perceptions of Corbyn as weak and lacking in charisma ... a word somehow linked here with mesmerism ... the Eton Mess had it in a shambolic way, his svengali Cummins a master amongst his minions, though needing the pupil  to project the strongman image to the masses with the simple message "Just Get It Done!" and instructed to avoid tricky questions which might expose his poor grasp of detail, let alone principles ...

An extra long treat over the fells today after yesterday's visit to Dear Friend and psychology adviser and tomorrow's trip to see Elder Daughter plus practical tasks Tuesday and Wednesday organising the community lunch event ... both, coincidentally, relocating to a more civilised country early next year, though not as a result of  the right turn in London or even the success of the charismatic SNP leader ... both in rural parts and ideal for new places to walk ... the organism enjoys moving in the outdoors and is never fitter than on Camino, walking for 8 to 10 hours day after day ... the joy of retirement to have time for the simple things in life ...

As for the hypnotism story ... more next time perhaps ... worth examining as the journey in search of The Nature of Reality continues ...

Eton Mess ...

Given the choice between an elderly, thoughtful, compassionate politician and a bombastic, solipsistic, principle-free clown, the discerning electorate of the DUK appear to have opted for the latter ... a strange event with many fascinating causes ... locally the Labour MP, firebrand young leadership hopeful Laura Pidcock is replaced by an anonymous Tory from Lancashire, surprised as anyone by the result - his wife said to have fled from the counting hall in tears at the prospect of having to move to the constituency - brief reports from reluctant turncoats suggest the years of anti-Corbyn propaganda were more critical than the EU exit in influencing the vote, echoed nationally ... which is not to say the Eton educated winner was universally liked, his bumbling bombast attractive only to a portion of the voters, for most it seems to have been a question of the best of a bad lot ...

Meanwhile, local elections loom in May and complacent Labour administrations in ex-industrial areas may be worried that, having broken the habit of unthinking loyalty, voters might challenge them at County Hall ... though a lack of a respectable opposition party could be a factor .... maybe a time for the Greens or even independents trying to transcend party politics? Or, as reported by the editor, long-time Labour councillors jumping ship to rebrand as independents, in this case in Sedgefield, famous as the constituency of Blair, three time election winner under the New Labour label and given a free pass in the mainstream media to pontificate on the next leader of the opposition ... no mention of his reputation internationally as a war criminal and close ally of the BSA as the plan to restructure the Middle East played out ... the consequences of which are all to evident ... refugees, radicalised young Muslims, ongoing aggression against Iran ...

Apologies to readers appalled at the return of Wear & Dao to the murky world of politics, previously avoided in favour of broader perspectives. .. happy to report however that, having broken the habit of decades and casting a vote, conscience whispering the possibility of one vote leading to the victory of the forces of darkness consolidating power, reaction on waking to the news early last Friday was surprise but not devastating disappointment ... analytical mind looked closely at the numbers for a nuanced view beyond the apparent landslide narrative from the first past the post electoral system ... perspective suggesting that maybe it's best that the shameless instigator of the EU referendum result takes responsibility for the tricky details of implementation ... not least the contradiction between trade deals for goods and those for services, especially financial services, mostly a euphemism for the casino capitalism rampant in the City State of London ... where, incidentally, the reputation of the Eton Mess, two term Mayor of London, is quite low according to recent informants ...

Some spiritual relief found on two day retreat at Land of Joy ... not meditating but working in the woodland, planting trees and waging war on invasive Rhodedenron. .. not without some questioning about human assertion of dominance over Nature ... two small orphans rescued for planting in the small garden at Railway Terrace, let's see how they settle in amongst the roses and dandelions. .. to be honest the visits to LoJ are mostly in search of philosophers, resident and visiting to help process the current musings ... and reading, the latest challenge Sapolsky's tome on neuroscience, biology, psychology and the rest ... as recommended by James of Scotland in the comments on here a while ago ... he's a scientist and wired for this stuff, rewiring to integrate new information is an ongoing struggle here, but not without compensation of course ...some disquiet at the source of the findings - vivisection with rats, monkeys and other warm blooded sentient beings ... a little scepticism as biological determinism lurks in the background ... still, plenty more pages to ponder before seeing how and whether the new information fits into current evolving world-view ...

Early starts in the dark and intermittent dank weather offer time for reading and writing, though long awaited book is still stuck in the head, or wherever thoughts and ideas reside ... discipline never a strong point, external usually actively resisted, internal barely present ... never mind, better to do little contentedly than rush about in search of people and their aggregates, societies, to improve ... perhaps ...

DUK decision time ...

Excitement mounts in the Disunited Kingdom as divisions widen and the opportunity to imagine we may exercise power by casting a vote in a rigged game approaches ... media report lies as balance for the other side's truth, or lies blatantly and when exposed apologises in small print ... here in the Labour stronghold of NW Durham large sums of money are spent using the Royal Mail to deliver propaganda, itself feeling like a breach of privacy ... the Tories so far sending seven separate leaflets as they target Labour Brexiteers,  only one introducing the absentee would-be MP, the rest pretending to be something else, the evidence of provenance only in the small print at the bottom ...

Factor in the social media manipulation and it appears we have the best democracy money can buy ... indeed the old anarchist slogan, Don't Vote, it only encourages them, seems relevant and maybe the polarisation is deliberate, to ensure opting out of the rigged game doesn't become so widespread as to destroy the illusion of its validity ...

Equanimity mostly holds, though clearly the idea of Trump junior returned to the seat of political power appals. .. opinion polls, banned in other democracies for their influence on the outcome whilst pretending objectivity, suggest DUK may move closer to BSA. .. a toxic alliance culturally, politically and militarily ...

Still, who knows how all the dramas play out when longer term a step change in human consciousness itself is required? As Saint Greta keeps telling us on her amazing voyage around the world popping up in the most important forums (fora?), The House is on Fire ... perhaps the greatest polarised choice we are currently offered to press our buttons is between Trump and Greta rather than the local game between Boris and Corbyn ( the persistent use of first name for the former and surname of the latter surely not accidental?) ...

All this holier than thou speculation isn't meant to dismiss the very painful consequences of political decisions, not least the one on Thursday ... though perspective suggests that whatever the outcome compassion must prevail ... eventually ...

On the personal front, the project to engage with other humans sees three visitors on consecutive days, an unusual occurrence. .. and another tomorrow after today's trip to the pantomime with the elders ... just driving though, Jack and the Beanstalk far to scary, with that nasty giant, or was it an ogre? ... memory itself a subject for investigation, especially after the visit of a childhood friend with much sharper memories from our shared experience in Verwood ... whether it's incipient Alzheimer's, a more varied life with more memories to file away or whatever, certainly not storied as a problem ... in a life and a world where language and stories may morph into myths and hang around as thought forms, even become reality, examining old stories for contemporary relevance and telling new ones to help birth better worlds seems worth a try, for the benefit of the storyteller and the whole, of which he is just a tiny part ... or, as the ego imagines, the centre of the universe ... current examples perhaps the narcissists mentioned above ...

Year and decade end approaches, plans laid for Land of Joy woodland work this weekend, village community Christmas (capital C a compassionate concession to readers invested in the other JC), New Year at Brockwood Park plus the July work week there and maybe a dialogue week in February too ... as for more Caminos ... let's see!

Osel la

Attentive readers may remember the story of Osel from August 2018's post ... the reincarnation of Lama Yeshe, his rejection of guru status, reconciliation with his roots ...

His visit to the nearby Land of Joy therefore seemed an opportunity to fill out the story ... so, on Sunday, a bright and frosty first day of December, the gompa was filled with 50 folks eager to hear from him ... and his contemporary message ...

His entrance was preceded by many repetitions of the magical mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, a mantra practiced by the writer some years ago ... Osel arrived, performed prostrations to the images of Buddha, HHDL, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa, greeted the audience with a smile and investigated questions from the floor ...including the whole question of gurus and specifically a question from a young woman as to what one should do if the Guru's actions are out of sync with the instinct of the devotee ... a very pertinent question given the cases of errant gurus exploiting disciples in all traditions ... in the context of the gompa filled with folks mostly adhering to the guru system, Osel worked round it, declining any guru status for himself and clearly stating that he sides with the victim in such cases ... the broader and blunter question of the shared responsibility of the consequences of giving over our power and following an allegedly enlightened human stayed as a thought best not expressed ... the return of the temporarily transcended ego, encouraged by eager acolytes, being a trap for unwary teachers and students alike ...

Anyway, the very personable Osel seemed clear enough about being cautious of the Guru system, but somehow the early conditioning in the monastery pertains and the afternoon talk concluded with a recitation of a long life prayer for Osel and a long queue of eager fans seeking a traditional white scarf blessing, inferring Lama status previously rejected ...

If all this sounds cynical, it's not ... sceptical yes ... and all to be explored with the open minded staff at Land of Joy later in the month during woodland working week ...

creativity at the edge ...

Eclectic tastes, an open, some might say vacuous, mind; a rebellious nature; a stable psyche, without investment in any cultural, political, scientific or religious structure; curiosity ... all these components of the complex organism writing these words somehow create a worldview without a name ... making it quite tricky to identify any fellowship of the formless ... perhaps why folks coalesce around compromises or just get tired of trying to work out what's really going on ...

Confidently piecing together perceived pearls of wisdom from a wide variety of sources and ready to jettison parts or all of the current delusions, means life is ever interesting ... the key maybe simply to accept what resonates when it resonates, fit it into the ever changing multi-dimensional jigsaw, and crucially to take nothing, especially the illusory self, too seriously ...

Anyway, following the dip into Chaos Theory and the more recent work of Jude Currivan, proposing an expanding universe holding all the information in 2D at the edge and projecting it holographically into 3D to create the forms and adding other dimly remembered influences, including William Blake's universe in a grain of sand and e.e. cummings' : 

"Love is a place

& through this place of

love move

(with brightness of peace)

all places

Yes is a world

& in this world live

(skilfully curled)

all worlds"

 ... perhaps, at all scales, the sweet spot is at the creative edge between stability and chaos .... as noted before ... and the shape of this expanding universe? Maybe toroidal and perhaps with dimensions skillfully curled in the fabric of space time ... or something ... a less than rigorous scientific mind leaves space for all sorts of conjectures ...

Meanwhile, the excitement mounts in the political pantos in DUK and BSA ... the latter sees the incumbent old white man under investigation for some of the many impeachable offences he has committed, while a richer, older white man throws his hat in the ring along with around $50 million to try to win the election next year ... closer to home the Chief Rabbi ups the stakes in the punishment beating of Corbyn for daring to call out the war crimes of the current Israeli regime ... the Labour Party resists telling the truth of the matter, indeed speaking that particular truth of the Mossad plot is now grounds for disciplinary action against its members ... still, many folks see through it and the progressive programme of Corbyn and McDonnell has traction, if not a positive reaction from the billionaire owners of the British Press ... freedom of the press, as observed  many years ago, is for those who own one ... all of which only mildly distracts from the more important work of consciousness raising ... oh yes, Basic Income made it into the Green Party manifesto, though the chances of them forming a government are as close to zero as you could go ... maybe a minor member of a Labour led coalition? 

Chaos ....

November continues mostly grey, with a brief bright and very cold spell, signalling winter ... plenty of time to wander physically and metaphysically ... wondering, for example, whether the pilgrimages are the perfect balance for exploring the mind alone and with fellow explorers ... and missing the others leads to flirtation with fixed places to be in company ... Bramdean sometime this year, Findhorn perhaps, though both some distance to travel ... Land of Joy more local and offering a surprise visit next Sunday from Osel Hita, the reincarnated Lama Yeshe ... later in December a call for volunteers to clear the land ready for more tree planting, which needs to be fitted round a full Christmas programme with Wheels to Meals ... of course the opportunity to just rest in silence in the warm, dry, beautifully simple, cottage also resonates, though formal sitting not so much ...

A trip to Durham uncovers two new titles for the expanding library ... though there are plenty still unread on the shelves ... first, "On Pilgrimage, A Time to Seek" piques the interest, partly for some clues of the structure of the long gestating Wear & Dao book ... interesting enough, though focusing on the sceptical but conditioned explorations of Jini Fiennes, a lapsed Catholic ... prompted by her skirmish with cancer, which finished her off a couple of years after publication back in 1991 ... published slightly earlier, in 1987, the other book, "Chaos", by James Gleick, resonates for different reasons, since chaos was intuitively explored some years ago during the brief and brilliant period of social enterprise with Cameron, a very clever chap with complementary skills and similar aims to redesign public services in County Durham, as if the customer was important ... this was and remains quite radical, where those delivering the services tend to focus on maintaining high and well paid employment ... a worthy aim, but maybe not at the expense of declining services. .. indeed subsequent years of austerity as public expenditure has been squeezed suggests that Du-services was a little ahead of its time ... as for Chaos, it was recognised that a company doing radical redesign required three elements, leading to three job titles : Director of Chaos, to stir up the decaying matter to release the energy for the new forms waiting to unfold; Director of Progress, to shape and promote the new forms; and Director of Order, since paying the bills and all that admin stuff, resisted by the feckless other Directors, was essential ... a three legged stool ... a nod to pedantic readers acknowledges the apparent paradox of a Director of Chaos, but that's semantics ... more critically Chaos overwhelmed Progress and Process and since the customers for Du services were not the same as the end user, it was a tricky market, seemingly dominated by bureaucrats with no interest in anything which might possibly threaten their comfortable lives ... best not to mention the opaque parallel power structures embedded in public sector organisations, since they have long memories ... anyway, who knows where it might have gone in a parallel world where the timing was right?

Surely not on an adventure exploring inner space without the burden of house, car or anything that didn't fit in a rucksack!

Return of the Sun

After a wet week with little light to excite the solar panels, today sees the return of the Sun for most of the day ... yesterday's early show not lasting long, though enough to provide a wonderful early walk through the woods, watching leaves detach and flutter to the ground ... on the tops a good crop of Blewitts, frozen from the cold night and enough for friend's planned vegetarian lunch as well as several helpings here ...

Washing optimistically on the line in early sunshine, then off uphill for gorgeous five hour wander, almost like a day on the Camino and, without intermediate coffee stops, a fair physical test after the week's rest ...

Politics continues to polarise, with main event - to exit or remain in the EU - occasionally diverted into how much each party is planning to spend to bribe a gullible electorate. .. austerity apparently a thing of the past, not because of major improvements in the public finances, in fact without any apology for the suffering it caused over the last 9 years, as if this was nothing to do with the party asking for another term ... not much detail either on how the gross inequalities will be practically addressed by the main challenger or any party proposing radical measures like Basic Income to incentivise folks stuck in benefit dependency ...

Meanwhile Mossad's plot to conflate anti-Zionism and anti-semitism persists, with willing and well paid supporters inside JCs party continuing to punish the leadership for calling out the war crimes of current and recent Israeli governments ...

A relatively busy week ahead includes Assisted Shopping tomorrow and lunch trips to daughters Wednesday and Thursday, with added culture Thursday at Lumiere, an invitation to risk joining the crowds in Durham from a dear friend ... a birthday celebration, itself rather rare ...

As for long awaited book project, despite recent visit from the editor, progress is slow and motivation lacking ...

Settled ...

More or less settled in Stanhope, though dreaming reality is taking a while to catch up, spending quite  a lot of time walking in Spain, on the boat and so on ... possibly a result of the too swift return, albeit without airborne assistance ... the usual questions "when are you off again" and "where next" are met with the usual response ...

Dark nights and short days affect the rhythm, regular morning walks continue, rain or not, though organism treats an hour or so before breakfast as a brief interlude in a fairly sedentary week ... appreciated by feet especially ... meanwhile common cold squeezes past the immune system leaving a persistent cough lingering ... normal November phenomenon and organism only mildly put out ... two ignored emails from local surgery offering vaccination against flu yet to be discerned as wise or not, maybe just another run out for immune system, generally supported with fresh air, sunshine, decent diet and exercise ... and a question around whether the drugs undermine the immune system by telling it not to bother ... none of this speculation set out as advice for others, just an instinct the consequences of which will be accepted ... as with premature screening for cancers ...

A brief review of kit on Camino suggests pack could be lighter with one t-shirt and the spare trousers less, the metal water bottle excessive ... otherwise Deuter performed well enough, though lost his rain cover in Bodenaya ... some pilgrims suggested trail runners for the Way, though trusty Scarpas generally serve, except in very wet weather ...

New routes to explore include the San Salvador from Leon to Oviedo ... though increasing popularity of other routes makes them less appealing ... maybe time to try other countries?

Identification with the various roles in daily dramas scrutinised. .. emotional investment in them serving to confirm them as aspects of a real and substantial self ... desperately hanging on to redundant roles perhaps rather like the caterpillar in chrysalis form resisting its destiny and longing to be back munching cabbage leaves ... an apt example since the return from summer work party found optimistically planted winter greens stripped to the stalks ...

Tomorrow, a trip to the cinema with the elders ...

5th anniversary ...

Today appears to be the 5th anniversary of the freedom experiment, though not of Wear & Dao the blog ... Wear & Dao the book still gestating though feeling like a winter project, as long as itchy feet and vitamin D loving skin allow ... rather dismal days since sunny Santander. .. still seasonal affective disorder fortunately not prevalent here, though several friends report it ... leading to question of whether mind drives the chemistry or vice versa ... or both together ...

Partisan party politics fills the media, entrenched opinions leading to a question of whether evidence supporting contrary views is ever considered ... long standing distaste for gross inequality pulls to the left, though even the Fabian Corbyn is not proposing higher level solutions of a transformation of consciousness to address planetary problems and individual mental health problems where psychopaths are rewarded for "wealth creation", "risk taking", and so on ... anyway, five year voting cycles make proposals of degrowth political suicide ... and perhaps continuing casino capitalism, where hedge fund folks make huge bets on market movements, movements themselves not separate from the bets or the gamblers, will crash the financial system again soon, since behaviours have hardly changed since the last time ...

Hard to say when or if freedom started and finished ... certainly the pilgrim walks have continued long after a house appeared ... anyway, it was a choice to buy it and the window of freedom from anything which didn't fit in the rucksack was a wonderful two years or so, an embodiment of the idea that less is more ... and the experience of liberation from stuff, not to mention self, means it may easily enough be done again ...

Engaging ...

Early brisk walk through woods displaying yellows and browns in preparation for stripping back to the bark ... morning engagement with Peter, fellow philosopher and regular blog reader, one of a select band of four or five and always encouraging the effort ...

Afternoon wander to the village co-op reveals long lost friends heading soon for new life in Portugal, then Gillian, local Angel of the community ... on the street another community activist, Jean for a few words before a visit to Marjorie, elder friend having small crisis and a visit from paramedic prescribing antibiotics and statins  to ward off chest infection ... and under the care of Geraldine, another community volunteer, a retired nurse ... all of which affirms the sense of home, albeit 500 miles north of the childhood one ...

Temperature outside takes noticeably chilly turn, inside heating system keeps it cosy and house feeling very homely for now ... no thoughts of flying south just yet ...

Home ...

After 3 days travelling from home at La Espiral to home in Stanhope, three weeks away a shorter trip than usual, the cottage on Railway Terrace feels welcoming and a fire in the multi-fuel burner soon warms the place up ...

Rather surreal in the B&B, alone in the breakfast room, set for 15 folks looking forward to cereal and juice, fry up of eggs, sausages, bacon, beans and tomatoes plus toast and marmalade, tea or coffee ... Maureen has left muesli and juice out as requested and coffee was taken in the room ... off to the station in good time for the 7.25 only to discover it cancelled due to high tides and strong winds threatening the track at Dawlish ... London bound Great Western is advised to Exeter, where the Cross Country services are commencing ... already an hour late and a different train, quite crowded, but a seat is found and the trip to Durham passes easily enough, arriving only a few minutes late ... plus the hour, which looks like a bargain trip under the scheme to pay passengers for delays ... brief conversations with fellow passengers, but mostly absorbed by Jon Ronson's book ... its many implications, including the thing most of us may already have worked out: that many business leaders and politicians are psychopaths ...

A run from the station to bus station rewarded by timely bus to Crook, then a chance to call into the newly opened Aldi for provisions before the last leg to Stanhope ... 3 weeks and a day away, General Election fever competing with Halloween tomorrow, Guy Fawkes night next week, poppy emotional blackmail well underway, Christmas shopping fever ... all of which will be held lightly if at all ...

Plymouth

Biscay calm enough last night for sound sleep, increasingly rough in the morning, leading the Captain to bar access to outside decks for our own safety ... quite right too, it was very bracing out there, early walk round having preceded Captain's warning ...

Full engagement with other passengers avoided and Jon Ronson's "The Psychopath Test" entertains, informs and educates, along with the Observer to catch up on goings on in the last 3 weeks ... nothing much to report as EU hokey-cokey continues and Rugby Tournament is still not finished ...

Arrival in Plymouth only 30 minutes late due to storm and traditional B&B located near Hoe for evening stroll as Sun sets over harbour and full english breakfast before train north ... in another reality. .. in this one it's raining and breakfast is served too late for early train ... picnic supper in warm, dry and comfy room suffices after good lunch afloat ...

Camino season done for the year, two Primitivos plus Finisterre ... organism satisfied and ready for winter retreat in Stanhope ...

By Bla Bla car to the boat ...

As is often explored and explained, conceptual knowledge is not real until embodied, experienced ... and so with this liftsharing platform from France, now in regular use by young people in Spain, Portugal, Italy and elsewhere ... patience and perseverance sets up the 9 am pick up by the bus stop, Nicola right on time and ahead of schedule with 14.35 arrival at Torrelavega, including pick-up of second passenger en-route ... Susanna, on her way to Bilbao ... Nicola heads for San Sebastian today, Milan tomorrow, with a French couple to collect in Pau and drop in Monaco ... meaning his fuel and toll costs are covered, plus he has some company on the long drive ... favourite FEVE train station right by drop off speeds into Santander by 15.15 and boarding pass secured before stretch for legs around town ... warm and sunny 20° unlike rainy Finisterre this morning ...

Before this very efficient trip, another rather snory night in the dorm means tonight's tiny solo cabin looks like a real haven and ensuite toilet eases any nocturnal incontinence ... a very warm embrace from Coline (ed. please note previous misspelling) and Bernard, and a short trip to the bus stop means legs are wondering what's going on, while feet are quietly grateful for a complete rest .... the philosophy has gone very deep with Coline, in the zone after 2 months on the Way without smartphone or other technology ... the increase of techgadgetry over the last 5 years is noticeable and intrusive ... perhaps a reflection of the dilution of the purpose of pilgrimage along with the ever increasing numbers. .. especially from Tui, Sarria and other Compostela earning short trips ... taxis advertise pick ups of tired pilgrims as well as onward baggage to lighten the load ... taxigrinos ... others more focused on the holiday aspect known as turigrinos ... all of which holier than thouness begs the question of what a pilgrim is ... maybe best to discern case by case, without judgement ... if indeed even discernment is required ... walking always in groups, navigating by smartphones, plugged in to music or whatsapp chatter diminishing pilgrimness ... Coline exemplifying the possibilities ... others too ... never mind, the Compostela may or may not get you into heaven, but it seems quite helpful on cvs when employers are seeking character reference beyond academic qualifications ...

Pont Aven provides simple needs, including great veggie early supper to make up for skipped lunch .. a book and yesterday's newspaper for a day afloat and another by train ... time on-board is UK time, another hour back meaning bed is calling, this time without snoring ...

Deeper in Fisterra. ..

A snory night with sufficient sleep ... other floors experiencing similar situations and morning, later since clocks went backwards when we weren't looking, reveals consequent mini dramas ... Colline having rewarded Nicola's late, noisy night with an early light ... in the private room resident Italian has music playing loud enough to disturb Bernard next door ... in middle dorm 3 Swiss women, having arrived late and spending inordinate amounts of time in bathroom and snoring most of the night, request extra day ... equanimity holds despite the prospect of another noisy night ....

At breakfast philosophy ensues with Colline who reveals Protestant loyalties, though unclear about what she is protesting ... Once True Faith perhaps ... nevertheless and Jesus notwithstanding, common ground is found beyond the words ...

Wandering in search of non-existent Sunday opening supermarket, Fatima appears to say Michele is cooking later ... leaving morning clear for solo meander to the faro and up to the sacred stones on a still, warm, sunny day ... perfect for reflecting on this morning's conversation ... musing on book gestating ready for winter writing perhaps ....

Return to La Espiral reveals Michele's plan for late lunch at 3 ... so, to La Galeria and vino with tapa and writing by window overlooking marina. ..

Community Sunday lunch goes convivially, Fatima assists sorting Blabla Car, ferry booked for tomorrow, Plymouth Tuesday evening ... enough reservations for one day ...

Lunch in Lires ...

Blablacar continues to occupy time, as possible driver with Fisterra address inspires search in the real world rather than the tricky virtual one ... though address seems not to exist ... anyway, as patience is exercised with another full day to book the ride and no boat or train depending on the first step, two more nights are booked at La Espiral and the Monday evening boat will return on Wednesday if alternative transport is required.

A stroll out with options  open uncovers Audrey setting off for Lires and an interesting conversation ensues ... her life as daughter of US secret agent in Japan and Indonesia, as police officer investigating child abuse, now early retired at 55 and enjoying the Way slowly ...

At Lires she heads for hostel ... menu del dia sets up 12 km return via coast and a steady day's walking in dry, sometimes sunny weather ...

Back at the hostel a new batch of pilgrims arrive, including Colline from France,  who left Le Puy two months ago ....

More home cooking from yesterday's shopping appreciated by incoming pilgrims and Bernard, French hospitalero ...

Clocks change tonight ... no pressing engagements to demand attention to that ... just Blablacar to sort, or bus alternatives for Wednesday's sailing ....

to the faro ...

Late enough start and lazy breakfast, researching options for return ... no longer including  Brockwood, since long weekend after this one fully booked ... brand new option opens with Bla bla car, known conceptually but not so far experienced ...  choices from here all the way without troubling the buses ...

As Simone and Bernard prepare to clean the place it's off to see the Faro at the end of the earth again ... dry, gentle walk up from town, an encounter with Audrey from Colorado, previously seen trudging wetly in sandals yesterday morning and now talking of two day stroll to Muxia ... up and along to the Sacred Stones (pagan version of the Cathedral in Santiago) and back down to establish catering options for today, including an offer to cook this evening, though Artem, arriving from Russia via the Primitivo and last seen in Ferreira claims experience as a professional chef and the job is gladly handed over ...  an interesting and earnest briefing on modern Russia claims Moscow as one of the best cities in the world, whilst some issues are noted in regions ... anyway Artem now works in public relations for charities and the centrist party headed by V. Putin ... an interesting idea justified by the presence of communist and fascist parties in parliament ...

Fisterra

Later start in heavy rain, turning lighter occasionally ... cape and overtrousers coping, shoes not so much, but 15km plodge passes fast enough non-stop and into La Espiral for warm greeting from Simone .. bed booked before five Italian pilgrims arrive from the bus, meaning a full Albergue. .. good going at this time of year, reputation clearly spreading especially amongst Italians, with Simone and Michele around ... pizza party last night. ...

Rain desists a little and options considered ... boats, trains, planes, even some more walking, though feet parts were mumbling last night  ... heels mostly, feeling the effects of 140km over the last 3 days. .. though yesterday's effort vindicated seeing today's weather ... prompting thoughts of Algarve where rainfall is much less than Galicia, though experience shows it is not unknown ...

Anyway, return to DUK more likely, cosy home in the hills, with books in the alcoves, new carpet awaiting door shave or keep opening it and shave the pile down ... bathroom renovation considered, though since it works fine maybe better to wait for yellow suite to come back in fashion. ..

Rain stops, though overcast ... Portsmouth bound boats fully booked, Plymouth possible, planes trickier if life long resistance to Ryan Air cheap flight cheap service model is maintained ...

And since synchronicities are worth a look, a wander from Plymouth up to Brockwood, a few days there, including Friends of Brockwood event, may just mean a return to Stanhope on the 5th anniversary of the bid for freedom ... perhaps a title for the long awaited book ...

Cee

Another epic 53km as forecast - fair today, rain tomorrow, encourages pushing to enjoy the stage to Cee and the sea in afternoon sunshine ... only 15km to Fisterra and the energy for it, just not enough light for the last three hours ...

So, porridge in the Albergue, quick coffee nearby, and it's on the Way pre-dawn and fast ... a little too fast,  since torchlight exit from dorm neglects to collect towel and socks drying on the rail of top bunk ... on the plus side, that's less weight to carry and towels can be borrowed or replacement bought ...

First stop for juice and coffee and to remove layers is 7km out ... a brief rest and on to Santa Marina for coffee and cake, ten minutes rest and up the hill and over towards Olveiroa and lunch at 2.25 after slight slowing of pace to engage with Scott from Wisconsin, who had 6 wet days on the Ingles and now happy to see Sun. ..

Wonderful lunch of lentil soup, salad and flan, and wisely water rather than wine ... back on the road at 3, with 5 hours of light available for the 20km to Cee ... steady plod without stops means town is reached before sunset ... 7pm and a quick beer before the Albergue appears, well advertised along the Way "We are pilgrims too" ... Guzman and Maria providing warm welcome and facilities demonstrating attention to detail ... including the loan of a towel ...

A trip to supermarket and baker produces fruit, pie and cake for supper ... legs and feet looking forward to later start and slower pace for tomorrow's very easy day ... hopefully with a bed for a couple of days at La Espiral ... after that maybe Muxia and start thinking about a boat ...

Negreira via Santiago ...

Later leaving the cosy room and a quick cortado is enough to spark up the engine, fuel tank full enough after last night's meal ... passing pilgrim procession the 19 km to Santiago, grabbing a couple of bananas from trackside stall, onwards with brief buenas dias and buen caminos, another cortado this time with croissant, on again to Monte Gozo and Daniel, who indeed achieved his PB of 45km with heavy pack yesterday, having reached Santa Irena ... wandering into town, photos and lunch at the monastery and conversation about life in the modern Czech Republic, his next trip to New Zealand, ambition to be a pilot ....a bottle of wine leads to plan to stay, enquiry at reception establishes all pilgrim rooms reserved already and though options abound the legs set off for Negreira, the 20km first stage to Finisterre ...slow going as wine works through system but one foot in front of the other brings the destination with light to spare by 7.30 ... first open door is Albergue Lua with plenty of beds to choose from and plenty of blankets to make up for lack of heating ...

New pilgrim pal is Alex, a doctor from Slovenia, out for drink and cheese and bread pincho, with added philosophy ...

Tomorrow 35 for Casa Loncho ... maybe ...

Pedrouzo

Legs woke early and eager for long stage, feet, finally friends with their shoes comply, and Arzua at 34 km firmly on the programme ... Ton serves breakfast, whilst Ria recovers from 1 am pilgrim party ... completely unnoticed in the full, rather snory dormitory, where a deep sleep prevails through to 7 am ... muesli fuels the system and torch deployed for starlight start ... fast for 6km until Daniel shows up landing his drone ... having left the nearby Albergue he talks of a long stage and a PB, though no sign of him since so who knows whether his personal best was achieved, or even what it would look like ... meanwhile, legs race on until short stop and a cortado at 15km, on to find baker in van offering croissant, gladly bought to munch on the way ... Melide, at 20km comes before noon and tortilla sought ... not at this time says the cafe man ... somewhere else in town? Unlikely he says, and next enquiry confirms his view ... strange for a large town with many bars, but legs still eager and stomach indicates sufficient fuel from yesterday and this morning ... and reminds central command that the Lugo banana, biscuits and chocolate may be more effective generating energy in the tummy than sitting in the pack ... a quick coffee and on towards Arzua, with Camino Frances pilgrims milling about, mostly heading up the hill to the cemetery, a climb declined when the main road takes a level route ... 4th time on this stretch and short cuts mostly known ... pace maintained for a couple of hours and one short break before conversation with Joan into Arzua. .. Aussie grandma and signed up Christian, she's here with a large group ... lunch stop in Arzua produces the tortilla missing in Melida and water instead of wine, since it's still before 3pm and legs are ready for more ... 5 hours of daylight mean Pedrouzo possible at nearly 20km leaving an easy Santiago tomorrow ... afternoon encounter with Kiwi Finn brings deep philosophy for an hour before he finds his hostel ... 3rd hour legs fade a little, take a break and small beer 4km out then speed up to hit town before 7.30 ... first door is 2 star pension and brief haggle reduces price for double room ( for one person) from startling €45 to slightly less startling 40 ... no interest in trailing around town for Albergue or cheaper pension, so it's simple comfort in over large bed, with ensuite shower and toilet, view of the woods rather than noisier main road ... well deserved after epic 54 km effort ... hot shower, menu del dia, chat with Belgian pilgrim who admires the 54, and has his 11 weeks from Normandy admired in return. ..

Sunny day forecast for tomorrow .. whether for Santiago or straight through to Negreira is a question for the morning ... for now the hard working feet and legs have some tissue repair work to do while the system goes into standby mode ...

Ferreira

Remarkably easy after yesterday's testing conditions. .. more tarmac than preferred, but quiet roads and some woodland tracks too ... first pilgrim caught after an hour ... Leandro, a priest from Colombia, preaching the Once True Faith in Puerto Rico. .. translation tricky, but it seems his Camino has deepened his faith. .. Sun appears along with the Bar at Santa Eulalia, 10 km from Lugo and a brief rest and tortilla plus pair of Korean pilgrims ... at second rest stop, San Roman, another Korean turns up, unaware of his compatriots ahead ... he has walked from Alicante to Burgos, then train to Oviedo for Primitivo ... and coping with yesterday's weather by taking bus from Fonsegrada to Lugo ... finally, an hour from home the Koreans meet up for a while, though it is not assumed that speaking the same language will necessarily make them bosom buddies ... indeed further reflection discovers that identifying as a pilgrim is perhaps a better common ground than age, gender, job or nationality ...

Lunch stop at Ferreira bar, where locals appear to be having a shouting match and the children are winning ... no trace of animosity, just very loud ... anyway, ensalada mixta and small beer enjoyed before finding bed at Albergue, looking busy since other two in town closed ... Melide doable at 20, but reunion with Ria and Ton and hearing about Camino life from their perspective more interesting ... plenty of time for Santiago, whether in two or three stages ...

The place fills up as tortoises arrive, hares having eaten and showered, if not been overtaken on the road ... familiar faces from the stages since Grandas appear, some bonded from Oviedo .... others focus on public albergues, though there is not one here ... not frequented anyway by a pilgrim travelling without a proper sleeping bag ... blankets essential to complement the silk liner ... or the sheets and duvet to be found in some albergues ...

Vegetarian community dinner served for 15, others head to bar, maybe meat eaters, but this meal shows just how delicious food can be without flesh from corpses ... all very convivial and an amazing job by Ria and Ton ... season soon over, their winter break well earned ...

Tomorrow Arzua the target ... nearly 40km and flat enough ... let's see!

Lugo

9 am bus to Lugo tempts injured pilgrims and maybe some put off by the weather forecast. .. anyway only one other encountered all day - Rene from Nantes ... an hour chatting, mostly in French, before 8 km coffee stop in Castroverde ... after that solo all the way and fast ... just one more brief rest stop at 15km and on into the rain, changing from light to heavy and never actually stopping ... wet gear mostly copes and opportunity is taken to enjoy the journey in the mind ... at Lugo a Vegan menu del dia appears and taken before finding bed ... conversation in bar leads to simple room in Residencial San Roque ... a solo treat for €24 ... pilgrim engagement can wait until tomorrow ... forecast drier and Ferreira Albergue with Ton and Ria planned ...shorter day and last before Frances merges at Melide and Norte at Arzua ... maybe 2 long stages to Santiago, then Fisterra to see the family at La Espiral ...

Cadavo and Carmen

Out after 8 in dismal pre-dawn ... porridge from the pack, coffee, juice and pastry in the bar, and on the road early enough for comfortable 25km by 2.45, steep climbs notwithstanding ... solitude for a while, as Way avoids hard shoulders where possible ... more forest tracks with their special energy... an hour or so with Kaspar from Denmark, suffering from flu or something ... finding his life balance between walking the Ways and earning the cash in casual work to walk some more ... at halfway coffee and tortilla stop Silka shows up for brief reunion before return to solo stretch before English couple, Claire and Wraith, turn up ... walking their dog, living locally, trying to survive simply on harsh land in a harsh climate with friendly locals (once they realised the pair were sticking around) ... some talk of parallel worlds and Wraith revealing his name change (from Simon) to strengthen his shift from a hellish childhood, indicated by mural tattooed on his back ... a work in progress - the shift, not the tattoo. .. Silka shows up and bonds with Claire, possibly playing angel to Simon - Wraith's tortured soul ... all speculation of course, but a very special connection, slowing the pace before the seeming vertical climb to La Lastra and a swift shandy break, then non-stop to Cadavo, San Matteo Albergue from Spring and Carmen signing us in as well as serving menu del dia next door ...

Tomorrow Lugo, the big city, nearly 30km but less climbing ...

Fonsagrada

A short enough day's walk, though tough in early rain ... climbing to El Acebo with a view of Fonsagrada, still three hours away and first proper rest stop an hour before the end ... and since breakfast was skipped and only a couple of bananas for energy, last night's menu del dia proved its worth ... still, pace maintained and into town before 3 for lower bunk with sheets, towel and laundry, not to mention heated boot racks, in Cantabria Albergue ... settling in before main Grandas contingent arrive ... Ramon up for philosophy for a while, in early existential crisis after completing degree in business and law and wondering what his life is for ....join the club. ..

Brief chat with fellow Anglo, Silka, who, it transpires, is writing a blog called The Silka Roads, which readers may wish to investigate ... more on this if she appears again ...

Rosa, 22 year old peregrina from Germany explains a little about her degree in language, letters and their development ... fascinating ...

Grandas ...

Early rain encourages full waterproofing, though morning turns out mostly dry, if windy ... wonderful walk across sierra and low route still quite high ... mostly off road again and solitude appreciated as various pilgrims overtaken right into Berducedo for first coffee since breakfast at 12.30 and two Spanish pilgrims popping up at each stage this time without packs ... taxis taking the strain ... spiritual pride absent but some residual pride in physical performance noted ... all work in progress ... onto La Mesa for lunch at 1.30 and an hour to convince the legs that the 15km afternoon upping, downing and upping again to Grandas de Selime is another day ... energy levels fine and last hour assisted by human engagement ... Daniel, from Czech Republic shares some energy up to the town with a dark secret ... learned from a woman born here, moved away to Gijon for work, then to London ... encountered at the K Centre in spring ... Grandas was the summer home of General Franco ... known as the usurper of the democratically elected government or saviour of Spain from the anti-christ, supported by the Vatican, Hitler and Mussolini, depending on your point of view ... anyway, a €20 room in a Pension is soon found, restaurant attached offers second menu del dia, only fair to the organism since we covered 40km over the mountains, normally two stages, in one long day ... body in shape for some long legs on the way to Santiago, though tomorrow looks shorter ... tricky to break stages up and 50 probably too much as we climb out of Asturias into Galicia ...

Looking at money ...

Yesterday's walk goes unrecorded, since pilgrim engagement at the Albergue de Bodanaya is full on and also full since its reputation on pilgrim networks means further advertising is not required ... a special experience and one of the factors in returning to the Primitivo ... off-road tracks through forests another reason after the excess tarmac on the Norte. .. popularity of Bodanaya promotes breaking of reservation rule with morning email to David to secure a bed ... early exit from Grado produces Francisco, architect from Valencia, currently living in Belgium, fluent in English, for morning conversation all the way to Salas, where menu del dia without meat is negotiated and huge quantities loaded on the table, now including three more pilgrims ... resisted along with excess alcohol, since another two hours climbing is required after lunch ...and accomplished as light rain falls ... a warm welcome at the Albergue, where hospitality is offered in abundance and money not mentioned at all ... evening meal, wine, laundry, bed, breakfast all without a price attached ... a donations box is there on the wall near the exit, but our attention is not drawn to it and everyone is left to work out their contribution, if anything ... maybe some pay nothing, perhaps sitting somewhere in the conscience ever after ... maybe some are so touched they empty their wallets ... who knows? Anyway, David and Celia have been at it for five years and seem very happy ...

Aussie pilgrims Kylie and Peter offer most attention, their work with young people trekking the Outback inspirational ... in the same subset as Outward Bound in DUK and the French association introducing troubled youngsters to the pilgrim life ... morning connections include Carlos, young pilgrim having walked the Frances and very keen on the pilgrim life ... and Hiroki, volunteer hospitalera keen on Findhorn ...

After all the conviviality today's walk returns to blessed solitude, the pace fast enough to cover the ground, slow enough to appreciate Nature ... Campiello, putative destination, comes early and after early, alcohol-free, lunch of Vegan Stew, it is decided to push on 12kms to Pola on the low road option ... high road has no intermediate options and time is tight to get over in daylight and tomorrow looks wet, meaning restricted views ... anyway, that was done in April and the Pola alternative is also beautiful, reaching town before 6pm. .. options open and hotel arrives before Albergue ... luxury of 2 star en-suite with treat for feet, legs and shoulders of a bath with a working  plug ... a wait for supper snack since the kitchen opens at 8pm. .. time to catch up here and see a little tv ... Spain playing Montengro at football ... then two Spanish pilgrims from Grado arrive, also moving fast and far ... hotel cheap enough at €25, similar offer on the coast a few days ago was €10 more ... yesterday's priceless experience not to be shared or compared on here ... and supper tonight still an unknown price ... though not Donativo for sure!

Tomorrow maybe 40km to Grandas, let's see ...

Primitivo again ...

First train to Oviedo wanders along coast and through mountains for three hours ... peregrina at hostel plans bus later, needing treatment for eye infection .. semi- direct bus just an hour or so, though train fine and on time allowing steady stage to Grado ... other pilgrims starting here appear ... three Portuguese blokes, three young Germans, a Dutch woman, Joyce, who has walked from Leon to Oviedo on the San Salvador route ... another one to try ... the Ingles from Ferrol also lingering and looking like 4 days  ... ah well, one step, one day, one Camino at a time ...

An hour out from Grado, a late lunch opportunity appears, then the familiar Albergue Quintana, with more pilgrims this time ... a light rain sets in and some more forecast ... still warm at 15° though ...

To Llanes ...

Same stage as Spring, though route variations and tempo make for long day on the road and heart moving towards the mountains ... not to Potes in the Picos de Europa, that option came and went in conversation with Ed and Steve, brothers from BSA, both retired and regular pilgrims on the Ways to Santiago ... collected at first stop in Serdio and engaging to Colombres, where a motor cycle rally has filled the town with blokes (mostly) in leather gear and noisy bikes ... all fine fellows, though so many in one place makes a coffee stop less desirable, while the brothers give it a try ... just for context, some of my best friends are bikers, including the editor ... anyway, Spanish pilgrim couple Alfredo and Manuela are next up, stretching linguistic skills for a while ... 54 and already retired from arduous life of a miner ... first coffee stop out of town also full of bikers ... they stop ... finally at Buelna a quiet bar and albergue it's time for an early lunch and rest, though the organism is firing on all cylinders, helped by breakfast of soaked oats and banana in hotel room before dawn ... vegetarian lunch meets calorific requirements, the stomach files official complaint with Central Operating System due to stodgy nature and over large quantity of pasta ... only overcome after an hour or so on the road ... before that Ed and Steve arrive for brief resumption of engagement, along with Aussie Jodie ....

For once common sense prevails and wine is declined in favour of water, enabling four hour afternoon walk near the sea into Llanes ... though smell of the sea more prominent than views ... Spring Albergue skipped for more congenial one at the station ... leading to morning temptation for first train to Oviedo, a 3 hour trip, compared to 3 days walking ... coast feeling rather touristic and pilgrim tourists perhaps perceived as poor tourists ...

Jodie turns up at the hostel for good connection along with Max from Marseille, walking with his tearaway son .... a walk in progress ... as for Ed and Steve, no sign so far, it's already nearly 10pm, laundry washed and drying ... breakfast at very civilised 6.30, decision to walk or train can wait until 7.40 ... meaning Grado on the beautiful Primitivo tomorrow evening ...

Engaging pilgrims ...

After a quiet evening and restful night, without roommate on upper bunk, breakfast brings engagement with another human in the form of Nadia, a Danish pilgrim on third Camino, this one having started in Le Puy two months ago ... abandoning her, the first hour warms the legs and sets the pace all the way to Cobreces and thoughts of coffee before Maarten intervenes, having started here just before ten ... from Holland, having started near Irun and seeking meaning on Picos route up to Santo Toribio ... a coastal alternative leads to church with posh restaurant preparing for festive lunch and kindly offering coffees in the midst of the work ... Nadia turns up for brief reunion as we set off, though photo ops detain again and she passes and joins the conversation into Comillas and parting of the ways ... San Vicente looking tricky for late lunch and ambitious Unquera unlikely as ambitious early possibility ... restaurant outside town offers Menu del Dia to feed the organism for afternoon stage in warm sunshine ... completed before five in San Vicente and Hotel Luzon as last time ... Serdio a little far after morning delays engaging with other humans ... tomorrow Santa Toribio option occurs, though unlikely ... maybe Llanes again, maybe not ... looking a little like Groundhog Day ...

Santander to Santillana sin Mar ...

After a day training, a night and day sailing, organism is happy to resume walking ... Bay of Biscay rather choppy and discombobulating ... some human contact made early in the voyage and at the end, when first pilgrim appeared, Welsh woman heading back to St Jean to start the classic French Way ... this pilgrim heading on familiar route from Santander, the N611 to Torrelevega and back road into Santillana without Mar, though plenty of tourists ... still open day by day, with previous mountain excursions still available along with Ribadeo and full Norte or Ribadeo to Ferrol ...

Sun lingers as early hour and half managed on pavements with street lights before first breakfast stop to tune in to new language and discover local tv news includes Spanish shoe exports threatened by possible DUK exit from EU ...

Seven and a half hours on the road, maybe six and a half walking, makes a strong first day, with no adverse reactions to report ... Convento offers lower bunk bed with sheet in double room and washing line for refreshing first set of underclothes ... filling menu del dia in town and warm Sun all day topping up Vitamin D ... fellow pilgrims mostly Italian and German so far ...

Feeling good to be back on the road ... 

Here we go again!

Lack of trust in certainty of waking early enough to ensure bus to Durham in time for 8.55 train to Plymouth repaid by early hours faulty resetting of time on tablet ... alarm function rarely used and finding the time at 5.45 leaving it tight it took a while to work out that far from being late it was actually a hour or so early ... still, the extra time enabled a tardy assessment of the fully laden new rucksack and finding it unsatisfactory a return to trust Deuter ... a walk into the village, the direct bus wending its way though old pit villages from the long defunct West Durham coalfield, picking up students heading for New College, mostly defying the stereotypes and conversing rather than focusing fully on smartphones ... bus arrives late but in time for train heading to Plymouth ... and a delightful reunion with Penny all the way to Leeds ... followed by the Sheffield stage chatting to Mark about matters philosophical. .. his upcoming 10 day Vippassana retreat and more... third chat is with nonagenarian Donald, 30 years retired railway clerk and getting full value from pension and free travel pass ... some info on his warm winters in Malaysia before he alights at Derby and time for a picnic and nap ... on through Birmingham with fewer passengers to pester ...

Idea of awkward onward trip from Santander prompts new plan to walk west and see how that goes ... and there is plenty of time before Stanhope dental appointment on November 5th ... perhaps a return 2 days before, marking the 5th anniversary of the bid for freedom ...

Boat delayed by previous medical evacuations, though they seem to plan to pick up time .... hopefully not too late in Santander, since nothing is booked there ... anyway the city is well known now and plenty of choice near the centre and the ferry parks handily for hostels and hotels ... and that's a question for tomorrow, for tonight there's a bed in a tiny cabin with built in toilet and shower and it's calling after the  very early start and long journey across England ...

Slavery and circuses ...

Autumnal abundance continues with wood blewits and honey fungus to eat, elderberries to process into winter warmer with ginger, cinnamon and the dentist's demon, sugar ...

Necessary arrangements made for train to Plymouth and boat to Santander on Tuesday, with Ingles from Ferrol current choice, though that decision can wait until Thursday morning ... tardy research shows five stages, which can easily become four and another three across to Fisterra is still short enough ... never mind, the new rucksack wants a test along with seal socks ... yet to be worn and of interest since trusty scarpas have never kept the feet dry in very wet conditions ... speaking of which, today's weather forecast is wet and an early and long walk turns out not as bad as imagined, forecasts tending towards hyperbole, and cape plus overtrousers cope well ... wellies are chosen over scarpas and keep the feet very dry, though impractical for longer walks of course ...

Reader feedback questions regular reference to work and careers as contemporary slavery ... prompting re-examination of this stark characterisation of the nature of a significant portion of the lives of many of the humans in late stage capitalist countries .... well, writers may sometimes exaggerate for effect, like some weather forecasters, and there is some truth in the idea that working for a wage in order to survive, when needs and wants are conflated by hypnotic marketing techniques in a mad attempt to maintain the fiction that a finite planet can sustain infinite growth, a fiction crucial to the very survival of capitalism in its current form, is indeed sophisticated slavery, preferable in some ways, though it is worth noting that the employer managed to convert his or her labourer from a capital asset worth feeding and sheltering (depending on the price at the slave market) to a hired hand who needs to find his or her sustenance ... within this paradigm many are lucky to find their living aligned with their purpose or at least satisfying and maybe well enough paid to live comfortably even in retirement ... many others not so much ... at another level, for good or bad and probably both, our work provides a very strong element for the construction of a separate self ... which has serious consequences when that is the key part of the edifice and retirement arrives with consequent catastrophic loss of purpose ... possibly one reason for politicians and business leaders with over-developed egos carrying on in their roles ...

Meanwhile, back at the circus, the script unfolds with the bad clown heading towards the door, whether the exit from an overweening EU or just the exit from 10 Downing Street remains to be seen. Probably not an accident that Halloween has been chosen as the fateful day. The escape from the story to Santander and the resumption of pilgrim persona may also not be accidental. 

Bread and circuses have long been recognised as the twin diet for slaves and while food banks thrive in the fifth richest country in the world by GDP, the circus stays on the road to distract us from more fundamental questions ... which require a serious step up in consciousness to even be asked.

For those completely fed up with the EU drama, a regular soap opera, The Royal Family, steps in with opportunities to have strong opinions, though how that particular institution continues in the 21st Century is a mystery ... some say you really couldn't make it up but clearly that's what's going on ... the question is, who, how and why ... 

Shifting ...

Some shifting in awareness is observed and the Game has certainly sharpened listening skills ... leading to a disturbing discovery on BBC R4's Today Programme, itself best rationed, though the sound device purchased to enable uplifting music ( Leonard Cohen, Bach and so on) inadvertently allows in the hypnotic influence previously eradicated ... television and radio mainly, though similar dangers lurk in social media of course ... anyway, and not to go too deeply into the whole horror story of child sexual abuse and its occult side, it appears that a big story which broke a while ago disclosed a ring of abusers in the Westminster Establishment and the Metropolitan Police, many years previously exposed as thoroughly corrupted by Freemasonry and maybe cleansed of its worst aspects, launched investigations into high profile politicians ... the main witness, Carl Beech, was subsequently charged, tried and convicted for giving false evidence ... maybe correctly, maybe not (a conspiracy interpretation would assert the powerful forces have demonstrated their impunity yet again, as a warning to victims to stay silent) ... anyway, paying close attention to the interview with a QC (trained in logical thinking), he said that one of the errors of the Met was in failing to examine Carl Beech's computer, which subsequently revealed he was also a child abuser, and this fact would have undermined his evidence ... a faulty leap in logic unchallenged by the interviewer, though they are usually very quick to trip interviewees and score points in the rapid to and fro ... to be clear to readers missing the point, far from proving an adult abuser could not have been abused as a child, the converse is true ... not that it is inevitable, but that the traumatised victim very often sees the world starkly divided between victim and perpetrator and the only choice as remaining as victim or becoming the abuser ...

All of this not to give unhelpful attention to the very dark side of Power, since energy flows where attention goes, and paradoxically forensic attention to the reality of occult practices and twisted sexual urges is necessary to expose it and deal with it ... the point in this post is more to expose the very subtle power of language to create fictions ... freedomndemocracy being another example worth a look, three words rolled into one to press buttons in brainwashed patriots ...

Meanwhile misty, mizzy Autumn day encourages feckless foreign foray, whilst dear friènd, recently released from the slave world finds time for a visitor and a walk around the outskirts of Durham to see a Camino marker for the Ingles, a hint from beyond perhaps, though there are no plans to walk from here  ... always a warm connectìon and maintaining Game intention of engaging fully with other humans ... a shared look at the box game bought at the Phoenix shop on Wednesday ... the editor may note the blog reframed by the Game, though probably pleased that service has resumed after a slack August and September ... as for editing he has dodged the work involved whilst encouraging the book waiting to be born ... and expressed the idea of writing his own blog or book based on his post-slavery life in rural France ...

So, the Camino Ingles from Ferrol seems ripe ... train Tuesday morning, boat Tuesday evening, Santander Wednesday evening, Feve train along coast Thursday or bus probably quicker ... could be on the Way Friday first light ... let's see!

Going deeper with Findhorn Family ...

Playing The Game of Transformation over the past few days in the beautiful Cluny space has been rather wonderful ... the Game itself, with four players and two guides, opened each of us up to rich sharing, leading to new understanding and indeed the possibilities of psychological clearing and spiritual deepening ... the four who arrived as strangers quickly became a tight group, with diverse back stories, national, cultural, racial and religious identities ... explored inside the Game and outside too ...

Since clear intentions were required from the start, a form of words arrived after some resistance to the concept of having intentions at all ... "to fully engage with other humans" seemed concise enough and referred to the path in general ... an intention specific to the Game became " to listen actively, with compassion and insight, and offer my views appropriately" ... this after cribbing from the others and it seemed right ... with angelic assistance ( Light was given during the ostensibly random process and Clarity joined her during the Game ) ...progress is made through levels of the physical, emotional, mental, Love and Unity, according to the accumulation of Form and Awareness via dice rolling, coin flipping, random picking of Insight and Setback cards, blessings, miracles and more ... all chronicled by the guides ... a task increasingly complex as miracles within miracles within synergies evolved ... and at every turn sharing of experience, some very raw .... though all that stuff stays in the group, of course! As for the intentions and angels of the others, that's for them to share here if they want... 

Having set the intention of engaging fully with other humans, and mostly doing that, it is amusing to note that Daisy, the little blue Chinese car joined the fun and games and served the group willingly, with trips to the Park, the airport and even Glasgow ... and came fully into her name in relationship with the others though Dai-sy may turn out to be a more sensitive rendering what with her being Chinese ...

October arrived during the Game and a possible Walk before winter was already in the Field ... research shows a berth from Plymouth to Santander next week and a wander from Ferrol on the Ingles or another trip over the mountains from Oviedo are out there ... other humans have offers outstanding which may influence events ... indeed it has been observed that fully engaging with such entities does tend to complicate things .... there we are, the price of fellowship!

As for transformation, time will tell and each may report back ... for this player the first visit to Cluny, for Experience Week 9 years ago, turned out to be very transformational and this return, with three daily 6.30 one hour early sits in the magical Sanctuary, where so many have sat in silence over the past forty plus years, has surely been a significant step along the path ... or to expand the metaphors, a deeper exploration of previously hidden spaces ...

Tuning in ...

Yesterday's early departure enabled late lunch arrival at the Phoenix Cafe in the Park, via a brief nostalgic wander in Aberfeldy, last seen in 1968 when a few winter months were spent working as a waiter at the Breadalbane Arms Hotel, before the exciting adventure hitch-hiking around Spain, France and Morocco. .. this in lieu of academic pursuits and much more educational ...

Anyway, the Hotel is showing its age, though the town looks good, even claiming the title of Britain's first Fair Trade Town ... a brief excursion up the Birks alongside the rushing stream evokes memories ... before the return to the A9 north to Aviemore, then across to Forres ...

The Phoenix Shop provides a couple of books for the library as well as preparing the mind for weirdness ... Robert Ogilvie Crombie's tales of encounters with Pan and others from beyond the veil, and Dorothy MacLean's stories of the devas taking care of the plants ... all perfectly plausible and reminiscent of the relationship with an elf from Switzerland discovered at Findhorn a few years ago ... before that, during Experience Week 9 years  ago, Brian Nobbs, a Findhorn pioneer and potter, described his own meeting with Pan ... seemed perfectly plausible at the time ...

After the long drive yesterday a 10 mile round trip to Forres stretches the legs and offers the sight of geese in fluctuating formations, preparing to head south ... hmmm, why not?

Afternoon walk across the dunes and along the beach offers wild cloudscapes and extra exercise for the body before the 4 day Game begins tomorrow ... no idea how many or who are playing or much about it ... someone in the Park who has attended just said "intense" .... let's see!

September Fruit

September abundance is blackberries and daily forays ensure freezer has supplies until Christmas ... mushrooms less abundant this year, though woods provide a couple of meals of tasty Blewitts ... occasional driving duties with the elders provide helpful boost for illusion of being of some use in the world ... annual agricultural Shows enable further community contact as well as visit from daughters, both thriving in their different ways ... house feels quite like home, especially with alcove bookshelves and new carpet, though legs and feet ask about another long walk ... maybe an Autumn return to the Primitivo?

Before that, in order to avoid contentment slipping into complacency, a trip to Findhorn is planned ... 9 years after Experience Week a 4 day Transformation Game is booked to round off the month ... stand by for reports, it starts Saturday, with minimal research so that expectations are minimised, a couple of extra days are booked at the Park and the recently rather underused car is looking forward to a decent run ...

Politics, domestic and international, continues to raise questions about our credulity. .. the unlikely President of the BSA is joined by another clown representing the best the DUK can offer ... whilst the teenage terror of the adult establishment, Greta the Great, continues to gain access to gatherings of the powerful in order to berate them ... credulity stretched by her trip by wind powered boat across the Atlantic (details of return yet to be announced) ... well, Shakespeare did tell us that "All the World's a Stage" and perspective suggests that he was right ... the scripts become less and less plausible, though perhaps anything is plausible to the gullible ... the game seems to be to evoke emotional reactions in the audience ... and thus make us susceptible to the hypnotic techniques which enslave us ...

On the other hand, of course, it's all real, and your correspondent has literally lost the plot ... never mind, either way equanimity prevails, there is no pain in the brain and life continues to intrigue and amuse ... perhaps transformation awaits as the dice is rolled in the weird and wonderful Findhorn Foundation at Cluny on Saturday ...

August at Brockwood and Dartmoor

Since Brockwood Park School is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a grand reunion, and since volunteers are required to help with the expected 500 odd visitors, the opportunity is seized to spend 3 weeks slaving in the kitchen and sleeping in a tent in the shade of a 500 year old oak tree.
A whole day off is offered each week and the shifts are 5 hours or so ... a special kind of holiday and a chance to be part of an amazing event with philosophers round every corner ... some remembered from previous visits, some encountered for the first time ...

Two key addictions are confronted early on - WiFi notionally available but not so easy in practice, coffee hard to locate and requiring a trip over to the Centre or a personal stash (or indeed the purchase of a large quantity to leave out for the other coffee seekers) ... the addictive mind also has the chance to cope without, of course! As the reunion proper begins a coffee and cake corner appears in the marquee ... twin addictions catered for at a reasonable price ...

As for slaving, the kitchen job is swapped for the garden, since garden volunteer David does his back in and requests lighter duties ... meaning plenty of sunshine and fresh air along with a variety of physical tasks to strengthen the body and prepare garden and grounds for the visitors ... work which switches again during the five days of the reunion as all hands are required on deck to keep the show on the road ...

Wonderful to watch the reuniting students and teachers from the different generations, all tasked with the modest aim of creating a new kind of human ... to what extent Krishnamurti's vision has been achieved is explored with those with experience ... an ongoing experiment perhaps ... and heartening to hear the optimism of young students already reshaping the world ... the main task of we elders perhaps to listen, learn, and get out of the way ...

Meanwhile a reunion within the reunion occurs with returning summer work party folks, which is nice ... along with days off spent reuniting with family and friend ...

As settled weather arrives after the event and clear up, a dear friend arrives at the station for a trip to Dartmoor and her reunion with friends from fondly remembered summers of childhood ... poignant since three of four parents have passed in the last year or so ... the main event, an old community ritual, Beating the Bounds, shared with a hundred or so locals, incomers, grockles and a camera crew ... a strenuous enough amble over the moors, a picnic at the top, tea in the village hall to finish ...

Thoughts. ..

This morning's early wander was an opportunity to think about thoughts ... how busy lives cause them to race along without pause for reflection, joining forces to become ideas, finding comfort in familiar patterns and imagining evidence for their validity ... a concept and trap known to psychology as confirmation bias ... ideas, of course, lead to stories and beliefs, since language plays such a key role in our lives ... the trigger for this particular thought stream the reflection on recent return to radio, previously rejected along with television in an attempt to clear the mind of clutter and conditioning ... strangely, even though radio sets offer many channels, this one, bought for its ability to play CDs, stays tuned to BBC Radio 4 ... a sophisticated service offering lots of interesting information along with dramas and comedy along with "News" ... and it is the latter that comes under scrutiny as the latest versions of current affairs invite us to believe that the Benighted States and its implausible President is still a civilised country, despite all the evidence to the contrary ... a longer view might assemble historical facts to suggest, having shaken off the yoke of the British Empire, it steadily applied the lessons it learned from the erstwhile master ... timing military interventions in both major wars of the last century to allow the combatants to weaken themselves and then throw decisive force behind the likely victor. .. emerging as the strongest Empire, having sent a chilling warning to the world by destroying the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with hundreds of thousands of their inhabitants ... war crimes indeed, though winners get to write the history books and choose the language to be used ... further military adventures followed in the 20th century and into the 21st, all aimed to maintain economic ascendancy. .. gradually, as is the way with Empires, degenerating, though not passing the baton gracefully ... the BBC, meanwhile, offers ostensibly unbiased coverage, though certain basic assumptions go unchallenged ... its reputation for honesty enabling the smuggling of deception undetected ...

Anyway, the post is not meant to revisit the old stories, rather to reflect on the perspective achieved along the pilgrim ways, free from the daily dose of propaganda. .. which mostly led to the view that all the world really is a stage and cartoon characters in positions of power are possibly there to challenge our credulity and maybe invite us to look inside and see if there is any residual rubbish to clear out before we project it outwards yet again ...

Gala ...

July sees the annual gathering of socialists of various persuasions plus thousands of local folks from the surrounding area parading behind banners from their now defunct pit villages ... the Durham Miners' Gala, the Big Meeting, running on nostalgia and enthusiastic leftists from around the country ... attendance estimates vary between 100,000 and 200,000, which is a big variation, though even the lower figure is impressive enough ... the star of the show, Jeremy Corbyn, takes the tributes on the balcony of the County Hotel as the parade winds its way patiently through the streets, taking over 4 hours for the last banners to reach the racecourse and the speeches along with light rain ... plenty of tub thumping and rabble rousing from the platform, including a direct hit on the duplicity of J.C.'s disloyal deputy, TWatson, promoting the Big Lie drama of alleged anti-semitism, at the behest of its creators, Mossad, cleverly conflating anti-Zionism and anti-semitism in order to undermine Corbyn, a well known opponent of war crimes against Palestinians ... TWatson and others on the payroll as shown in the declared parliamentary records ... liberal sensitivities of public figures scared of being labelled anti-semitic harbour the plotters, prominent anti-Zionist Jews like Noam Chomsky are rarely heard in mainstream media or characterised as "self-hating Jews" ... and so the story runs on, along with the lie that Iran is destabilising the region, when some years ago the Pentagon plan to destabilise the Middle East was approved and has rolled out remorselessly ever since as the Benighted States and loyal allies, the Disunited Kingdom, Israel, Saudi Arabia and others have removed stable (not to say liberal or democratic) governments in Iraq, Libya and, maybe soon, Syria ... the economic war on Iran is well underway, along with gunboat diplomacy in the Gulf and threats of military intervention ...

Readers bemused by this diatribe need not fear that equanimity has been compromised by Saturday's day out with the comrades ... a cool head is still needed and old loyalties no longer hold ... polarised politics don't serve, Brexit is not the question, war is not the answer and neither is a centrally planned economy ... looking at the level of alcohol consumption and junk food at the Gala, despite the fine words, the vanguard of the revolution are in no condition to bring down capitalism any time soon ... still, capitalism is destroying itself through its inherent contradictions anyway ... all we need is a viable alternative which transcends the polarities ...

Proposals on a postcard please ...

Joy ...

A long weekend workout on the woodland at the Land of Joy Buddhist Retreat Centre near Bellingham, not far from the Scottish border ... the task: to clear the brash left behind after the Sitka plantation was cut down two years ago, in preparation for the autumn planting of 1100 native trees of 12 varieties ... enabling the regeneration of a diverse ecosystem, signs of which are already appearing with Rowan and Oak seedlings sown by wind, birds and squirrels. .. a post on FB with photo (still struggling with that on here) elicits an enquiry from a friend seeking an opportunity to sponsor some tree planting ... which is serendipitous. ..

Breaks between the rather tough physical work enable some exploration of the Nature of Reality ... the Buddhist perspective having plenty to offer the topic, of course ... the question of whether folks may arrive miserable and find joy is also explored a little ... probably better to bring a modicum of joy at least, to add to the joyful ambience ... misery maybe not a thing intrinsically valid, but an overlay suffocating the joyous natural state ... still, the psychological roots of the misery often run deep, digging them out not so easy, and launching into esoteric spiritual practises prematurely is often dangerous ... especially when the practitioner becomes a guru and plays out his or her psychodramas at the expense of gullible seekers ... which happens in all traditions ...

Energy, it seems, is the name of the game ... at the fundamental level found by scientific exploration so far, all is energy vibrating and coming into form and returning to energy maybe depending on an affair with consciousness. .. tricky to comprehend since consciousness is usually ascribed to humans and the geological record suggests matter appeared long before humans ... raising the interesting question of universal mind, or Universal Mind if you prefer ... anyway at the level of human interaction energy trading is the currency of our dramas ... attention being energy and attention deficit identified as a problem, we play our games, as partners in an equal positive exchange of energy, as victims of the energy stealing of others, as vampires hunting out likely life forms whose energy we may steal ... our roles in these games the result of our psychology ...laid down in early childhood, maybe even in previous lives ...

As the summer solstice arrives, misery mongers muse that it's all downhill now, whilst another reality suggests summer is getting started and warmer weather is likely, on and off, through to September ... as for shorter days, at this latitude that will help with sleep, since the organism tends to perk up with sunlight and calm down with darkness ... not that sleep is a problem here, equanimity prevails and that is the key to a calm mind and conducive to healing sleep ... joy meanwhile, pops up now and then, sometimes whilst sleeping, sometimes awake ... mostly in response to events in nature: the heady scent of an azalea in flower, a rainbow, a river in spate, the heron patiently fishing, the snowy owl on the fence post ...

Promised politics postponed ... all rather meaningless at the moment as the long drawn out pantomime of the election of the next Prime Minister of the Disunited Kingdom polarises a disenfranchised, disenchanted populace ... the prospect of a leader to match the standards of the commander in chief of the Benighted States hopefully alerting us to the dangers of nurturing shallowness and fear of the other. .. all entertainment at one level, our continuing attention somehow encouraging the charade ...

Flaming June ...

Blog has enjoyed the rest, readers too maybe ... shredded feet fully repaired, lessons learnt, though embodiment of the teaching that whilst pain is inevitable suffering is optional perhaps worth the experience ... May and June in Stanhope marvellous as days stretch out, enabling 2 hour walk before breakfast, through the woods and over the fells ... fresh and green from intermittent rainy days ... organism settled for summer, occasional minibus driving with the elders, thoughts of sharing process of exploring the Nature of Reality with others ... maybe at the Land of Joy next month ...

A winter adventure in a different culture takes form in the imagination department, wherever that is located, probably in the brain, whilst the skin votes for Sun and summer temperatures. .. Sri Lanka perhaps the destination, with 30 degrees on offer and UK Foreign Office advice not to visit an added attraction ... neighbour's granddaughter recently reluctantly recalled ... a K retreat centre right there in Colombo ... let's see, plenty of time to decide ... before that 3 weeks of volunteering at Brockwood Park, supporting the 50th Anniversary Reunion ...

Today is an indoor day, with persistent rain set in ... 2 hour wet walk before breakfast probably enough exposure to the elements, a reminder of epic wet days from the Camino. .. an attachment having so far fallen away, at least the routes in Spain and Portugal ...

And for any readers wondering about the random post about the Google Shop in Sunderland a few weeks ago: having delivered passengers to the theatre in Sunderland and with a few hours to pass before returning them to Weardale, a wander through the shopping centre, observing palpable poverty and distress, the Google Shop, set up, they said, to help reduce the digital divide, with basic IT skills essential for most jobs these days ... plenty of staff on hand and few customers meant an interesting hour addressing tablet related issues, including the unhelpful barring of certain sites such as the Bank for online transactions as well as the loss of photo upload on the blog ... the pic and post was the result, though whether the problem has been solved longer term will be tested with this offering, with a lovely photo from Sunday's sunny outing to Cragside to see the blooming rhodedendrons and elder daughter, though not in that order of priority, obviously!

Well, rain has eased and organism requests outside wander along river to enjoy the extra energy after all the rain ... politics tomorrow perhaps ...

Google shop ...

Google has a shop in Sunderland!

Slowly to Stanhope ...

After 24 hours afloat a swift train from Portsmouth to Petersfield and a longish wait for the bus to Bramdean leads to a taxi and Brockwood's favourite driver, Duke, waiting for a pre-booked passenger also heading to the K Centre ... quite confident that the mystery customer will be happy to share, the pack goes in the back and Duke continues his snack, apologising for eating chicken ... explains the situation to David, who arrives a little later ... a long term K student, part-time editor of the books, sometime Buddhist, organiser of visit of HHDL to CERN for discussions on deluded search for smallest particle ... wonderful source of  information over 3 day stay, including filling out the K and Rosalind story mentioned in recent posts ... scandalous news reports in response to slanderous Radha Sloss book (yes, it would be libel if proven untrue, but accuracy sacrificed for linguistic elegance) ... contemporary observation from American insider, "young people in love", and Mary Zimbalist, "she seduced him", suggest the love affair happened and explains subsequent actions of "a woman scorned" and a "husband cuckolded" ... no need to prolong a potentially gossipy story, maybe just to affirm K's humanity and his teaching that it is the message that counts, not the messenger  ...

Bluebells blooming beautifully, sunshine and showers releasing delicate, elusive perfume, trees leafing, The Grove enchanting ... while in nearby fields muckspreaders are releasing stronger agricultural smells, herbicide sprayers a sweet, slightly sickly scent ...

Cast list of guests and staff include Maria and Alvaro from London, he from Colombia now a bus driver, she from Grandas, where coffee was taken a couple of weeks ago on the overlong day from Berducedo to Fonsegrada ... the family house there standing empty, maybe awaiting a Camino business? Stephen, CEO of charity supporting damaged children and offering insights, hope for recovery ... services shockingly underfunded, whether examined through lens of compassion or long term costs of inaction ... Peter, retired counsellor, previously slave to banking software, starting 2 month stint as guest helper ... Kimberly, young mature student, on Easter break from duties as mentor to school students ... Hamid, doctor from Norway, via Iran, here for 2 week retreat, finding a unique quality of silence ... Chris, retired BBC producer, from London and Teesdale ... and David, of course ...

Top deck front seat bus trip to Winchester winds through wealthy villages in time for train across England ... fellow passenger, Alex, student of German and History at Sheffield. .. entertaining group of three youngish women behind, happy to share their dramas ... or oblivious to the audience ...

And so to Stanhope, one month on, the cottage warm and dry ... glad of some company ... just some bookshelves to sort out ...

Biscay and beyond ...

Extra sleep and shower in San Glorio, since facilities frugal for tonight ... meanwhile, the morning wander uncovers the funicular to an effort free view and a very special place for coffee and early lunch, Primo de Origen, Charles and Mary running a stylish enterprise with ingredients sourced and prepared with care ... it shows in their attitude too ... houmous made to order, since chicken in the wrap not desired ... relaxed ambience to rest and write, eat and drink ... and some background from Charles, presenting as Irish, his mother from there, father Swiss, brought up in Hong Kong ... parental plans thwarted by Charles' choice to skip scientific career and first degree in biochemistry, his heart not in it ... disinherited .. second degree in sustainability in Norway, where higher education is free, if you are prepared to learn Norwegian ... London job with Bloomberg philanthropy division ... then into business life with Mary's Venezualan parents, their coffee and cacao plantation ready for harvest ... city venue for roasting, wholesale and retail required, Santander chosen ... and here we are ... for a while ... expansion plans underway, Venezuelan political problems notwithstanding ... still under 30 and flying in a world of their own creation. .. and conscious of alternative worlds ....

On the boat a brief exchange with returning pilgrim Michael, a quiet route from Alicante to Burgos and still in the zone ... a long exchange with Vaughn, with his long term wife Ann, both with Lancastrian accents though having lived in many places, his work as an engineer leading him to Canada, Mexico, BSA, Ireland ... concurring with theory that our DUK PM May have played a devious game to deny the brexiteers their unlikely referendum victory. .. hmm, history may tell the tale one day ...

A short night in a reclining chair rests the brain long enough, then the morning on a calm sea, long conversation with Dom, who left his South London home at 16, now lives mostly in Southern Spain, with Spanish wife and children, working in the oil industry, fully aware of its impact and ethics ... looking forward to retirement a few years off ...

Early lunch, since an hour has been gained and stomach still adjusting ... plenty of time for train to Petersfield, bus to Bramdean and wifi free K centre for a day or so ...