Tuesday on the last day of May

Here we go  again dear readers of Wear and Dao,  the longest day of 2022 occurs on the 21st of June then the days shorten more or less imperceptibly through Summer, Autumn until Winter ... Here in Weardale the weather has been dry enough though not exactly hot, but that's  Northern England for you folks. Of course your old blogger was brought up on the Hampshire Dorset border where the temperatures tend to average a couple of degrees extra and further West in Corwall even more. The years of wandering in Spain and Portugal offered even higher temperatures though walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela was avoided in Summer when it was far too hot and the hostels overcrowded.

If a touch of nostalgia appears to be creeping in then sure, the blog of Wear and Dao was based on the Pilgrim ways in Iberia and memories abound of the good old days, of course!

Yesterday Marta came for lunch with her husband Jez and two young sons Olek and Timek. As you may guess dear readers Marta is Polish and the boys bilingual and delightful. After a delicious lunch prepared by Marta and the kind caring friend and excellent chef we went out walking over the stepping stones over the River Wear and into the playground for more fun with the boys and philosophy with Marta and Jez.

Today, Wednesday June 1st sees a brand new day and an appointment with our solicitor to finalise the sale of The Place to Be in Wear Terrace as a rented bungalow is reqired now that the days of walking 50k a day are over. Still, A Place to Be  is wherever you are as Alan says and Marta and Jez have created their Place to Be in nearby Corbridge.

The key for this blogging pilgrim is a Library with uplifting books and hospitality, now found by yours truly and his kind caring friend in the bungalow in Waterside Court.

Monday with Marta

Yesterday, Saturday was a warm sunny day with the Cornerstone bench and table brought into use on and off throughout the day on and between the other tasks and pleasures some described on yesterday's fishy blog. The first task was to continue clearing no 5 Wear Terrace which served as A Place to Be for several years, following the windfall from the inheritance from the sale of building land on the sandy soil where the old blogger enjoyed an idyllic childhood with parents and three siblings.

Linda was the eldest and Frank second making, frankly, the girl boy combo our parents Reginald and Winifred Day desired. Reg  was the figure of authority whilst Winnie was the compassionate mother every child in the whole world would desire. Amusingly, Mum's second name was Constance or Connie, leaving her with W.C Day ... originally a Parson and before that a Carter. On Dad's side, well he was born in Canada when his parents emigrated, but his Dad died there when he was only eight years old meaning his mother had to return to Southampton and set up a shop selling newspapers and cigarettes with the support of her family, relatively wealthy folks from Guildford in Surrey who traced their own lineage to Timothy Whites and Taylors who were pharmacists.

Depending on when you are reading this story dear readers of Wear and Dao the blog, and how indeed you choose to measure linear time, which some folks say is an illusion employed by human beings to offer a life limited to approximately 100 years, whereas clearly something weird is occurring on this Planet Earth ... or even other worlds, maybe defined as Heaven or Hell according to how we live each Life beyond limitations i.e. Eternity. Some perceive the heartbeat of vibrational frequencies which surely tunes us in to many worlds all lived simultaneously  ...

Anyway, after a weekend of wondering about Fish and Chips on Fridays and why, Saturday Sunshine and Showers, and Sunday philosophising with Bill the mystic, yesterday turns into Monday with Marta, our Polish friend and mystic for more philosophy and fish pie with prawns shared today with her English husband Jez and their sons Aleck and Timek ...
What a blessed life your old blogger leads dear readers! 

Fish and Chip Friday

Yesterday, being Friday dear readers of Wear and Dao, was tradionally a day for fish rather than flesh or fowl in most Christian religions reflecting apparently Jesus being the fisher of men.  As it happens the kind caring friend and her mother were both raised as Christians , the daughter a member of the once true faith by virtue of having a Catholic father and the mother a member of Henry's version . Raising a child in any religion dear readers takes an extraordinary amount of faith , especially if raised in a religion other than ones own , but then what is faith ? .

Clearly, Faith is a matter of opinion and organised religion of any kind demands rather too much faith of the faithful ... still there you go, it's nice to have something to believe in beyond oneself.

Today we went to Chatterbox in St John's Chapel for lunch. St John's Chapel by the way is in County Durham, Weardale, North East England, UK.
The food at Chatterbox was wonderful as always: vegetable soup with warm crusty bread for the kind caring friend and souffle omelette with salad for your old blogger.

After this culinary delight we repaired to Rookhope nearby to meet a dear old friend, Alan, who was helping to host a tiny homes exhibition. We three then went to the house we two currently reside in, for afternoon tea and cake not to mention philosophy and the Meaning of Life, a puzzle to many of us dear readers.

Tomorrow Bill arrives for more philosophy as usual as well as lunch.
As for The Meaning of Life, it's quite simple ... just be kind to all you meet as HHDL, The Dalai Lama  teaches us!

Thursday Reminiscing Again

Today, Thursday 26th May 2022, was another Beamish Museum day, this time with the mother of the kind caring friend joining the reminiscences. At nearly 90 you can imagine her viewpoint dear readers of Wear and Dao. Anyhow the whole day was a delight from start to finish.

Sunshine and  brief light showers were the weather experienced and the places from the 1930s explored. Whilst your old blogger and friend were expecting stories from real life experiences of the elder she was quick to remind us that at 89 she was too young to remember shopping excursions
to a 1930s Co-operative Store and that a tin bath as displayed was not used in her mother's new council house which came complete with a new modern  bathroom which included running water.

Those were the days eh dear readers, and we seem to have appreciated the things hand sewn, knitted and crocheted, not mention woven. ..

The food was fantastic as always  ... soup and bread for Mam, and spinach quiche with veg and gravy, followed by ice cream then a ride on the fun fair. ..

Tomorrow is another day dear readers of Wear and Dao,  anyhow with luck we'll wake up to a sunny day after a peaceful night of reminiscing! 

Wednesday Birthday!

Good morning dear readers of Wear and Dao.  Today we go to Beamish Museum with the mother of the kind caring nurse and friend, who will surely recognise many scenes  from her life of nearly 90 years old !

Yesterday's birthday party turned out very well as we celebrated the birthday of the 8 year old grandson of the kind caring friend, with pizza and birthday cake with 8 candles naturally.

Who knows what treats await the 3 of us at Beamish, but it's sure to include reminiscences and good food ...

Anyhow dear readers of Wear and Dao, now it's time to post this blog before we set off for Beamish. With luck you'll read all about it tomorrow! 

Tuesday Travels

Well well dear readers of Wear and Dao , the day at Wallington Hall started well and just got better, despite the intermittent showers. Leaving Stanhope at just after 9 we passed our dear friend and retired criminal, Mick the Hat and soon to be wife at the bus stop in Frosterley waiting for the bus to Bishop Auckland, close to West Auckland hosts of the first world cup.

Readers with knowledge of the area where the old blogger lives will realize that this would not be the usual route to Wallington however that was soon rectified once joining the A68 near Tow Law . Arriving at Wallington a chariot waited to carry the old blogger around the magnificent grounds and so inspired was your blogger that he alighted at one stage for a short wander through the lupins. A visit to the house found it bathed in bunting in preparation for the anniversary of old queenies ascension to the throne. Whether or not former occupants would find that acceptable one will never know!

Arriving at 1045 just in time to dodge the showers, the kind caring nurse and friend chose a delicious soup of peas and mint soup and cheese scone, whilst your blogger went for a jacket potato with tuna and salad. Suitably nourished the pair of pensioners set off to look around the marvellous National Trust grounds. Back at the house we explored the extravagant lives of the Trevelyans who made their money from tin mining in Cornwall, after which we moved on for afternoon tea nearby. After all this nourishment of the mind and body we went to the nearby Theravadan Monastery at Harnham for nourishment of the soul ...

Quite a day eh for two old pensioners having fun in the showers and Sun? !  Today, Wednesday is the birthday of the grandson of the kind caring friend of your decrepit old blogger dear readers of Wear and Dao. A birthday tea of pizza has been chosen by the grandson, plus cake of course.
Tomorrow it's Beamish again with the mother of the kind caring friend of the blogger ...

Monday Musing ...

Good morning dear readers of Wear and Dao, anyhow we spent the morning awaiting the delivery of a beautifully made Jack and Jill bench comprising two two seats and a table, made and delivered by Cornerstone social enterprise based in Willington near Stanhope in Weardale County Durham,  which specialises in the rehabilitation of ex-prisoners through employing them making furniture such as our new acquisition.

That was yesterday of course, today is Tuesday when your trusty old blogger and his trusty caring nurse and friend head off to Wallington Hall in Northumberland, Northeast England.

No time to waste! Wallington Hall opens at 10 and the National Trust place awaits ... Wallington was well known in Findhorn, Moray Firth where the  New Age folks formed the community dedicated to a new age of enlightened humans with Sir George of Wallington in support of the Caddys and Dorothy MacLean their Canadian supporter of the endeavour created more than 60 years ago. Sir Charles of Wallington was the Socialist MP for a Newcastle constituency and gave away Wallington to the National Trust as a founder member of this wonderful creation donated to the Nation many years ago.

Sunday in the hills

Sunday today dear readers of Wear and Dao. After yesterday's' Saturday by the sea today your blogger and his kind carer and dear friend entertained Bill the philosopher as per usual on a Sunday. A delicious lunch of toad in the hole was prepared by the kind caring chef, followed by ice cream and chocolate croissant. ..

Philosophy ensued yet again and the Meaning of Life and the Nature of Reality were further explored.According to Bill it's all about vibrational frequency causing ripples in the space-time continuum.

Clearly it's increasingly obvious dear readers that many lives are lived at the same time by each and every human being, which may seem bizarre to some but not all of us. Nevertheless the evidence of science and spirituality points to this simple truth. Of course His Holiness the Dalai Lama nailed it years ago when he pointed out that Compassion for all living creatures ensured a happy human and fortuitous rebirth time after time as karma works through the systems of human beings.

Tomorrow morning we await a bench and table made by Cornerstone social enterprise a business with the social purpose to rehabilitate ex-prisoners based in Willington near Stanhope in north east England  ... inspirational work. Tuesday may see a trip to Wallington Hall a regular venue but let's see about that ...

Saturday at the seaside

South Shields on a sunny Saturday is quite delightful, Sunderland also. Today was spent with the kind caring nurse and friend's Mother, 89 years old and still fit.

Just to note at this stage dear readers of Wear and Dao,  that the long awaited two bedroom bungalow in Stanhope has been confirmed as secured, as seen by philosopher Bill who comes tomorrow ... Bill is a mystic by the way.

Back to today, after a drive to Jarrow to meet the mother of the kind caring dear friend, a drive along the seafront from South Shields to Sunderland and Roker, enjoying the ride, before heading for a restaurant to eat with a view of the sea. The food was wonderful ... the mother of the kind caring friend chose jacket potato stuffed with tuna, her daughter chose vegetable soup and a hunk of good bread, whilst your blogger went for cheese pie with Yorkshire pudding, carrots, peas and vegetarian gravy. After all this we went to Minchellas for ice cream ... a feast indeed!

What a life we retired folk lead dear readers of Wear and Dao, if we have sufficient  resources. National Trust places all over the country make life a pleasure.

Friday Fayre

Good evening dear readers of Wear and Dao, today we visited Beamish Museum  in County Durham, northeast England offering reminiscences of the old times in the pit villages, the authentic costumes, transport, photos,  shops etcetera. ...

The fairground was amazing in its authenticity, not least the merry go round which your blogger was helped onto to enjoy the ride remininisent of the 1960s when your old blogger was riding such fayre ground fun ...

Being Friday school trips gathered in coaches to learn lessons from history, including rolling down grassy slopes, making daisy chains and spending their pocket money on sweets and souvenirs etcetera. ..

The food, as usual was wonderful with soup plus home baked bread for starters, panhagerty and veg with delicious ice cream for dessert.

Such is life for retired folks with time to visit such places. Tomorrow it's Jarrow, South Shields by the sea, and maybe fish and chips with more ice cream from Minchellas ... The fair weather  continues as Spring becomes Summer again.

See you here tomorrow dear readers ..

Funerals the in Sun

Today was  a sunny day in Weardale where a funeral took place of a well known and respected member of the community of the Dale. And yesterday was spent discussing the funeral arrangements for your old blogger dear readers of Wear and Dao. The Methodist minister of Stanhope was chosen for the job, since your blogger was christened a Methodist and the daughters needed consulting obviously, since when the time comes they'll be chief mourners.  So much for funerals ...

Yesterday was spent driving to Barnard Castle in Teesdale in search of sourdough bread at the artisan bakery, Rise, after which we drove to Bishop Auckland to see the family of the kind caring nurse carer home from school.

This morning after the funeral we drove over to Hexham, Nortumberland to see friends at the excellent Community Cafe dedicated to the rehabilitation of addicts ... wonderful work indeed!  Then we popped round the corner to see our very good friends Mary and Keith of Gaia the shop selling Eastern style clothing and books. On the way home to Stanhope we fancied an ice cream and called in to Wheelbirks forthe best ice cream for miles around made on site from Jersey cows, then home to Stanhope  ... What better way to spend an afternoon in the Sun.

Tomorrow is free from obligations and a trip to Fountains Abbey in Northshire is looking distinctly possible  ... who knows dear readers of Wear and Dao  ... let's see tomorrow shall we?

More Midweek Fun

Good morning dear readers of Wear and Dao,  and at 5 a.m. the forecast in Stanhope in Weardale, in the Northeast of England is fine and warm as Summertime settles in. The day before yesterday saw another National Trust trip, as your blogger and his kind nurse carer set off for a trip to Cragside in Northumberland via Scotland as we took an accidental diversion via Jedbergh ... you see your blogger thought he knew a short cut to Rothbury off the A68 to Cragside to see the rhodedendrons in bloom, and as happens sometimes the short cut turned into a long cut which meant a mystery trip to Jedbergh. Never mind, we got back to Cragside in time for lunch and a ride along the Lakside Drive before returning to Stanhope in time for tea.

Yesterday was spent on continuing to clear the Retreat House prior to its sale ... mostly books of course!

Today, Thursday, friends arrive for coffee and cake plus philosophy before Gillian, the Angel of Stanhope is due for afternoon tea and scones, plus more philosophical discourse of course ...

What a life we lead in our advancing years dear readers of  Wear and Dao. What better way than to to spend the time left to us than to wander along the ways leading to enlightenment? 

Missing Weekends

Sincere apologies dear readers of Wear and Dao  for the missing blog. It's been a week since May Day already and no blog has been seen all week. Now whilst there is no assumption that this modest attempt to share Philosophical insights from the years wandering the various ways along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela,  nevertheless a few regular readers do request updates. So here we go again! Clearly a return to Spain is highly unlikely in this Life, notwithstanding the desire to wander to Santiago at 80, though a trip by boat or plane is obviously feasible and desirable.  Lourdes and Fatima could certainly offer the miracle needed required!

Hmm, a holiday to Spain, why not? Miracles are unnecessary in reality, since your blogger's whole life this time has been exciting enough to satisfy any human being born with a keen distaste for injustice in any form. Quite frankly dear reader one would think that this distaste was perfectly normal but clearly that's not the case given the state of the World in the last few centuries.

The past week or so has been spent out and about in the Sun, taking the freely available vitD, and enjoying the benefits of retirement, with free access to the National Trust  and a couple of days at Beamish Museum. What a life eh, dear readers of Wear and Dao!  This life so far has been truly blessed by the kindness of friends, family and passing strangers. And what the next life brings is so far unknown dear readers of Wear and Dao, but one thing is clear here ... karma suggests a kind rebirth as a reward or lesson from beyond!