Monday morning on the first day of the long school holidays for some in England, as a spell of hot sunny weather continues. Naturally, many normal human beings join the queues for the coast, the beach, the ice creams, the fish and chips, the sunburn and the joy of cooling off in the sea; before working out how to return home without too many queues on the roads. That's the life of slavery we may lead if our children go the schools and we go to work Monday to Friday nine to five. If this sounds like a negative view, it is, and obviously many folks love their lives, their wages, their cars, their spouses and children, if they have one or two or more, not to mention older relations with opinions to share.
The current view here at Wear and Dao is that Life is best led being grateful for what is now, not what was once, is still yearned for, or what could be in the future. This seems to make sense and definitely keeps the spirits high, or maybe we could say equanimous? Anyway, words are never the thing described, but the best we can do to create the worlds we wish to inhabit, aren't they? As it happens, words have the power to explain and constrain, and sometimes it's better to stay silent and listen rather than react to words which offend.
So many words, opinions and discussions went on in and around Stanhope on Saturday, it's impossible to recall them all. An expert working as an advisor to the junta, for example, an economist from Birmingham on holiday nearby, defended the experts he liked and agreed with, and questioned the veracity of those he also knew and disagreed with, as he scanned the copy of The Light no.10 he accepted at the garden gate. Then there was a visitor from nearby Consett and his daughter, who agreed that the Tory MP we shared was as trustworthy as the fascist PM, and took a copy of The Light no.10 to share with friends back home. Before all that the family in the holiday home on the terrace, from Manchester, including a daughter with a first class on honours degree in Law, discussed issues and took several copies of The Light when they left. The son of a friend, working at the MoD in London, discussed the question of how much politicians could ever be trusted with power, while many others stopped to chat in the late afternoon sunshine about all sorts of issues. That's Stanhope for you!
Sunday was for Hexham and another Stand in the Park, always inspiring as new friends and old ones gather by the Bandstand. A Tribe is evolving from this group, which really helps crystallise the Resistance to tyranny, in a loving and peaceful way. A smaller section head off to the hills and The Garden Station for cool drinks and cool and warm discussions, which further enhanced the connections.
What on Earth will today bring? A visitor later for discussions and tea, plus other ways to pass the time weirdly in Weirdale. Who knows? And why? Let's see! Time to walk ...
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