From A Distance.

It was quite a nice afternoon yesterday, so I went for a bit of a walk. I headed up this lane known locally as Snappersnipes. I have tried to find out where that name came from but haven’t found a good explanation. That led to a road called The Butts. I know some people might find that name amusing as well, but I know where the name comes from. In the olden medieval days, it was compulsory for all men in a town to practice archery. That was why the English won such battles as the battle of Crecy in 1346 when the English army were firing 6.000 arrows a minute. The area of a town set aside for archery was called The Butts. Anyway, I walked along there to Newtown and headed towards the White Horse. By the time I got to the top of Newtown I was knackered and hot. I sat on a bench and surveyed the view of the White Horse from a distance. 

This man with a friendly greyhound came along and we had a bit of a chat. After he had walked on, I realised that he was the first person I had spoken to since last Saturday. I walked on a bit further as far as the Equestrian Centre and took a photo of some horses and then turned back. My original plan was to walk through the woods and come out at Chalford, but I knew the path would be boggy after all the recent rain. That is my excuse for not walking further anyway. I’ll try and have a longer walk next time. This morning I put another book for sale on eBay. The House Without Windows by Barbara Newhall Follett signed by the illustrator Jackie Morris. 

I only bought it about a year ago. It is a children’s book, not really my thing, but I was fascinated by the authors life, and her mysterious disappearance. That is my news for today. I have to go to the post office in a minute and I might go for another walk later if the sky brightens up a bit. 

Tuesday Morning Beat.

It has been a nice sunny Tuesday morning. I was up good and early today because I didn’t go to the pub yesterday. I always seem to be up and about early when I avoid the pub. I put another book for sale on eBay called Even Dogs In The Wild by Ian Rankin. It is a signed copy as well. Crime fiction isn’t really my thing, but I like Ian Rankin as a person though because he is a big Van Morrison fan. I saw him once in London when he chaired a discussion with Van at a concert to launch Van’s Lit Up Inside book of lyrics. That was a great night, I can’t believe seven years have almost gone by since then. While I was busy doing that, there was a knock on the door, and it was the nice post lady who handed me a package which contained a magazine called Beat Scene. I haven’t bought this magazine before although it has been going since the 1980s. I used to buy books a long time ago from the guy who has published the magazine as a labour of love since it started. His name is Kevin Ring. I think I met Kevin once at a Beat event in Plymouth in 87. I have just spent the last hour reading it and I am very impressed with the quality of the intelligent well written articles, the photographs, and the layout of the magazine. The magazine concentrates on the American Beat writers and others associated with them. If you like the Beat Generation or Charles Bukowski or John Fante and similar writers, then I think you would enjoy this magazine. I think you will find it quite easily if you google Beat Scene. I must say I much prefer a real book in my hand or a magazine to reading everything on the internet or Kindle. I was given a Kindle once as a present and I only used it once. Give me a proper book any day. 

What else have I done since yesterday? Hmm, the rain was torrential yesterday afternoon, so I passed the time listening to a talk by Eckhart Tolle called Awakening The Essence Identity. It lasted two hours, but I found it fascinating. To me, Eckhart is giving much the same message as Krishnamurti, but in a much more understandable way. I find it much easier to grasp what he is talking about. Anyway, I can’t sit here all afternoon, there is more to life than the internet. I’m going to get dressed and go for a walk. I need to go to the shops anyway, because my fridge appears to have eaten all my food and then wet itself. See you later.

I found this humorous drawing of Eckhart Tolle on the internet somewhere. I hope whoever drew it doesn't mind me sharing it.