Hannah in Rovinj on her birthday.
The WordPress Site has upgraded and has become needlessly
,I think,over-complicated’.Will now try to load a photo,which used to be a simple enough process.Will try to get my head round it because it has changed radically.
leaving the beautiful Rab Island tomorrow,bound for a Spa town,25 miles North of Zagreb.
From 5th and up to 10th July. Left Dover for Dunkirk close to midnight.Then onward and around the dreaded Brussels Ring Road,without any delay as it was 3 am! Power nap and breakfast ( traditional cold,coked sausages,hard boiled eggs from home ) on a motorway service station.Continued the journey around 8 am and it was […]
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From 5th and up to 10th July. Left Dover for Dunkirk close to midnight.Then onward and around the dreaded Brussels Ring Road,without any delay as it was 3 am! Power nap and breakfast ( traditional cold,coked sausages,hard boiled eggs from home ) on a motorway service station.Continued the journey around 8 am and it was the beginning of a very warm day on the Autobahns as we soon entered Germany ,near Aachen.
After nearly 500 miles we found a lovely campsite not far off the Autobahn in the Swarbische Alb,just North of Ulm. Barbara & Hannah took advantage of their swimming pool and I took advantage of their delightfully situated bar –
We don’t usually do Selfies….just as well!
Monday and we made our way to Salzburg , still on the Autobahns. It costs 70 cents to use the loos on these , but you get a ticket with 50 cents off the price of your coffee, which, like the facilities, was far superior and half the price of Rip-Off U.K. We were heading for Slovenia and our second night was spent on the splendid Camping Sobec, near Bled .More swimming, in the lake this time and captivated by the variety of wild birdlife.An evening meal on their terrace,which we thought we deserved after two days of long haul.The driving had not been a problem and from Salzburg it was very scenic.Temperatures have been as high as 35*.
This was a view from a coffee stop just above Izola en route to Rovinj. 
Camping Porton Bondi was our pre-planned destination for a week, or so and it is not too big,by Croatian standards; views of Rovinj,across the Bay,to which we walked, along the sea,in fifteen minutes.
Prices are very reasonable as the Pound is as strong against the Croatian Kuna as the Euro.
July 2 nd,2015. A year to the day since the cancer removal surgery and though the above lyric is one of the lighter couplets on Shakey’s new album,I felt it was appropriate to me.More poignantly, I suppose, having spent yesterday in Good Hope Hospital ,undergoing a telescopic inspection of the inside of the Stoma – Nephrostomy Insertion,under general anaesthetic,undertaken by my consultant,MR Ibrahim. All went well apparently, and having been late in to theatre at 3.45,I came to at 5.45 in the Recovery Room,delighted ,to be told by MR Ibrahim that I need not stay the expected night in hospital. After some delay,Barbara,Hannah & I got home, just after 10pm.
So, looking back over the last year in general and this month in particular,I find myself not only in agreement with NY, but on a more spiritual level with these lines,I came across when reading around a debate that never ceases to fascinate – what’s the difference between a Pilgrimage and a Long Walk? – on a simplistic level I have made a long walk since last July, but never alone and with great love, support and encouragement from family and friends.The “Hopitality” has been just that,in every sense.
A 12th century poem sings the praises of the monastery in Roncesvalle and it’s legendary hospitality:
“The door lies open to all, to sick and strong,
Not only to Catholics but to pagans too
Jews, heretics,
idlers, vagabonds,
In short, to good and bad, sacred and profane.”
The poem is attributed to a monk in a monastery in the Pyrenees.
Because along with the deconstructing of what makes a Pilgrimage or a Long Walk, comes the debate about identity, entitlement and motive.
And I have been enabled to walk a Camino, in Spain,visited sacred places in the company of all those described above!
I took this photo in the Bishop’s Garden in Wells, earlier this month; for me it encapsulates such a breadth of feeling and disturbs as great art should.
The best of all happenings was of course the birth of grandaughter,Martha and she continues to grow more enchanting,everyday.
To date , the garden is in order,with a new shrub bed planted last week and the allotment is just about under control; strawberries rule! What they will look like after three weeks or more away in Croatia in the campervan, I don’t want to imagine….
A hectic few days now, A friend’ s Birthday celebration, then a wedding in Gloucestershire on Saturday 4th; to Dover for Dunkirk on Sunday,5 th.
Hope everyone enjoys their Summer, in their own way…
And to all of us that treasure walking upon the land, these verses from NY, to conclude:-
“IF I DON’T KNOW”
Lyrics to If I Don’t Know
If I don’t know what I’m doin’
And all my big ideas fail
Like build a dam against the water so the river dies
Veins, the Earth’s blood
And if I don’t know what I’m sayin’
And all the world’s dreams come true
Like finding oil and shooting poison in the ground
Veins, Earth’s blood
And if the melodies stay pretty
And the songs are not too long
I’ll try to find a way to get them back to you
Veins, the Earth’s blood
Best wishes to you from your grateful EnsuitePilgrimPilgrim…..or Tourist?
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