so, what have i been up to for the past few days?

well, i’ve been ill again – but unlike my mate steve, who persists in gleefully describing his symptoms in lurid detail, i shall spare you, dear reader – though it’s not been pleasant.

i am hoping that the current kick to my immune system – which has been necessary to eradicate it – will serve to take out the lingering discomforts that i have been suffering all winter.

friday i felt crummy, so stayed at home, mostly in bed; i woke-up early, and killed a pleasant hour or so, tuning through the amateur bands on my shortwave, listening to ukranians talking to the cubans and venezuelans, celebrating international women’s day on the 41m band.

i placed an joint order for a selection of interesting single-malt whisky from the scotch malt whisky society, so should be well-equipped with drams for the rest of the year.

saturday rose, and i was robust enough to deliver on a promise i made to my elderley neighbours; we went to the town of odiham, thence to a bmw motorbike store to talk bikes new and old – them to reminisce about old bikes, and me to drool over the r1150gs stock – and thence to gilbert white’s house in selbourne, incorporating the oates family museum (he of the “i may be some time” scott-of-the-antarctic expedition). interesting house, nice gardens with nooks ripe for explotarion, pleasant tea, and stuff that reminded me much of my post-colonial childhood – which i shaln’t explain in depth here because no-one else’s family i know had a real lionskin on the carpet when growing up, and you’re unlikely to understand.

(yes, it was a rogue man-eater female. yes my dad shot it. really. in colonial nigeria. up the arse with a .303 from 100 yds. as a toddler, i used to use its head as a seat. got a problem with that?)

sunday i went stir-crazy and went out on the bike, exploring 40 miles of backlanes in 2hrs; the experience was good for me – not merely the fresh air which i craved – but also the investment in learning my local countryside and knowing more about my area… trying to “become a local”.

three years down, seventeen to go.

monday work, tuesday work-at-home creating a presentation, wednesday work, thursday london presentation-dummy-run-through. friday – who knows?

this weekend was meant to be at a bird sanctuary with friends, but that got deferred due to “life”; it’ll probably be turned over to domestic planning for the soiree party i am having, the following week.

sunday – possibly going to help a colleague be pit-lane at a race track in leicestershire.

so – how have you been?

happy now?