Keep the faith

Finding a parking space outside, or indeed anywhere near, the swimming pool this morning was incredibly difficult.  I ended up a fair walk away from the pool and made my way towards it with a growing depression as I imagined the number of kids and their parents that had to be cluttering up the pool, getting in the way of we dedicated swimmers.

It therefore came as something of a surprise when I finally got to the water to find the surface of the pool untroubled by any perturbations from other swimmers.  And indeed I was alone from almost the whole of my time ploughing through the water.

I think that the parking spaces had been used up by legions of jubilados who were playing boule with the sort of single minded dedication that makes the SAS look like casual Sunday School teachers!

I think that I made a mistake with my timing and I spent more than my allotted twenty minutes – or I have suddenly become less proficient in a single day.  Which is not impossible I suppose.

Yet again, as soon as I left the water a child appeared closely followed by another.  I think that I must have a built-in detection device to warm me about the proximity of neophyte humans!

Exercise taken (fairly) early in the afternoon meant that I could go out to lunch with Irene with a (fairly) easy conscience.

My first task was to explain and justify my apparent complete U-turn about the concept of retirement.  I am not sure that I managed to get my point of view across as she maintained an expression which could best be described as “sceptical” throughout our discussions!

One result of our calling in to a supermarket was my acquisition of a Lindt chocolate bar which comprises a shell of dark chocolate enclosing a filling of “extra creamy” tiramisu.  I haven’t yet eaten any, but simply holding the bar one registers a very satisfying weight suggesting a profundity of taste which will only be heightened by delay in gratification!

I am now eager to get my ultra-slim keyboard for my iPad as I am hoping that this will revitalize my use of a machine which seems to have fallen woefully down the pecking order with the advent of the iMac and Kindle Fire.  Let the battle for my attention commence.

I have now downloaded the marked TMA 01 which has been returned electronically by the tutor.  We were informed, in a vain attempt to make us feel better about the difficulties of working together as a geographically disparate group of relative strangers that the part we had to do as a group was usually the part which received a higher mark than the individual effort; not in my case – and I don’t know if that is good or bad.  I will assume the positive choice.  And I now have a few weeks to prepare for the next assignment.  And I am now working in the School on the Hill.  The best laid plans etc etc!

I will also have to start thinking about my next course as the conclusion of this one is rapidly gaining on me and I need to have a constant course content so that I can build up to the courses that I need to do if I am to gain a degree in Art History – which is the long term plan.

Long live learning!