Thursday 11 April 2019

Spring skies and black holes.

The mist was clinging to the bottom of the valley as I drank my first coffee this morning...... 

but there was not a cloud in the clear blue sky and the sun was shining, albeit weakly, promising a gorgeous Spring day here at Canal View Cottage. 

And my daffs are fully out now so the view through my window is lovely. 
A coffee or two later and a few puffy little white clouds have appeared but the sun is still shining so I'll be off out for a walk soon. 

And while I've been looking at this Spring-morning sky, the big news today is of black holes! 
And this is the first ever picture of one! 

Apparently it's the size of 6.5 billion suns and is, or was, 50 million light years away which means it no longer exists! This is how it looked 50 million light years ago! Whaaaaat???? 🤔 
How mind-boggling is that!!! 😲🙃

It's beyond my comprehension that's for sure......... but not so for this brilliant young woman who conceived of the possibility and then worked for 6 years to develop a computer algorithm to make it a reality! A metaphor for life if ever there was one! Conceive of a possibility and then bring all of your knowledge, skills and experience to make it happen. 


I'm always proud to be a woman and especially so today. When I fear for the future of the planet I remember that there are brilliant young people out there who can achieve things that are literally beyond my comprehension! All will be well. 

And meanwhile I'll be staying positive and keep dancing with life! 





Tuesday 9 April 2019

Beautiful Bruges

I've just spent a beautiful Spring weekend in Bruges, Belgium and thought I'd share a bit with you. It was a delayed celebration of my partner's 60th birthday and coincided with the anniversary of the day we met three years ago. What a brilliant way to celebrate both those occasions! 


We were blessed with fine Spring weather which was great because most of our time was spent outside exploring this beautiful city with its amazing architecture! The centre is very compact with everything within 20 minutes walking distance. Every cobbled street has quaint old houses or majestic buildings and you are never very far from water as a system of canals criss-cross the town. 







And there are numerous old bridges every few yards.



And some old buildings can only really be seen from the water, so taking one of the many boat trips is a must to do. They are very popular so be prepared to queue!




It's so worth doing though because you see things that you cannot see from the street. The guides point out lots of interesting things along the way and the history behind it all too.



The two main squares right in the centre are really spectacular, with ornate old buildings on every side.


Watch prices if you're thinking of getting something to eat or drink here though as it can be quite pricey. There are plenty of good places in many of the other streets, just off the beaten track which are much more reasonably priced and less busy.














And then there are numerous magnificent churches, most of which are open and free to go inside. Awesome feats of engineering, their external architecture is matched by majestic interiors.



And of course there are the windmills. 

 There are four of them in a green park-like area about ten minutes walk out from the Central squares, along quiet cobbled residential streets. It's lovely and so nice to get away from the crowds.
 Then just wander back, crossing any of the many bridges along the way, stop for a coffee in some of the quieter little cafes, eat scrumptious Belgian chocolates............

I really love this place and its only an hour flight away! 
So, where next?? Well, there are a few trips already booked in the diary so watch this space!! 

And if you feel like sharing what you're up to please contact me - details and comment board at the bottom of any page. 

Meanwhile, keep dancing! 






Monday 8 April 2019

Let's catch up!

It's been a very long time since I've done anything new on my blog. Life simply got in the way, as it so often does! Unfortunately it's often not for happy reasons as has been the case with me. Various friends and family members have had major health challenges over a period of months. I even had a few minor and one more major issue myself. Trying times.

However, I'm happy to report that all is well! In my experience life is very rarely all 'bad'. Even in the darkest days there will be small positives and even major joys sometimes. There have been some trying times, and some spectacularly positive outcomes, not least for a very close friend who was diagnosed, literally out of the blue, with a rare and aggressive form of cancer aged 65. Our NHS kicked in rapidly and skilfully so that, after only a few challenging and stressful weeks of tests and major surgery her situation moved from being possibly terminal to cancer-free, no further treatment required!!!! Her illness brought us all even closer and the celebrations were absolutely joyous!!!

I myself am now fully recovered from the truly dreadful, choking cough which caused me to be tested for Whooping Cough. Turns out it was 'walking pneumonia' so called because it didn't have me bed-ridden in hospital. I was able to keep functioning after a fashion although my usual pursuits like hiking, swimming, dancing etc were out of the question - even eating or drinking without choking was extremely challenging! Sleeping was almost impossible for a couple of months, not weeks, as lying down was out of the question. Yet again the NHS responded swiftly to test, diagnose and provide treatment, and a course of anti-biotics started my recovery. It took a few months but I'm more or less back to full fitness again now. I even managed a nine mile hike, including a moderate peak, a couple of weekends ago and am looking forward to many more in the weeks ahead! The trick is never to give up! Although I must confess I've not yet got back to swimming 30-40 lengths per session, twice a week!! I'll grab any excuse not to get cold and wet!!

So that's us more or less caught up! I've got a few interesting things to tell you about in the coming days - you'll find some hints in my Instagram posts if you click on the Instagram link at the top of the menu on the right of any blog page.

I've just got back today from a fantastic weekend away in Bruges with my fella, celebrating his 60th and the three year anniversary of when we first met! It's never too late to find love!! I'll post some Bruges pics once I've had chance to sort through them.

Meanwhile, look after yourselves - and keep dancing!!