Sunrises and sunsets are the enigmatic descriptive devices Im currently using as an anology of simply…being cheerful.
Faith is a method of reassurance.
George Michael and God, they arent related to each other, or to my theory which is currently binding me to happiness through discovery of the things we already know to be true, but forget in the search for satisfaction.
Time’s getting on and I’m more confused by Visa requirements than ever before!
Letters of invitation, referees, proof of health insurance.
I have just realised that I should have been doing more, sooner, harder and with more gusto.
Y’know when your at school and exams are on their way, a week before you start to pretend to revise and when the days upon you, you panic, write some rubbish and come up with an awful lot of imaginative thinking.
I’ve been to the Embassy this week for Uzbekistaaaaaannn and Kryryrgystahn and I get the impression this travelling lark isn’t going to be simple.
The good news is, things are starting to happen.
I’ve got a Letter of Invite to Russia - I hope!
And tyres look likely, a date has been set for the helmet fitting, I’m looking seriously about insurance and I’ve just realised that things are going to happen.
If only work didn’t get in the way of my trip organisation.
If only work didn’t get in the way of my thinking, my mind, my dreaming and didn’t bind.
I’m waiting in the wings for a performance about to start, knowing that the starting act is killing the audience.
Communication. It’s key really. Anna has asked how many languages I speak, it’s a crucial question really when you consider the French nations in Africa, the Islamic nationals in Iran and how many Russian speaking countries I intend to visit.
Unfortunately the answer is one and a half. Even that is a thinking positive answer!
So how will I communicate?
It’s very crass to consider the English man abroad. Speak clearly, speak louder, as understanding doesnt dawn in the eyes of the listener, shout and point.
If I were to ask for a pint of Watneys Red Barrell then the Monty Python sketch would be complete!
So how shall I communicate?
With Faith.
Smiles and kind words, listening and self deprocating humility and by remembering the idea that these people are not foreigners, they are locals they are the incumberants inhabitants and I am the stranger in a normal and peaceful land.
I’m absolutely sure that the sound of a voice will at times scare me and suprise me after hours of silence. Any voice of any language wil make me jump and be gladly recieved. But I’ll be talking to myself, it’s inbuilt into me. I can’t help but have a substantial chat, I often hold a debate in my head and feel as though someone else is winning as it bursts out!
So while I’m riding along, I’ll be chatting in English. Just to keep in practice.
Smiles and faith.
Look on the bright side. If it all goes wrong…I won’t understand anyway!
I cant truley say that I quite woke up smiling, but at least it was very soon afterwards.
(Is that how you spell Truley or have I spelt it in the same way as Truley Scrumptious from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? Now there’s a women to wonder over…wow!)
I put on my Kalvins (pants) and as I brushed my teeth I realised that they had come up just that little bit too far at the front. This made me smile as the elastic twangged on my stomach. I must have lost weight.
I’ve had an incredibly average day, not a spot of inspiration until near the end. (Other than seeing the spectacular Sabrina in Cambridge!)
I bumped into an engineer who has recently been out to Khazakstan and told me interesting bits about the country and the neighbouring countries.
I’m being constantly amazed at the moment by how many people have something to offer, a piece of information, a smile an interest in the ideas I have about Faith. It’s very heartening to be reminded that people are generally interested in much more than their usual hard nosed, head down lives.
Then I got home and had to smile for the second time.
The reason my Kalvins were high at the front, and probably why I had had such an uneventful day - I’m quite sure of this - was because they were on back to front!
I stood for a moment, taking in the full glory (of the days events) and thought to myself;
“I don’t think I have ever put these on back to front before…
I’ll be gald of the warmth of these,
My I’m such a tease,
will they still be white?
will they still be tight?
My, think of all the ladies this view would please.”
hehehehehehe
Panic 1,
BMW parts haven’t arrived, seems the Goodridge hoses are on back order so none of the parts have been sent, but i placed the order in the Christmas break! Good job I dont know what I’m doing otherwise I’d be really up tight.
Panic 2
The made to measure front carrier system (cough - home made jerrycan holder.) Is nearly complete and needs an aluminium TIG welder. Gotta find someone quick so theres time to make other plans if it doesnt work too well. Ill upload photos for you to rate! You can buy something to do the same job from Touratech, but the basic unfitted unpainted version is £1500!
Panic 3
More injections on Friday - oh Lawdy!
2 cut fingers:
Cut from the manufacturing process of turning a kitchen sieve (£4.50) into a headlight guard, bicycle pedals (free from my brothers friend - thank you it was an ingenious idea!) into footrests, aluminium mesh into a radiator gauze (£7.00 from B&Q) and the special (thpecial) front carry system. Again I think photos of this stuff would be good huh?
One finger was mine, one my nephews, Ryan.
Does Richard Branson have to put up with cut fingers or do you think he has people to cut their fingers for him?
Thats true hedonistic delegation to aspire to!
No, I like it. I like doing, thinking, making do and mending, seeing a radiator gauze for £87 and making it for £7. I know I get frustrated and frustrate, but that’s it isn’t it?
The process, the involvement the people the thoughts the ideas and encouragement are the point.
That’s what keeps us all going, isn’t it?
1 reason to continue:
Because its within reach and man is the only creature with the capacity to dream, wonder and endeavour.
I’ve just been for the innoculations, the nurse was a bit grumpy, apparently she’s had a bad day!
She’s had a bad day! I was about to be on the sharp end of a needle!
Although I gave her an itinary two weeks before - and we talked on the phone about it - the day had sent her in a spin…
After talking in my calm reassuring, trying to be nonchalent kind of way we started to get into the subject at hand. You have to be calm in these situations…because if youre not…SHE’S GONNA HURT YOU!
I thought it was the proffesional thing to do, y’know put her at her ease…
We chatted about Rabies, always a winning subject with the girls I feel -
‘But you’re not going near animals that will carry rabies in your group so you’ll be ok, you don’t need it.’
‘What group?
‘The group your travelling with…’
‘Huh?’
‘You know as part of your organised tour, you will be quite safe.’
‘No, I’m going alone…’
THunK
‘MEDIC! …ANYONE …HELP…’
Well - it was kind of like that, maybe she didn’t hit the floor with capital letter quality thunk.
Maybe, well, yeah, it was actually more of a lower case impatient huff.
Seems some of the jabs need to be over three months, so time is short, actually time is negative but she came up with a plan to hurt me over regular intervals of 7 days 14 days and 28 days.
I couldnt help but notice. My history catching up with me I suppose. Details. She washed her hands like a five year old just in from digging for worms and about to have fish fingers and chips for tea, she turned the tap off with her hands and not her elbows, the design and position meant she couldnt reach that far with her elbows. Not without hitting her furrowed brow on the cupboard set anyway. She was tall enough to do it with her knees though. It would have helped my increasingly high pitched voice to drop an octave if she had used the non conformant wash hand basin and not the treatment sink to wash. It was a worry that the needles were left on the worktop and the swabs were dry. Still, not dry for long, all that blood does have a lovely hue. All this and Im not in a third world country yet! Ignorance is bliss.
I thanked her for hurting me, nervously averted her eyes and wandered out the door. How very English I thought. I’m in mild pain and suspicious of your technical competence but say nothing, smile and mutter my thanks, knowing I have to be polite because you have two more opportunities to infect me. I got in the car, thanked my stars for air conditioning in January. Still, didn’t “really” hurt 
I’m not convinced she really knows what shes doing, but y’know sometimes you just have to go with it. And that’s the point of the whole event isn’t it?
Faith - you have to put your trust in people and events, and needles of course, trust in the now…
oh dear!
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