Growing up

The Goldwing: Simply marvellous. Question, if you did not have use of your left leg from below the knee (so that you could not tilt your foot upwards) could you still ride one? Are the gears still on the left foot? (Including reverse :-)

Nice picture of your sunset also, I wonder if there is a name for such a beautiful cloud formation? The cloud type is stratocumulous perhaps? But is there a name for the formation I wonder ...

Talking of pictures I need a new digital camera. For some reason my current digital camera has started to take fuzzy pictures, and the red-eye results when using it have always been annoying. I went on a batchelor party (we call it a "Stag Do") for a friend of mine (the young chap who is recovering from MS - Multiple Sclerosis not Microsoft!) last night. Someone had a Canon IXUS 850IS and I was very impressed with the fact that it can automatically focus on the face of the subject, it has "face recognition" software - in a limited sense. Plus it started and was ready to snap immediately I turned the thing on, whereas I have to wait 10 seconds for my antiquated cheapo to be ready - often having missed the spontaneity of the moment. Plus the lads laughed at me .... "you mean you have a camera that still takes batteries??" :-) So now when I make it the wedding on Dec 27th I better have upgraded myself. Do you have any advice in the digital camera area - being the photographer that you are?

Going out with a group of seven twenty-something men was like going back in time. Hooters, a Curry House, a Night Club, a Kebab Shop, Hotel. Now I'm an observer rather than a participant and I was struck by the contrived nature of the whole dance that the puppet-master puts us humans through. In this case I am referring to the puppet-master known as natural selection. Generally I felt like the old man on the scene, and it was a role - although new to me - that I greatly enjoyed.

I was reminded that my daughter has yet to partake of the dance, she will have much joy and much heartache I am sure, as a parent one hopes for more of the former than the latter and that is my prayer, but of course life will bring both.

My daughter by the way is still adamant that she is moving in with me when Alice departs northwards, on my birthday Dec 16th. I'm intrigued to see what actually happens over the next few weeks.

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Given what you said about your childhood abode I can understand your paranoia over water leaking in. Plus, I would say that of all the people I know, you're one of the most conscious of the idea that "a stitch in time saves nine".

Still, in the UK, as you know, the stock and staple building material for houses is brick. So the Welsh stay dry - and the sheep remain worried :-)

PS. I forgot to ask, why do you think this blog has survived?