The Village

This is my village, my home ,my training ground and also my playground for the next year at least.

great Autumn colours at the moment,I have lived here since August and in that short time have already seen so many changes as the year turns round-so much more noticeable here in rural Norfolk than anywhere else I have lived.

"Say is there beauty yet to find deep meadows yet,for to forget

the lies and truths and pain?....oh! yet stands the church clock at ten to three and is there honey still for tea".

The old Vicarage Grantchester--Rupert Brooke 1912

my granddaughter Queen Izzy turned 4 this year and continues to prepare herself for world domination.

The Dice Man

a cult book of the 70's was "The Dice Man" about a man who made his life choices by rolling a dice. 6 options with one choice being one not normally one you would make.

one of the street artist of Berlin becoming well known is "El Bocho"

Sticker art is the new Graffiti and considered less an offence,you paste your poster up rather than spray can.

I went to an exhibition of this mans work in a Berlin squat cost me 1 euro to get in and had to leave my bag at the door in case I was carrying spray cans or something worse.

my favorite Berlin graffiti artist is number 6 who just paints the number 6 on boarded up buildings or other underused facilities, feeling a bit of an underused facility myself the other night-started to play with the die and allocated the unwanted- the not normal to the number 6.

It came up 6 I rolled a second and then a third time each time resulting in the number 6 the number of the beast.

it realy freaked me out-and I spent the rest of the day figuring out what to do to match the three sixes.

I had spent the last 10 years trying not to be normal- I didn't want normal-don't do normal-but along the way it was normal for me to have a drink every day-7 days a week and when I say a drink I'm not talking singular. So no choice realy I'm going to stop drinking for a while.

its been getting worse of late so a stupid dice can be the start.

I like to be in control-and the drink had started to be in control of me-so it has to go-day 2 and counting.

also started the morning training walks again-I miss the Camino-the simplicity of it all,but which one to do next? perhaps I'll let the dice decide.

Leaving Berlin

Berlin with two of my daughters brought a new dimension to the break I had two women telling me what to do!!

but hey I got to do things that I hadn't done before-river cruses etc and share some of the things I had already done

nice end to my visit even got propositioned on oranienburger str by a lovely girl in tall white boots,who must have been out with her sisters also in white boots who for some reason were standing on the other corners of the junction.

I could live in Berlin,which is always the yardstick I judge any city on

the only downside are the cyclists,

having been allocated cycle lanes all over the city they take this as a passport to go where they please in that arrogant aren't we being very green sort of way,but wobetide anyone who strays into their cycle lane or don't jump out of the way when they hurtle pass.

my god they even let them on the tube-there is no escaping them-its the new plague I tell you.!! ( hey whats the point of a blog if you can't have a rant now and then )

Berlin Stories

talking advantage of a 2 pound return flight on Ryan air, (yes they do exist) found me in Berlin for 3 weeks, how to fill the time was the question flying in, now its nearly time to come home the question is how did 3 weeks pass so quickly.
Berlin is a large city with a small population ( 3.8m) and lots of space to breath plus a vibrant night life.
As I discovered on the Camino sleeping in hostels and bunk beds is a passport to a varied social life
my guides and companions have included Paco Nick David Evo Andy and Kleba from all corners of the globe,together we pub crawled sightsee'd and clubbed our way into oblivion. the highlights included various beach bars,falling down house squat parties and one memorable evening with a room full of heavy chained punk Janet and Johnnie rottens followed by a chill out in the Barbie Bar (vivid pink decor) always ending up in that 4am walk home,never once feeling in danger and always among smiling faces.
this tired old man keep ed up with the pace for 4 nights before crying uncle.
this city has so many faces all in in a constent flux, I have stood beneath the Michael Jackson baby dangling balcony while in sight of the Brandon burgh Tor and the Reichstag's burned down and now restored with its walkable domed glass roof.
only 20 years ago this was a walled in area cut off from the rest of Berlin and the world, now you can be photographed with flag flying moonlighting male strippers dressed as solders -living statues or costumed giant Berlin bears.
all under the gaze of gun carrying guards outside the nearby American embassy
A short walk down unter den linden where all the lime trees are tagged and numbered?? brings you to the book burning square opposite Humboldt university ( most noble prize winners).
nothing to mark the square out apart from a glass covered small room with empty book shelves set in the floor and the inscription :Those that start out burning books finish up burning people:
as if in a form of penance the area outside the university that Einstein Freud Karl Marx and Engels attended is a daily market just with book stalls.
so it goes on every area taking you through all the emotions
I have walked past panel painted restored sections of the Berlin Wall now the worlds largest open air art gallery,visited king Frederick's summer palace in Potsdam and sought out banksy graffiti.
all the while under the gaze of the Mother Ship the giant TV tower that dominates Alexanderplatz and Berlin.
I now rest and gird my loins for the arrival of Daughters number 1 and 3 who are joining me for the last weekend.