Purpletigron

Mater just cycled her bike around the block! Although she's a very experienced cyclist, this is her first time back on the bike since she hurt her back and hip in January. She was terrified ... right up until she got her hands on the bike. Then ... suddenly ... *whoosh*, and she was off! OK, so she felt and looked a little wobbly, but it was a very quiet road, and she managed about 5 mins of coasting and pedalling before she felt whacked out.

She called it 'scary, but another hurdle jumped' :-)))

In other news, we just watched "Buffy vs. Dracula", the series 5 opener, and it seems slightly less silly having seen to the end of S7 (not sure why, it just does). From the S4 finale, "Restless", Buffy's Dream Tara: "Make sure you're ready for Dawn."

G & I have worked out a plan so that I at least get the weekend in Bangor (leaving 08:15 Sat, returning 20:00 Sun). But news from C still awaited - the original full week plan, or some shortened varient, might still be possible... Also, possible progress with the dojo.

Mater's friend B is going to bring a few more of the last bits and pieces which we forgot to collect from Mater's place last week.

I'm back into studying!

So, some good things are happening!

I'm still hoping to unwind in London tomorrow, despite the ongoing attempts to create chaos. I would have liked to spend longer than just one day, but considering said disruption, Mater, and aikido, it's best this way. My plan is: lunch at on Drummond St with R, pick up weaving tablets in E17, then rendezvous with G & D in N17 for some serious partying :-)

Aikido summer school is just 2 weeks away now. I'm intrigued at how desparately I want to be able to go. It would be much-needed week of doing my own thing, if Mater has somewhere to go.

Anyhow, I'm training again. I'm going to the gym most week-days, for basic knee physio when Mater's at home, and a longer work-out when she's at day hospital. Each week, I get nearly 2 hours of aikido body art (Wednesday and Friday evenings, not the advanced class on Tuesdays), and 3.5 hours of weapons (after body art, and on Sunday morning). My ukemi (break-falls) are 'recovering' (rolling felt weird after 3 months off the mat), and my body remembers more than my mind of the techniques :-) The warm-ups at the start of class are intended also as 'cool down' from stress, which hits the spot at the moment.

I'd be happy if I managed two hours of training per day at summer school (there's up to 5 hours scheduled)!

Morihei Ueshiba, founder of the Japanese martial art of aikido ('the way of harmony of spirit'):

"Aikido is not a technique to fight with or defeat the enemy. It is the way to reconcile the world and make human beings one family. ... Aikido is non-resistance. As it is non-resistant, it is always victorious. ... A mind to serve for the peace of all human beings in the world is needed in aikido, and not the mind of one who wishes to be strong ..."