Shamrockin'

Well, howdy from Bath, southwest England. I and my friend Harp have come down from Nottingham to visit our friend Angela for the weekend, and tomorrow I fly over to Dublin, Ireland, where I'm taking a tour for the next week. I know that Irish blokes probably don't actually all sit around in pubs of an evening and sing all the great Irish pubtunes like 'Wearing of the Green,' 'Black Velvet Band,' and 'Johnny I hardly Knew Ye,' but I'm hoping anyways...

Next Sunday, I'll head towards the north coast to Londonderry, stay a night and head out to the Giant's Causeway, then spend the next 2 nites in Belfast, flying to Edinburgh, Scotland on the Wednesday of that week, staying there 2 nites before taking the train to Glasgow and meeting up with my friend Lori from the University of Arkansas, and her Scottish husband, Scott.

I'll be back in Nottinghamshire on Monday the 11th, just in time for the frisbee Christmas social, spending that night and the following with my friends Juan, Giuliana, and Alexis again, then flying home to Arkansas that Wednesday.

I say all of this because I don't know when I'll be able to post next, and the previous entry was after all a downer.

Any rate, drop me a line...
jeffro

--
Life is enjoyed most when you're laughing. Laugh hard, laugh often, and think of me.

Penance

°For a viewer and reader friendly version, skip to the last 4 lines. I know I can be too wordy for some people at times...°

I mention in the column at right (--->) that through self-reflection and the helpful criticism of others, that I have become aware of my worrisome case of self-absorption.

In the 3 months since I typed that into my profile, I haven't improved much. Hence the following paragraphs.

If I've hurt you, I'm sorry. If it were by words or actions or a combination of both, I apologise. I've been told from multiple angles, multiple sources, and in multiple states of emotional concern, that something I have said or done has led to your unwanted sadness.

I offer no excuses, and I do not intend to list my sins here in this format, but I do know that some of my behavior towards others is perhaps inexcusable, and that for someone who professes to love people so much as I do, I've done little to prove it.

I do realise that the few people I wish most to see this public confession of guilt have already reached a point that they no longer prefer to read or hear a word from me, and that those of you reading this perhaps have no idea what I'm talking about. That being the case, I'll not continue this saddened reflection of my actions.

Just believe that my posting these words here is intended to express my concern over the damages I have caused, and know that I am willing to make repairs as needed.

Or, to say all of that a little less like myself, and more easily understandable:
I've been a jerk. I know it. I'm sorry, and I want more than anything else, to make things right.

Heroes in a Half Shell...

Well, Friday night saw the annual house party at 236 Queens Road, Beeston, home of my friend James King (JK, Jake) and his housemate Fergus (here pictured as Raphael and Leonardo, respectively). The fourth of our bunch, Michaelangelo, was portrayed by Fergus' sister, Amelia (Amy).

The theme for the evening was cartoon characters (quite often, British parties seem to feature fancy dress costumes, and are usually themed), and the best costume present was a guy who created his own costume of Mr. Incredible, from the recent Pixar (I believe) feature length film.

The evening featured funnels, a yard glass, frisbee vodka jelly races, and a barbecue manned by yours truly. I spent teh earlier part of the day creating some homemade barbecue sauces for the occasion, which were well received.

Any rate, it's been a fun week in Nottingham, and I hope your respective corners of the world have been equally enjoyable for you lately.

Cheers for now. Remember, life is enjoyed most when you're laughing. Laugh hard, laugh often, and think of me.

A light Peppering of Pictures...

Well, I got up this morning to discover that I cannot put off that haircut any longer...



But then again, at least I don't look like these ridiculous Italian dudes who are apparently very in fashion... Note the mullets, the bad glasses, and the MATCHING trousers and nearly identical shoes... Ye gods...



I saw those Italian teenagers while hanging out with my friend Charlie in Reggio Ermelia, Italia, near to Parma. Her flat overlooked the city park, in the centre of which was one of the most amazing trees I've ever seen. It's the one that claimed the life of my British mobile phone...



When I was in Yorkshire 3 weeks ago, I did manage to talk a local farmer into letting me check out the antique tractors in his barn. This is probably my favourite picture, though not my favourite of his particular examples of aging British iron. He had a Fordson Major, which weren't sold in America, that I loved. This is a 1968 Massey-Ferguson 135. Or, the nose of one.



While in France with Celine over the last 2 weeks, we did some hiking through the southernmost stretches of the Alps, and we dropped off of one peak into the valley containing Le Sac du St. Croix- the Lake of the Holy Cross. I think they call it that to make themselves feel better for having buried the original village church beneath 600 metres of water when they dammed and flooded the valley 35 years ago, but that's just my opinion... In either case, the valley and lake were beautiful. There was a massive float plane that kept circling round and loading water into itself- it seems there was a fire a few ridges away- so we sat down on the water's edge to watch the process of the plane filling its belly, and presently this catamaran came skirting across the surface, and I went all but blind trying to get this shot. He was etching his way back and forth across my line of vision making for the far end of the lake, so I took 5 or 6 pictures like the one following. This seems to be the best.



At any rate, I'm back in Nottingham, and glad of it. I tore my backpack strap yesterday, so I'm going to hike down the road to Beeston City Centre where there's a shoe repair place right next to a barber's on the high street, go have a coffee at Cafe Nero, where my friend Giuliana (Juan's wife) works, and then there's both frisbee practice and a social later in the day.

Hope y'all have a wonderful day yourselves...
cheers for now,
jeffro

England once more...

I left Nice this morning at roughly 10 am, where the temperature was a balmy 20 degrees Celsius, or about 70 Fahrenheit, sunny, and promisingly as amazing as the previous 2, during which I'd combed the beaches of San Raphael, Cannes, and Antibes barefoot and shirtless. England, as expected, is cold, damp, and rainy. And I love it. Perhaps I like England so much because somewhere deep in my fibres is a need for something to gripe about, and if nothing else, there's the weather...

Or perhaps it's because England, particularly Holmfirth, Yorkshire, can give rise to pictures like the latter 2 following. The first is from San Tropez, France. The ocean just doesn't do all that much for me, though the Mediterranean is my favourite, and that shows in my pictures. I simply cannot get good shots of the sea. Put me in the mountains in inclement weather, though...

Blue Shores

Howdy howdy again from Côte d'Azur, the southern French region that borders the Meditteranean near Italy. The weather here the last 10 days has been fabulous, with the sun dominating all of its hours above the horizons. It hasn't rained once, but the clouds present around the sun's rising and setting make for some breathtaking scenery. I've hiked along the shore, through the gorges and peaks of the southmost stretches of the Alps, and through half a dozen towns I can neither spell nor pronounce.

I've finally spent some time writing, as I've had ample opportunities. I will stay here 14 nights, which will be more than all the compiled nights in any other locale by the time I leave for the States in December. I'm headed back north to Nottingham on Tuesday, and am certainly looking forward to it, bleak tho the weather might be upon my arrival.

I promise that within the week I'll post something significant-- one of the things I penned while relaxing along the Mediterranean coast...

Cheers for nowm hope the weather's at least tolerable in your respective necks of the woods....

Just In Passing

To ease all minds counting the days since any news last issued forth, I am now on the French Riviera. I spent the last part of last week and the weekend in Yorkshire, a region I highly recommend to anyone, and then headed for London Monday, flying to France on Tuesday. The weather in England was beautiful, and it was a shame to leave when things are so nice, but I had the chance to spend some time in France rent-free, so here I am. The weather is fabulous, the Meditteranean a shade of blue more usually associated with a mountain stream.

Happy belated Halloween, All Saints Day, and Dia de los Muertos to you all.

Ciao!
jeff