ECHOES OF THE ROAD

I have not blogged for since February 23 because a) I can be a lazy bugger and b) I have been thinking deeply. On March 6 Clay posted in his blog   Good day to die reflection  has had me transfixed.  I’ve read this post multiple times and listened to it twice (using Siri) in particular the following woke me up like a cold shower: This phrase resonates with strength and fearless acceptance. Often attributed to Native American warriors, particularly the Lakota Sioux, it encapsulates a mindset where life and death intertwine, not as opposites, but as integral parts of a seamless existential dance. At first glance, it might seem like a call to arms—a warrior’s fearless charge into battle. But looking deeper, we find something richer, more nuanced, and strikingly relevant today. This statement is not merely about death; it’s about embracing life so fully, so passionately, that each day feels complete. It reflects  living with integrity, purpose, and a clear conscience...

The hyperlinks don’t always connect with me right away - I have never been quick of mind or sharp of with. So the hyperlinks that resulted in the title of this post go back some way. I like listening to podcasts that are recorded outside the studio - I love the back ground noise over the speaking and recall several episodes of Spiritual Unfoldment where John Butler is speaking in his usual quiet, reflective manner in a cafe with the back ground chatter and noises of the coffee making complementing this. This is common with several podcasts I listen to that are not recorded in a studio s oulcruzer crimbo limbo  and strangers on a bench . I listened last week to Ferns February Found Sounds where Alice Boyd was chatting with Darren Appiagyei a wood worker in London. Alice is really adept at capturing outdoor sounds and incorporating them into her music. A few days later she put a video on YouTube of her going about London collecting sounds for a use in a future date.  As I list...

  I saw a video on YT that featured a short AI generated summary narrative of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance. It gave me insights that I did not appreciate at the time I read it classical thinking is the motorcycle (a logical organised machine) and romantic thinking (the art of riding and being at one with the machine). It was obvious as the story progressed     that separation of the two ways of thinking was a more recent phenomena and bad thing. At a point well into the book Robert introduced a third theme of ‘quality’ this played with my brain and, like space-time,    I could sometime see it but not quite grasp it. I actually finished the book with a bit of confusion that I have pondered since. The AI put it in away that made sense by mentioning spirituality as it described quality.  As I reflect on my life so far, I set out, as a classical thinker. There was a period of time when classical immature attitude had me look down on my student coll...

In 1918 ‘ Uncle Harry ’ had been fighting for four years on the 18th of July he was killed during an attack on Bligny Ridge we think around 0430 in almost certainly by machine gun fire. He was laid to rest in Chambrecy Cemetry with 400 of his comrades.  The regimental records document to a good degree the events of the day. But Uncle Harry was subject to family folklore that although he died a bachelor, he was a father who was not allowed to marry the mother. There were no records that myself or my mother could find to establish the facts. A lot of my work was done in lead up to the 28th of July 2018 when we visited his grave a long with former members of the Leeds Rifles regiment, including my father. My mother kept up her various posts on facebook and local community groups but I moved on.  I found out recently that my mother had got a ‘hit’ last year when she was contact by a lady who could see some of our digital footprints. They connected and it turns out Harry was indeed...

I have a food priority: A-raw food  B-food I have made from scratch using A C-food like B that I couldn’t make from scratch but couldn’t be arsed D-food that I would need a chemistry set to make  Portion size wise: A is worth 10 points B is worth 7 points C is worth 3 points D is worth -5 points I’m going to write a book ‘Dave’s Diet Bible’ with the help of AI and publish it on Amazon. They don’t check anything so facts won’t matter nor the 10 star fake reviews I will give myself. In the meantime I’m running a spreadsheet, logging my score. With sufficient data I should be able to do a Six Sigma exercise as I currently don’t have the answers to the questions a doctor is going to ask me! 

I love YouTube - it is wonderful resource for entertainment, education, spirituality and friendship. Of course like all platforms there is the usual preaching and prattling from media and politicians. A couple of days ago Sten Ekberg popped in my suggestions. Erik is a former athlete and these days a scientist, his channel focuses on diet and health. In this one he set a 30 day zero sugar challenge. Being a fed added sugar from when I was weaned it has given me a sweet tooth and everyone who knows me is aware of my fondness for cakes, fruit pies, biscuits and chocolate. With plenty of Christmas left overs, specifically 3 cakes, 2 boxes of biscuits, some lovely Latvian chocolates and then more mince pie that my daughter brought round all with my name on it, when I told my wife of the challenge she rolled her eyes and said a few things. So here we go….day one…no problem. After my evening meal I looked longingly at the cakes in the cupboard but resisted and had fruit instead. It occurred ...