Coulda sworn it was my mums birthday, 31st of October, just the one night if i recall but you wouldn't think so by the shops and decorations that have been festooning the streets for the last fortnight!
So here we are, the end of a not great week in my world but today has been mostly sunny and dry - except for the bits that weren't!
After Wednesdays news (thank you everyone for your support, its very much appreciated, the news really hit me hard), well Thursday i didn't really feel much like riding. Given the forecast, i thought i should make the effort though, so i set off for a short ride, well short for me, for my departed friend it would've been a typical ride, just shy of fifty kilometres, although the stop for a bacon sarnie and cake was pure Maddy! It wetted on and off the rest of the day and i've no idea what i did.
Friday i went to fetch a bit of shopping, as usual i had plenty of part meals but nothing that completed one! Afterwards i finished another Gaby chapter and even started writing the next. Saturday looked like a very mixed day so i postponed my ride and instead did a longer walk to clear the cobwebs before cracking on with more writing - Patreons can read the latest chapters now.
And so to today. I was feeling a lot better and with a sunny, dry day forecast, set off to get in a solid 100km plus ride. I can't really tell you much about it, my head was on autopilot, it was cool before lunch but it was into the low teens once or twice in the afternoon. It was a variation of the Mendip end to end, this time east to west, dropping through Cheddar before looping over the saddle betwixt the M5 to return via the mostly flat lanes to Brizz, 112km in the end and most of 980m so not as easy as i make it sound but nor were any of the climbs too steep.
There's a casserole in the oven so i'll keep the waffle down but i have posted chapter 10 of On The Edge, Loaded for Elephant for your reading pleasure.
I'll be back with more news midweek, after i've been for my Covid and flu jabs!
Tschuss,
Madeline Anafrid
Comments
Halloween is commercial
There is a lot of money spent on Halloween, at least here in the US. So the promotions start early, late Sept. here in the US; and lasting until the first weekend in Nov. when it falls on a weekday for those late parties. Sounds like the UK is going that way also.
All the big holidays are trending that way here. One chain started Christmas promotions the last week in Sept. Capitalism at it's finest!
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
It's still fun, or is fun again
Here in Boston there's a lot of focus on the children's experience of Halloween. One particular nice block near my house will be closed to vehicles so that little kids can get their candy and see the decorations.
In a little park a few blocks down, they let the children in costume have a parade in the late afternoon (while there's still daylight), and parents hand out candy.
And no matter how old you are, if you happen to be in Boston on Halloween, you would do well to take a walk through the Beacon Hill neighborhood where the homeowners go all-out in decorating their houses.
One thing that popped up last year and returned this year is skeletons that are maybe twelve feet high.
It's still fun, or it's fun again.
- iolanthe
For X-mas it's even worse
For X-mas it's even worse here: X-mas goodies started to appear Sep. 1st in some shops here. And one item is already sold out in one shop (for now). O.O
The Police Love Halloween? A Surprise
In my city there's a parade, very arty and extremely creative, running through some old streets. The arts group who run it will have been working on it for months. The police are the parade's biggest supporters, apparently, and argue for more funding for the group whenever it comes up. The arts group is based in an underprivileged area and spends a lot of time with local teenagers and people with health and developmental issues getting them into positive activities, which they love.
Before this parade the police and fire service would dread Halloween, mischief would be a tame word for what happened. It's still not a quiet night but once the arts group started it the police said they noticed a dramatic decrease in incidents. And an increase in positivity and happy feelings in the weeks around it in those disadvantaged areas. It's something people have pride in. It's theirs, they own it. And its loved by people from all over.
I love it too. It is something to be absolutely proud of and exactly why tax money shouldn't only be for the bare minimum. It's free to the public, free to the people volunteering, it's not dominated by big businesses trying to exploit and fully what humanity and community is about. If only more holidays had this kind of atmosphere around them.