Headland

It's my birthday tomorrow and I can't believe I've got this far...it's amazing! I'm grateful, albeit a little mystified ...the 'Why me?' question can go both ways, you know! I give thanks for my resilience and resourcefulness and ask that I may find more ways to brighten days for as long as I am in this illusion we call the world...and afterwards if possible too!

Up until a few days ago all I had planned was a visit from the community nurses to change my dressing and take my blood but now Laura has offered to take me out for a little walk and Jared is coming to cook my tea as he is unexpectedly free for Valentine's night. Obviously it's a shame he is...but if you found yourself unexpectedly free for Valentine's night wouldn't it be lovely if you had a lovely friend who did expect to be and you could change that!

A Valentine's birthday always has an element of social challenge...I've told you about John Peel and the chocolate body paint haven't I? I mean seriously let me know if I haven't because we all have a few favourite stories we love to tell over and over again but if you've missed this one I'm happy to bore the others who've heard it (over and over again) and tell it once more!

I give thanks that I had the energy to go and do some odds and ends in town here today and say hello to my local environment which seemed very busy and urban after the empty headlands and shores of last week...

I give thanks for finding some pictures of this on my Streak I'd forgotten I'd taken including the one above of the sun hazing into Widemouth Bay...and also whilst waiting for carrot cake in a cafe to fortify myself for the Post Office queue, some forgotten reminders of days in years gone by on my little 'old' phone. I can't share these as it's too primitive for that but they included shots of a tanker coming into port and full moon over Torquay station as I waited for a train with Bob. Happy memories...

I give thanks to Lynn for a birthday package...whatever can it be? How kind to think of sending something whatever it is! And to Ivor and Heidi for a card...Neither of these have been opened yet...I've put them to one side along with two cards from a correctional facility in Florida. I think Kostas might have made sure I get 'one of each' which is very touching if so... The people I've 'traditionally' celebrated my birthday with over the last few years have not been in touch for long enough for me to accept their absence now and I consider myself very blessed to have made some new friends even if we haven't actually met yet...