There seems to be little evidence of global warming in Buxton right now. We did have periods of hot weather which I have written about previously. But “disappointing” is about the most positive description I can label August 2021 with. However, I do not envy the countries in the southern Mediterranean and elsewhere experiencing record (and unbearable) temperatures. Even in Sicily, back in the 1980s I do not recall temperatures anywhere near the 40s Centigrade.
Tomorrow, I think the final covid-19 restrictions are lifted, with over three quarters of the population fully vaccinated. For whatever reason, I cannot feel out of the woods quite yet. New cases of covid-19 are being confirmed each day by several thousand, and the daily deaths attributed to coronavirus would be considered catastrophic if attributed to anything other than the pandemic.
Being Sunday, I attended Sung Eucharist at St. John’s, as I do every Sunday. This week, Bishop Jack presided over a baptism, which in modern times is (when required) part of the regular service. Some regular members of the congregation don’t like this, and take the day off. In his address, the Bishop quoted some Saint whose name I didn’t quite catch. “Children should be allowed to do as they please, and explore where they wished,” as Saint Whoever declared; “Children playing in Church are playing with (or perhaps, getting to know) their guardian angels and should not be discouraged from doing so.” I remember no such encouragement when I was growing up! All I can say is that St. John’s was crammed full of guardian angels! And I got the feeling the families and friends came away from St. John’s with (in modern parlance) a positive experience.
As usual, Tom joined me for cappuccinos and decaf lattes after church; I then treated myself to a chicken schnitzel, mash, red and ordinary cabbage at the now nearby 53 Degrees North eatery. This saves messing up the recently tidied kitchen at home.
I was relieved to find that, having signed up to Sky Fibre Broadband, I can now access all the blogs I have ever written. While still not a big fan of modern technology, I find it remarkable that, thanks to the same, I am able to recall, and still enjoy my travels from January 2018, as well as anything else I have documented in between. That is not to say that I have forgotten about the not quite so far flung journeys prior to retirement. This year, Amtrak (America’s answer to British Rail) celebrates 50 years. Ye gods! I travelled on Amtrak in its first month of existence. And in 1969, experienced U.S. passenger trains when still run by “private companies.” None of this feels up to fifty-two years ago. What is amazing is that some tourist lines I visited then, continue to flourish today. I really would like to revisit the Durango and Silverton (formerly the Denver and Rio Grande Western) line of unsurpassable scenery. What an adventure for a twenty year-old. I would not see the United States again until 1991, unbelievably thirty years ago. From 2001, crossing the Atlantic by ship would start off as a trip of a lifetime morphing into a commute as the years passed and visiting North America became more frequent. By March 2020, I had travelled by sea to six out of the seven continents. Beautiful and fascinating as Antarctica is, I don’t really feel hardy enough to travel there!
Many thanks for reading, David, 17.19 Sunday 15th August.
David's Cruise 