A Meditation

Entering the last week of my UK visit. Popped over to the Wharf at Welford to see my friend Jim. One of the few places you can still get a pot of tea for a quid. We downed a few pints in front of a cosy fireplace built of horseshoes.

I'm going to miss proper flat, warm beer.

Headed back over to Guilsborough, where my local pub is going from bad to worse. I doubt there's going to be a pub there at all when I next visit. Still, bumped into our friend Chris and continued drinking until I fell asleep in an armchair.

It was a very comfy armchair.

On Sunday we headed over to Nagarjuna Kadampa Meditation Centre. They were having an open day and mum wanted to see about their meditation sessions. It was really interesting. We had a welcome talk, then a demonstration on how to create shrine offerings from marzipan (very pretty), before a short mindfulness of breathing meditation. It was a lovely day, and I think mum is going to join their regular meditation class.

Altar Offerings

On the way back we were accosted by militant sheep who had claimed the road in the name of the Fleece Revolution.

"You Shall Not Pass!"

Thankfully two cyclists came to the rescue!

It was home for my last roast dinner of the trip (chicken, roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips).

And a bit of light packing... ~sigh~

Not forgetting the meds. Something to make me poo more, something to stop me pooing, something to replace all the water lost from pooing, something for conjunctivitis, inflammation pain, general pain, throat pain, blister pain... and deodorant. And clothes... a year's supply of clothes. 

As a friend in Rwanda pointed out, most of this is available from pharmacies over there, but drugs are so much cheaper in the UK, most of the time. You can buy aspirin for under 30p, and an entire pack of 36 Strepsils costs less than £4, whereas in Rwanda - like the contraceptive pill - people usually buy them one at a time when they can afford them. Strepsils are about 35p per lozenge (cheaper than the contraceptive pill). So, you stock up whilst you have the chance.