A quick bike in the woods

We’ve got a few hours on a beautiful day so have come out toClybe Country Park, just round the bay into Swansea.  

Lovely deciduous woods, leaves on the ground as well as turning on the trees.  

Clare off to try the red bike route as I write this! 

Bike tracks with rocks and stuff are definitely less scary on the mountain bike but I still get some major squeals out of the brakes even in the main track - and C freaked herself a bit on a steep berm, so going again!  

C disappears down a route

Cycling back round the bay

Joined the Action Bike club

a first day out with the club beginners group - easy round the bay on Saturday

Brilliant concert last night!

We saw the Society of Strange and Ancient instruments perform Soundhouse at the National Waterfront Museum as part of the Swansea International Festival - inspired by Francis Bacon and a wonderful combination of ancient music, new music, ancient instruments and modern recording and playing with sound, and words. *Really* worth a listen and to see them if you have the chance!

this is a trumpet marine (it has one playing string made of something like 80 twisted strands, and up to 48 inner resonating strings. It is bowed and has a vibrating bridge so makes a sound somewhat like a trumpet - apparently used by nuns as women did not use wind instruments!)

and this is a Nyckelharpa (a bowed keyed fiddle, with twelve under strings which are sympathetically resonant).

And the view when we got home after the concert! You can see the Mumbles lighthouse even though the moon was so full it made the world not dark!

Running in the sun by the sea

I've been slow to get going here, with how I want to be, but today I got into my running things under normal clothes before C set off for her shift at the hospital, and went out for a walk run at 8.30. Enjoyed it, the sun shone for me which helped! 

Tomorrow I plan to get back onto the couch to 5k or similar so I can build up and enjoy the seafront every day. 

Wish I'd taken a picture!

Two weeks no cake no booze

We’ve decided not to eat cake or drink alcohol for two weeks, moral support for Torie (likescakenotrunning.blogspot.com) who is being forced to abstain. 

Not a bad thing for the start of this new life! 

Last night I went to volunteer for the http://theswanseafringe.com/. (Though in fact my help wasn’t needed) at https://www.cinemaco.co.uk/. (I also saw where Volcano is on the high street which was great - they have some interesting stuff going on over the next few months). 

I heard ?Keith Williams talking about “when pop videos rules the world” - he did concepts and directed (latter sometimes) videos like When Video Killed the Radio Star;  I Need a Hero; some Olivia Newton John etc. It was fun! 

The *real* start of our life here

I've finished my happy, happy time with Inclusion Healthcare in Leicester, so now I'll be here in our ugly house in a lovely place full time. 

Reena made this beautiful sign for me and we both love it!

It's strange but good to be here and know I'm not going away. Life will be very different - more like when we spent that year in Sydney and I didn't work. Less money, more time.

We're getting ourselves sorted for both! A fun challenge tolive on less. I shall need to sort myself out for work, and make connections, as we wouldn't get a mortgage easily perhaps right now, and we'll need one to do what we want to the house.