04 07 2025

 Not doing a thing, squared!! Not painting, not attending conference. I should be in Manchester for Metaphorum but the Air Traffic Controllers strike put paid to that... next plane outta here is tomorrow and that goes to London, not Manchester.

Attending on line, accordingly. Flights reimbursed (-or will be, they say ) hotel costs down the funnel of lessons learnt. Insure. I didn't; can't recoup, though Ryan Air might pay some.

Missing the casual contact with cybernetics and the friends of my father.

Got a flight to London on Saturday, maybe some stuff salvageable. 

And its my birthday, I'm 75. Does every old person feel incredibly surprised by their age? I'm not in denial, just baffled.

25 06 2025

 Not doing a thing - too hot. Hoping I'm working silently and subconsciously on whatever happens next; who knows?

12 06 2025

 Went into the mountains with Kat and Margaret and needless to say, did practically no work - but I did some Chinese ink drawing which seemed right for the sheer craggy mountains. Wrong paper. Too absorbent. Good fun though results useless.

06 06 2025

 Couple of hours painting yesterday, or more correctly, removing previous painting. I suppose this is how it works, can't remember. 

30 05 2025

 One of my drugs in particular - prescribed, of course - if  doubled up, makes a massive difference. I know this now because I took the bus to Carcassonne yesterday, walked about, came back and was fine. Slow but fine. It was Ascension Thursday, a bank holiday and the place was deserted. The few places open soon closed down. No traffic, no pollution, so hardly a test.

Today got taken in a car to the local lake. Prepared for the event by doubling the dose. Temps 32 degrees and I walked carrying lunch, a back pack and a carrier bag. Don't know how to measure the distance but it felt like miles- and I did it. Coming back, alas, another story. I'd further walked to the fishing lake to get some daphnia and that plus the return trip nearly killed me.  

Yet still I linger :)

Hardly a work diary nowadays, though all this feels like work. Book still selling. Want to draw trees by the lake.

23 05 2025

 Went from a keep fit class of great if gentle horridness, to a party - where, despite increased drugs, had some sort of asthma event and had to leave. Training programme not going too well.

22 05 2025

 In view of failing lungs, have been experimenting with increasing my drugs so that I can function effectively.

On Tuesday took the bus on my own to Carcassonne and walked around for 2 hours as a training exercise. Slightly cheating, as the rain kept pollution down and smokers indoors, but managed quite well on only 2 extra Ventolin puffs. 

Plan to do this weekly, upping the town each time.