It's been that kind of a week, really. The combination of being on nights and being under the weather has left me feeling thoroughly washed out and incapable of doing anything much, beyond functioning on a pretty basic level. All of which is not particularly conducive to sparkling blogging. I did make a start on (yet another) new story for 'Cuckoos', a fairly light-hearted one, by my normal standards, but once again, it seems to have stalled. I've got, without exaggeration, bits of ten stories in draft form now, but whether any of them will end up seeing the light of day remains uncertain.
There's quite a sense of flux in my life at the moment, insofar as I've been compos mentis enough to think about it, in terms of the countdown to the move to my new job, just over three weeks away now. It's giving me, perhaps not surprisingly, distinctly mixed feelings. I'm so desperate to get away from my present job that I can hardly wait to go, but that brings with it the knowledge that I'm going to spending so much of my life away from home, which I'm not looking forward to at all. I suppose I should just accept that I've made my bed, and now I've got to lie in it.
Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B
Hi there, Sammy
ReplyDeleteApologies for the long silence - for the last ten days or so, I've been either too busy preparing to go away, away on holiday, or simply not feeling up to saying anything much - somewhat like you, by the sound of it, though without any obvious reason.
I hope you're feeling better than you were earlier in the week: the usual run for this sort of viral nasty is about a week, at least in my experience, though I suspect that a succession of night shifts may not have helped the recovery process.
One thought your impending move: how are you getting on with the search for accommodation?
Take care
Mark
Hello Mark
ReplyDeleteNice to hear from you again. I hope your German trip went well. I'm still rather less than 100% healthwise, but I'm at least at a level where I can continue to function, and a more or less full day of R & R yesterday has helped a little more. I hope you're well yourself.
As far as accommodation goes, I'll probably spend a few days at my brother's initially - the Kent coast isn't exactly on the doorstep, but given the fact that I won't be under pressure to arrive at work at an exact time while I'm training, it should be practicable.
Love & best wishes
Sammy B
Hi there, Sammy
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear you're improving; I hope you get a chance for some more rest so that the process can continue.
Yes, I'm well, and I had a good time in Germany. The Ruhr area turned out to be quite interesting, not only from a railway point of view (probably Europe's densest and most complex network of trains and trams), but also for some historical city centres, and surprising amount of scenic countryside between the built-up areas (rather like the industrial areas around the Pennines). Also, being Germany, there was plenty of good quality beer to drink, and lots of hearty food. The only downside was the weather, which was unseasonably cold and wet. I'd certainly like to go back and explore further.
Meanwhile, I'm now preparing for this weekend's foray to Belgium!
Take care
Mark
Hello Mark
ReplyDeleteI've finally given way to my health, or lack of it, and I'm having at least a couple of days off to try and get back to something resembling normal. I'm supposed to be working all sorts of overtime again next weekend, but whether that comes to fruition remains to be seen.
I've never been to Germany, but I am a big fan of Belgium - it was an easy day trip from home, even before the Chunnel, and we used to go at least a couple of times a year. It's a few years since I last made it over there, for my friend's stag do in Oostende - I think I might look seriously into paying a visit during my week off next month. I hope your trip goes according to plan and is suitably enjoyable.
Love & best wishes
Sammy B
Hi there, Sammy
ReplyDeleteI hope the sick leave has the desired effect quickly - I remember your comments about being a bad patient. I tend to find these days that trying to work through a virus like this is counter-productive: I'm more functional overall if I take a break to recuperate.
I like Belgium a lot: they have some interesting historical cities, and they make some of the best beer in the world :-)
Any thoughts on where you want to go?
The same might be said of Germany, of course. I didn't learn German at school, so for many years I was quite wary of visiting German-speaking countries. But now I seem to have enough of a grip of the language to cope ("sprechen Sie englisch?" is often enough!) and it's a part of the world I'd like to see a lot more of.
Take care
Mark
Hello Mark
ReplyDeleteThings aren't yet back to normal, as evidenced by the fact that I'm online at this time of day. With the benefit of hindsight, trying to keep working through the illness was pretty dumb, and has led to it dragging on for far longer than it should have done.
When we used to go to Belgium regularly, we got to know Oostende and Bruges mainly, because they were easiest to get at from home. I have tripped over a potential snag, though - I've got a feeling my passport either has expired, or is just on the point of expiring, so that will need sorting out before I go anywhere!
I did German O-level, so I could probably scratch by somehow, although, as you say, many Germans (and Belgians and Dutch, for that matter) speak better English than a lot of the English! It's always polite to try and speak at least a few words of the local language, though, and is usually appreciated, in my experience.
Love & best wishes
Sammy B