Pictured is my little room...it's meant to have two twin beds in it; I take one out, store it, and have room to stretch, read, compute, etc.  While the glass isn't clean on the outside because it's impossible to reach, I can see quite well the beautiful bamboo in the neighboring yard...I have windows on three sides (four, actually, if I count the small bathroom window), and two of those views are quite rustic and peaceful.

So, routine?  Up between 5:30 and 7 most days, make the coffee, stir in a bit of chocolate almond milk and read for a couple of hours; stretch, enjoy coffee, and pack for the day.  Up the beach:  Stop at one of the fruit ladies...this gal is my favorite but she often unfortunately doesn't get onto the beach before I've gone on up.  Sometimes I get a different seller if I'm too early in the day.  Anyway, a fresh pineapple, or coconut, or papaya, some bananas or oranges, and I'm on the way.  Sometimes, I'll stop too for a patty, that little flour pocket with meat or veg in it...pretty much a Cornish pastie with spices.

Now, a three or four mile walk, trying to pay attention to the way my body moves, or doesn't, most of the way.  Find my spot; beauty and shade must both be there.  I found this year's spot near this particular tree.  I laze around, mostly in the shade but for forays into the sun and water.  Around 3 or 4 I decide it's time to head back down the beach.  Perhaps I'll stop for a pina colada or dinner at Cosmo's.  Perhaps I'll just head home, shower, then take an evening walk to watch one of many wonderful sunsets.  Most nights I don't turn lights on unless I decide to read...I often sit in the dark, listen to my music and the sounds of the world around....last night, I was up very late hearing interesting birds chirping right through the night.

Through it all, thinking...thinking...thinking.  Working through what I next want to say in a book; working on who I think I am and want to be; working on remembering how to relax and relish doing nothing on occasion.  Unwinding, unwinding, and oh, look....another sunset.....

The course went well; three students and three models let me relax a bit and not push myself as hard as the whole trip has been pushing.  On Sunday afternoon I made a photo of the three students; Jenny, Kathryn and Wendy.  Good bodyworkers, all!  Hopefully will see them in III next year.

Susan wasn't interested in a drink after, and I wasn't feeling chipper enough to bus up to Crouch End for dinner.  So home, packing, early bed.  Monday I was up early and into Wren for an 8:45 client by 7:45.  Good thing; she traveled in and was there by 8:15.  By the time I finished her session and got ready for the ten am, something was wrong...I began losing strength and running hot and cold.  I made it through the next two sessions; when client number four came in was thrilled to see Lisl, one of my students who's now working from the Wren too.  She treated me!  Then I got a bit of rest.

Client five was a tough one also, really needing the work, and I was unable to give him a great treatment; then he did a bit of work on me also!  Client six, as I began the session I asked Lisl to come in and assist/take over under my supervision, and she did marvelous work!  She took my last session of the day, allowing me to leave an hour early, cancel evening dinner plans, and go home to try to recoup health.

Up early the next morning, everything hurt and I had a 22 1/2 hour travel day!  Last flight was delayed by an hour so I arrived home about 11 pm.  Usually I unpack, stay up, etc; this year I crashed.  Wednesday had a medium full day; cancelled it all and called my brother in law Ralph, friend and my doc.  He got me on antibiotics, and by Thursday morning I was feeling a bit better.  Good thing too:  the first of 11 for dinner arrived on Wednesday night and by Friday we had 19 in and out of the house.  Poor Gloria!  Not much help from me, shuffling in and out from my bed!

Good dinner, though, and lots to be grateful for. Gloria set a wonderful table, and it was great to have family from Texas and north Missouri with us.

Retrospectively, what was I thinking when I got one day off in 23?  This has given me much to think about and I'll be nicer to me on next trips.  And it looks like there'll be a short May trip and a long November one.

So, home, getting healed, though slowly, and very grateful for not only all the wonderful students, clients and colleagues on this past trip, but for the chance to see family as well, and to settle back into my normal world beginning with this Sunday morning!

Well, finally I've had a nice relaxing day, the first of this trip.  It began with a sleep-late until 7:30; then a hotel breakfast, and a walk up to Camden Lock Market.  As I took one wrong turn north of St Pancras station, it took about a half to arrive.  But, this allowed me to find this lovely park area.

I walked north on Camden High Street to the canal; and on the left is a great deal of the market.  Though busier on weekends, I actually prefer it with a few less booths, but lots less people.  This was the first real shopping day I've had, and was able to get quite a few nice gifts for friends and family.  There's a really cool area built in an old stable; lots of horse statues amongst the interesting shops.

Lunch was Indian food; chicken korma, curried vegetables, rice, while sitting on the back half of one of these motorcycles and looking out over the canal.  A quite nice meal.  Then a tube back to Kings Cross and the hotel.

After a nap, I set out again; this time for the Charles Dickens House museum, just a few blocks south of my hotel.  I've been wanting to see this for a time, and was glad to finally catch it.  After a good and informative movie in the basement I looked over this place where his family lived for 2 1/2 years at the beginning of his good fortune and when he was beginning to be famous.  A nice little tour.

Then a walk past Holborn tube to Covent Garden--I try to stop in once each Christmas season to see what the decorations are like.  Next, on to Somerset House for a nice gift shop, then a bus to Trafalgar.  Unfortunately, usually I find something I like at St Martin's-in-the-Field and am able to support their gift shop which really does good works for the homeless and poor; today nothing appealed to me.  So I took the tube back from Leicester Square and the hotel.  In with a doner kebab meal and getting a nice early sleep so that the last four days--three teaching and one clinic--will go well.  Looking forward to getting home!

Monday I thought I was seeing Bev for work at 9:30 but she had to cancel, so had a few free hours.  I dropped off laundry, then took a bus into clinic and worked the day; then back for laundry, finished evaluations of the CORE I course, and made it to bed about ten thirty...why does it always seem so late?

Tuesday  I had a full work day, followed by a rehearsal with the St Paul's choir.  Though I'm not staying to sing, I plan to meet with them two weeks.  After I was invited with a group for a drink; by the time I got home, it was ten again!  I realized this night I'd left my phone charger in Yorkshire...how metaphoric!

Long day Wednesday--was a walk down Gray's Inn Road to Holburn Circus...I wanted an alarm clock and a phone charger--found out the charger was worth more than the phone, so decided to ask the Filey B & B lady to post mine along.  This is a photo of a beautiful old building on Holburn Road.  I decided to catch a bus the rest of way to clinic; unfortunately student demonstrations meant there were diverted buses, and it took me nearly two hours to get to the clinic.  Beat my client by minutes!   At midday I had time to kill, so went for a walk.  Just down the hill from the clinic, the old fish market building had this interesting sign:  for me?  Walked across London Bridge, looking at the Tower Bridge, then the new skyscraper going up on the South Bank, called the Shard...really going to be quite nice, and right over the London Bridge station.  On to shop in the Borough Market just across the bridge where I found some nice sea salt and great chocolates.

After finishing at the clinic that evening, I bused over the bridge again to Borough to have dinner with Jane and Shane, mother/son clients.  Jane was born and raised in St Louis, so we have a nice connection, and she's a psychotherapist who is now working from the Wren a bit too.  So that was a nice day.

Thursday ended being a day off, but not really.  First, I was up early and took the tube down to Turnham Green to see my student/friend Fran.  We worked with each other for several hours; then I went over to the Wren to make up the swap with Bev.  After, I loaded a taxi with all the clinic's old records to be taken to another location and be shredded there.  I was quite worn out on arriving home that night!

Friday was a full class at NLSSM.  Susan is doing great things, and planning to open a second campus in central London come February.  So, that will be exciting!  This course had 15 students, working to free jaw and neck.  A really good day...but...as I finished after 4 and didn't know what time I could get to Paddington to catch a train, I hadn't pre-booked.  The ticket agent told me the 6 pm train was over 100 pounds one way, so advised me to wait for the 6:30 train for much less.

Then I also picked up a message from Susan that I'd left my computer cord at the school...no way to pick it up.  Rats!  Again, I'm losing energy.  How metaphorical!

Well, it was the 'milk train' which means it stopped everywhere.  I had no reservation, and had to stand for the first hour.  Then the train was further delayed, with the result that Annamaria, my host at the (new to me) massage school in Devon, picked me up at 11:10 and got me checked into the hotel at 11:30.  And of course, that night I couldn't sleep.  So my 7:30 wakeup and 8:30 pickup came mighty early.

Devon, (and Exmouth especially) is beautiful! 

I didn't see much in the daylight, but what I did see makes me want to come back.  Annamaria has a charming facility...shown is her treatment room (see the parallels to the harmony we create in Springfield?),

a very nice classroom/Pilates center, and this incredible back garden/break room.   

I want this arch in my backyard!  And, her husband bakes fresh flapjacks!  This is one of my favorite vices in England...sort of a toffee bar of oatmeal, sugar, flour, and fruit.  I could eat a dozen, and Richard's were great.

The courses went extremely well...17 students, and all really enjoyed both days of psoas work and of knees work.  They seemed excited by and appreciative of my coming down, and want to see me again.  Lunches found us in a nearby pub having great meals...in this photo you see my 'harem'.  Some of the students, including the guys, ate elsewhere.  Annamaria is the second from the right, and I think I have a new friend and supporter; and I'm delighted to find such a dedicated therapist who's interested in helping me spread my ideas.

Saturday night, we finished at 4:30 and I went back to the hotel for a swim, a hot tub, a steam room, a leisurely dinner with two glasses of wine, and a bit of TV before sleeping from ten til 7:30.  Heaven.  The hotel was nice, a bit older, and as one woman I chatted with in the hot tub said, 'a bit tired' and in need of refurbishment.  I was quite happy there.

Sunday was long and hard, again.  Class went from 9:30 until 4:30, after which Annamaria had to drive me to Exeter, about 20 miles north, since trains weren't running from Exmouth on Sunday.  I caught the 6:08, which ended up being about half an hour late as there was a cow on the track.  What?  But home about 9 and in bed by 10:30...long day, though, again.

Today, Monday, I looked for a new computer cord, thinking I might as well buy a UK version.  When I finally found the store, found out it would cost me about $75, so decided I could live without one for a few more days!  I arrived at the clinic at 9:30 to find a man sitting on the steps, and he was waiting for me!  Oh dear; I'd gotten an email telling me I had an 8:45, but so much has happened over the weekend, it slipped through the cracks.  So I rescheduled him for the end of the day, gave him a really good session for a very large discount, and finished my day at 7:30 pm.  Home by 8:30 with a doner kebab and chips...even had a Pepsi!  Haven't felt like that for a long time!  But I was that tired.

It's now 9:30 and I still want to post some pictures with this entry before bed, and that's how the whole trip has been running...and running...and never stopping.  Oh, by the way, my phone charger arrived in the mail today, and I borrowed a cord for the computer at the clinic, so I have at least some of my energy back, thank goodness.  And a good session from osteo Valeria tonight didn't hurt in the least, either.  I'm not tired of London, I'm just really tired trying to keep up with the schedule I've set.  Very little time to be a tourist, lots of walking, buses, tubes, stairs, and work.  But, still a good trip.  And one week til I get home for Thanksgiving. 

When the course was finished, my student Rob, who is also a physiotherapist (physical therapist) and Pilates instructor in addition to being a CORE Level III, came to Filey to pick me up.  He superviesed the afternoon sessions while I worked to evaluate students; then we drove on over to his home area of Yarm.  On the way we saw lots of fireworks and bonfires.  Since it's 5 November tonight, all are celebrating Guy Fawkes Day in honor of the fellow who was most responsbile for trying to blow up Parliament many years ago.  I must say, many of us still think he wasn't far off the mark.

We arrived in Yarm about 6:30; I checked back into the B & B here where I stayed last trip, with Steve and Vicki in the Fieldview.  Soon I stumbled on Richard, the other advanced student with whom I'll spend the day tomorrow.  Rob soon came to pick up Richard, his partner Sue, and me; we went to dinner at the Cafe 85 down on the Yarm High Street.  After, we crossed the street to the Black Bull to meet up with Harry, husband to our client/model Karen from the May CORE III class here.  We drank...quite a bit!  And had a wonderful evening!

Shown are me, Richard, Harry and Richard's partner Sue.  Tomorrow we plan on a day for Richard and Rob, and me.  We're going to work on each other, review the recipe of bodywork I've taught them, work on our web presence, and hopefully work with Rob's business partner Joy who has just finished the CORE I in Filey (she is the blond at the front of a previous picture).

While in the pub, Rob pointed out one of the local landmarks.  We were so impressed, that we asked Sue to stand and have her picture made.  Do you see Mt Rushmore in the background?  Yorkshire is a fine place indeed!

So, tomorrow a nice, relaxed day with two of my favorite advanced students, working to meet their, and my needs.  We'll work with each other, review the recipe, my book, website, and whatever else we fancy.  Again, Yarm is good to me.  Look forward to the morrow, to returning to London, and to what else the trip presents.  It's a good one so far.

The hotel has been good, though I've moved on already.  It was a tiny, 8 x 11 or 12 room, but the view out the front window, of the Argyle Square was quite nice...plane trees and a park.  Good energy in this little hotel.

On Wednesday I had an early session with friend Gilli, then one more client.  After I met a client in the West End, where we had lunch and then went on to see the play Jerusalem, which is sort of a modern day morality play.  I must confess I didn't get it totally; Seamus saw much more than I did.  But then, I'm not totally conversant in William Blake's writings.  And, we were sitting in nosebleed seats, but paid only ten pounds.  The lead actor, Mark Rylance, however, was brilliant.  He's touted as the current Olivier, and I can see why.  He was sensational.

After the play on Wednesday, I tubed back to the clinic.  Kay, Shona and I spent a long evening cleaning, sorting and paring.  We actually found the kitchen, which was full of the stuff no one knew what to do with, and we sorted and cleaned lots of stuff out of the reception area as well.  A much nicer, friendlier place now!

London is such a busy, hard to let go of place!  The other day I came out of the bus and saw this stream of people coming across the London Bridge on their way into the City, the financial sector, and work.  It was such a teeming mass of humanity that I just had to stop and make a picture.

 Thursday I moved on to Filey.  I had no clients at the north London clinic for the day, thank goodness.  This meant I could leave at 10:30 am and have a leisurely day in Filey.  First I checked into a new B & B, the Filey Grange.  I was given a lovely room, with a nice en suite bath, and a secondary small bedroom also.  This is my main room here, for two nights:

Then I took a walk down to the seaside, and had a nice supper of apples, nuts, chips etc looking out at the North Sea.  A great view, and a great walk.  I had planned to stay up and go to the church for bell ringing; I chose to stay in, sip coffee and proof my book again instead.  But it's good to be back at the sea!

Today's class went very well, in Scarborough.  Sue has moved her school, and we had nine students in a very nice facility.

Sue is very professional, the class is going well, the students are great, and we're all tired at the end of our first of two 8 hour days.  Tonight, stepping out soon to have dinner with one of the students in my favorite Italian place here; back for more proofing, and tomorrow it all happens again.  Then I travel once more, on to Yarm...more to come!

So back to London...it's been a long day, or two days, or day and a half, or whatever I've just been through.  Friday morning up at the usual early hour in Springfield; in to the office for a few hours before going home to finish packing.  I wanted to share a picture of our back yard; fall is/was lovely in Missouri this year!  Gloria took me to the airport for a 2 pm flight to Atlanta, and four hour layover there, and arrived on time at Heathrow, about ten am local time.  Picadilly Line to Kings Cross and arrived at my hotel about noon.  Unfortunately my room wasn't ready, so I checked my luggage and without much thought, decided to head over to Portobello Road flea market in order to look for a quilt from Pakistan/Bangladesh like the one I brought back for my kids last year--unfortunately, the kids liked it so I need to find one for me.  But my vendor wasn't there and the other vendors who had showed up didn't have beautiful quilts like last year's.

And, since I didn't think to change out of my rocking shoes, I wore them through the crowds, through the bus ride as the Tube line I needed was down, and back on a different Tube line.  My back has suffered!  I'm aware that those shoes won't work for me for long, hard days, and this was a hard one. I arrived back at the hotel about 3:30 to settle in and relax.  Out for a few groceries, hooked up the internet service, and decided to go try for a ticket to see Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones in Driving Miss Daisy, in a beautiful, intimate theater.  Wonderful!  What a fine show they gave.  It was well worth paying the price to see true acting at such a level. I also had great seat mates:  an amateur astronomer from Salisbury and a girl who was a ringer for one of my publisher's employees!  We all enjoyed.

Unfortunately, something has happened to the camera and I'm not getting anything in the viewfinder except an inkblot!  So still unsure whether I'll be getting pictures this trip or no.  Ouch.

Tomorrow, off to work at the clinic--a day of touch up painting, cleaning, sorting.  I look forward to seeing colleagues tomorrow, then working Monday through Thursday in clinics.  It's going to be a busy trip!  But it's fun to be back.

So, I arrive on Saturday, 29 October and work the first week in London; then travel to Filey, Yorkshire to teach a CORE I for Sue Lincoln there.  From there I'll spend a day with advanced students in the north before coming back to London for the week's work.  The second weekend will be travel to Exmouth, to a new school there (new to me) where I teach a psoas course and a knees class on that weekend.  After returning to London for one more week's work, I'll also teach at my London school on the weekend, work the final Monday, and return home on Tuesday 22 November in time for Thanksgiving.  So, a lot of activity packed into three and a half weeks. 

Looking forward to seeing colleagues, friends, clients and students.  And I hope to see you there!

First, he's a neat kid.  Second, he pretty much tells you (even if you can't understand always) what he needs.  Third, it's been a new vacation, entirely.

We've managed to do some pretty cool stuff.  The other night we went to a Mexican restaurant with friends Gray and Andrea...Henry likes this place for the mariachi band.  On this night, the owner took him to visit a little girl about his age, and he got to dancing...made more friends.

Last Sunday morning we took a trip to the skate park.  Dad's a great skater, and took Henry down in the big bowl, and Henry loves the trip.

After, we took him to the kid friendly area...where we enjoyed swings, climbing, etc.

He's really a great little guy, and we're starting to understand each other lots better.

So this is my world for the next few days....

But when you look at the little guy in dad's bed, it's all worth it.

The last post came just after the trip to Portugal, which was fantastic.  I won’t bother to post the photo of the bruise on my bottom where I fell on a slick and wet step in Sintra, but suffice to say it was big and ugly.  But it seems to be healing nicely, and again demonstrates how all things work together if we can find gratitude in them.

On arriving back in London I came back to the grotty Northumberland Hotel, and was given my choice of rooms.  I chose a noisy one, that looks right out at the Kings Cross station; if I crane to the left I see the marvelous St Pancras building.  Note the slightly dreamy look; no one washes windows in this hotel!      So, re-established, I had a reasonably busy Tuesday.  On arriving, I found that the two later afternoon appointments had rescheduled, so I tubed down to Elephant and Castle and found the Clark shoe outlet…I love that store!  I got a couple pairs of shoes before coming home.

 Wednesday was then also a Wren day, but a very full one….as I’m up early, I went in about 7 am and worked on computer; then did my six sessions.  I finished about 6:25 and went downstairs to find folks already gathering for a memorial service for our beloved receptionist Yvonne who had passed this year with a very quick struggle with cancer.  It was attended by five of her family and many of our staff, and was truly a wonderful celebration of a really fine lady.  However, I arrived home about ten pm that night.

Thursday up to North London school for clinics; one later afternoon was forced to cancel…I mentioned to Cassandra, the director, that I thought I’d use the spare time to go to see ‘Betty Blue Eyes’, a new West End musical about 1947 England with rationing, austerity, and a group of the ‘haves’ who are secretly raising a pig for their private function.  She said she wanted to go too; the next thing I know she’d called a student and we had free tickets, and good ones too!  Pictured is the interior of the theater, the Novello just off the Strand.  We loved the show, but that meant home at 11:30.

Friday I went into the Wren for a swap day with Michael and Chris.  After, again a bit of free time, and back to Elephant and Castle for another pair of shoes!  As it was only blocks from the dinner I was attending with friends that evening, it was a good way to kill the hour.  I arrived at friends’ flat in Borough, on the south side of the river, and had a very nice evening with Jane and her son Shane.  As she was born in Missouri, we have a nice connection; though she recently found out her American grandparents were married a few blocks from where she lives now!  (And no, Gloria, I can't remember the name of the dog, though the cat is Spirit, named by/for the deceased father.)  Home at a reasonable hour:  9:30.

Saturday a teaching day at NLSSM…here’s where it gets weird.  I gave the Wren clinic 300 pounds on Friday, for paint, flooring, or whatever decoration we can squeeze from it.  Saturday morning after breakfast, I decided to go into the Tesco supermarket to pick up fruit for lunch.  I heard a cash machine beeping, looked in and noticed a large stack of cash, and no one around.  I took the cash into the Tesco service desk and said, “I found this in the cash machine and somebody will be missing it soon…can you take care of it?”  They took the money and I told them I’d be back at 4 pm to claim it if no one had.  At four pm, I was given 400 pounds!  Does anybody else think that’s an amazing story of giving to get?

The class was great:  Seven students Assessing and Planning what to do with a body.  We finished at four; I raced back to Kings Cross to pick up groceries and change, then back up to Crouch End where school owner Susan lives.  As the main tube line I use was down, this was quite a feat.  I managed to go to the neighborhood Tesco and pick up groceries to feed (and wine) a crew of 8 on Sunday when we worked at the Wren.  Dinner and drinks at Crouch End; back to the hotel by 9:00.

Sunday, oh, I’m still sore from that one.  I walked all the way to the clinic since I didn’t think buses were running correctly on Sunday…perhaps 3 miles with two heavy bags of groceries.  Once there, I began pulling carpet from the treatment room we were flooring with laminate that day.  Nicolas, our chiropodist, arrived a bit after 8 and he and I tore into the room, and finished an excellent job about 4.  Around ten Gillian (diamonds in your crown, Gillian!) showed up with the car, the paint for the belfry, and some smoked salmon on rye to add to the lunch things.  Shortly after Lesley, Monica and Chris, all colleagues came in.  Between the four they put four coats of paint on the walls of a large room and three coats on the ceiling!  A fantastic work day, and the clinic is beginning to shine a bit more as a result of our work.   (Pictured here also is the room I've been working in:  the little orange dancer is my newest addition)  But, we left at 6 pm; I tubed up to Paddington to have dinner/drinks with Elizabeth, my often-times flatmate.  It was only our second time together this trip, so we were glad to have the chance to catch up.  But on arriving home at 9 pm last night, I was oh, so tired!

Today is last Wren day…six clients, then Bev and I do a final swap.  Much is packed, much is ready to go home, though I’ll probably pay a penalty for a too heavy bag.  Thoughts:  good people here…as I have no family, I’ve made the Wren my primary family, to their gain and to mine.  Missing the St Paul’s concert was all right, as it allowed us to have yesterday’s work party, bond even more, and really put the clinic back on a better footing.  In November I’ll only come for three weeks, but look forward to keeping these connections I’ve developed over the years.  And, ready to get home to Gloria and the yard!

Bon voyage.