You know you're so mystifying, can't believe it's true (The Kinks)

Wie geht's?

The British love to shoot themselves in the foot, right?

One word - Brexit.

Another couple of words: Sunderland, Nissan.

Great story from The Guardian about a city who voted 61% to leave the EU but who are faced with Nissan abandoning them as a result. A must read. What the heckfire????

As we visited the beautiful city of Vienna, Jacky and I wondered why of why the UK would want to turn its back on being connected to such a wonderful city. 

It's clean, well looked after, the people are pleasant and helpful, the buildings are amazingly well preserved. Clearly austerity measures aren't in place here.

For us, it's brain dead stuff - the British mentality to withdraw into its own island and make it infinitely harder for themselves is utterly bizarre.

I don't get it!

Love and peace - Wozza 

Oh, promises, promises, my kind of promises can lead to joy and hope and love (Bacharach/David)

Wie geht's?

Today, we're off to Vienna to see the Spanish Riding School. 

About six years ago, I'd promised the LOML that we'd go as a way of providing a goal, something to look forward to, while she went through her treatments.

Time to deliver on that promise.

Love and peace - Wozza

The lights are turned way down low; let it snow, let it snow, let it snow (Dean Martin)

Wie geht's?

Me? I'm doing okay given the circumstances: proper winter weather of late has helped. These are the views from our flat in Caterham.

Looking towards Harestone hill

 Early morning chill, includes our loaner
car from my former employers

Back garden next door

We'll miss all this, I'm sure, after we return to Nu Zild in late March. 

However,  I prefer to think of things we are moving towards: a third winter in a row; becoming a grandpop; Jerry; and new challenges (somewhere in Aotearoa).

Love and peace - Wozza

Got a feeling inside (Can't explain) (The Who)

Leigh-on-sea holds a very special place in our hearts.

We visited it again yesterday - just mossied around: had a look at the redevelopment of The Grand; remembered staying there in 2004 and wondered if we were some of the last people to do so before it fell into disrepair - now looks like it's being turned into apartments; bought lottery tickets at the co-op; speculated on what we'd do if we won the lottery (buy a place in Victoria Rd and retire was the simple conclusion); wandered along The Broadway; rummaged through the racks in Fives (didn't buy anything though which was a shock); had tea and scones at our usual place (a bookshop and tea room combined close to Marine Parade); posted parcels for Jade's baby shower; gazed in estate windows and wondered about what could have been in 2019 if only...

Love and peace - WNP

P.S. When we returned to Caterham it started snowing so we went out for an evening stroll in pretty idyllic conditions. A perfect end to a special day!

I am on a lonely road and I am traveling traveling, traveling, traveling - looking for something, what can it be? (Joni Mitchell)

Wie geht's?

Joni Mitchell appeared on the latest Mojo cover (awesome picture from the Hejira era), so that meant returning to her seventies albums as I read about her life and songs in the main article.

This quote leapt out from an interview:

You have to pull the weeds in your soul when you are young, when they are sprouting, otherwise they will choke you (Joni Mitchell).

I went back to it a few times as I continued to work through her early albums (what a stunning bunch they are too - Hejira, Blue, Clouds and Court and Spark continue to dazzle - just sayin').

The wider context of that quote was:

I think men write very dishonestly about breakups. I wanted to be capable of being responsible for my own errors. If there was friction between me and another person, I wanted to be able to see my participation in it so I could see what could be changed and what could not. That is part of the pursuit of happiness. You have to pull the weeds in your soul when you are young, when they are sprouting, otherwise they will choke you (Joni Mitchell).

Love and peace - Wozza

Now I'm stepping out this old brown shoe (The Beatles)

Photo by Josh Edgoose on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Footwear.

With all the varying sizes available you'd figure spotting people wearing the same shoes would be a thing.

But I never see it. 

Am I always looking around for people wearing the same shoes? Of course not.

But invariably, as I'm riding London's underground network, my eyes travel around the shoes in my vicinity on the train.

I've yet to see people sharing the same footwear. Huh! Why is that?

I have no idea.

But, the staggering, almost infinite, variety of shoe choice means there are billions of individuals out there expressing themselves on a daily basis.

Woh! I like that.

Love and peace - Nerraw Ydrup

There's something not right here. I feel cold, death (Luke Skywalker)

Wie geht's?

The dark side within (a chapter of The Dharma of Star Wars by Matthew Bortolin) has an interesting take on that scene in Empire Strikes Back that I've often puzzled over.

After a Yoda training session Luke looks into a creepy dark cave. Yoda tells him it's 'a domain of evil' and that Luke must go into it!

Whaaat? But Luke is a curious young guy and so he ignores Yoda's advice about taking a weapon and in he goes.

Everyone knows what happens next in the cave - Darth Vader 'appears', they battle and Luke 'wins' only for the Vader mask to disappear and reveal Luke's own face!!

Whaaat???

This is deep stuff. Wot's uh the deal?

Well the deal is, that Luke has to confront the dark side in that cave. 

As Matthew explains:

The dark side is all the suffering in life: it is frustration, hatred, anger, and all the negative feelings and thoughts that come from within us. By going into the cave Luke is penetrating his own nature on a quest to recognise himself and the source of his difficulties. Yoda knows that if Luke can confront what lies within with courage and compassion, he will do much to overcome whatever hold the dark side has on him. But Luke makes the same error many of us make in our lives: he mistakenly believes his suffering comes from somewhere outside of himself. In this case, Darth Vader is the apparent source.

Love and peace - Adson Purwa (Jedi master)