under another sun

Dejected by lack of improvement to the back.  But people were kind to me all day. First, Lorraine rescued me from this, by setting up an osteopath appointment, and going off to Ashford to take Pat to an appointment. She also called Brian and arranged for him to collect me. Not before calling our old pal Brian Bell by mistake first, which was fun. Brian in Seaford kindly picked me up, Igor-ing in my slippers into his car.   The osteopath was incredibly gentle and very chatty behind his facemark. After twenty minutes or so of deceptively light massage transformed the rigid muscle into something more pliable. We were chatting all the time. His father was an archeologist, and his mother a dentist, and he and his brother grew with bones to play with. He also said that the majority of spines are horizontal, which I had never thought about in quite that way before.  He took my payment, while chatting intensely, and it was only when I got home, the receptionist called to say the ...

Cold in my office and a chilly, rainy day. Autumn has arrived with a bad attitude. Interviewed Elizabeth Murtough, a southern Californian woman living in Dublin, who has started a magazine that is to do with environmental concerns.  Then off to Bradley the back cracker, which I used as an opportunity to get a six mile walk in. Shortly after I stepped outside, an absolutely foul deluge for about five minutes, luckily I had a wet top but my trousers were soaked to the skin. Once I arrived, dry again, Bradley assured me that I am showing more flexibility in my neck and back. As the end user of the spine, I am not so sure. He is now wearing surgical gloves as well as a face mask as he was telling me about going to the pub quiz the night before. He tried to 'release' the stiff part of my spine, which did not work. Back again, listening to my Old Testament lecture series. Near the end now. Left wondering, in contrast to the lecturer who I find hard to love, how humanity has managed t...

Raining and horrid weather. Did bits and pieces of my work, trying to get things organised. Spoke to Robin, and Lorraine drove me over this afternoon to the Sussex Back Pain Clinic, where I had another cracking session with young Bradley.Felt like I had a bit of a beating, as Bradley was quite determined to set about my back today. Still not had the great freeing crack, between two vertibrae that seem almost locked together. Discussed football with Bradley, and the fact that Chelsea had finished in a position where they can qualify for the Champions League. Found Lorraine in Beth's flat, where I had an excellent cup of tea. Beth said that Amy has a little trampoline in her room, and she can hear it when Amy has a little bounce now and then. Amy is very keen on exercise of all sorts, and goes out running before breakfast and so on.

So, readied and prepared another short story (after a good deal of rewriting) which I sent out this afternoon. Dawn here again, working very hard indeed, and then she gave me a lift to Hove for a late afternoon back crack at the osteopath. I waited alone in a waiting room, and young Bradley strode in and I didn't recognise him for a moment, due to the fact he wasn't at first wearing a mask. The session itself hasn't yielded the big crack I need in my back, nor I suspect will the next. I wonder what is to be done. My back is some percentage better however. Walked home listening to my lectures about Egypt. It is exactly what I wanted: a detailed overview of Ancient Egyptian history. I particularly like it when he explains an antiquity in detail. I found one piece he was talking about online and could understand what was going on, even down to recognising the hieroglyphs for the name of the king. Calling kings Pharaohs was a Hebrew thing, apparently, as pr-o in Egyptian mea...