Introspection and a thousand miles round Italy

Thursday 30th October 2025

The speed at which my bird feeders are emptying at this time of year seems to reflect the speed of the passing of my time.

I have walked locally often since my last proper walk. Below are a a few photos. Whilst our locality is perhaps more attractive than many, and whilst I never take it for granted, I seem to find it unnecessary  to take many photos. When I walk locally the terrain is similar to most of my longer walks, but I don't use my walking poles. I guess I am not wishing to appear as a local wet or perhaps even aspire to be seen more as a macho adventurer. I do say to myself I am not fashion conscious, being so is a desire to display your "coolness" to the wider world.  Presumably I am submitting to my concern for how others see me on the local walks, so perhaps I am no different from the followers of,  Saint Laurent, Prada, Stussy, or Nike. 

Google has started creating links to various words that were not intended by me. I haven't the time or the willpower to try and reverse this at the moment.

Two recent observations.

 1. A further infringement of my campaign to bring back the correct "different from" to replace the now universal incorrect "different to."  Now we go further. The other evening I heard the BBC Political Correspondent, Chris Mason using "different than."

2. I look back from time to time at older posts on my blog and was mortified recently to see that one was entitled "My Life and Cameras." If I had used that satirically it may have been excusable, but I fall on my sword and self deprecatingly confess that I don't think I did. It sounds like the title of an article from the Reader's Digest, and in any case I reckon for most readers it would be as uninteresting as tapioca.  I have refrained from re-reading the post to avoid further masochism. I have no recollection of its contents. By some chance it may be more entertaining than I suspect, but I doubt it. 

On the way to Arnside Knott and below

Another Valtra tractor for Alan. I don't thnk this is the "33" he wants to see, but it was certainly a monster. It's strange attachment is shown below.

My latest model ( a bit of a problem with the bonnet cover)
1931 Mercedes SSKL
As raced to victory by Rudolf Caracciola in the Mille Miglia on the 12th and 13th of April 1931 
 7.1 liter engine. Avarage speed was 63mph, that is for a thousand miles on public roads round Italy. It must have been a terrifying and physically demanding experience.