The 'eyes' have it!

National Eye Inst

My eyes hurt, My knees tremble, my fitness is equal to that of a ninety year old who has just fallen all the way down Mont Blanc! Otherwise all is well, except for the stink in this place, the debts, the rain clouds outside and in, the dole hassling me to take work that isn't there, and the funny looks women give me when I follow then through the park.
Otherwise all is well.
So I am not on the PC much as it hurts my eyes after five minutes, and I write this on a gray background to lessen the impact on me, plus I have already dimmed the bright screen so I cannot see what I am writing. Not that this would make much difference.

I am bereft without the PC! I attend to those things left idling but compose words for the PC as I do this but to no effect. I do find that age old problem that compositions made in the mind are very different when put down in writing! How come?

The eye is a masterful creation. Have you looked into them recently, no dear, not like that! So small inside, so complicated, and yet so marvellous. And they say it was just evolution! Ha! What fools we are.

Maldon

Yesterday a friend (yes I do have them) and I wandered down to the Blackwater Estuary at Maldon, eventually. It was an excellent place to be for a short time. The sun shone, the sky was blue and he cameras found one or two items to picture. The estuary lays host to a wide selection of vessels. mostly yachts of those rich enough to afford one. We did wonder if they ever got to use them or just sat there, Riviera style, and boasted of their wealth to their neighbours. There were also a number of Thames barges lined up, now used for tourist trips and special events. These were once found carrying the cargo of the day up and down the Thames, reaching up the East Anglian coast. Similar vessels, called 'Wherries,' worked the same route from places like Yarmouth in similar fashion. Few remain now and what was once a hard life of slog and little reward now is seen as fun and relaxation, if you pay for it that is!

Maldon makes sea salt further down. For centuries they have taken the sea, dried it, and left behind natural salt. Now, I hope in a cleaner environment, this trade is carried on with much success. Each year the mud, seen by the boat in the picture, is where the great 'Maldon Mud Race' takes place. A suitable part of the estuary is chosen at low tide and the cheery nutters volunteers, dressed in a wide variety of outfits, attempt to race from one side to the other through the mud. Only in this country could such events take place! I have not volunteered.


In spite of the estuary, and all those round about, being filled with yachts of all sizes and the Thames barges further along, I found this the best vessel there. Somehow this rust bucket tug, no doubt having seen much good service, appealed much more to me than all the other sailing vessels. This somewhat tarnished when the over friendly tug boat cat got under my feet in an attempt to find friends and attempted to hurl me into the Blackwater itself. I suppose it is all the hard work, tacking, rope pulling and such like that puts me off. Just switch on the engine and go, or shout at the engineer down below until she does, that's more my style.

Painted Church

On the way there we first visited this little church at Faistead famous for their wall paintings. Some of these, seen in the link, were done in the 13th century and covered over during the reformation. One large on hangs over the nave, and other small ones are found elsewhere. They were uncovered in 1890 during a renovation and renovated in the thirties. The church contains lots of Roman bricks which show an old villa once stood here, and it always leaves me wondering just how many people have passed through this building, and whatever went before. The people who 'worshipped, some willingly, and the difficulties encountered by the leaders during the reigns of kings and queens who changed from catholic to protestants and back again. Churches are never the peaceful places of myth.

Not only did I enjoy dragging my unfit fat body around, and why do they built towns on hilltops anyway? But I also journeyed with a man who has been a very good friend, and for little return, over many years. It made the day out all the better, especially when he insisted on stopping off for his latest craze, visiting a tea shop! So we sat in the Waterside Tea Rooms and stuffed ourselves with coffee and scone. I recommend this place!

Eye Info

Being a weary soul much of the time these days is bad enough, but at the weekend my eye decided to play up. I thought it was just strain caused by using the PC in poor light, and when natural daylight disappears it always causes a strain for my eyes. However the ache increased on Saturday and I began to see bright crescents where I had not before, and on Sunday a new type of 'floater' appeared across the eye, a dark spidery like thing that was not there before. But
naturally I searched the web, studied carefully all I found but cried myself to sleep handled the situation bravely until I saw the quack doctor this morning. He listened, all the while pinning a notice to his wall,
"Feel free to waste my valuable time"
it read, and he investigated by shining that little light into my eye blinding me as he did so. he muttered and silently fussed, asking relevant questions and refused to doubt my story even though he could see no fault. "Typical," I thought,"I've discovered a new disease!" However he typed away on the PC and gave me a list of hospitals to choose from and fix up an appointment with an opthim, othimp, optham, an eye doctor in December. It least it is not something obviously bad, just some loose matter in the jelly like substance in the eye. A real nuisance when reading as light backgrounds show it up, and I read a lot.

Good job I am not one to complain, or I would rant about it.

Storm

The dark clouds brought lashing rain as I woke this morning. The forecast had been for high winds and lashing rain, and they were not wrong. Tonight the trees opposite are almost bare of the yellowing leaves, and the sodden ground awaits the next round on Monday. There were gaps in between the rain and I managed to get out once or twice then. In the far distance I could see bright blue sky and, as always, found the comparison between the heavy, dark gray clouds above. Alas this picture does not reflect the actual colour of the sky but you get the picture, if that is the right thing to say. An ideal day to stay in bed, alas I wish I had!





I did manage to catch some of the rugby between Scotland and Fiji, which Scotland actually won, and we don't do that often at rugby, but never get too carried away with that sport. However I did not see Scotland playing football away in Wales. The Welsh have a rubbish football side, one that all decent nations manage to beat with little trouble, naturally we are one of the leading powers in football and this was an opportunity to give squad players a chance to show their mettle. Burley instead played the MacManus, Caldwell partnership! Why? Fox, a Celtic player was preferred to Wallace the best left back in the country, and it would appear the rest of the players believed the hype that Wales were indeed rubbish. By half time we were three down, and it could have been four. How Caldwell did not have a penalty given against him I do not know?
In short there is a need for radical change. Some would dump the manager, I would allow another game, and if he persists with the numpties who are there simply because they are 'experienced' or play for the 'right club,' then he must consider his position. Mind you I remind you I did not see the game, just highlights, I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

Safe Computing

I have been suffering strange happenings in my left eye, and I think it is strain caused by the use of the computer. Not only the PC but the change in the light. With the sky darkening there is no natural light, the best there is, and this means the screen strains the eyes and add in closed curtains and low energy light bulbs there is a problem. It remains a good job that I am not the type to complain about my incredibly difficult and torturous circumstances aint it guv?