Jacky on the beach with sandcastles

July has been relaxing, but one's mind generates such a disproportionate wodge of white noise that taking a step back and inhaling deeply becomes more complicated than it should be. The beach helps, the garden soothes, the dogs shadow protectively and Jacob enlightens. 

Mera

It's been a nice July. I feel I should say relaxing and "chilling out" but that's not really true. It's been frenetic in an oxygenated time capsule.

My new garden table, covered in linseed oil

 Garden tables make good dens for little boys and a happy source of shade for thirsty dogs.

Teamwork

The dogs are happy to be going on walks and don't mind when they are sat upon, chased, bombarded with mud or sticks or even fed with grass.

The 11 mill walk, just by the house

Velocipede

No millstone round this boy's neck!

Look back in hunger?

Basically just a few pictures. And why not?


You can subscribe to the blog or just find it by typing in it's address which is: absentwithoutleaves.blogspot.com

Today's poem:

I WILL arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core. 

Foibles

The title of this particular weblog is because it sounds good. To tell the truth though, I am not absolutely sure what it means precisely. I would have said "quaint idiosyncrasies" but I can't be bothered to look it up.

Why? Because one man's foible is another man's doctrine. People are stupid this is my conviction. Judges are stupid, politicians are stupid and you and me too. But stupid is too strong a word. We have foibles and we are proud of them. How often have you heard somebody say, "that's just the way I am, that's me!" as if it were a badge of honour that they never change their mind or that they always say exactly what they think even when it might be injurious to others.

The view from J's window this morning

 You can't argue with a nice view though.

I have had confirmation that the psychologists' report was favourable. What this means is that they have recommended Joint custody for Jacob. At the moment his mother has provisional custody. In practice, however, under the terms of the present arrangement I am with Jacob a great deal of the time anyway. During the school year, he's with me 10 days out of 28 and during the holidays half of the time. For example he's with me for the whole of July and then with his mum in August.

I have asked for an extra day a week, which would mean that we would both have him for 14 days each (weekly rather than calendar months). At present I also pay his mother 370 Euros a month, even in July when he is with me. But the judge, even if he awards joint custody when the hearing reopens on the 10th of November, may maintain that payment on the grounds that the mother has little or no income. In addition he may stipulate that custody will involve one week with me and then a week with his mother rather than the system we have at the moment which is superficially complicated; every alternate weekend he is with me from Friday after school until Tuesday morning and every Monday too. If the judge did decide to change that system rather than just adding an additional day, it would mean that I wouldn't be able to do the private classes that I need to balance my books.

What's wrong with Gilty?

  There ain't nowt wrong with Gilty. It's just so incredibly hot that....

By popular request

Private conversation

Today's poem:

Blunt

What's wrong with you?
What's right with you?
(More to the point)

Always too few,
Too false too true?
And here's the point

Your green is blue
Your words are glue
You missed the point

They won't accrue
To me but you
These useless points!

And if they do
will you eschew
the pointless point

I point at you
you point you too
It's rude to point!

All craves askew
So I ask you;
Just what's the point?

Asymetry of information

Most of the time you think you know what´s going on in your immediate environment. In order to remain a functional mammal this is pretty much essential. However, there is so much information which is bombarding us these days that  you can't be too sure what is reliable, what is guff and, much more worryingly, which sources are to be trusted. For example, the following image looks like it might have been manipulated....

Hammock to the stars

Not a good example. 

A friend of mine, an incredibly young lady (same age as me) x-local politician pointed out to me that the average wage of Greek civil servants was or perhaps still is 70,000 euros a year, way above the average salary that German civil servants earn, around 54, 000 € a year. She was very convincing but I was unable to glean reliable confirmation even after spending considerable time looking. The figure of 70, 000 € is banded about everywhere but until you get to an academic study you should be skeptical.  

Here is some veracity. On Saturday, Jacob and I are having a barbecue. Lots of people are coming and I am trying to organize a croquet competition. I still have to cut the grass and make or buy a croquet set.  

Croquet Helmet

 Nothing to do with croquet, obviously. First bike with pedals and no stabilizers though. Let's see how Greece manages with this kind of bike.

Lots of sun

The first day of rain today in quite a while. It's only water.

Today's poem;

How great my grief, my joys how few, 
Since first it was my fate to know thee! 
- Have the slow years not brought to view 
How great my grief, my joys how few, 
Nor memory shaped old times anew, 
   Nor loving-kindness helped to show thee 
How great my grief, my joys how few, 
   Since first it was my fate to know thee?