Goodnight friends! Very flat, murky grey sky, about 8°c most of the day. Over just a few days the ash trees dropped most of their yellow foliage in a sudden rush, magnolias almost completely bare save for the leathery velvet-covered pods of next year’s spring in hopeful waiitng. Burbling flights of small birds in the canopies, teardrop silhouettes replacing wind-stirred leaves. Thumps and low booms and crackles in escalating chorus, Guy Fawkes celebrations kicking off in earnest. An occasional faint hint of colourful haze against rhe clouds and the hot, exciting, bitter scents of bonfires and burnt gunpowder on the air as dark fell.
Last of the sore throat resolved, only a little stuffiness left in the morning. Paced the day out as steady and careful as I could, a slow relaxed start and spreading out activities, checking in with my body to ensure there was no feeling of resurgent feverishness or malaise. Everything stayed fairly even, so I went along for my last judo study session before the grading. Running through this more involved syllabus remains rewarding while not being as taxing as randori – and will hopefully feed back into better sparring when I go back to it, too.
May we find peace and patience in our lives today!
Image ID: Photo of leaf litter on grass, focusing on a blunt, lanceolate finely saw-edged leaf that has turned a deep, rich purple-red colour leoparded with little dark violet blotches.
