Travellin' Penguin

Japanese proverb

It’s still winter here but the solstice has passed and the days are getting longer. Being so far south we start getting very dark and dreary around 4:30 pm. Did I mention cold?

This was a pretty quiet week with not much on so I just focused on wellness meaning I did not fall off the reformer at Pilates class. I have always had such good balance but now when standing on that moving carriage while doing squats I use the balance pole. It’s important to know your limits whether liking it or not.

I finished up the book The Force of Nature, about the three women walking the John Muir Trail in the North American rockies. It was an interesting read but not as good as the next bit of travel writing I am listening to.

My way-My way- a Camino memo by film director Bill Bennett. Bill Bennett was born in England and raised in Brisbane, Queensland. He started university as a medical student but ended up working as a journalist for Australian Broadcasting . He then moved into the film industry as a film director, producer and screen writer. He has won awards from the Aus Film Institute but I am not familiar with any of his films.

He is 59 yrs old and had wanted to walk the Camino trail in Spain for years but finally bit the bullet. He couldn’t say why but the story of his travels focuses on his thoughts of changing his competitive nature, anger, rudeness and a general bombastic nature. He doesn’t present as a very man to get along with due to his string ego and arrogant manner. He does come face to face with these traits and refers to himself as Bill (his arrogant self) or Camino Bill where he behaves in a milder, more gentle and generous behaviour. He wants to use this experience to change and he often sits in the backs of churches along the way to reflect on this entire experience and what it means to him.

I have read a few books about the Camino pilgrimage. Many of them dive into the history or the terrain almost completely. This book is enjoyable to me because he is excellent at describing people and sharing their stories. He loves talking to people. He loves stories. His wife accuses him of interrogating people but he can’t help himself as he really wants to know the stories of those he meets. He does mention the churches, the food and the climate and terrain but the main focus of his trip is the people.

I am listening to this on audible. I enjoy books on audible that are told in the first person. However the narrator is a woman and I didn’t check that when I downloaded the book. I thought it would feel like it was a woman doing the walk instead of the man. But that hasn’t happened. I have a very clear image of Bill being male and the narration has not bothered me at all. I hardly notice it. I will finish this in no time as I am really enjoying it.

I didn’t do any photography this week but I did spend time editing photos and studying videos and written work on street photography. I’ll post a couple of photos I edited.

This coming week will be much busier. I have my annual MS appt with my neurologist but that is a walk in-walk out appt. He says hello, checks my balance and hand strength and wishes me well for another year. I am fortunate my MS has always been quite benign.

I have a photo club meeting and an excursion to a small country town north of here to take photos. I’ll do a separate photography post on that.

I have Adam’s book club at Fullers mid week to discuss The Sea The Sea by Iris Murdoch. Looking forward to that. Then later in the week is an Agatha Christie play at our Playhouse theatre with a couple of friends. Should be fun. Sets are always good for her stories.

That about wraps up the week. I have been thinking about the books I read and rather than writing plots and thoughts of a book I have finished in my book journal, I have started to think of the image, a picture that represents the book. If your book was to be illustrated what would the photos be?

For The Sea The Sea I see a photo in my mind of the rocks and the angry waves upon them. I also see the living room of the old house as though a set from a play. In My Way- My Way I see Bill Bennett limping down a dirt trail with fields on either side of him. A clear sky overhead. Another image is of him sitting in the cafe having his Coke Zero with four glasses of ice as the Spanish only seem to put two cubes in each glass and he wants as much ice as he can get.

Question for today: What is the image in your head of the current book you are reading or have just read? What is the first photo that comes to mind? Think what is your first illustration that comes to mind?