A new Chapter in Beethoven by Bike
I confess that for these months since my return I have felt more as if I were wrestling than landing.
Perhaps I am a very slow learner in that transition is not something I fully comprehend despite so many attempts during my life and in so many different ways… this ‘journey’ being so much more than I ever really imagined…. or is it just that this IS life?
I am girding my cycling and adventure loins again…. different kind of adventure, but certainly there is a Beethovian continuity, as I am going to take the train to Inverness and ride up to Moniak Mhor at the weekend to embark on a week of writing under the wing of the Arvon Foundation and then I’ll potter around gently on my E-bike for another week in the Scottish landscape ( I am too tired to make an enormous physical effort to get anywhere too strenuous) with my paints and, inevitably, my waterproofs!
It’s easy enough to cobble together little posts for a blog. I just write what comes into my head and heart and hope for the best.
But do I really want to write a book??
I think I do.
I think that the sense of Beethoven and all that he has taken me to is worthy of the effort…. that thread of music and its power to demolish, rebuild and support me throughout my 56 years….. his example of inspiration, dedication and service to mankind through his art…. the enthralling writing of authors fired by their own passions or the captivating craft of artists and musicians…
Perhaps it’s my turn to have a go?
As I gear up for my week of study, I can feel a shift of energy… although I have such a huge resistance to sitting still for half a minute let alone regular disciplined academic work, I do really relish a good project! If I can let it feed me instead of getting depleted by the ‘burn’, I am sure I shall love it.
Let’s see what happens when those cylinders start to fire and we put the thing into gear….
I am listening to Jon Lord’s radiant Durham concerto, which for all sorts of reasons has just come my way. Friendship, summer, camp fires, landscape, meditation and gifts of the spirit will be forever embedded in this piece for me. I am nearly ready to move away from the haven that has been the home for my shepherd’s hut and this CD gift of appreciation from my dear friends with whom I have been staying will conjure all of that.
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Here is a pic of Ollie on HIS first long ride, with Nanny trying to keep up.
We got from Exmouth to Topsham and back to Star Cross on Saurday. 2 ferries, lots of snacks, hurtling along and then a tired wobbly last couple of miles just as the only (astonishingly rude ) traffic compelled me to take up a great deal of protective space around him…. did I care if they swore? Nope!
…. and you know what he loved the most when we got back? Having his feet washed in a little bowl of hot water. Simple, humble pleasures.
Packing. 2bags hrrmm? Will it all fit in?
Guess so.
Wish me good luck.

















