Dee74

Last part here:
https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...llenge-20.html (New year challenge)

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AL48

Thanks again Dee
the cargo ship arrived and unloading its goods. What did it cost to get it here. Luckily i can walk most places as petrol (gas) has made a big jump €2.20 a litre. Anyway heres some morning sunshine 🌞 trying its best to get through.

tursiops999

oooo, I could put my paddleboard into those calm waters.

Free2bme888

Wonderful to catch up, AL.

Your pics are great, your dialogue too.

LOVE the paths you walk, and the flowers…..

Thanks Dee for the new thread, and thank you AL, for the thread. It’s a winner !

AL48

Today is a really stressful day so far with lots of customers wanting their jobs finished. I give out work to different tradesmen and one just isn't working out and im going to have to let him go, he will be fine, its just so hard to find good qualified tradesmen these days and basically hes taken on to much work and cant fit it all in on time. I hate this side of the job but im mentally more equipped for it nowadays and won't be reaching for the bottle to solve the problem.
So its lunchtime and im only having my break and looking out the window, this fella is none the wiser of my problems. Its a lovely wood pigeon who decided to look away as i took the photo.

AL48

Its really wet and June is certainly making up for May water wise. Its still gives a sence of achievement somehow to get out there regardless of the weather and given the state i was in when i finally walked into work like a wet rag makes it feel even more so. Hope you are all doing well.

fishkiller

Sobriety definitely gives us focus and strength to push through.
I know what you mean about good help. That's why I do most things myself which can also stress me out. What can ya do?

Keep moving forward, that's what we do.

AL48

A metaphor for my life of drunken escape are the stoney steps in town
Once they were dull and boring just a shortcut to another road another place unseen, hidden from view that no one else can see.
Now bright and beautifully painted by talented artists.
Not that I'm saying I'm beautiful but you know what i mean😅. Thing are much brighter and when those steps ane taken now its a different world around the corner. A life without alcohol can be hard work but getteing there has lots of rewards. Hope you are all having a great Friday.

biminiblue

Nice. A female pirate! Interesting. I love street art when it's done well.

tursiops999

I like the metaphor, AL. Old paths given new life. Sometimes people think about moving to a new city to get away from alcohol ... usually it does not work. We have to remake our old paths ... by seeing with new eyes.

AL48

Late walk 10.30pm still bright but cool.
sleep time now.

advbike

Great job AL. Love the steps and the metaphor, Tursiops.

AL it's amazing that it is light so late, admittedly close to summer solstice, but you must be quite north in latitude, and it must also get light pretty early.

I'm in the tropics right now, near the equator at about 8 deg north, and it gets dark by 6:30pm and light about 5:30am. In winter just reverse those, lol.

Thanks for this great thread and the great thoughts and observations.

AL48

Advbike im at a latitude 52 degrees north so reallly only for the gulf stream we would freeze during winter instead we get it pretty mild and wet with lovely bright summers but dark winters. Can't have everything i suppose.
Not sure if you can call it long covid only 2 weeks after testing positive but i feel really tired lately. Fine waking early and walking but exausted by the afternoon. I hope it won't last.
So heres todays photo a model of the town when surrounded by a wall centuries ago while occupied by the british forces. Much bigger town by now with only remains of that wall left.

biminiblue

That's a cool image...

The whole recovery from Covid seems to be pretty variable. I hope you get your mojo back soon.

I found a Pileated woodpeckers' nest at the top of a dead tree today! So cool. They're the largest of the local woodpeckers with a 29 inch (74 cm) wingspan!

This is not my image, but it's close to what I saw (except I was 80 feet away. Tomorrow I take the binoculars!)
From the Audubon Society
https://www.audubon.org/news/photo-d...ted-woodpecker

The raucous family. They give themselves away with all the noise.

tursiops999

AL, that city model is very interesting!
And wow bimini -- how amazing to see a Pileated!! I have never seen one. Let alone a nest!

AL48

Thats Interesting Biminiblue. I looked up the great spotted woodpecker in Ireland and it has only started to recolonise the east coast in the early 2000s and has slowly spread throughout the country. Ive never had the luck of seeing one.
Most of the woodland was cut down centuries ago and the woodpecker died out but now we are gradually replanting the countryside with native species of tree and they are back again. I could go on but i won't 🙂 I will be here writing all night otherwise. Goodnight all.

AL48

Great Sunday got the walk in early with lovely sunshine and then went hedge and grass cutting for my mam. My wife booked a campsite for a week in Bazas France so a good day over all.
Otherwise I've actually stopped watching the news on tv now as i find it depressing and i start to worry about stuff that doesn't really affect me that bad like cost of living going up with inflation interest rates, fuel costs and so on. I think life is being upset especially by certain social media and tv with the constant negative feelings and opinions being put out. So its nice to come on here and show there are good things going on out there also just have a look around. Rant over😄

AL48

Also sat and watched a Herring gull searching for seafood and he caught a star fish. So good to see them not getting fat on chips (fries) for a change from the chip vans in the evenings. They weren't meant for so many carbs😁

fishkiller

I too believe in living in my reality not one others would like me to see. Especially such a negative view on the world.
Too many positives out there to focus on the negative.
Have not watched the news in 3 years. I haven't died from lack of yet!

AL48

Good to know im not alone thinking this way FK 🙂.