Fashion

I really like the t-shirts designed by Howies, Cardigan Bay's 3rd biggest clothing company.
My current favourite is this one, which recognises that well know US company producing "The highest quality, casual, All-American lifestyle clothing for aspirational men and women" (their words)...!?!

Anyway, the Aber Teifi is a fantastic river that flows through Llandyssul and includes Cenarth Falls which can be rather nasty on the river left side (grade IV+/V). I have swam both times I have tried to kayak it (both on the same day!), the last swim being a very disconcerting experience indeed. I made it through the big drop but hit a tiny but powerful eddy which pushed me back into the stopper and I capsized. As I was getting a sound inverted thumping by the rush of the water, I baled out of my boat, allowing it to float off downstream, whereas I just got sucked to the bottom of the river and held there till I was very nearly out of breath. Not pleasant at all ...!

My Nemisis Arrives...

Well, not quite, but put my name into google, and all you get are links to this guy. And then he turns up in my town...!

Lifestyle Choices

I meant to post this last week, but didn't get round to it: that's why this whole blogging thing probably won't work, but...We spend the other weekend (the bank holiday) at Woolacombe, ostensibly to go surfing, but as the surf was only about 2ft, not much surfing occurred, and instead we had a great time golfing (well, pitch and putt), bbqing, drinking and generally wandering around the beach enjoying ourselves. And when we got home, I had a quick look at the papers online and read a piece about how the retail industry has pursuaded us that they can sell us a new lifestyle, and how as a country we are busy plunging ourselves into debt trying to buy this.

And I wondered if your purchases can really define your lifestyle. If you have a plasma screen in your plush wooden floored leather sofa'ed living room what does that really say about how you live your life? And how does that compare with a fantastic weekend spent living in a tent with friends? Which says more about you as a person?

This links into my birthday a couple of days ago which I really wasn't looking forward to it as it feels like I've reached an age where I really haven't achieved as much as I should have done. I have a well paid job, but it is dull. I have a car that was brand new 6 years ago and is nothing more than adequate. And probably my biggest bugbear at the moment is that I don't own a house, although I have a deposit the size of which would have bought a nice little terraced house 6 years ago. But despite that, I have travelled quite widely, I have kayaked to a good level all round the UK and France, I have skiied, scuba dived and bungy jumped. And I have found a really fantastic girlfirend who puts me in such a better mood every time I see her.

I guess it all depends how you measure these things and what you want out of life. And it depends how you reach a point where you can say you are really happy with everything. I am not there yet, I need to work in certain areas, but I think I'm headed in the right direction ...