I keep looking at the forecast, and there are occasional promises of warmer weather ahead, but we are now even more firmly stuck in grey and cool conditions than when I last wrote about it – if we have had a sunny morning since then, I don’t remember it. This week I wheeled my little oil radiator out of its summer resting place, and set it back up on a timer to warm the kitchen for when I get up. The temperatures have not been so low, but the days of keeping windows open all night are behind us now, and being wrapped up in cosy clothes has more allure. One advantage to the weather, at least, was that the low fog on Sunday curtailed the aerobatic display by the Blue Angels, so the city was spared hours of overhead din.
My days have got more consistently spacious as well, so I am tackling more tasks that I have been procrastinating on. I was able to go out and buy a negative scanner, so I hope to start going through all my negatives from England soon.
A look at the calendar revealed that my upcoming class on the Tenzo Kyokun is coming round fast, so I am gathering material for that; since I have given this class a couple of times before, my main objective is to read the text again thoroughly to see what feels most relevant to talk about now, though the main themes will probably be the same. If you want to join me, I would love to study it with you. It is also still possible to join the ongoing Dogen study group on Mondays.
My fingers are crossed that the clouds break for this afternoon’s roam, and that it is not too chilly for the morning bike rides I am intending to do; my lungs finally seem back to normal – though they are still working hard as I feel somewhat out of shape after many weeks of less exercise than usual.
Shundo David Haye 