Days of Gratitude - Happy Pride. In Photographs and In Parades.

Here we are, five more days of my Sunday Assembly gratitude diary.

Some were very good.  And then by the end of the days, things weren't good.  That's life.  As my mother would say regularly, "It's all part of life's rich tapestry."

But the first day was good, even though the walk went a bit wrong.  The footpath that I was trying to follow for part of it doesn't exist anymore.  It's been swallowed by a rapidly expanding opencast mine and nobody thought that it might be an idea to divert the public footpath round the mine.  I tried my best to adjust but ended up somewhere I hadn't wanted to be and then had to spend an hour walking along busy roads in order to get back to my route.

It was well worth it though - those last 2 1/2 miles were fabulous.  And my viaduct photo.  Hah!  Take that, Bridges on the Tyne (and other rivers) website.  It CAN be photographed.  Even in summer.  So there!  Bridge and railway nerds will want to know that this is the Plessey Railway Viaduct.  I guess that very few of you will have walked underneath it but I can recommend it - and there is a bus stop near the start of the path so you won't have to walk for an hour by those busy roads.

14^th July

Grateful for another walk.

A little over 7 miles. But all of these pictures were taken in the same 50 metre stretch. Part of the 2 1/2 mile section during which I didn't see a single person.

The fallen tree in the third picture was my seat for eating lunch. On the other side of the river is a little waterfall. Very pleasant.

Also, I am boastful because I think my bridge picture is much nicer than the ones on a useful website about river bridges in the area.

15^th July

Grateful that on Monday I returned to meditation after a too long break. Grateful that at the end of the week (and this morning) I can say I have kept it up.

Grateful for this book. For now it is being a useful place to practice in. Grateful for the decent meditation timer on my phone.

Grateful to have half made the placard the book is sitting on.

Half ready for the Pride parade and maybe the Alt Pride picnic afterwards.

I'm not quite sure why this picture was posted on the 15th.  It was taken on the 14th.  But hey, Blob looks very happy to by lying in the clover even though he didn't manage to find any with four leaves.  I have never found a four leaf clover.  Ever.  I don't think that explains anything about my life though.

16^th July

Grateful for the Northern Pride parade.

For the picnic.

And for an unexpected meeting.

Well, this is my gratitude diary from the Sunday Assembly Newcastle group.  Glad that a few from the SA were able to to carry the banner at Pride.

SA is a "radically inclusive" movement.

17^th July

Grateful to return to the Quakers and to join them for lunch.

Grateful for flowers on the way to a Pride vigil service that I then couldn't attend.

18^th July

Grateful for a very quiet day and time to recover physically and mentally.

Grateful that there are many things which are not forever.