As I watch Le Tour de France with our local lad Richie Porte going pretty well - I met him at my Cardiac Rehab class when he gave a talk on his fitness regime to our teachers. No wonder he can go so fast he is only 60Kgs and I am 95Kgs. Memories returned of our visit to Lourdes from the Priory when we stayed in a paratroop camp. We were stunned by the concrete pad with holes that served as a toilet and wandered far to find a proper loo, only to see priests going into the ladies. Unisex is fine now in 195x it was a shock. Does anyone remember the date? I got to serve mass at one of the side altars in the main basilica for a priest from the crowd - apparently seminarians stood out like a sore thumb as I was on my own at the time. When I remember the state of the water in the sacred bath I think that the EU regulations must have closed that avenue long ago. The Newhaven to Dieppe ferry was my first experience of how awful sea travel can be, I have seen worse as I left England in 1965 crossing the Bay of Biscay in a force 9 gale - Nimmo, why would anyone join the surface navy? At least you went for the peace 1000 feet down :-) Who was the Irish lad that used an old gramophone case for a suitcase and dropped the lot on the quay?
Talking of Cardiac rehab what they do now is amazing. February this year part of my triple bypass failed so they stented another hole.That makes 6 lights and music trips to hospital over 20 years and they can still plug the holes. By the way if you have heard of the white light I can assure you that it is absolutely brilliant yet enormously peaceful. By golly you are cold when you come back though.
My clarinet and piano classes continue apace. One does these things after a big scare like a triple bypass, got to get the most out of the final years.
Best wishes all