Right! So the "real" August post then :). Life has taken its usual twists and turns and I find myself in a rather happy state of mind :). A notable contributor I'd say has been the cycling! Yes, the summer keeps on giving when it comes to nice enough weather for cycling and enough opportunities to explore. And not just close to home!
For the last couple of weeks we've been in the UK and it has been amazing! Mostly seeing family and spending more than just a short weekend together. Being able to relax and just enjoy hanging out. I've definitely missed this. I feel like it's probably been as far back as February and the trip to India since I last had this feeling of being at peace.
Which is not to say the intervening months have not had their highlights, but there you have it. I just needed to get away and do not too much :).
Bath is a lovely city, I find. From the natural surroundings, with the rolling lush green hills on all sides, to the lovely Avon flowing languidly though, the old stone buildings and general ebb and flow of life. Since my very first visit here back in 2015, there's something about this city that has captivated me :).
As a first, this time we managed to get some cycling in here too! Trips to Bristol, Wells and Lacock in the last two weekends meant I'm now quite a lot more familiar with narrow roads, lovely green cycleways and some stretches of rather busy roads :). The weather has been amazing too! Meaning that it's either been beautifully sunny, or has rained just after we've managed to find appropriate shelter ;).
Another highlight has been the tour of Bath Abbey! With its rich layered history and spectacular architecture and detail both inside and outside, it was well worth the time spent. To be fair Wells Cathedral was also pretty cool, as was Lacock Abbey (the birthplace of photography, no less).
In between the trips and walks and amazing food at home and beyond, I've also spent some time submerged in the phenomenon that is The Lord of the Rings. Genuinely, in the two decades since I first read it, I've read so much other fantasy, and of such variety, that I think I'd rather forgotten the proper epic nature of Tolkien's masterpiece!
I managed to find a proper classic volume from the library with beautiful illustrations, but also the voluminous extras (forewords, appendices, index, the works). And having prepared myself appropriately by reading The Unfinished Tales, The Silmarillion and The Hobbit recently, I am enjoying myself immensely!
The level of depth hinted at is probably lost otherwise! There are so many references to the larger backstory! Such a deep tapestry of myth and legend that forms a constant backdrop. I recall the feeling from my first time reading LoTR that this was a heavy read. There was almost too much detail in each page. Now I see more clearly just how much there really is :).
I'm closing in on the end of The Fellowship of the Ring and have also enjoyed the slow and almost imperceptible evolution of tone from the beginning of the story, which almost picks up where The Hobbit left off with its lightheartedness, to the altogether more somber timbre now, as the Fellowship leaves Lorien, reminiscent of The Unfinished Tales.
Occasionally I also lose myself in the Appendices and am glad that I more or less remember much of what is shared in The Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion. The many discreet (and not so discreet) clues implying that this whole story is structured as an account set down by hobbits is a source of constant delight :).
There's a long way to go with the book still. There's also still a few days to go before we head home, so I'm definitely going to enjoy this holiday for all that it's worth :).
There's also the matter of the round number :). A part of me is quite content that it's just another number. But other parts are not convinced. I'm sure some or other shall be variously let down, relieved, happy, a bit morose... Who knows? But yes, life moves ever onwards and it's best to enjoy what one can of each day. In the mean time, there's (probably) cake :D.
PS. SunGod. Most highly recommended!!
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