WALKING ON THIN ICE

we have but 3 more days here in south france. have to start the gathering, evaluating, tossing, keeping, packing, cleaning process called leaving.

when you move 17 times in 8 months through 7 countries (* see note) while carrying everything on your back, you get used to the routine… but i still don’t look forward to it. i like being in the place we are, and i like the idea of being where we’re going to be - but i’m not fond of the getting to and fro via multiple means of transportation involving 3 or more different languages, 3 countries and 5 cities in 5 days - though now i say it that way, it sounds rather interesting.

*note - u.s.a. to leeds england hotel to north england sheep field to north england b&b to leeds hotel to london to amsterdam place 1 to amsterdam place 2 to amsterdam place 3 to london to lodz poland b&b to krakow poland place 1 to krakow place 2 to krakow place 3 to london to liznjan croatia (with a side stay in venice italy) to albeilhan france.

we’re never home, never a guest - more like perpetual professional consumers of places to stay. i look forward to settling down perhaps next year - yet wonder if it will be hard to stop moving on.

this journey works and is worthwhile only because i’m with Lady K. without her, i’d just find the closest opium den and cloud my mind in shadow. our love and relationship are the real journey - the geographic changes merely stage sets.

. . .

keeping in mind this quote by claud cockburn - “never believe anything until it is officially denied” - here’s a rather interesting denial:

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denied reports of a planned coordinated offensive in which the U.S. would attack Iran and Israel would hit Syria and Lebanon at the same time.

here’s another excellent bit of wisdom from martha gellhorn - “never believe governments, not any of them, not a word they say; keep an untrusting eye on all they do.”