Fed up with ferries

More rain and wind today - is this Storm Ellen arriving, or just another average February day? 

Went to the gym this morning for a reassessment of my physical condition after three months of the 'Healthy Options' programme. Result? I'm less fit, weigh more and have an increased percentage of body fat than before! After all that effort twice a week since I began at the end of October! Moral of the story? Exercise less and you lose weight!

Couldn't be bothered to try to find an outdoor Blip as it's so dull and grey. Can't keep on doing CalMac ferries either ! So here's a picture of the book I've been reading for the last week or so, tho' not for the first time. 

Francis Kilvert was a clergyman who was born in 1840 and began a diary on 1st January 1870 which he kept up until his early death in 1879. Full of wonderful descriptions of the Welsh border countryside around the village of Clyro where he was a curate and of all the people he met. He certainly had an eye for the ladies, especially the younger ones, though I think he was genuinely fond of everyone regardless of class. He mentions many historical events of which I'd never heard, including the Great Storm of 1872. Several times he wanted to propose marriage to certain young ladies, but was considered unsuitable as a mere curate by their fathers. He finally married in 1879, but died of peritonitis a few days after returning from their honeymoon. All rather sad, but a wonderful record of his life and times.

Quote of the day:

Tristan Jones, 'A Steady Trade' - "We should only walk the hills with a poet."