Beeches

I lost the plot somewhat last night and woke up this morning rather disappointed in myself. The purpose of my journal entry was to try to articulate the thoughts that had been buzzing around in my head for quite a while, for I know from experience that my mind cannot be cleared until I have released them in tangible form on to paper or the screen. It's a necessary kind of catharsis for me. But I also know that words have an internal logic of their own and it's possible to be seduced by them, with meanings potentially hijacked. I was so stressed after a frustrating day and so tired that I lost sight of a few things. I'm sorry about that. I hope what I'm talking about is lost on most of you!

That said, I think I did manage to capture pretty well what was on my mind and it seemed to resonate with a good many of you. But as was pointed out, quite rightly, it's silly to get too serious about all this stuff. I fear the heaviness of my day made for a more serious note than was really warranted. I guess I wrote what I did because I am passionate about this experience and I care. Like a lot of people I have also made a huge investment of my time in this site. I think there are issues and I was interested to hear your thoughts. I knew I'd get an intelligent and well-articulated response. I trust the powers that be have read your responses too. Thanks so much to everyone who has engaged. I'm sure your own commentary has made very interesting reading for a lot of people.

My final word must be upbeat. I still love this place. I'm not intending to be moving anywhere else on the internet. This site is very special indeed. Exactly what it is that makes it so remarkable is hard to pin down but it has a lot to do with its diversity, that it is kind of all things to all people. It's like a rich ecosystem, but I don't think anyone knows how it will adapt to growth, whether it is fragile or robust in response to changes in the environment. That has to be a reasonable and worthwhile thing to discuss.

The clouds parted this evening to leave a clear sky and sunshine, albeit with a strong chilly wind. I'm rather bummed that my calf is still not right so I missed a local relay race on the fells tonight. I did manage to cycle to and from the office, which felt good, but after another long and frustrating day that also means that I'm now writing this very late at night. I want to respond personally to some of you but that will now have to wait until tomorrow. Thanks again for all the feedback.