While interestingly mad, I'm not utterly insane.

A polite FYI.

Just in case my Royal Celtic heinie ends up under the Celtic Sea. Hence, the FYI,  I'm giving my Kayak a run out today to see how to use it.
 And you never know.

Off the ridge. Embiggen and pan.

Progress of sorts

 I started to learn German using an app on my phone, Duolingo.

Now I'm one of those people that have been fighting a losing battle to keep the idea of MOOC's, or education on-line free. Or at least the European model, rather than the US one. But I've found generally there is very little credit given by universities that would allow transfer into an intra mural course even if they are the ones providing it. So in effect the MOOC was nothing more than a taster for the paid course.
 And then you have the issue with who finances the running of these courses.

Anywoos, over the last number of years I've taken courses to test what's out there and I can say that by far this course by Duolingo (run out of Pennsylvania someplace) using the users to test the app's is the best I've seen so far. Even though it has at times been incredibly frustrating. For the people administrating the App seem to have little if any idea about what motivates people, particularly the usage of fuel gauges.

Anyways I have 2430 words of German with about half fully sunk in. Enough that I can get the run of a German TV programme.
I know it doesn't seem a lot but it amounts to 222 consecutive days -8th of Sept ish- devoting an hour a day ishy. I finished the course in early February, and now it's a practice routine to get the words sunk in.
Plus. It seemed a better use of waiting for whatever to learn a language than fiddling with Facebook.
PS. I was at 47% earlier today, but because I didn't get much in the number dropped.

LOOK WHO'S BACK

Looking West.

Update; not a vie en Rose.

I don't like moaning on the posts here but I've been quite ill these last few months. For instance in one 4 day period, I lost a stone and a bit in weight.

Many know I'm having difficulty with insulin regulating sugar and while you can close down upon all sugars it's not just darn hard to sustain that but tiz downright dangerous.

What really pisses me off is but a few years ago I was something of an Epicurean, making food of a quality better than most chef's around-about here. By food I mean the main course.
This nasty little trip started with an issue with milk. And thereby the delight that is butter. For there is very few things that can carry flavour than butter, except maybe, CLARIFIED butter. But I saw and took that as a challenge to see it I could sustain the quality. And you can, but it's hard. Combo of oils can get you along the road.
Any-ol'hoos. All this continued to where I was eating like a particularly ascetic island monk. So imagine my ire when in all this I discovered I was producing acid and purines like an acid factory. Not only that but when you include statin's for a cholesterol well above 7, antihistamines and a protein pump inhibitor. Those Febuxostat and Colchicine for a particularly painful gout was taking the piss. Not mentioning painkillers, yes, for when the attacks come I cannot move and reserve the tramadol for those days, a truly horrible stuff that I reserve until I can do little but sleep it off, using NSIADs instead. Ohh and to add a twist. I was using Ibuprofen, which worked quite nicely ta ever so, only to end up in emergency/ER with a suspected heart episode because of it.

OK, good stuff.
I have my offering into the Royal Hibernian Academy Summer Show. I'll know if accepted in a few days time. I have the Main Guard for 2 weeks this time, in June, for an exhibition.

On international issues.
Brexit has been initiated. To my opinion it was inevitable for the English were never really committed to the thing. This will possibly see the sundering the uniter bit of the United Kingdom for the Scots won't put-up with being bullied when there's little up side and a whole lot of downside to being with England.
Trump; what can I say. I suspect knowing just how unstable he is you'll find countries being very careful. And I expect the wheels within wheels that is DC will have to operate a bit better since he isn't truly committed to anything much of anything and can therefore drop a losing line. This is both good and bad, but it does mean more of a consensus has to operate, albeit well hidden, for it to move at all. You see in a way I think Trump has them over a barrel, for if they do play the game of foot dragging resistance it's equally possible the mid terms will see Trump writing a report card with comment like Insufficiently Committed; Could Do Better, But Doesn't. For I still don't think the fundamental sea change that is Trump is understood.            

A Blackthorn blossom