I had expected this weekend to have bad weather, but things have changed and yesterday was a beautiful day. I got on my bike in summer gear for a change. Here's to another good day and a good week ahead. There are open roads ahead.

1. Quote of the week

To study a text, we should take into account the circumstances, the situation, the time, the society and the community where the book was originally written or the teaching was taught. -- Dalai Lama

2. What I've been enjoying

I've had more of a clear head recently having closed off a few projects that were occupying headspace. This week my Russian lesson went a lot better than previous ones and I'm becoming a bit more spontaneous in my speaking. My written Russian isn't too bad, my reading is okay but my listening and speaking are not great. I had exactly the same issues with French at school. But the feeling of progress on any task is good and I can feel positive progress.

3. What I'm reading

I still wading through The Loom of Language. I have 80 pages to go before I'm finished. I suspect I'll be done this week. It's an interesting book on the history of worldwide languages. The focus on detail is on the Romance and Teutonic/Germanic languages. It was written in 1944. As I may have mentioned before, it's one of the many books I've started and put down.

4. What I'm doing in my free time

Dieting. See my other posts.

This week I managed to get out on the bike twice. I went out on Thursday morning and completed a 27km loop and popped out yesterday for what ended up being a 43km ride. But if there was an associated school report, it would say

  • Road Riding - Effort: B Attainment: B;
  • Hill-work - Effort: D Attainment: E-
  • Russian Comprehension: C-

Last weekend I managed to rack a Strong Ale into a mini-keg. This needs a good month to condition because it is still hoppy. It was originally intended to be a Barley Wine, but at 9% it isn't strong enough. Must try harder next time.

I also bottled a Potato Wine that I made in 2018. This really needs another year before it is drunk.

I've got to the point where I feel that making wine at home is futile. The process isn't too bad, but there is a need to store it and wine in the shops is so cheap these days it isn't worth doing it for cost-saving. I don't compete in wine-making competitions anymore. I may well retire from the amateur winemaking industry, but perhaps I'll make a few more this year for completeness. I still have 5 demijohns of wine on the go.

5. What I'm learning more about

This week I have scratched the surface on a teaching qualification that I will be undertaking for the next 2 months. It will be learning about learning and teaching within the context of adult learners. I suspect this will be keeping me busy.