Saudades...

For anyone not proficient in portugese, this word doesn't have a direct translation in english but it perfectly describes the mixture of nostalgic sadness and warm fondness I'm feeling at the moment...
I've just arrived in Penrith having taken a day out of my itinerary to attend the leaving party of my dear friend Laura Myers in Hebden Bridge, at the house of one of my other dear friends, Leah Whitaker (who we are also currently congratulating on her acceptance to RADA - well done Leah!).
It meant being a bit naughty and jumping on a train to get there, not to mention the additional burden on my credit card bill, but it was the sort of gathering you can't put a price on. It's a big time of change for a lot of us personally; Laura's off to Canada indefinitely, others are moving to London, or preparing to travel to far off destinations; and in the context of the rapidly shifting world around us to be able to get together and mark these moments in the ever changing flux of our lives with dancing and drinking and camping and barbecues and big fires seems all the more precious...
And I know I'm getting a bit gushing now but I feel really blessed to have the support of so many beautiful people and next time I'm feeling miserable and tired and hungry and wondering why the hell I'm putting myself through it all I'll think back to last night, and all my other fond memories of friends and family, past and present, and draw strength from having such excellent companions in my little journey through life. So to all who've been reading this blog, and particularly leaving comments, thank you. Knowing you're out there makes every gruelling inch worthwhile. Ok, gush over, please dispose of your sick bags responsibly and return your seats to the upright position...
I'm staying tonight in the beautiful Bluebell Bookshop, which would be well worth a visit to Penrith alone. We stayed here on the G8 bike ride and the owner Derek has very kindly put me up again. It's a very progressive minded, lefty, socially/ecologically oriented place, and to top it off they do a great range of organic, fair-trade teas and coffees, and bookshop-made food, including freshly baked bread. Screw Waterstones, the world needs more Bluebells!
Tommorrow I cycle across the Lake District National Park to reach the Cumbrian coast where I will be visiting Sellafield before heading south to see a co-operatively owned wind farm, drop in to speak to the artistic director of Welfare State International and meet some anti nuclear activists. By the end of next week I will be back in Manchester for a little pit stop and to finalise the details of the last leg of my journey...
Although I'm doing a lot of head-work on the outcome of this project as the end of my journey draws ever closer, I'm trying not to worry too much about what will happen when I get back. As the scribble on the desk I'm sitting at says: 'Anticipation of the result stifles the process'.