Four years ago today, I posted about a little trip round the Cotswolds. I was surprised to see Belas Knap mentioned because on the 3rd of August this year, we passed by just that location.

We visited on the way to the highest point of Gloucestershire - Cleeve Hill. It’s possible to park a few tens of metres from the summit for a relatively flat, short walk. However, we chose a much more picturesque route.

Parking in Winchcombe, past Sudely Castle, and up the long climb to Corndean Lane and on to Belas Knap. Then a more gentle climb to Cleeve Hill for a panorama over Cheltenham including an excellent view of the Racecourse. Across the golf course, down a very steep slope into a deep valley where local stone was traditionally quarried, along a babbling brook, and then bushwhacking our way through thistles and nettles due to a) only having a 1:50,000 map and b) a couple of waymarkers being missing from their posts.

What I find most interesting, though, is looking at how my fitness has improved over time. What was an unattractive three-quarter-mile climb has in just four years become a pretty trivial three-quarter-mile section of a ten mile walk.

You know, in just four years, your life can go down paths that you can’t even begin to imagine right now. Hopefully by chance, hard word and preparedness, those paths will be the right ones.

So… the product I maintain at work - after months of hard work, rewrites and so on - has… ONE issue left, and that’s one I raised myself as a ‘nice to have’.

I should be able to knock that off this afternoon. But that got me thinking… what happens after that? Congratulations, or P45?

Or, of course, one or more further issues are raised before I get that done.

We shall see.

Team Leader: Who the heck is going to fix this?
Programmer: How the heck am I going to fix this?
Manager: When the heck are you going to fix this?

Drat. I’ve just realised, I could have created a time paradox if I’d managed to convince him not to open the Marmite after I had smelled it.

What a waste! I had it within my power to find out whether we’re on a fixed path of fate or truly have free will, and I blew it.

Maybe that’s because we’re on a fixed path of fate.

Just imagine if, tomorrow, with no way out of it, we all had to go back to 8-character file and folder names.

What would your mp3 collection look like?

How would you sort your photos?

Thank goodness for progress.

Since Hutters and sweavo have written letters to their 13-year-old past selves, I thought I’d do the same…

Dear Stu,

This is your future self. I think I’m supposed to be giving you lots of advice here, but I’m not going to give you any at all. If you do everything exactly the same as I did it, you will end up having the best life you could have ever wished for.

It’ll take a while to come, but believe me… it’ll be worth it.

Oh… and beware of Libyans driving a camper van.

Oh… and on Monday 14th January 2008, don’t convince them to change the answer from Ursa Major to Uranus in the pub quiz even though you’ve made the link about ’sept-something’ and it’s being the seventh planet. Don’t worry too much, though you’ll win anyway.

Lots of love,

You.

Isn’t fear a strange thing?

Fear of fear is far more powerful than fear itself. Especially when there’s really nothing to be afraid of.

And fear is more about the past than the present. It brings up a stronger reaction than it should because of past feelings.

So overcoming fear is about putting the past in its place, assessing the present, and getting on with the task.

More in an hour or two…

Hooray! By next Wednesday I will have completed buying half the house that I already bought all of.

It made me think… if you compete you are involved in a competition, so if you complete, how come you’re not involved in a completition? Or should you be in a competion if you’re competing? Just like how you don’t plantate things on a plantation. Which, incidentally, is why I believe you don’t orientate things, but merely orient them.

I shall shut up now.

There is something magical about pottering about feeding your houseplants first thing in the morning with Debussy’s Rêverie playing.

or maybe I’m in love

Here’s a simple question with, I daresay, no simple answer…

Is it harder to play a piano than a violin or flute?

Since the age of around 8, I haven’t played to music on any ‘monophonic’ instrument, so I don’t really know what I’m talking about, but here are some factors I’ve been taking into account…

1) Strings and brass generally have one line of music - ok, violins can be double-stopped, but there are, I guess, no instances where you have to simultaneously read 10 different notes. Piano is much harder.

2) The piano has one finger per note. Brass and wind instruments can require a strange sequence of fingers (and breath control) to reach a certain note. Piano is easier.

3) Non-fretted strings have an infinite continuum of notes available - put your finger in the wrong place and your note is sharp or flat. Piano is easier.

4) String and wind players need to always be conscious of not running out of breath or bow. Piano is easier.

5) The range of expression on wind and strings is greater than that of the piano. A piano can be played louder or softer, along with a couple of other factors involving half-pedalling and phrasing. Wind and strings can produce, in addition to those, all manner of tone colours. Piano is slightly easier.

So… I guess the question is… do factors 2 to 5 balance out factor 1? Are any of my assumptions incorrect? Does anyone play anything who can offer an insight to just how hard it is?

And where do guitars fit in this?