September comes

Self and Bec on Mynydd mountain (?) with brolly


Hinckley Point nuclear power station


Niki on Brean Down


Paula and Niki


After a day in the Quantock hills my Polish guests wanted to see Bridgwater’s nuclear power station so down we went, parking in the car park and walking to the entrance when we were surrounded by police and security guards wanting names and addresses, dates of birth, any cameras? Etc – all rather intimidating before we were allowed to visit the nature reserve that had been established at the same time as the now closed Visitor |Centre in happier pre 9-11 times. Paula and Nikki have now left for their autumn University courses in Poznan (no charges for further education) via Paris and Prague. They have been a lovely couple, non-smokers, virtually teetotal and happy to chat about politics, religion, birth control, the use of tattoos and living together before marriage.

Autumn approaches rapidly and a trip to visit daughter Rebecca at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales where she has been working for six months. She gives me a guided tour of the Centre, which has developed since my last visit some years ago, and a damp walk into the enigmatic wild Welsh hills for views of soggy sheep and clouds of mist – all so like Merapi volcano in Java but cooler.

A volunteers get-together in Birmingham, no returners from Indonesia but people from Eritrea, Mozambique, Nepal, China, the Philippines and South America to compare notes on placements and on VSO. Should I press my complaints about my placement or lie low in the hope of future work? Decide that I have made my points in written reports and maintain a comparatively low profile. An enjoyable weekend nevertheless and reassuring to find many others finding re-adaptation to planet uk equally challenging.

Back in Bridgwater where I have now lived for 3 or 4 years I feel more like a resident as strangers greet me in the street and some of whom I actually manage to recognise. The chess club resumes shortly and whilst I have not taken advantage of the last year to improve my skills and the club lacks any female company I guess I will give it a further go.