I am reading the Oxford book of Short Stories and it includes the most fabulous story by the editor of the volume, V S Pritchett, called 'Many are disappointed'. It's such a fabulous little story about a group of guys riding bicycles in the countryside of England, looking for a Roman road and pub to have a pint at. It is English in the way that I am coming to understand England. And it was about cycling and beer, two things I currently have a lot of interest in.
After reading the story, I obviously had that most explosive yen to go for a bike ride in the countryside and perhaps stop for a pint at a pub. When Yoko went to Japanese church, I washed the carpet and got on my bicycle. It was a perfect day to ride — I road out to a village and back up to the lake near our house where I pushed my bike up a hill and fell asleep in the grass.
Yoko came back with news about the closing of the Japanese church due to some health problems the woman who has been pastoring it has had. Apparently everything is going to change when she goes back to Japan and they are looking for a house to have the church in. Because the pastor is leaving, the house she is renting from another churchgoer will be vacant. They are hoping to rent the house to someone who will host the church a couple of times a month. In return for hosting the church, there will be some significant discount on renting the house. Our little family, ever opportunistic, is thinking about taking this 'responsibility' on and having, at least for a year, probably the nicest house we will live in... well, ever. Four bedrooms, a garden (in the British sense, mind you), a dining room. The complete opposite of the apartment we have now, and for only slightly more a month.
This means a lot of things, mostly that we will be able to host some of the people who have been hoping to come out to Ol' Blighty for a spell. Including possibly you, dream reader... Oh, who am I kidding: It means that I will be able to drag a lamp and a chair out back and read Pritchett and smoke my pipe in the moonlight.
With a slew of problems being solved recently, it makes me wonder if I am using up all this good karma that I should be putting towards my literature review. Unfortunately, the gods see fit to not consult me about the doling out of karma, and I will have to just ride out whatever negative what-have-you is to befall me.