Changeover

You can book a 3 day or a 7 day holiday with HF. Coming from Belfast, I always go with the 7 day to make it worth the trip. Today was a day off from hiking. It allows staff to strip and clean rooms between the 3 day bookings. New people at dinner tonight!

I spent most of the day reading, a luxury that I struggle to fit into my daily life. I'm reading Nomadland and the irony isn't lost on me that it's about American 'retirees' who are cleaning toilets and walking 10-20 miles a day in Amazon warehouses. While I'm here with English retirees rambling through the valleys of Wales. And being led by retirees who are unpaid, who do it for the fun. Two of the three leaders, Jill and David, are retired academics and Kevin worked in government. Of course not all elderly Americans are destitute nor are all British retirees flush. But I'm not aware of the same level of desperation among older Brits.

Walking from Nythfa House in and out of Brecon I pass this house, which makes me think of my duck egg blue retreat--the upstairs lounge.

Sign of the times:

My big accomplishment for the day was getting a massage. A lot of things are closed on Mondays in Brecon, but I found a tanning salon that also offered massage. I could get only a 20 minute massage, but I took it. I've had a pain in my neck for a long time and I was hoping massage would help. It didn't sort out the crick, however it did feel very nice. Maybe I need to visit this lady:

Below are the King's Steps, built when King Charles I visited Brecon. Brecon is a lovely little town. I've enjoyed walking up and down the lanes.

June 28