Hi everyone,

Here's this week's edition of FFFF. Enjoy.

This week I have been mostly:

Looking forward:

To the start of the Test Cricket series between us and the South Africans. Nothing like a 5-day game on TV to force significant marital negotiations. A new England captain, Joe Root. C’mon lads.

Listening to:

A new album by Kevin Morby called City Music. You can pick your vinyl copy at Jam Records in town.

Reading:

Black Rednecks and White Liberals by Thomas Sowell. I have been wanting to read this book for a while, it challenges assumptions about culture in the US with interesting theories on the commonality of culture across race and social division which has historical relevance to our ancestors (those seafarers of the south west involved in the slave trade, piracy and those who emigrated to the ‘new world’). How powerful culture is and how it conditions behaviour.

Contemplating:

A passage from the book I mentioned previously, Neither Wolf nor Dog by Kent Nerburn.

To summarise badly, Dan the Lakota Sioux elder comments on the white people that came and how important freedom is to them. Dan suggests that freedom was not important to the Indian tribes as they understood what it was to be free. Honour was more important to the Indians than freedom. The white people left Europe to escape their cages in search of freedom but brought their cages with them. The white people imposed cages upon the Indians, parcelled up the land and put lines and fences to cage the Indian tribes. Brought fences to cage themselves in on small pieces of land with a small cage they called a house.

Exercising:

My favourite muscle group for lateral and low back stability: the Obliques. This time a modified push up/plank. In a plank or push up position simply lifting one leg and draw imaginary squares in the air with your pointed foot while keeping your back level (no twist), repeat with the other leg. Alternatively, bringing one leg up bending the knee alongside the body like a dog cocking its leg, repeat with the other leg.

Until next week,

Simon