"It's nurse day," said Elja when we came to breakfast this morning.
"No it isn't," I said.
"Oh, you're right - it's only once a fortnight now!"
"That's right."
I now only have to have my blood tests once a fortnight - progress.
I got on with some more translation work this morning. It is quite fascinating teasing out the meaning from a medieval Japanese text. One needs Chinese and Japanese lexicons as well as some pains-taking grammatical analysis. Then one has to get the drift of what Dogen is saying about Buddhism as well as seeing how the different parts of the text fit together. In many of the existing translations this is not at all clear.
It is not a good idea for me to sit in a chair too long, even with my foot up, so after a while I have a change of occupation and go out and do some gardening. Modgala and Elja are already working in the garden, Modgala weeding the leeks and Elja clearing the bed where last year we had tomatoes. There is an overgrown patch where we were growing beetroot. I dig it out and find ten quite nice beets which I bring back to the kitchen.
We have lunch outside. Modgala has made cheese on toast.
In the afternoon, more Dogen. The Genjokoan text is full of metaphorical analogies. Elja has been reading a Dutch version and I have several English ones.
"Where are you up to?"
"I'm in the middle of the piece about the ocean not being round or square"
"I'll be very interested to hear how you understand it."
"I'll read it to you later."
Another change of activity. I go out and saw up wood with the circular saw. Adam has been bringing wood back from the forest and there is a big heap of logs to be sawn. When I am finished I am covered in sawdust so I go and take a shower. Then we all sit down to a spicy curry.
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