Life imitates Art - sensible shoes do exist! (pic Pam Cleary)

Mike's Pith & Wind - My left foot
At Fresh @ Elwood the other day I was amongst a group of people of my own age and I suppose it’s predictable in such circumstances that the conversations tend to revolve around one’s health, or lack of it. How many are the ways we disintegrate. I might’ve been tempted to relate my own recent tale of senile decrepitude in such company, but there were many more interesting tales of personal misfortune being aired and my story seemed redundant at the time.
You shall not be so lightly spared, however. It was three weeks ago now. I was making the most of the dribble of warm water that constitutes my shower these days, but it was a struggle even for my vivid imagination, given the house, and therefore the laundry where the shower lurks, was quite cold. In fact it was bloody freezing, so I was less than pleased to discover that I’d forgotten to provide myself with a towel when I emerged, which meant I was going to have to scuttle naked as a cloud to the linen cupboard in the bathroom via the kitchen to correct this lack of foresight.
Unsurprisingly perhaps, this is not the first time this I have found myself in this predicament, and I usually take it very slowly over the treacherous kitchen tiles so as not to risk a fall, but this time I opted for speed and, sure enough, I tumbled arse-over-tip achingly short of the safety of the chocolate brown hall carpet.
Even as I lay on the cold tiles trying to sort out whether I’d done myself a grievous mischief, I thought that my nude fall must have looked hilarious. read more

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Dick's Toolbox - The not-so-great game
At great cost Alexander the Great conquered Afghanistan, defeating in bitter combat the tribal warlords of Bactria and Sogdiana, but bringing his Macedonian troops into near revolt. It was there he married Roxane, the beautiful daughter of a local chieftain, and Alexander’s only female love. It may be fair to say that it has been all downhill for the Afghanis since then. The country is less a thoroughfare and more of a roundabout for occupying nations, political systems, beliefs and conflict.
The country is landlocked and any natural resources remain untapped. Its climate is extremely harsh and water is scarce. The Hindu Kush mountains, reaching to 7,000 metres dominate the centre of the country and the nations of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan . read more