Morton's nueroma

Many a wanderer has had a sore foot but this diagnosis has left me delighted.

I've had this burning sensation for a fair while now but primarily when I was golfing. After 7 or 8 holes it felt like one of my feet was walking on hot coals while the other Felt fine.

It transpires Morton's neuroma is very common, it's just I've had it for 3 years and never spoken to the right person!

More recently it's been impacting on my Camino walking so delighted it's now diagnosed and on its way to getting better.

The nerve that swells up and gets angry is between my numbish 3rd and 4th toe. A bit of massage and manipulation of it should work but failing that a steroid injection will happen in a few months time.

Those who sit together....

Yes, another take from the Camino.

I got on one of my my long rabbiting stories as we sat having our menu del dia. 

I was explaining how Jackie wanted a new bathroom as she felt one bathroom was not enough.

I replied those who sit together  shit together.

I immediately went out to change my habits.

I decided to stay in bed until Jackie was dressed.

I have my breakfast one hour after Jackie and I now have my tea 2 hours later.

This has saved us doing another bathroom and I also get to read the paper with my tea.

It was no surprise that our problems all stemmed from bowel synchronicity which was a by-product of eating together. We now save a fortune because we don't go out for meals ever. This has freed up so much cash that Jackie now has a week in Rome every year.

Bowel synchronicity who would have thought it could bring such rich treasures.

Oh and yes I waited until we were finished our food. I think it was An innocent remark about how quickly the menu del dia can move through the pilgrim's system!

Sunday September 20th 2020

There's a lot of symmetry on the 20th in 2020 as we all get out of beds at 2:20 am to catch the 7am flight.

We are Ivan Bobo at 10:30 a.m. local time and after baggage and passports our 11.10 bus will take us into the centre of mobile for 11:30 a.m.

Just in time for a coffee at cafe Iruna before the clock ticks onto 12 and a wee beer.

Lunch at 1pm will involve a skewer or two before a stroll down to the river and the old town.

After the old town we head to the station and catch the 15:20 train to Logrono which arrives at 17:51. First Class is 14.75 while standard is 11.50. as the trip is over 2 hours we'll observe the discounted first class rate and travel with a free coffee and extra leg room.

Once in Logrono we will go to the first apartment by bus and train station. This apartment has three bedrooms and has been booked for 5. It could sleep 7 but with just one, albeit luxurious, bathroom we've elected to spread ourselves out. The price for this one is €110 or €22 per head/bed. The second apartment involved carrying the luggage a bit further but is in the heart of Calle Laurel the ultimate eating and drinking experience in Logrono. As the wine festivities will end about 4am there's no rush to get out early. The second apartment being more central may have more noise but it is perfect for a mid evening collapse! I've only booked this one for 3 so a bedroom each unless a few extra appear over the coming months, not least Stuart.

The next morning will see the walking begin and a gentle stroll it will be after the bus out to Azofra.

Azofra to Santo Domingo de Las calzadas is a well trodden section largely away from any roads. As it meanders through fields you get lost in the fresh air as you daunder gently along. After two hours you pass a giant haystack. Its there every year and I don't know if they ever move it or just keep it as a glorious evolving sculpture. After the haystack you have a 15 minute gentle hill and then you arrive at the first water stop and 200m later, the golf club in Ciruena.

After coffee, tortilla or whatever you venture through the ghost town reminiscing about where the housing crisis first broke. In 2007 it was pretty quiet and not much has changed. 

After crossing the town there's a wee garden with a water fountain before the play park. Fill your water and prepare yourself for a magical 6km stretch of rolling hill and magnificent vistas of Santo Domingo de la Calzadas.

Once in town you'll follow the Amarillo fleschas, yellow arrows, to the hotel.

Price theory in 2020

How many people know that price theory is supposed to be a nice pure way financial markets to arrive at the right price. T he laws of supply and demand have never been more tested.

At one end of the extreme is the minimal food miles associated with farmers markets and local crafts while at the other end of the extreme is Amazon and the fulfillment houses where prices can be regularly 500% of the normal RRP.

There are as ever reasons for these disparaties and as economic modellers scramble to put the green effect into local produce and the lazy internet/ease of purchase into the latter, finding a homogeneous rule for all is clearly turning this distribution into a tri-hump camel.

Leaving markets alone to evolve as a pricing mechanism has for a while been under pressure. 

Arbitration in the markets is a key aspect of Capitalism. The more Arbitragers, the purer the market and price transparency, so the theory goes. In 2020 we see entrepreneurs by the bucket load take the opportunity to trade goods using the eBay, Amazon, etc marketing and fulfillment infrastructure.

I've long talked about Capitalism being Marketingism. The irony is it's not been rebranded. 

During the 50's cars lasted for ever and had no reason to be replaced. During the  70's, it was plastics boom time and with it the highly disposable age began. The make do and mend generation were slowly being replaced by the rebranded Willy Lomans in another piece of iconic irony, the 70's were the birth of the salesmen.

Since then every board room talks marketing with prospective numbers, and very few talked quality. Style over substance and everything could be explained away if you had a good narrative, oh and an audience with the IQ of a fencepost.

The growth of financial markets and arbitrage is well documented. Liberals in the financial markets during the 1980's started the process and in the UK we had the mass sell off. Just as China saw the melting of the wok's we saw the sale of Council houses, waters, electricity, telecoms, aerospace, railways, you name it. The bumper crop of cash that came in from these sales along with all the north sea oil revenues would've made you think the 1980's were a boom time, yet not for everyone, in fact not for many at all. This came at a time when University fees were charged to students and grants became a thing of the past. BUPA and other private medical providers appeared throughout the land. 

So by 1990 there was a huge war chest? Alas no. 

If you're Norwegian you must laugh. They had similar north sea oil reserves and they have a huge pot of cash even now.

As the 1990 rolled towards 2000 there was a gentle stroll towards the internet and all the benefits we'd get. What we hadn't bargained on was how controlled we'd be by a mobile phone. 

Within months of the new millennium the benefits could be seen on and with social media. A new opiate for the masses. 

The markets kept there head down with Arbitrage getting sidetracked by more sophisticated leveraging, often confused with pyramid selling. Leveraging is even more advanced.

See the Big Short if you need a wee reminder for the 21st century examples of how leveraging is so effective, for a time. The beauty of leveraging is you only need it to work for a short period while you get your cash out and the audit trail is spread amongst everyone. 

The gambling industry was targeted by many Arbitragers taking advantage of price discrepancies and they're actively chased out of the market, as the bookmakers fully recognise that arbitrage is not good for they're markets. The point of most suppliers is that they don't want a pure market and clearly while economic theory has evolved those applying the laws have not kept up. They don't need to as they have other fish to fry. Recent examples include the hysterical MEP who questioned a professor of Economics over her experience.

He clearly demonstrated his own inimitable style over substance.

So back to global companies and fulfillment where do we go from here.

What price is a pack of 3 Cadbury cream eggs or Dean's shortbread?

If you're on Amazon probably £5 - ,£6 and if you're in poundies £1.

Clearly if you're any kind of retailer you should be able to lower the price on Amazon but against that background do you really want that marketplace to develop.

Free delivery for prime customers mean the lazy lunch in the office instead of going to buy the biscuits will save time and for small purchased who cares as "time is money" and delivery is free.

This discussion will roll on but I for one will continue to walk the Camino having mad thoughts and buy local!