When I was at school, my Latin teacher once talked to us about the Sword of Damocles. She then said “Even if you have never heard that phrase before you’ll hear it again in the next few days because that’s that way it always works”. Sure enough, within the next few days someone used the phrase and I was in awe of my Latin teacher.
The other night I went out for a drink with a friend who runs a bookshop and I was for some reason mentioning ‘Sense and Sensibility’ as an example of something someone might order (not that I have ever read it). The next morning when I went downstairs there was a copy of ‘Sense and Sensibility’ (on DVD) sitting on the table in the hall. My brain clicks through and thinks “that was a Sword of Damocles moment”. Then that evening I was reading Toxicsoup’s blog and that day’s post mentioned the Sword of Damocles. Weird – and proving that my Latin teacher is still right after all of these years.
I often get strange messages or texts on my work mobile phone. It has got a really nice phone number i.e. easy to remember, and people often comment on what a good number it is. But for some reason it also seems to be one that people dial by accident and I get drunken messages from people pouring out their woes, messages from taxi drivers waiting to pick someone up and so on. I don’t know why I explained that because this next bit is about my personal mobile, but I just thought I’d say it anyway. Er, I think maybe the point was I don’t tend to have very many unusual things happen with my personal mobile. Enough disclaimers there? Shall we move on? So…
The other night I sent a text to someone and almost immediately another friend texted me about something entirely unconnected. But then a couple of minutes later a text came in from a number that I didn’t know and the message just said “Who is this?” There was no name or anything else. I was rather confused and wondered if I had sent my text to the wrong number but according to my phone I hadn’t.
I decided not to reply, as my response could have been exactly the same - “Who is this?” – and then it would just have started to get complicated. So I don’t know if my text went astray somehow via the network or if it was some long lost friend trying to establish contact or what, but I declined to answer the question. It felt kind of weird to get the text though and made me wonder why I had suddenly received it. Other people may well have replied, but I obviously have no sense of adventure.
A while ago I got a text that said “Hi [my name]. Its Duncan are you ok I’ll send you a pic if u hve cam fone? Can you send me one?” Now apart from the fact that he seemed unable to use the Queen’s English, I was somewhat perplexed by this message. I only know one person called Duncan and I couldn’t think why he would be sending me that text. Then a few minutes later, my mobile rang and it was this chap Duncan. My mind was racing trying to work out if I knew this person. Now I *know* what I should have done was to say “who are you?” but for some reason this didn’t really cross my mind at the time and I just mumbled slightly incoherently. He just said “you sound as though you’re a bit busy at the moment” and I said that I was and he rang off. I assume that, by strange coincidence, I got a text intended for someone of the same name and it was probably going to turn into some budding romance between them and I ruined their chance of true love. Maybe I should learn something from the text I got the other night and learn to say “Who is this?” though, instead of feeling guilty for not knowing who a person calling the wrong number is.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Friday, June 16, 2006
Something in the Air
Ages ago there was a news item about an invention to dissuade troublesome youths from hanging about outside shops scaring people and (literally) lowering the tone. Apparently a machine has been invented that emits a tone that is really irritating to people below the age of twenty or so, but cannot be heard by people older than that. So oiks decide not to hang about outside the local shops and instead go and smash up a phone box in a secluded spot - and very possibly the local residents don’t get their copy of the Daily Mail or The Sun delivered as the paper boy’s ears bleed every time he tries to go into the local newsagents to pick up the papers to deliver.
Anyway, having been invented as a power for good, the high pitched tone has now been used as a tool to assist feral youth. It seems that you can now get the high pitched tone as a ring tone on your mobile. If pupils are in class and want to sneakily keep their mobile on they can have this ring tone and the teacher won’t hear it because the tone is not in the adult hearing range. Although if they answer a phone call, unless they have learned to actually speak in the high pitched tone, I suspect most teachers would probably notice.
So, lets get this clear... a tone is invented that is so repugnant to youths that they are instantly repelled by it. It is so effective that it is… now being used as a mobile ring tone by the very people that it is meant to repel. Mind you if they are the oiks they are meant to be they are unlikely to be in school anyway, so the ring tone is just going to protect the hearing of old fogies such as myself. Now if someone could invent something that means that I can’t hear people playing the radio on mobile phones at full volume on the tube that *would* be a good invention.
Anyway, having been invented as a power for good, the high pitched tone has now been used as a tool to assist feral youth. It seems that you can now get the high pitched tone as a ring tone on your mobile. If pupils are in class and want to sneakily keep their mobile on they can have this ring tone and the teacher won’t hear it because the tone is not in the adult hearing range. Although if they answer a phone call, unless they have learned to actually speak in the high pitched tone, I suspect most teachers would probably notice.
So, lets get this clear... a tone is invented that is so repugnant to youths that they are instantly repelled by it. It is so effective that it is… now being used as a mobile ring tone by the very people that it is meant to repel. Mind you if they are the oiks they are meant to be they are unlikely to be in school anyway, so the ring tone is just going to protect the hearing of old fogies such as myself. Now if someone could invent something that means that I can’t hear people playing the radio on mobile phones at full volume on the tube that *would* be a good invention.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Pace
I wonder how suited I am to this house buying thing. A couple of places I wanted to go and view have already gone under offer. I don’t think my risk averse attitude suits me to the cut-throat business of buying property. Well, maybe not cut-throat business exactly but business that is faster than the snail pace that I would normally like to operate at when spending tens of thousands of pounds. I guess I’m going to have to get used to moving more swiftly in this process. It seems that a couple of places I wanted to see have been withdrawn from the market as well, so the number of places I am going to get to see seem to be getting less and less, although an estate agent is sending a whole load of stuff out to me in the post which I should get today so that might inspire me. I shall potter on at my own pace for now though.
Talking of things that are being done at someone’s own pace reminds me that in April we advertised a job that needs to be filled urgently and the closing date was the beginning of May. I changed bosses during that time and despite us now being half way through June, he has not even asked for the files to look at who has applied. He keeps saying he will do it and then something else comes up and he doesn’t get round to it. So one of my colleagues has the embarrassing job of fending off calls from people who are wondering what is going on. How we can expect anyone actually to want the job if we haven’t even had the courtesy to read their application form yet – or even acknowledge that we have got it – astounds me. I think my boss is on leave next week as well, so that will be yet another week where nothing is done about it. What a way to run an organisation.
On the way home last night I decided to wait for the bus. This turned out to be a bad decision as I was still waiting for it 20 minutes later and I could have walked home in that time. Anyway, just as the bus arrived two teenage lads on bikes cycled at speed across the road and the second one clipped his bike off a traffic island and made a very painful collision with the road.
He looked really upset which I think was a combination of pain and shock. His friend had cycled on so I went and picked him up off the road and helped him to the side of the road. Despite there being loads of people at the bus stop only one other person came over and he helped me get the boy up off the road and then picked up the bike. The boy’s friend then reappeared, as he had realised what had happened by then, and they both just kind of disappeared off. So I hopped on the bus and went home. He was definitely someone who should have been doing things as his own pace. Poor lad.
Talking of things that are being done at someone’s own pace reminds me that in April we advertised a job that needs to be filled urgently and the closing date was the beginning of May. I changed bosses during that time and despite us now being half way through June, he has not even asked for the files to look at who has applied. He keeps saying he will do it and then something else comes up and he doesn’t get round to it. So one of my colleagues has the embarrassing job of fending off calls from people who are wondering what is going on. How we can expect anyone actually to want the job if we haven’t even had the courtesy to read their application form yet – or even acknowledge that we have got it – astounds me. I think my boss is on leave next week as well, so that will be yet another week where nothing is done about it. What a way to run an organisation.
On the way home last night I decided to wait for the bus. This turned out to be a bad decision as I was still waiting for it 20 minutes later and I could have walked home in that time. Anyway, just as the bus arrived two teenage lads on bikes cycled at speed across the road and the second one clipped his bike off a traffic island and made a very painful collision with the road.
He looked really upset which I think was a combination of pain and shock. His friend had cycled on so I went and picked him up off the road and helped him to the side of the road. Despite there being loads of people at the bus stop only one other person came over and he helped me get the boy up off the road and then picked up the bike. The boy’s friend then reappeared, as he had realised what had happened by then, and they both just kind of disappeared off. So I hopped on the bus and went home. He was definitely someone who should have been doing things as his own pace. Poor lad.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Better
I’m feeling considerably better, so unfortunately I am back at work now. I spent yesterday sort of working from home which basically meant monitoring my work e-mails so that I appeared not to be watching repeats of lots of programmes that were originally shown in the 1980s.
One of the things that I learnt from the whole throwing up episode is that if there is any chance you might be sick then don’t eat cheese because it makes it that much more unpleasant because it kind of ferments in your stomach. Too much information?
Well, not quite changing the subject this may not be an entirely welcome thing either if you’re feeling a bit unwell. That’s right it’s “Stick on the Stilton” – cheese that has been turned into a perfume. Apparently it smells nothing like cheese, some people think it smells like flowers, others like herbs or a whole range of other things. I guess it would be a conversation piece at least. But why would you?
I’m trying to arrange to view some properties on Saturday but it seems to be quite hard work to sort out the logistics because none of the places are with the same estate agents. I phoned to book a morning viewing with one and an afternoon viewing with another and then planned to fill in the time gaps with other viewings once those were sorted. The one I had asked to be in the afternoon has been arranged for 11am, which last time I checked was not actually the afternoon. Anyway, by the weekend hopefully I’ll have lined up about half a dozen viewings, although I suspect a lot of people aren’t going to want their football viewing to be disturbed. Do they want to sell their properties or not? Hang on, what's the quote "Football is not a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that." I have much to learn.
One of the things that I learnt from the whole throwing up episode is that if there is any chance you might be sick then don’t eat cheese because it makes it that much more unpleasant because it kind of ferments in your stomach. Too much information?
Well, not quite changing the subject this may not be an entirely welcome thing either if you’re feeling a bit unwell. That’s right it’s “Stick on the Stilton” – cheese that has been turned into a perfume. Apparently it smells nothing like cheese, some people think it smells like flowers, others like herbs or a whole range of other things. I guess it would be a conversation piece at least. But why would you?
I’m trying to arrange to view some properties on Saturday but it seems to be quite hard work to sort out the logistics because none of the places are with the same estate agents. I phoned to book a morning viewing with one and an afternoon viewing with another and then planned to fill in the time gaps with other viewings once those were sorted. The one I had asked to be in the afternoon has been arranged for 11am, which last time I checked was not actually the afternoon. Anyway, by the weekend hopefully I’ll have lined up about half a dozen viewings, although I suspect a lot of people aren’t going to want their football viewing to be disturbed. Do they want to sell their properties or not? Hang on, what's the quote "Football is not a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that." I have much to learn.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Unwell
It’s rare that I’m ill, but yesterday was certainly one of those days. I was feeling a bit odd most of the morning and took over an hour to eat my sandwiches at lunchtime. I then just sat at my desk with my head in my hands wondering what to do, thinking I’d really like to go home but not wanting to go out in the heat or travel on the tube, but then I suddenly felt really sick at which point D, who I sit next to ordered me to go to the loos and I made it there just in time… Very unpleasant. Then I decided I really should go home so I went home and went to bed. Then when I felt better I got up and dressed and then threw up again and was even more ill than I had been before.
I have no idea what the cause is but I am working from home today as my landlady reckons that even if I feel better I am likely to still be infectious for about 24 hours. The thought of travelling on the tube today is also not appealing. I should be fine by tomorrow though. My landlady was really nice and brought be breakfast in bed. I ate a bit of bread but really don’t feel hungry at all which is totally unheard of. I have worked at my current place for over five years and this is the first time that I have ever had to take time off for being ill (not that today should count as sick leave), so it’s a time of firsts. Anyway, hopefully I’ll regain my appetite and be back on full form by tomorrow.
I have no idea what the cause is but I am working from home today as my landlady reckons that even if I feel better I am likely to still be infectious for about 24 hours. The thought of travelling on the tube today is also not appealing. I should be fine by tomorrow though. My landlady was really nice and brought be breakfast in bed. I ate a bit of bread but really don’t feel hungry at all which is totally unheard of. I have worked at my current place for over five years and this is the first time that I have ever had to take time off for being ill (not that today should count as sick leave), so it’s a time of firsts. Anyway, hopefully I’ll regain my appetite and be back on full form by tomorrow.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Glimpsing the future
I feel like I had a good weekend. Starting looking at places to buy on my own made me feel like I do have some vague control of some part of my life. Of course I have to actually buy somewhere to really have sorted this, but we’ll call that a technicality for now.
I went over to my parents’ house yesterday as they were going out for lunch with a couple of people to celebrate my father’s birthday (which was last week). My father walks incredibly slowly and is generally slow about most things – thinking of the answer to any question, just talking generally etc. When we went to the restaurant the waitress kept asking him questions as though she couldn’t quite work out what was wrong with him and as though she couldn’t quite work out whether she should work out who his carer was and ask them instead. He just seems to be getting less capable as time goes on, but I think his biggest problem is that he keeps making his world smaller and smaller and isn’t willing to take a risk on anything. *note to self – take more risks or see your future unfolding in front of you…*
My mum really made me laugh though. I was at their house after the meal and dad was asleep on the sofa and mum appeared to be sticking two fingers up at him. When she checked what she was doing, she said that as tempting as it was to stick two fingers up at my dad she was in fact making shadow animals on the sofa because the sun was shining in behind her. Sure enough she had perfected a number of animals and proudly showed me a kangaroo, baby alligator and a crocodile (don’t get those two muddled up). I then suggested other animals and she came up with a pug dog, a jaguar and various birds. What talent. You’d probably have to have been there to quite appreciate this though – but even without being there you might gather that my mother is entirely insane at times. Have I once again glimpsed my future?
I went over to my parents’ house yesterday as they were going out for lunch with a couple of people to celebrate my father’s birthday (which was last week). My father walks incredibly slowly and is generally slow about most things – thinking of the answer to any question, just talking generally etc. When we went to the restaurant the waitress kept asking him questions as though she couldn’t quite work out what was wrong with him and as though she couldn’t quite work out whether she should work out who his carer was and ask them instead. He just seems to be getting less capable as time goes on, but I think his biggest problem is that he keeps making his world smaller and smaller and isn’t willing to take a risk on anything. *note to self – take more risks or see your future unfolding in front of you…*
My mum really made me laugh though. I was at their house after the meal and dad was asleep on the sofa and mum appeared to be sticking two fingers up at him. When she checked what she was doing, she said that as tempting as it was to stick two fingers up at my dad she was in fact making shadow animals on the sofa because the sun was shining in behind her. Sure enough she had perfected a number of animals and proudly showed me a kangaroo, baby alligator and a crocodile (don’t get those two muddled up). I then suggested other animals and she came up with a pug dog, a jaguar and various birds. What talent. You’d probably have to have been there to quite appreciate this though – but even without being there you might gather that my mother is entirely insane at times. Have I once again glimpsed my future?
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Progress
So yesterday didn’t go quite as planned but was good anyway. My dad was ill – I’m not going to be too specific about in what way, but let me tell you it wasn’t pleasant. That meant that it wasn’t a good idea for my nephew to go over to my parents’ house, so I was going to look after him instead. Then the plan got really complicated and in the end mum came to the property viewings with me and I went over to my sister’s house in the afternoon as she was feeling in need of a bit of support in looking after my nephew because she was really tired. My nephew and I messed about in the garden for a bit and I just generally entertained him for the afternoon. Without meaning to go down the “my nephew is soooooooooooo cute” route too much (but he is), I was standing in the kitchen eating a slice of toast and he wandered in and reached up to me so that I’d pick him up. As much as I’d like to think that it’s because he thinks I am so great, he was intently eyeing my piece of toast and basically every time I took a bite of toast he then took a bite as well and he ended up eating far more of it than I did. It was very funny – but you’d probably have to be there appreciate the humour.
Anyway, the properties I went to see were interesting. I quite liked one of them but thought it was over-priced. It would need a new kitchen, carpets as there were just bare floorboards, and a stair lift removed. Those things wouldn’t be too bad if I didn’t think it was quite expensive in the first place. The second place was nice enough but I didn’t like its location at all. I would have been ok once I got the front door closed but would have felt uneasy until that point. I might speak to the estate agent about the first place to see if there is any negotiation on the price to get it down to something rather more reasonable, because it was a place that had definite potential, but we’ll see.
While I was at my sister’s I had a browse on the internet to look for other properties and saw a few that might be of interest and have requested the details. Despite the places I saw not necessarily being what I want, I actually felt kind of inspired and as though I might actually be brave enough to buy somewhere on my own. It put me in quite a good mood, as though I might have the courage to go through all the hassles that go with buying somewhere because at the end of it I will finally have a home, which would be quite an amazing thing.
Anyway, the properties I went to see were interesting. I quite liked one of them but thought it was over-priced. It would need a new kitchen, carpets as there were just bare floorboards, and a stair lift removed. Those things wouldn’t be too bad if I didn’t think it was quite expensive in the first place. The second place was nice enough but I didn’t like its location at all. I would have been ok once I got the front door closed but would have felt uneasy until that point. I might speak to the estate agent about the first place to see if there is any negotiation on the price to get it down to something rather more reasonable, because it was a place that had definite potential, but we’ll see.
While I was at my sister’s I had a browse on the internet to look for other properties and saw a few that might be of interest and have requested the details. Despite the places I saw not necessarily being what I want, I actually felt kind of inspired and as though I might actually be brave enough to buy somewhere on my own. It put me in quite a good mood, as though I might have the courage to go through all the hassles that go with buying somewhere because at the end of it I will finally have a home, which would be quite an amazing thing.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Come on England, I want to go shopping...
I think I might be in the minority here, but I’m not actually very interested in watching England play in the World Cup. I’m not anti-football and have been known to follow how Arsenal are doing, but watching England play is not often a pleasant experience.
I always feel they are a bit too unpredictable, that no matter how much they are hyped they can wander out on the pitch on the day and play a match that is toe-curlingly painful and often seem to end up in a penalty shoot-out that is nerve-racking beyond measure and if I want to know the result, I can just wait until the match is over and look it up on teletext instead (that’s not really the spirit is it?).
I’m not one of those people who bemoans England’s sporting abilities and goes off on a rant about how terrible the English are at sport every time we get knocked out of a sporting competition - be it football, tennis, cricket, rugby. It just doesn’t interest me enough really.
But there are certain advantages to England playing in the World Cup the main one being that about half an hour before kick off most people start to settle down in front of the TV to watch the match s everywhere goes quiet. This is therefore the perfect time to go out and do all sorts of things that are normally over-run people. You can have a speedy trip around the supermarket, drive about without getting stuck in queues and a hush falls over places that are normally chaotic on a Saturday afternoon. So from that point of view I am a big supporter of the England football team and am looking forward to a couple of hours of peace and quiet this afternoon.
Anyway, I’m off to look at a couple of houses in a bit and then my sister is leaving my nephew with me to look after as she is going to a wedding. She phoned this morning to ask if I could look after him as my parents were meant to be looking after him but apparently they are ill. My sister e-mailed me a photo of him yesterday and he looked so cute that she is going to give me a printed copy of it too.
My landlady said to me yesterday that someone is coming round to look at the house this morning and did her usual “can you make sure your room is tidy?” which gets a bit grating in the end. I’m reading We Need to Talk About Kevin
at the moment, forget my colleague at work, lets hope it doesn’t give me any ideas.
I always feel they are a bit too unpredictable, that no matter how much they are hyped they can wander out on the pitch on the day and play a match that is toe-curlingly painful and often seem to end up in a penalty shoot-out that is nerve-racking beyond measure and if I want to know the result, I can just wait until the match is over and look it up on teletext instead (that’s not really the spirit is it?).
I’m not one of those people who bemoans England’s sporting abilities and goes off on a rant about how terrible the English are at sport every time we get knocked out of a sporting competition - be it football, tennis, cricket, rugby. It just doesn’t interest me enough really.
But there are certain advantages to England playing in the World Cup the main one being that about half an hour before kick off most people start to settle down in front of the TV to watch the match s everywhere goes quiet. This is therefore the perfect time to go out and do all sorts of things that are normally over-run people. You can have a speedy trip around the supermarket, drive about without getting stuck in queues and a hush falls over places that are normally chaotic on a Saturday afternoon. So from that point of view I am a big supporter of the England football team and am looking forward to a couple of hours of peace and quiet this afternoon.
Anyway, I’m off to look at a couple of houses in a bit and then my sister is leaving my nephew with me to look after as she is going to a wedding. She phoned this morning to ask if I could look after him as my parents were meant to be looking after him but apparently they are ill. My sister e-mailed me a photo of him yesterday and he looked so cute that she is going to give me a printed copy of it too.
My landlady said to me yesterday that someone is coming round to look at the house this morning and did her usual “can you make sure your room is tidy?” which gets a bit grating in the end. I’m reading We Need to Talk About Kevin
at the moment, forget my colleague at work, lets hope it doesn’t give me any ideas.
Friday, June 09, 2006
You can tell it's summer
Yesterday was the first day I hadn’t worn a jumper or similar item to work all year, so I must really believe summer is here. Today I am even wearing short sleeves. Fortunately I was in a very cheerful mood on the way in this morning as my journey to work was going well but suddenly ground to a halt due to traction problems on the tube. They then shut all the doors on the tube so no-one could get off, which was kind of strange, and then when we finally were allowed off the train, I had come up with a route that meant taking totally the wrong train and then hopping on a bus and arriving at work about 30 minutes late to work - not that we have to be in before 10 anyway. Strangely the extra time in the sunshine seems to have still left me in a reasonably good mood anyway.
Right so what is happening on the house buying front? I’ve decided to look for somewhere on my own for now because I have no idea what will happen with the friend who suggested we might buy together. She is away for another few weeks yet and then may have to wait a few months to be eligible for a mortgage as she will have to get a job when she’s back. I can always revise the plan and look with her if I don’t have any success on my own. If we did buy together, we would have a far more 50:50 split on buying it whereas it would have been 80:20 with my other friend (with me having the larger portion), which would means we could get somewhere bigger.
While I was on holiday a financial adviser called me to say that I will be able to get a mortgage without any problem and I was also very shocked at the rather large amount of money that I would be able to borrow. That plus my deposit should mean I can get somewhere nice. However, I have never been in debt in my life and the prospect of taking on a mortgage does not fill me with joy, so I am not keen to take on a vast amount of debt.
Anyway, tomorrow I am off to see two properties. One of them is more than I want to spend but is worth a look anyway and apparently they might be willing to lower the price for someone who can move quickly. Until now I have been looking at bigger places as I was looking with my friend, so I have no feel for what to expect from somewhere I could afford on my own, so at least it will start to get me thinking. One of my fears is that I will just be convinced by the estate agents banter and he’ll persuade me that something the size of a shoebox is my ideal purchase. So I’m leaving my chequebook at home and taking my sister along for protection and we’ll see what happens.
Right so what is happening on the house buying front? I’ve decided to look for somewhere on my own for now because I have no idea what will happen with the friend who suggested we might buy together. She is away for another few weeks yet and then may have to wait a few months to be eligible for a mortgage as she will have to get a job when she’s back. I can always revise the plan and look with her if I don’t have any success on my own. If we did buy together, we would have a far more 50:50 split on buying it whereas it would have been 80:20 with my other friend (with me having the larger portion), which would means we could get somewhere bigger.
While I was on holiday a financial adviser called me to say that I will be able to get a mortgage without any problem and I was also very shocked at the rather large amount of money that I would be able to borrow. That plus my deposit should mean I can get somewhere nice. However, I have never been in debt in my life and the prospect of taking on a mortgage does not fill me with joy, so I am not keen to take on a vast amount of debt.
Anyway, tomorrow I am off to see two properties. One of them is more than I want to spend but is worth a look anyway and apparently they might be willing to lower the price for someone who can move quickly. Until now I have been looking at bigger places as I was looking with my friend, so I have no feel for what to expect from somewhere I could afford on my own, so at least it will start to get me thinking. One of my fears is that I will just be convinced by the estate agents banter and he’ll persuade me that something the size of a shoebox is my ideal purchase. So I’m leaving my chequebook at home and taking my sister along for protection and we’ll see what happens.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Unfit
Being away did remind me quite how unfit I am. My normal exercise regime (believe me that word seriously overstates it) is walking up the escalators at the tube station and a twenty minute walk home from the station.
Had I walked a bit more during the week, I would have got rather fitter, but I was often a bit off the pace and would trudge in a couple of minutes after most of the rest of the group. My addiction to penguins did not necessarily help my cause those, all that chocolate, I’d forgotten how nice they were – and you get a joke on the wrapper as well. How can you resist such classics as:
What did the grape do when it got stepped on?
It gave out a little wine.
Why did the elephant take toilet paper to the party?
Because it was a party pooper.
They don’t actually get any better than that.
But sometimes I wonder if there are parallels between my walking ‘technique’ and my life more generally. Many years ago a friend said to me that I am one of life’s plodders (she meant this in a nice way!). Basically I keep plodding on even in adverse conditions. I grit my teeth and keep going, maybe occasionally losing my way or slowing my pace a bit but in the end I get there, regardless of all the trials or circumstances that may put me off my goal.
I do actually like knowing others have trodden a path before me, that I can say to someone “what do you think?” or “what did you do?” and from their experience they can tell me what path they took and why. Somehow it makes things less scary, more manageable.
So perhaps I am not unfit, but instead need to build up stamina, to work out where I need some strength and insight and then set my sights on the goal and see it through.
And one final joke...
Why did the lobster blush?
Because the sea weed.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
For the doubters
A friend came round on Saturday night and I was showing her round where I live, as she had never been there before.
When I showed her my room, she said "You really do sleep with your feet in a wardrobe!" That was the first time I'd really thought that people might be sceptical about whether I actually do. So I thought I would take some photographic evidence so that my dear blog readers could also see for themselves.
I hope you don't find it shocking to see some of my bedroom and in particular my bed. For those of a sensitive disposition I suggest you look away now.
So first is my bed and you possibly can see that the bed looks rather short - the distance between the head of the bed and the wardrobe bit is probably about four and a half feet.
Then this is a picture with the wardrobe door open and you can see my duvet cover in the wardrobe bit - see I really do sleep with my feet in a wardrobe!
I apologise for my untidy wardrobe but I have to maximise space by packing things in. So, anyway, there you go, proof of my wardrobe-dwelling. Given the untidiness of my room, I dare not show you a photo of the rest of it, not that there is huge amounts more space in my room. But hopefully you can control yourself at having seen where I sleep.
When I showed her my room, she said "You really do sleep with your feet in a wardrobe!" That was the first time I'd really thought that people might be sceptical about whether I actually do. So I thought I would take some photographic evidence so that my dear blog readers could also see for themselves.
I hope you don't find it shocking to see some of my bedroom and in particular my bed. For those of a sensitive disposition I suggest you look away now.
So first is my bed and you possibly can see that the bed looks rather short - the distance between the head of the bed and the wardrobe bit is probably about four and a half feet.
Then this is a picture with the wardrobe door open and you can see my duvet cover in the wardrobe bit - see I really do sleep with my feet in a wardrobe!
I apologise for my untidy wardrobe but I have to maximise space by packing things in. So, anyway, there you go, proof of my wardrobe-dwelling. Given the untidiness of my room, I dare not show you a photo of the rest of it, not that there is huge amounts more space in my room. But hopefully you can control yourself at having seen where I sleep.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Working for a living
I could get used to time off work, even though I didn’t do anything very constructive beyond going to the supermarket and sorting out my stuff from being on holiday. Sadly it’s back to work today but at least it is only a four day week. However, the first thing my landlady told me this morning was about the large amount of cat poo she had to clear up when she came downstairs. This wasn’t an entirely pleasant experience while I was eating my breakfast, but I’m hoping that doesn’t set the tone for the rest of the week. Although having just got into work and found that a whole load of money has been deducted from my salary by mistake, it isn’t looking good.
I was planning on going to my parent’s house yesterday afternoon because my sister and nephew were due to be there as it was my father’s birthday, but my sister was feeling tired and dad had to go to the doctor’s anyway, so I ended up not going over there.
I seem to have a few things rattling round my head at the moment and so I’ll probably write something about them here at some point. It’s amazing what difference a bit of sunshine makes though. One of the things I find really frustrating about where I live is that it is so dark indoors. You have to have the lights on no matter what time of day it is, so it makes me feel as though a little cloud is descending when I think about going home – because I am literally going from being in the sunshine to semi-darkness. When I start looking at places to buy I really need to try and find somewhere that is light and airy because it really affects my mood. One of the great things about Scotland is that it was light until really late and I could look out the window at the mountains as late as 11pm and still be able to clearly see them. I went for a walk about 8.30 last night to soak in the last bit of daylight and also to try and inspire myself on the house buying front and it did actually kind of work and made me feel more positive about the prospect of trying to buy somewhere.
Anyway, I’d better get on and start to plough through all the work e-mails waiting for me. There are less than 100 e-mails to get through so that is better than expected. They won’t take very long to delete then.
I was planning on going to my parent’s house yesterday afternoon because my sister and nephew were due to be there as it was my father’s birthday, but my sister was feeling tired and dad had to go to the doctor’s anyway, so I ended up not going over there.
I seem to have a few things rattling round my head at the moment and so I’ll probably write something about them here at some point. It’s amazing what difference a bit of sunshine makes though. One of the things I find really frustrating about where I live is that it is so dark indoors. You have to have the lights on no matter what time of day it is, so it makes me feel as though a little cloud is descending when I think about going home – because I am literally going from being in the sunshine to semi-darkness. When I start looking at places to buy I really need to try and find somewhere that is light and airy because it really affects my mood. One of the great things about Scotland is that it was light until really late and I could look out the window at the mountains as late as 11pm and still be able to clearly see them. I went for a walk about 8.30 last night to soak in the last bit of daylight and also to try and inspire myself on the house buying front and it did actually kind of work and made me feel more positive about the prospect of trying to buy somewhere.
Anyway, I’d better get on and start to plough through all the work e-mails waiting for me. There are less than 100 e-mails to get through so that is better than expected. They won’t take very long to delete then.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
I am not back at work yet, I decided to take today off work too so that I have a bit of time to relax before I go back to work. Although the highlight of the day might turn out to be going to Tesco, but it’s time off work so I shan’t complain.
We went on some good walks while I was away although to be honest I only walked at the beginning of the week because I wasn’t feeling too well as the week wore on.
Anyway, last Monday we went on a walk that involved climbing to a summit of 977 metres. On the national weather the night before we had been warned that it was going to be a “serious day for walkers” and that was true.
We set off in sunshine and some intermittent rain but we could see that higher up there was quite a lot of snow – and fresh snow at that. We kept walking and when we stopped for lunch it was in clear conditions but within minutes clouds has descended and visibility dropped to only a few metres. However, we still headed for the summit but by this point had reached the snow, which was very deep in places.
When we got to the summit it was zero visibility, but that wasn’t actually a disappointment. I felt the most amazing sense of achievement to have made it to the summit in snow and really low visibility that made the others I was walking with seem like silhouettes. It was great to make it to the summit and it felt a bit like getting to the top of my own little Everest – and it is about as near as I am likely to get to the real thing.
As there was no view at the summit because the cloud was so low and it was somewhat chilly up there in the snow, we immediately headed straight back down, at which point the horizontal hail started. We had to stop a couple of times because it felt like being simultaneously struck by dozens of pin pricks. It was an excellent facial but not an entirely pleasant experience. We slogged on through and eventually the hail turned to rain instead, but we then had a sweet eating competition to lift our spirits.
By the time we got back to the car it was glorious sunshine and was difficult to believe that we had been trekking through snow and hail only a short time before.
There’s something about facing the elements that clears the cobwebs out of your mind. However the sore throat and the fuzzy head that materialised about 24 hours later maybe suggests that the elements were striking back with a vengeance.
We went on some good walks while I was away although to be honest I only walked at the beginning of the week because I wasn’t feeling too well as the week wore on.
Anyway, last Monday we went on a walk that involved climbing to a summit of 977 metres. On the national weather the night before we had been warned that it was going to be a “serious day for walkers” and that was true.
We set off in sunshine and some intermittent rain but we could see that higher up there was quite a lot of snow – and fresh snow at that. We kept walking and when we stopped for lunch it was in clear conditions but within minutes clouds has descended and visibility dropped to only a few metres. However, we still headed for the summit but by this point had reached the snow, which was very deep in places.
When we got to the summit it was zero visibility, but that wasn’t actually a disappointment. I felt the most amazing sense of achievement to have made it to the summit in snow and really low visibility that made the others I was walking with seem like silhouettes. It was great to make it to the summit and it felt a bit like getting to the top of my own little Everest – and it is about as near as I am likely to get to the real thing.
As there was no view at the summit because the cloud was so low and it was somewhat chilly up there in the snow, we immediately headed straight back down, at which point the horizontal hail started. We had to stop a couple of times because it felt like being simultaneously struck by dozens of pin pricks. It was an excellent facial but not an entirely pleasant experience. We slogged on through and eventually the hail turned to rain instead, but we then had a sweet eating competition to lift our spirits.
By the time we got back to the car it was glorious sunshine and was difficult to believe that we had been trekking through snow and hail only a short time before.
There’s something about facing the elements that clears the cobwebs out of your mind. However the sore throat and the fuzzy head that materialised about 24 hours later maybe suggests that the elements were striking back with a vengeance.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Back to Sunny London
I’m back. It was a really good holiday, I spoke to a friend on the phone while I was away who said I sounded so much happier than I had in ages. The return to London wasn’t entirely welcome but it has been pretty good so far.
Anyway, it was great to get away from it all and spend time surrounded by mountains and lochs. I don’t think I said before but I was actually in Ullapool which is in North West Scotland. I have never been so far north in the UK before and it was lovely.
We flew to Aberdeen, which is just under 200 miles from Ullapool, because it was considerably cheaper to fly there than to Inverness. As an aside it was also far cheaper to fly British Airways than Easyjet. Some friends also flew to Aberdeen but on Easyjet and they booked weeks before me and paid a lot more than I did. We then hired a car and drove from Aberdeen to Ullapool, picking up another friend in Inverness and taking the opportunity to eat some fish and chips in the car. I’m dead classy I am.
It’s very light that far north and even though we didn’t arrive at the place we were staying until don 9.30pm, there was still plenty of daylight.
It was a very relaxed week, there were 10 of us plus two children and we could do as much or as little as we wanted. I was actually a bit under the weather while I was away, which started with rather a sore throat and turned into a horrible cold, which I still have. This was probably due to walking through snow and hail one of the days, but I’ll post about that in the next day or so.
Regardless it was a great time away, with fantastic views, good company and lots of time to relax. Marvellous.
Sadly, I didn’t bring you back a present as they wouldn’t let me take a real live Highland cow on the plane, but the thought was there.
Oh and I am, of course, pleased to see the return of The Gripes of Wrath. Sounds like an excuse for me to eat some cake in celebration. Woo hoo!
Anyway, it was great to get away from it all and spend time surrounded by mountains and lochs. I don’t think I said before but I was actually in Ullapool which is in North West Scotland. I have never been so far north in the UK before and it was lovely.
We flew to Aberdeen, which is just under 200 miles from Ullapool, because it was considerably cheaper to fly there than to Inverness. As an aside it was also far cheaper to fly British Airways than Easyjet. Some friends also flew to Aberdeen but on Easyjet and they booked weeks before me and paid a lot more than I did. We then hired a car and drove from Aberdeen to Ullapool, picking up another friend in Inverness and taking the opportunity to eat some fish and chips in the car. I’m dead classy I am.
It’s very light that far north and even though we didn’t arrive at the place we were staying until don 9.30pm, there was still plenty of daylight.
It was a very relaxed week, there were 10 of us plus two children and we could do as much or as little as we wanted. I was actually a bit under the weather while I was away, which started with rather a sore throat and turned into a horrible cold, which I still have. This was probably due to walking through snow and hail one of the days, but I’ll post about that in the next day or so.
Regardless it was a great time away, with fantastic views, good company and lots of time to relax. Marvellous.
Sadly, I didn’t bring you back a present as they wouldn’t let me take a real live Highland cow on the plane, but the thought was there.
Oh and I am, of course, pleased to see the return of The Gripes of Wrath. Sounds like an excuse for me to eat some cake in celebration. Woo hoo!
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Off to Sunny Scotland
Time to go on holiday, and not a moment too soon. I think I’ve realised over the last few days how down I’ve been about a few things – work, house stuff, landlady, the ex and so on. Going away for a week will hopefully help to get me back on track a bit more.
I’m flying to Aberdeen this afternoon and picking up a hire car and then driving across to the other side of Scotland to stay in a cottage for a week. It would have been rather closer to fly to Inverness but it was over double the cost so, as I had to hire a car anyway, it was as easy to fly to Aberdeen. A friend is coming over in a bit and we’re going to go to the airport and when we land at Aberdeen, drive to Inverness anyway and pick up someone else and then on to the west coast of Scotland. There will be about a dozen of us and we should have a bit of a laugh, so I’m looking forward to it. A bit of walking, some not doing a lot, some eating, some enjoying ourselves. Just what I need.
Yesterday I contacted loads of estate agents to register with them. A couple of them said that it is a sellers’ market at the moment, so if I see somewhere I like they advised me to put in an offer asap. That’s not really ideal, as given the amount of money needed to buy somewhere, rushing the decision isn’t really my style. An interesting development though is that a friend e-mailed me yesterday and said she might be interested in buying somewhere with me. She could afford rather more money than my other friend which would be handy. The problem is that at the moment she’s travelling and when she gets back will need to find a job, but it’s nice to have options. I’ll see how it goes with trying to find somewhere on my own and then maybe revise my plans and buy with my friend if it doesn’t work out. So I spent some time yesterday filling out some forms for a financial adviser to start the process to find a mortgage and hopefully by the time I get back from holiday there’ll be some property details waiting for me.
I went to the library yesterday and borrowed various books. Normally I struggle to find anything that inspires me, but there were quite a few books yesterday that I quite fancied reading, so hopefully I will have some good reading while I am away. I just finished reading The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (who I had always assumed was a woman but is in fact a man). I really enjoyed that, which I was very surprised by because I tend to hate “classis literature” because it reminds me of being forced to read various books when I was at school.
In case you’re interested and want something to read while I’m away, my current reading material is: We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (who is in fact a woman, even though she sounds like she would be a man…); The Lovely Bones by Alice Seebold; Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz; Salem Falls and Keeping Faith both by Jodi Picoult. Happy reading – although none of it is terribly cheerful, so maybe that isn’t the most appropriate phrase.
I am hoping I make it back in one piece from this trip. I was walking on Skye a couple of years ago and came a little to close to plummeting to my death than I might have liked. I was with my friend S and he wanted to see if we could reach the top of a ridge, but every route we tried turned out to still not be the top. In the end we decided to climb back down, so we looked at the various options, none of which were ideal – even though it wasn’t that difficult getting to where we were, climbing down seemed much more of a challenge. In the end we picked what looked like the best route down and S set off first. It involved having to climb down facing outward and S picked out the route and I followed. This was working fine until one of my feet slipped and there was just no way to get a grip and I shot down the hill face at a rapid pace. Fortunately S was far enough ahead of me that when he, out of instinct, reached out to grab me he brought me to a shuddering halt. We both went rather silent and just sort of looked at each other and S just said “are you alright?” and I replied “Erm, I think so”. After a few minutes we very slowly made our way down to ground level and it was many hours later before we actually spoke about it because I think we were both a bit shocked by what had happened. I don’t actually think I would have died but it would have been a very long way to fall and I would have done myself some nasty damage. Anyway, should I never reappear, check the local hospitals – or mortuaries...
However, all being well, I am back next Saturday. I might have the chance to blog while I am away but very possibly not. So have a good week and think of me, in what will probably be torrential rain, wandering from tea shop to tea shop. Enjoy.
I’m flying to Aberdeen this afternoon and picking up a hire car and then driving across to the other side of Scotland to stay in a cottage for a week. It would have been rather closer to fly to Inverness but it was over double the cost so, as I had to hire a car anyway, it was as easy to fly to Aberdeen. A friend is coming over in a bit and we’re going to go to the airport and when we land at Aberdeen, drive to Inverness anyway and pick up someone else and then on to the west coast of Scotland. There will be about a dozen of us and we should have a bit of a laugh, so I’m looking forward to it. A bit of walking, some not doing a lot, some eating, some enjoying ourselves. Just what I need.
Yesterday I contacted loads of estate agents to register with them. A couple of them said that it is a sellers’ market at the moment, so if I see somewhere I like they advised me to put in an offer asap. That’s not really ideal, as given the amount of money needed to buy somewhere, rushing the decision isn’t really my style. An interesting development though is that a friend e-mailed me yesterday and said she might be interested in buying somewhere with me. She could afford rather more money than my other friend which would be handy. The problem is that at the moment she’s travelling and when she gets back will need to find a job, but it’s nice to have options. I’ll see how it goes with trying to find somewhere on my own and then maybe revise my plans and buy with my friend if it doesn’t work out. So I spent some time yesterday filling out some forms for a financial adviser to start the process to find a mortgage and hopefully by the time I get back from holiday there’ll be some property details waiting for me.
I went to the library yesterday and borrowed various books. Normally I struggle to find anything that inspires me, but there were quite a few books yesterday that I quite fancied reading, so hopefully I will have some good reading while I am away. I just finished reading The Woman in White
by Wilkie Collins (who I had always assumed was a woman but is in fact a man). I really enjoyed that, which I was very surprised by because I tend to hate “classis literature” because it reminds me of being forced to read various books when I was at school.In case you’re interested and want something to read while I’m away, my current reading material is: We Need to Talk About Kevin
by Lionel Shriver (who is in fact a woman, even though she sounds like she would be a man…); The Lovely Bones by Alice Seebold; Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz; Salem Falls and Keeping Faith both by Jodi Picoult. Happy reading – although none of it is terribly cheerful, so maybe that isn’t the most appropriate phrase.I am hoping I make it back in one piece from this trip. I was walking on Skye a couple of years ago and came a little to close to plummeting to my death than I might have liked. I was with my friend S and he wanted to see if we could reach the top of a ridge, but every route we tried turned out to still not be the top. In the end we decided to climb back down, so we looked at the various options, none of which were ideal – even though it wasn’t that difficult getting to where we were, climbing down seemed much more of a challenge. In the end we picked what looked like the best route down and S set off first. It involved having to climb down facing outward and S picked out the route and I followed. This was working fine until one of my feet slipped and there was just no way to get a grip and I shot down the hill face at a rapid pace. Fortunately S was far enough ahead of me that when he, out of instinct, reached out to grab me he brought me to a shuddering halt. We both went rather silent and just sort of looked at each other and S just said “are you alright?” and I replied “Erm, I think so”. After a few minutes we very slowly made our way down to ground level and it was many hours later before we actually spoke about it because I think we were both a bit shocked by what had happened. I don’t actually think I would have died but it would have been a very long way to fall and I would have done myself some nasty damage. Anyway, should I never reappear, check the local hospitals – or mortuaries...
However, all being well, I am back next Saturday. I might have the chance to blog while I am away but very possibly not. So have a good week and think of me, in what will probably be torrential rain, wandering from tea shop to tea shop. Enjoy.
Friday, May 26, 2006
The Rock
I'm now on leave, what a relief. Busy day ahead if I can summon up the energy to to all the things that I need to.
Anyway, at last, what was Gibraltar like? As I’ve already said, I just seemed to have a permanent grin on my face the entire time I was there, which was possibly just because I had escaped for a few days, but it gives an indication that I did like being there. Mind you, standing on your hotel room balcony in glorious sunshine looking out across the sea might raise a smile on a few people’s faces.
Gibraltar has a population of just under 28,000 people. Think of the number of people that could fit into most premiership football stadiums and you could fit in the entire population of Gibraltar and still have an echo. Gibraltar is only about two and a half square miles in size.
The first thing you notice when you land in Gibraltar is that the main road runs through the runway, as the photo on yesterday’s post shows. A Gibraltarian said to me that he thought they were the only civilised country where a road ran across the runway and I said a somewhat cheeky “surprising!” in response. Only about four planes land (and then take off again) a day so I guess it doesn’t cause too much inconvenience to shut one of the main roads closed a few times a day. Because the runway is so short, when we took off to return to the UK, the plane went right to the very end of the runway, turned round and then accelerated at full throttle going from stationary to airborne before it reached the mid-point of the runway. That’s quick.
The history of Gibraltar is interesting, but I won’t go into it here. However, you may be aware that there is some serious tension between the UK and Spain over ownership of Gibraltar. It’s a British Overseas Territory, but Spain have disputed this and wanted it returned to them. For about twenty years from the late 1960s, the border was closed between Gibraltar and Spain so it was impossible to go from one to the other – and even now the Spanish government won’t allow any flights between Spain and Gibraltar. In fact all the flights into Gibraltar are from the UK. Anyway, I was amused when I switched on my mobile phone and my network sent me a message which said “Welcome to Spain”. I guess they’ve decided who owns it then.
I was very excited to see the monkeys – which are actually Barbary Apes or Barbary Macaques. I saw them up on the actual main rock part of Gibraltar and also at the hotel where I was staying. They would just sit in the road and cars would drive right up to them and they would slowly wander out of the way. I took quite a few photos of them and was really excited to see them. I do sometimes have the mentality of a five year old and get excited by seeing small fluffy creatures.
I was also really excited when I realised how close Gibraltar is to Africa. It is just over 10 miles from Gibraltar to Morocco. I’ve never been to anywhere in Africa and I was beside myself with excitement to see Morocco across the Strait of Gibraltar. It wasn’t just some speck in the distance but was really imposing. I took various photos of that as well. I could actually see it from my hotel balcony but we took a drive down to the southern most point and looked at it from much closer. I don’t know why I found it quite so exciting to see Africa but I did. I think my only disappointment about being in Gibraltar was that I wasn’t there long enough to take a trip over to Morocco. Perhaps another time.
I actually managed to leave my work mobile in Gibraltar. Oops. Someone I work with is still there, so is going to bring it back for me next week. Good job I am not on call at the moment. In case you are wondering, I did actually do some work while I was there and my talk went well, but to be honest that is all just a vague memory from my time there now.
Anyway, I really enjoyed being there. Spending time in the sunshine. Staying at a nice hotel. Seeing the sights. Being able to just exist for a while leaving all my troubles behind was just great, and I just smiled and smiled and smiled.
Anyway, at last, what was Gibraltar like? As I’ve already said, I just seemed to have a permanent grin on my face the entire time I was there, which was possibly just because I had escaped for a few days, but it gives an indication that I did like being there. Mind you, standing on your hotel room balcony in glorious sunshine looking out across the sea might raise a smile on a few people’s faces.
Gibraltar has a population of just under 28,000 people. Think of the number of people that could fit into most premiership football stadiums and you could fit in the entire population of Gibraltar and still have an echo. Gibraltar is only about two and a half square miles in size.
The first thing you notice when you land in Gibraltar is that the main road runs through the runway, as the photo on yesterday’s post shows. A Gibraltarian said to me that he thought they were the only civilised country where a road ran across the runway and I said a somewhat cheeky “surprising!” in response. Only about four planes land (and then take off again) a day so I guess it doesn’t cause too much inconvenience to shut one of the main roads closed a few times a day. Because the runway is so short, when we took off to return to the UK, the plane went right to the very end of the runway, turned round and then accelerated at full throttle going from stationary to airborne before it reached the mid-point of the runway. That’s quick.
The history of Gibraltar is interesting, but I won’t go into it here. However, you may be aware that there is some serious tension between the UK and Spain over ownership of Gibraltar. It’s a British Overseas Territory, but Spain have disputed this and wanted it returned to them. For about twenty years from the late 1960s, the border was closed between Gibraltar and Spain so it was impossible to go from one to the other – and even now the Spanish government won’t allow any flights between Spain and Gibraltar. In fact all the flights into Gibraltar are from the UK. Anyway, I was amused when I switched on my mobile phone and my network sent me a message which said “Welcome to Spain”. I guess they’ve decided who owns it then.
I was very excited to see the monkeys – which are actually Barbary Apes or Barbary Macaques. I saw them up on the actual main rock part of Gibraltar and also at the hotel where I was staying. They would just sit in the road and cars would drive right up to them and they would slowly wander out of the way. I took quite a few photos of them and was really excited to see them. I do sometimes have the mentality of a five year old and get excited by seeing small fluffy creatures.
I was also really excited when I realised how close Gibraltar is to Africa. It is just over 10 miles from Gibraltar to Morocco. I’ve never been to anywhere in Africa and I was beside myself with excitement to see Morocco across the Strait of Gibraltar. It wasn’t just some speck in the distance but was really imposing. I took various photos of that as well. I could actually see it from my hotel balcony but we took a drive down to the southern most point and looked at it from much closer. I don’t know why I found it quite so exciting to see Africa but I did. I think my only disappointment about being in Gibraltar was that I wasn’t there long enough to take a trip over to Morocco. Perhaps another time.
I actually managed to leave my work mobile in Gibraltar. Oops. Someone I work with is still there, so is going to bring it back for me next week. Good job I am not on call at the moment. In case you are wondering, I did actually do some work while I was there and my talk went well, but to be honest that is all just a vague memory from my time there now.
Anyway, I really enjoyed being there. Spending time in the sunshine. Staying at a nice hotel. Seeing the sights. Being able to just exist for a while leaving all my troubles behind was just great, and I just smiled and smiled and smiled.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Some pics
Well, I wrote my post on Gibraltar last night and appear to have forgotten to save it in the right place, so you will have to wait with baited breath until tomorrow.
So for now, you will have to settle for a couple of photos. The one above (which I have purloined from burksgreen.com) is of the rather precarious runway in Gibraltar -and the horizontal line that runs across the middle of it is a main road. They just put down level crossing barriers about ten minutes before to stop the traffic, sweep the runway and then the plane comes in to land.
The photo above was the view from my hotel room. Can you understand why I couldn't stop smiling the entire time I was there?
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The return
Well, I’m back in one piece. Gibraltar was great and the sunshine put a permanent smile on my face. I just kept wandering about thinking how happy and content I felt. Getting away from it all into the sunshine was just what I needed.
I’ll post something tomorrow about Gibraltar and what it was like, but it was really great to be there and it is a shame to be back, although I am only in work tomorrow and then I am on leave for over a week.
I got back to the surprise that my landlady hadn’t totally rearranged my room, which I was amazed at. I also had £16 in refunds from London Underground so at least there were some pleasant things to greet me.
Anyway, I’d better get on with a few things including reminding myself what rain is like. Despite it being rather chilly at the moment I think my landlady has decided it is officially summer, so the heating has been switched off. Welcome home indeed.
I’ll post something tomorrow about Gibraltar and what it was like, but it was really great to be there and it is a shame to be back, although I am only in work tomorrow and then I am on leave for over a week.
I got back to the surprise that my landlady hadn’t totally rearranged my room, which I was amazed at. I also had £16 in refunds from London Underground so at least there were some pleasant things to greet me.
Anyway, I’d better get on with a few things including reminding myself what rain is like. Despite it being rather chilly at the moment I think my landlady has decided it is officially summer, so the heating has been switched off. Welcome home indeed.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Monkeying about
It’s time to escape wet and windy London for a couple of days and head off to Gibraltar. I am in work this morning and then off to Gatwick at lunch time for my flight. I was talking to a friend on the phone yesterday and said that I was going to Gibraltar to tickle a monkey, but concluded that sounded way too much like a euphemism for something else.
I am actually going there to give a talk tomorrow that will last about twenty minutes, but don’t fly back until Wednesday afternoon. I have prepared some slides and am going to speak without notes rather than reading a speech because I have given a similar speech several times before and to be honest it was a bit boring. So I’m going to be daring, as hopefully the panic when I lose my train of thought will make the talk sound more exciting and dynamic.
Anyway, so there really will be monkeys in Gibraltar, or apes to be more accurate. Apparently at the hotel there are notices up warning guests not to leave the windows open as they will climb in. Now that would be quite something to wake up to in the morning.
The temperature is due to be low to mid-twenties and sunny. What can I tell you? It’s a hardship but someone has to do it. I doubt very much I will have the opportunity to post anything while I am away, but somehow I suspect you might be relieved to have some brief respite from my rantings about my landlady (must think of a suitable name for her and “evil landlady” is already taken). Let me tell you, her obsession yesterday with telling whether my washing was dry or not and whether there was enough space left on the clothes airer for any more clothes was going to be a truly fabulous post, but I reckon you’ll cope. Anyway, be good and no tickling any monkeys.
I am actually going there to give a talk tomorrow that will last about twenty minutes, but don’t fly back until Wednesday afternoon. I have prepared some slides and am going to speak without notes rather than reading a speech because I have given a similar speech several times before and to be honest it was a bit boring. So I’m going to be daring, as hopefully the panic when I lose my train of thought will make the talk sound more exciting and dynamic.
Anyway, so there really will be monkeys in Gibraltar, or apes to be more accurate. Apparently at the hotel there are notices up warning guests not to leave the windows open as they will climb in. Now that would be quite something to wake up to in the morning.
The temperature is due to be low to mid-twenties and sunny. What can I tell you? It’s a hardship but someone has to do it. I doubt very much I will have the opportunity to post anything while I am away, but somehow I suspect you might be relieved to have some brief respite from my rantings about my landlady (must think of a suitable name for her and “evil landlady” is already taken). Let me tell you, her obsession yesterday with telling whether my washing was dry or not and whether there was enough space left on the clothes airer for any more clothes was going to be a truly fabulous post, but I reckon you’ll cope. Anyway, be good and no tickling any monkeys.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Moving Times
Well, I had a really good day out yesterday which helped to clear some of the cobwebs out of my brain. I had a particularly successful time shopping. I got some new headphones for my radio, a couple of pairs of trousers for work and bought some DVDs. One of those DVDs was Running on Empty, which was being sold as part of HMV’s 3 for £18 offer. Bargain! Until now I have had a slightly fuzzy copy of it taped off BBC2 probably a good ten years ago and the soundtrack isn’t great in places, so I was really pleased to get it on DVD. Simple things...
I met up with my friend L and we had a really good catch up and it turns out that Running on Empty is one of her favourite films, and we were both kind of surprised that the other one liked it so much. Anyway, we ate some food, went for a wander and put the world to rights. It was a good evening. However, she really is between homes at the moment and apparently has been for a whole. She is living in youth hostels moving from place to place, which she is finding really difficult, particularly as she finds sleeping almost impossible. I did speak to her about seeing if she could stay where I live for a bit but it would be such a trek for her to get to work that she doesn’t think it would help.
It turns out my landlady came back early as she realised her ex-husband was going to be visiting her son for the weekend. They don’t speak and, even if they did, sharing the guest room didn’t seem ideal. Apparently at the interview on Thursday they offered her a range of jobs and so she is going to decide by Monday which one to take. She’s all set to move though and reckons she’ll be gone within three months. It also seems that her parents are moving with her, so they now need to put their house on the market.
She wants me to stay on in the house until it is sold and she thinks that might take some time. So from that point of view it should actually make things easier for me, but I still need to get on with buying somewhere. She also mentioned something about reallocating the rooms, which I think means I will end up with a different bedroom, but I am not entirely sure what she has in mind.
Maybe I am overly picky but when I got home tonight she had sorted out my washing and done my ironing. I’m not entirely sure I want her going through my underwear and there is something which is a bit like she thinks she is my mother – but I already have one of those and wasn’t really looking to acquire a new one. It was nice of her to do my ironing, but I feel as though she is being a bit controlling in some of the stuff that she is doing. I also thought I had kind of mastered the slightly crumpled look. Anyway, if you want your ironing done, do drop it round and I’ll see what I can sort out for you.
I met up with my friend L and we had a really good catch up and it turns out that Running on Empty is one of her favourite films, and we were both kind of surprised that the other one liked it so much. Anyway, we ate some food, went for a wander and put the world to rights. It was a good evening. However, she really is between homes at the moment and apparently has been for a whole. She is living in youth hostels moving from place to place, which she is finding really difficult, particularly as she finds sleeping almost impossible. I did speak to her about seeing if she could stay where I live for a bit but it would be such a trek for her to get to work that she doesn’t think it would help.
It turns out my landlady came back early as she realised her ex-husband was going to be visiting her son for the weekend. They don’t speak and, even if they did, sharing the guest room didn’t seem ideal. Apparently at the interview on Thursday they offered her a range of jobs and so she is going to decide by Monday which one to take. She’s all set to move though and reckons she’ll be gone within three months. It also seems that her parents are moving with her, so they now need to put their house on the market.
She wants me to stay on in the house until it is sold and she thinks that might take some time. So from that point of view it should actually make things easier for me, but I still need to get on with buying somewhere. She also mentioned something about reallocating the rooms, which I think means I will end up with a different bedroom, but I am not entirely sure what she has in mind.
Maybe I am overly picky but when I got home tonight she had sorted out my washing and done my ironing. I’m not entirely sure I want her going through my underwear and there is something which is a bit like she thinks she is my mother – but I already have one of those and wasn’t really looking to acquire a new one. It was nice of her to do my ironing, but I feel as though she is being a bit controlling in some of the stuff that she is doing. I also thought I had kind of mastered the slightly crumpled look. Anyway, if you want your ironing done, do drop it round and I’ll see what I can sort out for you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)