6 February 2023 (Monday) - An Easier Drive

Unusually the alarm woke me this morning; that never happens! I woke feeling rather rough which was either the port yesterday evening, or the stress of having “Stormageddon – Bringer of Destruction ^TM” about the house. Much as I love him, he can be hard work at times.

I am reliably informed that today he made a new verse for that classic song “The Wheels on the Bus” which goes “the weapons on the bus go bang bang bang…”

 

I got up and took the puppies outside, and in a novel break with tradition new-next-door's boiler was making noises. That has been silent since the ex postie with the motorbike (that never went anywhere) moved out three months ago. Having tiddled, the puppies went and harassed a sleeping “er indoors ^TM” and I made toast for brekkie and a sandwich for lunch. I scoffed the toast whilst watching the last episode of the current season of "Star Trek: Discovery". It was rather good, but I now need to find something else to keep me occupied.

 

I set off up the motorway to work. Much as I whinge about the motorway now being a dual carriageway, I far prefer driving up it than along the country lanes to Pembury. Even the antics of two lanes of slow-moving lorries forcing all the cars into the fast lane is better than the twists and turns through the -hursts and the -dens.

As I drove there was a lot of talk on the radio about the earthquake that hit Turkey overnight. The earthquake was felt thousands of miles away, and the death toll is in the thousands. Looking at the map it would seem the epicentre of the earthquake was only a few hundred miles from where we went on holiday a few years ago. This made me think... did you know that no one has ever successfully forecast a major earthquake?

You'd think that being able to do this might be a priority, wouldn't you?

Much of the rest of the news was about the strikes in the NHS which were happening today. A good thing or a bad thing for the future of the NHS?...  I can hardly claim to be impartial, but I'll just make the observation that a lot of hospitals these days have a section in their staff newsletters advertising where the local food banks can be found. Does anyone think that people are going to take up a job knowing full well that it won't pay enough to feed them?

 

I had planned to go on a little wander round the streets Munzing before work, but I thought better of the idea. Instead I just took a little detour and did a SleepZee as you can do them from the comfort of the car without having to get up.

 

I got to work and parked up, and just as I realised I'd forgotten my sandwich so “er indoors ^TM” sent a message telling me I'd forgotten my sandwich. I suppose that is why God (or blind chance) put a branch of M&S just down the corridor from my bit of work.

I bought a sandwich, got to work, set myself up at a microscope and (realising I would be staying put for some time) phoned the probate people. I got through in a far shorter time than I had expected; it only took half an hour to get a reply. After a little to-ing and fro-ing it appears that the reason for the delay on getting probate on Dad's house was that there was a trivial question that I hadn't answered when I emailed them on 18 November. The very helpful (!) woman said that they had realised the oversight on my part, but didn't see why they should tell me about it. She implied that had I not chased them up then I would have probably waited for ever for them to contact me... as they in turn waited for ever for me to do something about which I was utterly unaware.

I asked how long it would be before we got the probate done. She (I thought) rather sarcastically replied that it all depended on how long I took to send them the information they wanted. I told her they would have it by email within ten minutes, and she seemed genuinely surprised about that. She then made the schoolboy error of saying that once they'd got my email, it should all be done in a few days... and on realising what she'd said immediately tried to back-track.

It must be wonderful to work in a place with no urgency whatsoever.

 

I got on with work, and with it done I came home just as it was getting dark. The view from the car park was rather pretty this evening.  “er indoors ^TM” boiled up some pizza then went bowling. I ironed shirts, then settled down on the sofa underneath a pile of dogs and watched a film on Netflix.  Jung-E was… What can I say? I think the best word to describe the film would be “tedious”. Without giving the plot away the film is a sort of Korean prequel to “Terminator” which loses an awful lot in translation.

I suppose if nothing else it was something to watch whilst the washing machine worked its magic on my smalls, though the view through the washing machine’s port hole was probably more interesting.

5 February 2023 (Sunday) - Family Day

 

I woke feeling like death warmed up this morning. Back in the day I used to shift ale by the gallon. Three pints last night gave me such a headache this morning.

The dogs were funny this morning. Once the puppies had tiddled they both ran up the stairs to the big bed, then both whimpered and came back to me. Treacle was standing at the bottom of the bed glaring at them daring them to see what would happen if they came close. I told her to shut her rattle and helped the babies up. Whilst the dogs get on all right, Treacle does bully the smaller ones from time to time.

 

I made toast and had a look at the Internet. Having had two rather dubious friend requests yesterday I had another today. Did I mention I’ve started an album of pictures of the sort of “ladies” who want to be my friend. I wish they didn’t. Who on Earth would want to be seen on the friends list on someone like that?

And I saw that Netflix are making a series of “The Three Body Problem”; an excellent book… I wonder how they will transfer that story to the screen? Here’s hoping they make a good job of it.

 

I drove round to the petrol station to fill the car up. I went to the one at Sainsburys, and the cantankerous old bat I’ve met before was again behind the till, but in a novel break with tradition she had a go at being civil.

From there I drove down to Folkestone to collect “Daddy’s Little Angel ^TM”, “Stormageddon – Bringer of Destruction ^TM”, “Darcie Waa Waa ^TM” and Pogo and fetch them all home. I had planned on fetching the pressure washer back as well, but where yesterday had been a warm day, today was freezing. I left the pressure washer in Folkestone.

 

We came home and went for a walk round the park. Viccie Park used to be a rather pretty park, but over the last couple of years the council has embarked on a rather ambitious project of renovating much of the park. From what I can see this scheme involves digging up much of the park, fencing off the dug-up areas and then leaving them alone for months.

Such a shame.

As we walked so “Stormageddon – Bringer of Destruction ^TM” bleated constantly about needing the toilet. He bleats constantly about needing the toilet when none are near, and when there is a toilet within a few yards he goes for hours without needing one…

 

With walk walked I pootled in the garden for a bit. I had hoped that “Stormageddon – Bringer of Destruction ^TM” might help me, but he soon lost interest. He and his grandmother mucked about with craft stuff and getting dinner ready whilst “Daddy’s Little Angel ^TM”, “Darcie Waa Waa ^TM” and I watched “City of Ember”; a rather good Netflix film.

We then had a rather good dinner. “Darcie Waa Waa ^TM” particularly liked the sweet potatoes and chocolate cake and the cream.

She and her mother then had a little sleep on the sofa, her brother and Gran had a go at following crochet videos on Lube-Tube (as “Stormageddon – Bringer of Destruction ^TM” calls it). Have you ever watched crochet videos on You-tube (or “Lube-Tube”)? They certainly look far easier than they actually are.

I did the washing up.

 

As it was getting dark so “er indoors ^TM” took them all home. One has to be up promptly for school tomorrow, and the other two looked as though an early night wouldn’t hurt.

We then cracked open the port, cheese and crackers and watched today’s episode of “Lego Masters: Australia”. Today was all about building huge Lego bridges and testing them to destruction.

There is something strangely satisfying in watching someone else’s Lego models getting destroyed…

4 February 2023 (Saturday) - Early Shift

Last night Treacle got to bed before “er indoors ^TM” could take a firm line, and she made a point of stomping all over the show and trying to shove me out of the warm spot.  When I say "she made a point of stomping all over the show" that was Treacle. “er indoors ^TM”  just fought with her and told her off and generally made a racket.

Finding myself wide awake at one o'clock I then lay awake for much of the night. The new CPAP attachment giving me a sore nose didn't help much either.

I eventually got up just after five o'clock and took the puppies outside. Again there were several lights on in houses round and about. So many people are up and about far too early.

 

As the puppies mobbed “er indoors ^TM” I scoffed toast whist watching telly, then had a quick look at the Internet. It was still there. On one of the groups I follow there was a religious argument kicking off in which some half-wit was advocating the power of prayer, and claiming that no matter what the outcome, it was all proof of  the existence of his god. Whether of not your prayers get answered depends on god's holy plan for the universe... obviously (!) Others were arguing with the half-wit, and during the "debate" (for want of a better word) this half-wit constantly changed his stance on no end of matters and effectively claimed that black was white and shit was sugar.

They let these people vote and do jury service, you know...

 

Leaving “er indoors ^TM” and the dogs asleep I set off to work. As I drove there was an interview with someone who used to be in the band Chumbawumba who now runs some sort of extreme choir. From what I could work out this bunch go out and about singing whilst fell-walking and whilst swimming in rivers and ponds. The chap made the claim that when  they were famous, Chumbwumba were paid to appear on all sorts of TV shows internationally, and they never played live. They always mimed to a recording, and so  the band rarely actually turned up. They would send friends and family members on the all-expenses-paid outings. Friends and family would stay in hotels and appear on foreign TV shows and get paid, and (so this chap claimed) no one was ever any the wiser.

I wouldn't mind some of that...

There was also in interview with an ex-potato farmer who has been getting no end of abuse from all sorts of people because he has stopped growing potatoes and now grows bird seed. Why does he do this? He used to grow potatoes at a loss, now he grows bird seed at a profit. As he said, he isn't running a charity... and people pay more for bird seed than they do for their own food.

Funny old world.

 

I got to work where I sulked. Usually rather than cracking on with blood tests on a Saturday morning I go to dog club. But being unable to swap shifts, that wasn't happening today. I also sulked because in years gone by the first weekend in February was one of the highlights of the year: Dover Beer Festival. But the Maison Dieu in Dover (the venue) is being renovated and so the event is on hold for a couple of years.

I wonder if it will start up again? It was always fun; if a tad messy at times.

 

I came home to an empty house. “er indoors ^TM” and the dogs were out with Cheryl and Ro-Ro so I ran a bucket of water and sloshed the grime off of the car’s windows. It has to be said there was a lot of grime to slosh.

As I then headed in I saw movement next door. On one side of our house is “not-so-nice-next-door” with whom relations are slowly improving. On the other side is “new-next-door”; a house occupied by a succession of people who never seem to last very long. The latest “new-next-door” is a young lady about the same age as the fruits of my loin. She seems nice enough, but bearing in mind that she is the sixteenth person to take up residence in that house in the last thirty-two years, I can’t help but wonder how long it will be before she’s off.

 

“er indoors ^TM” boiled up a very good bit of dinner, then we set off for an evening out. Jimbo’s band were playing at the New Chimneys, and the clans gathered. I must admit I went along thinking that it might be something to round of an otherwise dull day, and we had a really good time. Jose and Maria gave us a lift and we arrived to find Steve and Sarah sitting in what I can only describe as the “band’s groupies area”; a little part of the pub just behind the band with the speakers pointing away from us. We were soon joined by so many old friends. Denver and his new lady friend. Alan. Sue and Chris.

I’ve spent a lifetime making such good friends that I so rarely see these days. It was so good to catch up with people, but such a shame that with the loud band we couldn’t hear each other speak. I might suggest they do an acoustic set; does any pub band *really* need amplifiers?

Nevertheless we had a very good evening listening to Neon Street playing music from the eighties (when music was good!). Mind you I can’t help but think that the perception of the eighties from forty years away is probably somewhat better than the actual eighties were…