Old house, an old pub and sweetie

4 July 2012

Our first week in the flat is now over although we are not feeling the benefit of being here just yet seeing as we are going backwards and forwards to Bracebridge to be there for when the surplus odds and ends are collected.  The Guide Dogs for the blind are getting a lot of stuff right now.  I had to be there at 7pm last night so that a guy could get in to get the two single wardrobes out of there.  Parking has always been a nightmare there and last night I ended up parking outside number 100.  That is a good walk down to our house.

For the last hour this morning I have been on the phone changing the address with each of the various agencies we are with.  DWP is the biggest pain in the butt.  Why don't they have one single contact number where you can change your details at so that it gets updated across the whole system.  The last one I called was the Pension Credit office.  At least with Motability they automatically inform the insurance company of the changes.  Only one more to do now and that's the driving licences.  I am very pleased that this will be our last ever move.  I've had enough after this one!

Last night after I left the house I drove off to Tesco Local and got four 4 pinters of milk - yes, we do go through that much.  On the way home I called in at the anchor and had a pint of John Smiths.  Been a bit since I had one of Smudges beers, very nice too.  Then it was across the road to the chippy for the first and last time.  The fish was OK, the chips were crap.   

So what is happening in the world today?  Do you know what - I don't have a clue!  Not having a paper delivered is a bit of pain but also a bit of benefit to.  At least now I don't have to think about what is happening all over the place.  But there again, I don't really like not being able to think about those things.  Daft that enit?

I did however see the front page of yesterday's News.  It was a story about how close they are to closing the deal to build a new shopping area in the Abbey  Street area of the town.  The story claimed that there would 100,000 sq feet of shopping area, a supermarket, a new cinema.  Now that seems strange to me.  It's not the area plus a supermarket but where they are planning to put it all.  Hopefully the old Ritz cinema is to be renovated and that covers the main land area in that location.  Sometime ago they were on about building on the Co-op car park.  OK, but it is one of the major car parks in the town and to lose that will create a lot of problems for shoppers.  I can see the old pub The Kingsholme being demolished, which would be a shame seeing as architecturally it's a very nice and interesting building.  It just needs renovating but currently it is letting the area down by the way it currently looks ... 

Whatever, the council will continue to do what they want no matter what we the public want.

I was just about to settle to do some of this when the door bell rang.  Standing there was a lady saying she had an appointment with us at 11am.  She was from Continuing Health - whoever they are.  I looked puzzled, she looked puzzled, Jan was puzzled.  So the lady checked her papers work and on one form, the one she looked at to arrive here, it said our number, but on another one it said #6.  No wonder the NHS costs so much.

I shall be a good boy and give you another photo instead of just leaving it with The Wreck above, so here you are then ... 

OK, found one.  This guy is a slate worker at Llanberis in North Wales.  He was doing a working demo/talk on the old slate mines in the area.  He was a very good speaker and passed on the information in a clear and interesting way.

I have a 'sweet' funny for you today ...

In a tough part of town a jelly baby is chatting to a smartie. "It's a dodgy pub, this. I hope there isn't a fight. I'm soft inside and I'll get hurt."
"Don't worry" says the Smartie, "I'm a hard case. I'll protect you."
Just then, in walk three Lockets looking for trouble.
The Smartie runs and hides.
The Lockets pick a fight with the jelly baby, beat him up and walk out.
The Smartie comes over and asks the jelly baby if he's OK.
"I thought you were going to protect me", protests the jelly baby.
Not against the Lockets," says the ashen faced Smartie
"They're menthol!"