Virgin

6 February 2012

And what a day it has been.  Up early again today for yet another GP appointment caused because the last guy removing two items from my prescription repeats.  One of them has been replaced but the second one was not replaced because I was on two different tablets for the same condition and I really I only need the one of them.  That's fine, I can live with that - as long as it is all explained to me at the time. 

Our next fun and games began when Jan said, "The dammed internet is down yet again."  Not only was the internet down but the TV package was down too.  We phoned the Virgin helpline and we spoke to man with an accent - that's all I'll say about that - but trying to get any information out of him was like drawing teeth.  Once you move away from their script they get lost very easily indeed.  The problem as I see it is that they learn English at uni however, it is academic English.  It's like any other language, learn it as a second language and what you say will be very hard to understand to anyone who speaks the colloquial language.           Take for instance someone form Ulster; they might say, "I was walking down the street so I was ... " and that will throw some of these outsourced workers.  Our a Scot say, "di ye ken lassie?"  And what a Cockney saying he couldn't Adam and eve it when he fell down the apple and pairs.  Enough of that - back to Virgin!

Jan has spent some more time on the phone and spoke to a very helpful young man named Brian.  Our bill has now been reduced from £84 pm to £63 pm, which is what we wanted in the first place.  Not only that we also got a clear breakdown of what each component of that bill is and its cost.  Jan was on the phone for less than 10 minutes, but it was 10 minutes that would have been saved if she hadn't to spend nearly twice that tying to get some sense from a non-UK based person.

My writing efforts went down well yesterday.  I got 4600+ words done.  I've introduced a couple of new characters and a new location too.  It's another cop  story using the same detectives as I used in House of Pain.  It's based in Cambridge, cos I like Cambridge - Jan doesn't so I can go there by mesen and have fun poking about ;-)))  Anyway, one copper sees a problem with a heroin overdose death and it sparks a major UK wide case.  On top of that I've added in a drug dealer, a house fire and two dodgy cops.  Here's the prologue for you to read that takes palce the same days as the Birmingham pub bombing ...

"Sitting quietly in the school chapel, an 18 year old girl was sobbing into a tissue, one of many   she had worn out that day.  One of the convent's sisters saw the girl and approached her, sat down beside her waiting until the girl was ready to speak.  The sister knew who the girl was and why she was so upset, all the sisters knew that she had been turned down as a possible entrant into the order of nuns that ran the school.  It was her lack of maturity, her lack of  understanding and empathy for the other students at the school that had let her down.  Her reaction to her not being admitted was proof if it was needed that the right decision had been made.  The tears were not because she had been turned down but because the other girls in her year were not applying to be nuns.  As the girl saw it this was a waste of a good Catholic education. 

All these other girls were off into the world.  Some were going to university; some were going into work placements; some were actually boasting that at long last they could let their hair down, try drugs, get drunk and maybe even get pregnant.  This last idea was so abhorrent to the sobbing girl that she actually hated them for it.  That hatred was what caused the nuns to finally decide against her.  No nun could hold such hate in her heart for other women, no matter why she held such hatred.  However, the door wasn't completely closed to the girl.  She had been advised that she needed to go out and see some of the world, to spend time praying for the world from within it after having seen all its evil.  She could then come back in a few years and they would see how she had got on and perhaps she may have matured enough to be accepted by the order.

The sister sat quietly beside the sobbing girl, spending the time in prayer, not only for the girl beside her, but also for the world in general.  No nun would sit quietly without turning to prayer.  She was however, aware that the girl had stopped sobbing.  Her head was still hanging down, her hand clasped together in her lap.  "I shall leave now sister," said the girl in her lilting Irish voice.  "Thank you for sitting with me."  The girl rose from the seat and walked out of the chapel, out of the school and eventually out of everyone's memory.  The sister sat quietly praying for the girl to find peace before she too left the chapel.  The date was 21 November 1974. 

Later that day news began filtering through of the terrorist bombings of two pubs in Birmingham city centre.  Thoughts and prayers turned to the 19 dead and the many more who were injured and their families too.  It seems natural that such an event would wipe away the memory of the sobbing girl from most of those at the school.  But the sister who had sat with her didn't forget her and continued to pray for her."

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So then, time for a photo ... 

seeing as I have just mention the bombings, how about this one then?  The round building in the centre background is the Rotunda and it was in there that one of bombs went off.  It's been turned into flat now.  the penhouse one were going for a couple million each if you want one ;-)))

So, what has the Sage got for us today then?

   SENIORS GIVING BIRTH

With all the new technology regarding fertility recently, a 65- year-old woman was able to give birth.

When she was discharged from the hospital and went home, her relatives came to visit. "May we see the new baby?" one asked. Not yet," said the mother. "I'll make coffee and we can visit for a while first."

Thirty minutes had passed, and another relative asked, "May we see the new baby now?" "No, not yet," said the mother. After another few minutes had elapsed, they asked again, "May we see the baby now?" No, not yet," replied the mother.  Growing very impatient, they asked, "Well, when can we see the baby?"

"WHEN HE CRIES!" she told them.  "WHEN HE CRIES?" they demanded. Why do we have to wait until he CRIES?"

BECAUSE I FORGOT WHERE I PUT HIM. O.K.?"

Snow's up

5 February 2012

The snow arrived here with a vengeance last night.  At around 9.30 we had around 6" of the damned stuff.  I got this shot last night at 9.15 ...   

We are lucky here in Dorktown in that it tends not to hang around for too long and already it's well on the way to being gone.  That sounds terrible dunit - 'being gone' - ah well ;-)))

Master Kile should now be out in the cold building his snowman as his mum was saying he was hoping to do.  I told them not to call me to help, too bloomin lazy for games like that, besides, it too bloomin cold.  Jan is off to church so I wonder what sort of mischief I can get up to while she's gone ;-)))

There's woman complaining about the Prime Muppet pandering to the deputy Prime Muppet on everything that needs to be done in government.  She says that if the country had wanted a Liberal Euro-centric government they would have elected one.  Hmmm ... by the same token, they didn't really want a Tory government either did they or the Tories would have got a clear majority?  These people really do need to learn to keep their mouths shut at times, or at least to think before they speak.

Today's Sunday Express is a disaster!  Jan got up first and found it half in and out of the letter box.  The result is that its wet around the centre which made it hard work to read, not there was much in there today anyway.  I was interested in the Met wanting to talk to the Tapas 7.  Oh right?  Who the hell are the Tapas 7?  Reading it I find out it's to do with the Maddie case in Portugal.  You know, as horrendous as the case is, I just can't get pasted the fact that those kids should not have been left alone at any time.  We never left Tom alone at any time.  One of us was always with him or if we wanted to go out his gran looked after him for us the night.  Whatever, I hope they do find her safe and well.

Here's a shot from Friday's trip to Coventry ... 

It's a view of the arches from up the pedestrian walkway up towards Broadgate.  I don't know the name of the street, sorry.  I'm not too sure of the street names over there and my map is out of date.  The redevelopment of the area was done after our current map was released too.  Time for a new one methinks.

And from the sage ...

A husband wrote the following letter for his wife and left it on the dining room table:

"To My Dear Wife,

You will surely understand that I have certain needs that you, being 54 years old, can no longer satisfy. I am very happy with you and I value you as a good wife. Therefore, after reading this letter, I hope that you will not wrongly interpret the fact that I will be spending the evening with my 18 year old secretary at the Comfort Inn Hotel.  Please don't be upset - I shall be home before midnight."

When the man came home late that night, he found the following letter on the dining room table;

"My Dear Husband,

I received your letter and thank you for your honesty about my being 54 years old. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that you are also 54 years old. As you know, I am a math teacher at our local college. I would like to inform you that while you read this, I will be at the Hotel Fiesta with Michael, one of my students, who is also the assistant tennis coach. He is young, virile and like your secretary, is 18 years old. As a successful businessman who has an excellent knowledge of math, you will understand that we are in the same situation, although with one small difference - 18 goes into 54 a lot more times than 54 goes into 18. Therefore, I will not be home until sometime tomorrow."

A slip up today

4 February 2012

What a wally!  I had typed something like 1500 words for here today then I go distracted and lost the lot!  Bloody hell!!!  It's been ages since I did that.  here we go again, if I can remember it all. 

The cops in Coventry have removed two pit-bull type dogs from their owner.  But does it work.  Every dog in the world has the capability of turning very nasty very quickly.  The Dangerous Dogs Act deals with breeds, not the nature of the dog or the owner, that means the act doesn't actually work properly.  It's the result of another knee jerk reaction of government to horrendous dag a attacks. 

Like many people I like music.  Right now I have CD playing, Out of the Blue by ELO.   It's been ages since I last heard this.  Although I like music, I like it in small doses.  A live gig is fine, I can handle that OK but not CD after CD and certainly not as a continual background to everything I do.  That would drive me up the wall.  I wonder at times why others need to be surrounded by sound all the time.  are they afraid to be alone with their thoughts?  I like being alone with my thoughts.  There are time when we all need to have a quiet time like that.

How does one measure quality of life?  Take my mother for example.  She can't hear and can't see; she has no awareness of what what's going on around her or where she is, she even doesn't know who she is any more.  We have been asked by the nursing staff of the care home she in if we want her resuscitated at anytime.  But do you say, no, what do I say?  My gut feeling is not to.  I think it would be cruel to make her continue like that.  I know she would hate it if she knew how she is.  So Jan has gone up to sit with her for an hour and signed the required forms about it.  To say I'm gutted is an understatement.  I'm just pleased that I have Jan here to be with and to support me through this.

Let's look a bit bright shall we ... 

here's Kile.  I took this shot at a garden centre last month while Jan was off getting lunch ...  Good looking little lad enhe ;-)))

Yesterday I managed to get to Coventry for a couple of hours and got a few photos of roundabout.  Here's one for you ... 

Lady Gidiva on her horse.  The council are planning on moving her yet again.  Some wag has suugested put her on a turnable plinth then it would cost so much every time they want to move ;-)))  Getting spoilt aren't you, two in day ;-)))

And from the Sage ...

A man wakes up in hospital, bandaged from head to foot. The doctor comes in and says 'Ah, I see you've regained consciousness. Now you probably won't remember, but I'm afraid you were in a pile-up on the motorway.'

 'You're going to be OK, you'll walk again, everything seems to be OK, but there is a bit of bad news and I'm going to break it to you as gently as I can. Your Willy was chopped off in the wreck and we were unable to find it.'

 The bloke groans a bit (as you do) but the doctor goes on, 'We've checked your insurance and you've actually got £9,000 compensation coming to you and the good news is that we have the technology now to build you a new Willy that will work just as well as your old one, better in fact. But the thing is, it doesn't come cheap. It is one thousand pounds an inch.'

The bloke perks up a bit at this (as you would.) 'So it's a simple decision,' the doctor says, "you need to decide how many inches you want. But it's something you'd better discuss with your wife. I mean, if you had a five inch Willy before and you decide to go for a nine Willy now, she might be a bit put out. But if you had a nine incher before and you decide only to invest in a five incher now, she might be a bit disappointed. So it's important that you consult with her to help you make the decision.'

So the bloke agrees to talk with his wife. The doctor comes back the next day. 'So' he says, 'have you spoken with your wife?'  'I have.' says the chap.' And has she helped you to make the decision?' 'Yes, she has' he says. 'And what is the decision?' asks the doctor. 'We're having a new kitchen.'

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Of course, an akthernative ending would be, "We'll have five inches please."  

Nearly there ...

2 February 2012

Hello all.  I apologise for my absence over the last two days.  This bout of flu as really knocked me about - as per usual I might add.  Today I was determined to get out for a couple for a hour just to get some fresh air.  So off I went taking a back full of odds'n'ends for a charity shop we support in town.  Next was a trip to Smudges Place for a copy of AP and next week's telly pages.  I also found the new issue of Birdwatch so I had one of those too.  I was cold even though I had on extra layers of togs but it was still good to be out and about. 

The news that Mothercare is closing down was a blow to parents in Dorktown.  Now there's concern that Millets in the Abbeygate shopping centre is also closing down, but no one will confirm of deign it.  Bon Marche is not closing, not that it will affect me any seeing as I don't go in there; Jan does on occasion but not often. 

According to today's News, four men have been charged with stealing cables from beside the railways locally.  Maybe as a punishment they should tied the rails with their hands ready for cutting off by a passing train.  You would only need to do it once and it would end all cable thefts from the railways!  Of course, the courts don't have the balls to order such sentence, pity really.

My mother is very weak and is being kept in bed now.  The way things are going I don't think she will be with us for much longer.  It is so sad to see someone that you love go downhill the way she has.  It's not just the physical side but the mental side too.  Dementia is such a cruel illness, not only to those who suffer from it but also for their families too.  At 85, mother is the longest living member of our family so far.  Considering what is wrong with her, she is doing remarkable well to keep on going.  Mind you, she has no quality of life right now which makes it all even harder.

So then, Fred the Shred has lost his Knighthood ... oh dear, how sad, what a pity, never mind!  Considering how he managed to just about wreck RBS before he left it, I'm surprised that he wasn't forced out earlier.  Surely he must have known what he was doing was not working?  If he didn't know or realize, what was happening it makes me wonder just how good a businessman he was to start with.  It's all very strange and something we will never get to the bottom of I suspect. 

So what photo shall I share with you today ... ah yes, this one ...

 

We found this fossil at Aysgarth Falls in Yorkshire and I just had to have a photo of this.  I was very interested in geology at the time and began an OU course in the subject.  Sadly, I couldn't manage the maths involved and had to pull out of it.  Shame really cos I still like geology. The moible phone is to give an idea of scale

And from the Sage ...

 A blonde gets a job as a teacher. she notices a boy on a field stood by himself while all the other kids are running around having fun. she takes pity on him and decides to speak to him "You ok?" she says.
"Yes" he says.
"You can play with the other kids you know?"
"Its best i stay here" he says.
"Why?" says the blonde teacher.
The boy says "Because I'm the goalkeeper".