where art collides philosoperontap

The meadow has been mown. THG uttered these words when standing at the sink looking out of the kitchen window. I thought I’d capture the moment. Domestic life in the twenty first century. Did it the other day when mowing the lawn. 

She was at the sink to fill the kettle to make the tea and coffee. We need a new kettle cos this one doesn’t switch itself off anymore. Still boils water ok though. You just have to keep an eye on it. No different to life a hundred years ago when you had to stick the kettle on the range and watch it boil. When did they stop using ranges? A hundred years ago is not far off the mark but you will want to know that cast iron range production practically ground to a halt during WW2 when they wanted to use the manufacturing plants for other purposes. Presumably there was a shortage of steel as well.

You had to be careful picking up the kettle from the range. The handle would be v hot. Use a cloth. You’d only forget the once. My grandmother’s cottage had the outline of a range in her small living room. It would have been the kitchen when they built the cottage. My grandfather, who was a miner, when he got home from work would have his bath on the floor in front of the range. They also had a cupboard under the stairs which was the larder and where they would shelter during air raids.

Eventually they built a small lean to extension which housed the kitchen and connected the house to what had been the outside privy. No central heating. It was bloody cold when you had to go to the loo in the morning.

The pit where my grandfather worked was over the road. Blaenhirwaun. My great grandfather on the maternal side, John Lewis, was the mining engineer who managed the colliery and built two cottages directly opposite. When he retired the presented him with an engraved miners lamp and a silver tea set which are now in the possession of my sisters.

I digress. I don’t know what I was going to say anyway. Yes I do. I started this post by clicking on the AI “generate document” icon and said “write a diary entry”. It did. I guess it meant well. It will never be me although I daresay the day is not far off when it could deceive people into believing it was me. One thing that caught me by surprise was the fact that it used Lexend font. Never eard of it. Had to revert back to Arial which I have used for decades but only because it is better than Courier or Times New Roman. I am a creature of habit, obvs.

No wildlife to be seen yet but I will update you when I’ve taken a look on the lakecam.

Today is when I begin the pickling process. I’ve been assembling the necessary tools and ingredients and needed THG to tell me where we kept the kilner jars which are now found. The only other thing I need is one more litre of malt vinegar and some fresh chillies but I don’t need them until tomorrow. Today is peeling the shallots day and then the salting process. I found some muscovado sugar which will do instead of whatever the recipe recommends. They all offer slight mods on a basic formula.

One year I did experiment with using different vinegars; white wine and sherry for example, or it might have been cider but I’m not sure I could tell the difference in the end product, particularly as I didn’t label the jars. Balsamic was one of the vinegars I think. I reckon peeling the onions will take most of the morning. There are a lot of them. If anyone wants to swing by to help then they would be v welcome but I understand why you might all be busy doing other things 🙂 

Back in Lincoln after a great time golfing in Norfolk. Hurricane Amy was brushed off as a mere breeze by a determined bunch of golfers hell bent on getting round the course. I used the same ball for the whole round despite Amy’s efforts to blow it off course.  

At home Amy left her calling card at the lake in the guise of a tree that she had viciously brought down. You can see from the photos that Brian experienced a very near miss. My god it was a close thing for the lad, who didn’t flinch and just carried on doing what he loves the most. I’m sure I’ll get to hear all about it when next we speak.

Whilst I was away, the night time lake visitations continued. It is interesting to observe that none of the wild creatures have been seen drinking any water. You would think this was one of the reasons for being there. It certainly is the case in Africa where during periods of drought a miscellany of wildlife is seen to congregate at water holes. Perhaps the back gardens of Lincoln abound with rivers and lakes.

Forgot to mention it the other day, what with all the hullabaloo with the fox, but Brian mentioned that he saw a submarine in the lake. Only the periscope mind you but when it comes to things in lakes Brian knows his stuff. After all, he spends all his time there. Brian is a man of few words and for him to come out with such a statement should be considered significant. Moreover as a straight talking gnome of integrity his remark has to be taken seriously.

Now there is a scenario where it wasn’t a submarine and Bri was mistaken but I’ve racked my brains to try and come up with anything that might look like a periscope but is something else and I’ve drawn a blank. I suppose it could just have been someone snorkelling but in that case Brian would have seen a body attached to the “periscope”, surely? Doesn’t sound right does it? The lake is deep enough for a sub. In parts it is as deep as Loch Ness which, as you know, is big enough to hide a monster. I’m sticking with sub.

It’s going to be interesting to get Brian’s insights into lake related matters. His gnome’s eye view will nicely complement the evidence of the lake cam. Enhance it even. For example the lake cam doesn’t capture weather conditions. Wind whipping up white tops on the water. Storms a brewing. I draw the line at tsunamis. I wouldn’t expect Brian to hang around after a tsunami warning. We major on health and safety at the lake.

I recall our hotel in Ao Nang in Thailand had a tsunami warning sign right outside. On the prom. Fortunately no tsunami was forthcoming but it was somewhat sobering. We weren’t on the top floor (there were only two) which with hindsight we should have requested and we were quite near the beach. I think the presence of the sign was sufficient warning. At the first sign of a tsunami we would have hot tailed it to high ground. I think as I recall I did ask to move up a floor but they were fully booked so no go. There was a nice pool at that hotel, fwiw.

I might look at putting in place another lakeside sign. Tsunami warning. The issue here is proportionality. I don’t want too many man made structures around what after all is a natural feature in the landscape. Perhaps I could paint it on a rock. Maybe a bird hide would work. Discrete. Blends in. Somewhere we could sit patiently and watch birds flutter in to land. Migrating egrets or simlar. Ducks. Get the binocs out. I must bring the binocs to the shed. My Collins bird recognition book is already here, somewhere.

I did want to put a bust of Zeus on a plinth in the undergrowth surrounding the lake. I’ve been looking for a Greek statue for a while and found one in the caff at Hemswell Antiques Centre. However, for some reason THG objected. Would have been very discrete and I thought the price point of £650 (including the plinth) was very reasonable. We married men (of thirty seven years) do accept that she and I are a team and the opinion of our chosen life partner counts. It’s not as if I could sneak it in and see if she notices. “That Greek statue? Oh it’s been there for ages”. This old thing 🙂

Dunno really, what to say. THG asked what’s going in the diary today. Nobody wants to know I had granola with greek yo and berries for breakfast washed down with a cup of tea. Do they? I suppose folk might be vaguely interested in knowing it’s looking a bit drizzly out. I haven’t looked at the lake cam yet so no fox news to report. Pesky fox news. It has been mentioned that the area around the lake needs landscaping and I don’t disagree with this but care does need to be taken not to despoil the wild nature of the place. No landscaping today anyway. Drizzle.

Yesterday on my way home from a preop consultation at the hospital I dropped by American Golf in Whisby and picked up a cheap driver. I was somewhat taken aback by how much you can spend on a driver. The latest Ping was five hundred quid or more. I wouldn’t get the benefit. Mine was the cheapest they had in the shop. I only wanted a second hand one really but they ship them all off to some used golf club website for disposal. My current driver is the fifty year old Ping Eye job I played with as a kid. Was state of the art then. I could hit it a long way. On a good day 280 yards. Norranymore. I’ve only been using it because I gave my other driver to John whose need was greater than mine. We mostly only play the par 3 nine holer at Laughterton.

It’s all systems go for the next hip hop btw. 28th October. Tuesday. Mr Manktelow only works there on Tuesdays. He spreads the lurve around different hospitals. Hip lurve. If it’s Tuesday it must be the Park Hospital.

I quite like this drizzly weather. Relaxing. The time is not too far when we will light the fire. Plenty of fuel at the bottom of the garden though I do need to split some of the logs. Problem is they are like concrete. Hadn’t realised they are best split fresh. I’ll work out a way. A combination of axe and sledgehammer should do it.

Tomorrow us lads are off across the county line to Norfolk for a golf trip, hence the new driver. There is usually a big prize for the longest drive. Pound from each player so six quid on offer. Rich pickings. Same for nearest the pin, the front nine and back nine. A total of twenty four pounds up for grabs. Not sure anyone has ever made a clean sweep. That would be like winning all the majors in the same season. Aint gonna happen.

Happily nipped down to make the tea this morning whether it was my turn or not.  Always nice to get home innit. Cooling down a bit to the extent that we now have the thick counterpane on the bed so the act of getting up was not without a mild element of effort. V cosy under the duvet. We are a long way from needing to put the heating on. Not at the thick jumper stage yet. I do have a very nice BlackYak woollen job made in the Himalayas that I wore all last winter. You can get away without a coat when wearing that jumper. I might go through my jumper collection and take some to the charity shop. See how it goes. There will be some there I’ve not worn for years. Probably even forgot I have them. Just imagine what it was like in the past without double glazing or central heating and a draughty house. Within living memory. Brrr.

I did stick the heating on in the shed yesterday when we got home and promptly forgot to switch it off when I came back to the house. Will be toasty there this morning.

Going to treat meself to a bacon sarnie for breakfast. Not had one for a few days. Certainly not whilst away in Berlin. Hotels in the UK struggle to provide decent bacon and ones abroad have no chance. Even those that try, as is generally the case at Hiltons, it’s always overcooked streaky rubbish designed solely for American visitors who are clueless when it comes to bacon. Don’t get me wrong. Streaky bacon is good but it doesn’t want to be too thin and certainly not cooked to a  brittle frazzle.

I have bread in as I bought some when I did an emergency dash to the coop last night for a tin of beans to go with my fishfingers. We thought we had some in the utility room but visits from offspring had depleted the stocks to the point of exhaustion. We wouldn’t do without them obvs (both beans and offspring). Baked beans are now £4.75 for a four pack! Wtf!! Luxury food!!!

Anyway the curtains have been flung open and daylight is streaming in, heralding the dawn. Moreover my phone is down to 15% charge. Time to get up. There is bacon to cook. Bread to toast. Battery to charge.

Ciao bebes.

Time was, getting out of Berlin was difficult, if you didn’t have friends in the right places. On this occasion the taxi provided by the hotel was there waiting for us and the time of day was favourable with all the traffic heading in to the city with deskbound commuters, chains rattling behind their Volkswagens as they stopped and started into town. Bag drop was quick. Why wouldn’t you check in online beforehand? 

Security was interesting. I suppose Fast Track must have made a difference but it didn’t feel like it and then, typically, my hand luggage was taken to one side for further investigation. I’d left a small pot of jam in it. Doh. It wasn’t particularly liquid but I’d forgotten it was there. I only whipped it because it was apricot and mango which I’d never heard of let alone tried so figured I’d give it a go. Had to wait for it to pass through the scanner again.

The cashier at the duty free asked what I thought of identity cards being considered for use in the UK. I should have told her to mind her own business but I said I didn’t mind. Turned out she was a conspiracy theorist. Moved on quickly.

The walk to the lounge was a bit of a hike. Until I discovered the moving walkway on the other side of the wall. Kept looking around to see where passport control was but it was nowhere in sight. It looked like we had an even longer hike to the gate. Then the guy in the lounge informed us that all we had to do was walk through those doors over there and we would be right at the front of the queue for passport control and the gate was directly after it. Result.

Looks as if there might be a delay to the flight which is a mild irritation but we are comfortable enough where we are sat. The biggest issue is the twelve twenty five planned arrival time at LCY versus the fourteen oh six direct train departure from Kings Cross. We bought flexible tix just in case. I’ll keep you posted obvs. In the meantime I have a book…

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Farewell to the friendly frauleins of Friedrichstrasse.

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Miracles do happen. Plane arrived on time and our bag was first through on the baggage carousel. Priority tags do sometimes work. THG had just said “It’ll probably take ages” to which I responded “no it will be the first through” and lo… It’s all about attitude innit. 

Only negative is that the retractable handle on my red suitcase is knacked. Doesn’t mean it has no further use but the suitcase will certainly be replaced for the next jaunt. It’s seen plenty of action in its twenty or so years of service. Doesn’t owe us anything. The new purchase won’t be for a while now as we have no big trips planned before my next hip hop at the end of October. Christmas maybs.

Nice to be back in the U U U K anyway. Train is rammed. We have seats E11 and E12. E13 and E14 were unreserved so I sat opposite THG in the latter. Was just settling down when some bloke in a 3 piece suit rocked up and stared at the seat. Turned out he had just bought the ticket and accompanying seat reservation. No problemo. I moved. Then someone else arrived to claim the fourth seat so now on our table that is a perfect size for two we have the full complement of four bums on seats. First world problems.

Bought a couple of bots of Tanqueray export strength gin at the Berlin duty free. 47% instead of the usual 43. Twenty five quid a bottle. Same price as the coop or perhaps tesco but a bit more kick.

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Given up on the Dissolution of the Monasteries book btw. It was so detailed it was getting repetitive. I got the gist.

Wall to wall sunshine in prospect in Burlin. Another beeootiful day. We wake up somewhat stuffed after a night out in Potsdam with Stefan and Katja, and our John. A good time was had by all. Unusually we went to a creperie called La Madelaine. I’m somewhat astonished that it’s taken me nearly 64 years on this planet to try a galette. Finished off with a calvados. Couldn’t squeeze in a pud. Comes to something when even your pudding stomach is full.

These weight loss jabs really do suppress the appetite. Up until now I’ve shed a modest amount of weight. Enough to notice the difference but not the great strides I’ve seen with others. Then last week I met a bloke who had lost five or six stone. He told me that the real progress only kicked in after three months. This is where I am at right now. However, in the run up to my next hip hop I have to stop taking the jabs so it feels as if it could be the new year before I start up again. Will ask the doc.

Previously at the Barberini gallery we went to an exhibition of the works of Camille Pissaro. You probs know he was an impressionist and unusually the whole gallery was turned over to this exhibit. Hundreds of his works. OK I didn’t actually count but there were a lot. What struck me was that the impressionists were famous for painting using dots rather than long brush strokes. Pissaro soon got fed up with using dots as a painting would take too long to finish. There ya go. Learn something new every day innit.

Got back to the hotel lateish and decided to go for a nightcap in the hotel bar. This is when we found out that the hotel doesn’t really have a bar. It’s more of a nightclub. One or two blokes there seem to have dragged their daughter out! We only had the one as the noise was too much and the drinks service v slow.

Retreated to the room and had a beer from the mini bar whilst following the Ryder Cup coverage. You have to wonder whether there were any American fans in the crowd that have ever actually played golf. They are just yobs with no understanding of golf traditions and etiquette. The European team has let the golf do their talking. Should be a fun day today. We only need 2 ½ points out of twelve to retain the Ryder Cup.

Then overnight it felt as if Berlin was a war zone. Sirens left right and centre. Could hear them even in our triple glazed room on the thirteenth floor. Going to ask this morning if there was something kicking off last night. Probably just a normal night in downtown Berlin.

We are having a more chilled day today. The lad is cooking lunch for us. Broken out a new pair of bamboo socks in honour of the occasion. THG is still dozing away and there is no rush to get up for brekkie. It is a good breakfast here fair play. Will pick at something 🙂 

Back at the room last night was thrilled to receive a message via Ancestry from a cousin in Wales. Not met him. This is very exciting as our mutual great great grandfather had a woollen mill called Rhiw’r Adar (Birdshill). Prior to that it was called Felin Obaith or mill of hope. This I knew but he has visited the gaff. I know where it is. Just haven’t had the time to go myself yet. It’s two hundred and fifty miles or more from Lincoln. It’s also something I have to pick the right time to do as these visits are best done alone to get the most out of the trip. Last spring Rhiw’r Adar was on my list of places to see but I would have needed an extra week or two to get around to it. All v time consuming. All in good time.

We are gradually coming to here. Getting up. Ciao bebes.

Berlin calling, Berlin calling. Lovely little restaurant near the hotel last night. Ottenthal. Austrian cuisine. Apaz. Had a small wiener schnitzel and a bit of apfelstrudel for afters. We had thee stools at the bar which worked very well. My one very small frustration was that when we arrived the chef was doing some spectacular pyrotechnics with a frying pan. I didn’t get my camera out quickly enough to record the event for posteriority. I spent the rest of the time in the restaurant poised ready for the next time he did it but the flippin flambé never came.

Early night and a leisurely breakfast this morning. We had considered visiting the Reichstag building having heard good reports. However the earliest slot they have is Tuesday and in anycase it isn’t worth the effort of trying to get in on the day as you need to be registered with the local rozzers, a process that takes a minimum of three hours. Apaz. It can wait until the next time.

THG is now readying herself to do some retail and I am half thinking of visiting the spa. V shall c. I did bring a book with me – the Dissolution of the Monasteries one. It’s taking me ages to read as it is packed with interesting facts that I have to keep going over again to make sure I’ve understood.  Will have forgotten most of it by the time I finish the book but I assume that some of it will stick.

This afternoon we are off to a Camille Pissaro exhibition in Potsdam with @Stefan and Katja (and our Johan). It’s how we roll. In one sense it is wasting time to chill out in the hotel all morning. This is partly driven by the hip (2nd hip hop scheduled for the end of October) but partly by the fact that I seem to remember places by the bars and restaurants rather than the sights. Ok you do need to do the sights, I suppose. 

I remember visiting Prague on rugby tour years (decades) ago where we definitely only saw the bars. We even drank the bar dry in the rugby club, a fact of which we were rightly proud. We lost the game about seventy five nil. This was partly because we had all had about six pints each before going on the pitch. Hey…

V cosmopolitan place is Berlin. Just a shame that most of it is modern, for reasons we all understand. 

Berlin calling, Berlin calling.

The timings worked well for us this morning. Leisurely breakfast of croissants and tea and picked up an Uber at sjhortly after ten. LHR T5 by eleven. Good job I checked in online as the wait in the relatively short queue at the business class desks was an hour. Systems still not sorted out from last weekend. Into the lounge where we were told our gate would be A21, a short hop skip and a jump from the bottom of the escalator. Left the lounge and they had just started boarding as we got to the gate. No hanging around and straight on the plane. New aircraft with extra large overhead lockers apaz. We are in 3A and C. Look up and wave at that plane. Could be ours.

BA WiFi not playing ball. Maybe they can sort it when boarding has finished. Not the end of the world. Probs v slow anyway. I’ve got some riting i can do. Just been told it ain’t working. They refitted the aircraft but have yet to refit the networking.

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Didn’t do much scribbling. Really needed connectivity and it wasn’t there. Listened to a few tunes, watched part of the first episode of band of brothers, drank some red wine, champagne and we were there.Berlin.

Nice dinner just down the road from the hotel. Concierge sorted for us. Sat at the bar and ate a small portion of wiener schnitzel. Was enuff. John has now gone home and we are in the room (suite) relaxing.

V good do yesterday afternoon. Terry’s retirement presentation followed by a few sherberts in the Waterman pub. I think it was the Waterman. We had a room in the courtyard at the back which was a bit cold and I was glad I’d brought my coat. Raspberrypi did him proud with a few prezzies including a 12inch wafer with one of his chips on it. I gave him a 4 inch wafer with one of his SoS chips. Then we had ham egg and chips in  the pub 🙂

Now on the absolutely rammed 0909 Cambridge to Kings Cross. I’m glad I bought a First Class ticket as economy was overflowing and I was fortunate enough to find a seat before the great unwashed overflowed into my coach. It being Cambridge none of them looked unwashed 🙂

Tis a v bright sunny morning where I can easily tell the train is heading south in the right direction because the sun hasn’t risen very much above the horizon yet and it is to my right – I am sitting with my back to the driver. Actually can’t see the driver. It isn’t an open cab. He is locked behind a closed door. Even in the open cabbed days of steam you wouldn’t be able to see the driver because of the blimming great coal truck between you and the locomotive and looking out of the window would in anycase not make much sense. Unless you wanted a face full of smoke and steam. Steam and smoke.

Up early. Bacon on the go. Joiner Mark Sutton is coming at half eightish to fit a new window to the potting shed and to slap some filler on the other one. THG already left for her morning lane swimming session. Worragirl. Busy day ahead starting with finishing packing for our trip and then an important funeral. Not enough milk left for me to drink with my bacon sandwich but ok for teas. Sfine. The sound of the kettle accompanies the sizzling of the bacon. No wireless. S’all sh!te.

Yesterday I was glad we had a heater put into the workshop as it was cold in there for the first time. Finished off the lifebelt “station” and the sign. Going to be installed in situ at the lake this morning. Safety first. Mind you I didn’t do a risk assessment. It’s just intuition based on sixty three years’ experience of lakes, and life. Love lakes, love life. Live it to the full.

Also had the heating on in the shed where THG and I had cosily ensconced ourselves to watch the footie. Nice just the two of us being in there. Cosy, like I said. My new drinks shelf is coming into its own. A perfect place to put down a can of diet coke, cold from the fridge. Every shed should have a fridge.

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The news is the lifebelt needs a bit more work. The rope didn’t glue on to my satisfaction and needs another go around. The sign however is ready and will go in before we leave for the funeral this morning.

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THG dropped me off at the stayshun after we had been to Chris Weston’s funeral. A good turnout of old rugby pals. He was one of our camping mates and chairman of the non playing section (of one) of our little golf society. The first of our little crowd to go and as such very close to home. Ajax did a very good job of reading his poem fair play. Now life has to move on. We have to support Karen.

Made me think a little more about how I’d like my funeral bash to go. I’ve already stipulated burial (ie no cremation), loud Hawaiian shirts and a raucous party. I’ll add to this now. I don’t want some anonymous person running the proceedings reading a script written by the family. I also want it in a church with lots of singing and participation from family and friends. The church bit isn’t about religion for me. It’s about tradition and venue. Far more theatrical than a crematorium. The whole event would be my last show.

I do quite like the idea of attending my own wake. I could organise one whilst I was still living and invite all my friends and family. Trouble it that would be tempting fate too much.

Now on the train to Peterborough en route to Cambridge. Going to present Terry with a gift at his retirement do. He doesn’t know this. I’ve had a Silicon on Sapphire wafer framed together with a sticker of the MAS31750 radiation hard microprocessor designed by Terry in our Marconi days. He complained once that I have all the SOS samples and he, the designer, did not. This remedies that sitch.

This back route to Peterborough is one I have only travelled once before, years ago. On that occasion a bunch of loud school kids got on and I promised myself never again. I’ve kept that promise until now. The connections make sense and at twelve thirty four there are no kids. Currently in Metheringham. I sense it is going to be quite a scenic trip. Maybe.