where art collides philosoperontap

Hiphop2 +23 and all’s well, as it can be. Btw the hiphop2 hashtag gets retired after +28, time served. Not that it’s ever been used as a hashtag. That would imply a continued interest in using twitter which I stopped doing over a decade ago which in some respect was a bit of a shame as my handle was @tref. Still is, I suppose.

Slightly better night’s kip. Finally woke up at 06:28 which is good. The clock on the bedside table is currently fairly accurate since I reset it to Greenwich Mean Time and adjusted it a bit.

Thought for the day is on. Talking about Bach’s organ works, so to speak. I’m not finding this one bad enough to switch off. The religious bit was slipped in with great subtlety. In fact it’s not the religious aspect that makes me switch off thought for the day. I don’t mind that. It’s the fact that most speakers have a very dull delivery. Ya gotta make it interesting folks. 

My next task is to decide if it’s warm enough to get out of bed. The heating is on but it is v cosy under the duvet. I’m not in a particular rush especially as Thursdays are THG gym rest days and I know she is going to be here to help me put on my socks 🙂 I know that some people “in my condition” manage to do this on their own but it’s a lot of faff. I did spend good money before hiphop1 (or should it just be plain hiphop?) on a contraption that is supposed to help but it was a waste of good money. Would have been better spent on a nice bottle of plonk or something.

Tis cawd out there. The app says zero degrees but feels like minus four. Quite keen to get to the shed to see whether the lake has frozen over. I’ll hold off posting this until I’ve done so. When Reynard paid a visit at ten thirty last night it was already minus one out there so there is a chance. The metoffice weather map suggests that Lincoln will just miss out on snow. It’s a good job these forecasts are not 100% reliable. I like snow.

I also like the cold. Yesterday was one of those crisp winter days that bring a glow to your cheeks and clear the nostrils. Sunshine very much helps. Leaving the heating on in the shed also helps.

In other news THG came back from town yesterday with a big bag of tomatoes, two leeks and a large beetroot for three quid. Market stall. Also got a large cauli for 50p and some nice small carrots for the same money from the greengrocer in Mint Lane. The tomatoes were a fantastic bargain at only a pound for the bag. Makes you realise how expensive supermarkets are. People should support market stalls. I suspect that greengrocer is one of the few decent stalls left. The council has done a terrible job with the market and half the stalls are empty with very little there to attract you in. The tomatoes are being prepared for roasting as we speak. Nice tomato soup in the offing. Perfect for this cold weather. THG is a dab hand on the soup front.

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The news from the lake is that yes, it is frozen over. What is more, it started to snow just as the camera was rolling to show the icy surface. Lets hope no one is daft enough to try skating on it. Brian the fishing gnomad knew what he was doing when he went off to St Lucia for the winter season. Blue marlin apaz.

The side effect of the snow, pictureskew as it is, is that the deck will be very slippery. Perhaps I should ask THG to come out and spread sand over it. Or salt but we’ve only for a bit of salt in the cupboard. We don’t have a bunker full of the stuff like they do on the side of the road. I’m pretty sure we have some sand. Maybe it would be pushing it a bit asking THG. Was only joking obvs 🙂 Anyway hooray for snow. The shed is nice and warm and having had a better night’s kip I feel a productive day ahead of me.

Hiphop2 +21. Three weeks in. One week to go to crutch removal, so to speak. Slightly better night’s sleep helped by being knackered. Listening to podcasts helps. I know they must get me back to sleep as I don’t think I’ve heard the end of any of them. Started listening to TMS in the run up to the Ashes on Friday. Last night’s was particularly boring as they just wheeled some commentators in, including Tuffers fresh off the plane, to talk about how lovely a place Perth is and the fact that England Captain Ben Stokes (Stokesey) was seen playing golf doesn’t mean the side isn’t completely focussed on winning. The TMS team is expert at chatting for hours about nothing but that almost made me switch off. As it is I nodded off which I guess was the whole point of listening. The cricket starts at one thirty am on Friday. If I am awake I’ll tune in but otherwise  twirly man twirly.

Back in the snug. It’s a more comfortable seat than the church pew in the kitchen. Quite a bit earlier than yesterday as there is no evidence of kids on their way to school and not much traffic. Yet. Ironically the end of the pew is everyone’s fave place to sit at the kitchen table. A seat bedded in over hundreds of years by faithful backsides. Just not enough padding for my current requirements. I also occasionally sit on the stool next to the butcher’s block. Sometimes have lunch there. Easier for me to put stuff out there than to carry it to the table when using crutches as I can reach the fridge, the sink and the cooker without having to move much.

The guys and gals from the metoffice tell me it is going to rain for most of today. This might put the mockers on the idea of another walk. Will have to see. Bit dodge trusting a wet pavement covered in leaves. I’m making excuses here. Walking is good. I still have to negotiate the wet deck en route to the shed. V slippy.

Three weeks in from hiphop2 I do feel as if life is starting to get back to normal, ish, notwithstanding the crutches and the sleeping on the back. Feel less of a need to eat comfort food. Although last night’s fishfinger sandwich might be put in the comfort food category all I had was two fingers and one slice of bread and butter. Felt too full to have anything more substantial so I didn’t. 

It used to be, I think, that you were expected to walk straight away after a hip replacement without the need for crutches. This might have been in the days when they cemented the new hip into the thighbone. Nowadays they just bang it in with a hammer and let the bone knit with the metal spike over time. The crutches are there to help keep the weight off the leg whilst metal and bone are getting to like each other. Sorry if I’m going on a bit here but this is my diary and it does reflect my life at the time it was written.

I don’t put everything on here. Especially nothing about,,,, oops nearly said it there 🙂 That were close.

All this inactivity does make me realise how important it is to get off your bum and do stuff. In all fairness to me, pre hiphop2 I was doing a lot of swimming and also dividing my time between shed, kitchen and workshop. Need to get a second stool to leave permanently in the latter instead of having to move it back and forth from the kitchen which is impractical when using crutches.

Hiphop2 +20. Another week dawns. A cold one in prospect with the mercury dropping. Mind you I don’t think they’ve used mercury in thermometers for a v long time. I did once come across a mercury arc rectifier. V impressive. It was in the Regal cinema in Douglas, IoM. We had only just learned about it in school and, hey presto, I found one. They knocked down the Regal in 1984. Saw one of the Pink Panther movies there as I recall. When I were a lad Douglas used to have three cinemas not including the one in Summerland where I worked as a projectionist one summer. I saw “The Spy Who Loved Me” 50 times in a two week run. It’s all changed now. They don’t use reels of film anymore. One movie was six reels.

Traffic on the move outside our house and kids making their way to school. I’ve decided to have a leisurely start to the day as THG is not going out until ten. She is off walking around Navenby with her mates. I’m glad we don’t have the mad rush in the morning anymore trying to get four kids up, fed and out of the house.

Hiphop2 +20 is a point where light begins to appear at the end of the tunnel. At Hiphop2 +28 I get to put weight on the new hip and discard a crutch. Keeping one crutch will be mostly for balance so that one might well go before Hiphop2 +42 when I am officially “cured” 🙂 I’m off to London for lunch on Hiphop2 +30 which should represent a big step forward, so to speak.

The biggest difference this time around is that both hips are now fixed. After the first hiphop I still had a second dodgy hip with which to contend so I never achieved particularly good progress with my walking.

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Beautiful crisp November morning here. I’m sat in the shed listening to an AI regulatory conference. A couple of magpies have just landed on the lawn and are turning over old leaves looking for nosh. I am wearing my thick Himalayan woolly pulley. Cold out.

Tuned out of the conference. Went for a walk to Queensway and back. Tried picking up the pace on the return leg. I could easily walk a lot further. Need a bit of company.

Hiphop2 +19 and we bask in the warm glow of a sporting success filled Saturday. I’ll need to tidy up the shed this morning. The Imps moved up to second place in the third division, Wales beat Japan with a high pressure penalty kick in overtime and Ireland walloped the Wallabies. Better night’s sleep though I did listen to the TMS podcast on the Ashes build up. THG is treating me to Avocado on toast for breakfast. Living the dream.

I have been informed that the order of the day is pottering. I am ok with this although my current mobility restrictions hamper the extent to which I can potter. This will change substantially on hiphop2 + 28. A bit like a 2 input NAND gate, the flick of a switch. That’s harking back to my CMOS days.

Tonight we are off out to see a Colin Dudman gig at the Labour Club. The only other time I’ve been there was another of his gigs. It was meant to be a pie and chips evening or simlar but the kitchen couldn’t cope with the volume of orders and it took ages for some people to get their nosh. Must have been a while ago as the MP at the time was there. Her name escapes me. She was a nurse I remember. Col taught two of our kids to play jazz. Piano and sax. May have been a trumpet in there somewhere. They still play.

I am sat in the window of the snug. The sound of frying onions emanates from the kitchen. A chicken casserole in preparation. One of the lights by our front door needs replacing. No idea how long that has been the case. Just noticed it. We left the lights on overnight obvs. One of them anyway. There are two. Immediately added to my jobslist don’t worry. It will be sorted within the SLA.

Sleepless in Lincoln. Musta been awake since 2am and it’s now 5.45. Bit annoying really. There’s no rhyme nor reason to it especially when I slept reasonably well the night before. I dunno. I’m not particularly tired but you do feel as if you should be asleep.

Big rugby day today. Got the gang coming round to watch in the shed. They are all England supporters. I just want an entertaining game. Wales play Japan later and then Ireland v the wallabies, if I can stay awake long enough.

Old Storm Claudia seems to have throttled back a bit. Tempered her ire. What struck me most about her this morning was nothing to do with her meteorological propensities but the pronunciation of her name on the beeb. It’s Cloudeya. Dunno about you but I would pronounce it Clawdeya. The beeb is very particular about these things. She blew in from foreign parts I suppose but there again they all do. We never get good home grown British storms. I’m surprised no one has made this an election issue.

THG is off running. If it’s Saturday it must be Park Run. I’m building up to cooking brunch. No rush. Still full after last night’s beefburger and chips. Think I did the same thing last Saturday. Brunch. Won’t need lunch.

Classic British rainy day here in the shire. This I like. It’s ok when you are in a nice warm house looking out at the rain beating against the window. It is not horizontal driving rain which has its own, different, attraction. Just steady rain with a bit of wind to move it away from the vertical. The metoffice gives it two drops with greater than or equal to ninety five percent precipitation all day. They need a bit more confidence in their predictions. If they looked out of my window they would I’m sure be comfortable with upping it to 100%. You could still use an umbrella in this rain but were it horizontal and driving then I put it to you that an umbrella is not much use and you would be better staying at home than popping out to the shops. Waitrose delivers.

THG and I went shopping together in Waitrose yesterday. This a v rare occurrence. She pushed the trolley and did the scanning whilst I selected a few choice items for consumption over the next few days. Mostly my lunch. Anyway my point is that Waitrose is a far more pleasant shopping experience than the Tesco down the road. I like to have a bit of banter with the girl on the deli counter who is from South Wales and used to be a chef. Tesco doesn’t have a deli counter anymore. Also Tesco has a v poor selection of bacon and sausages. I normally buy such items from Fosters butchers but on occasion do bung em in the trolley when in Waitrose. I can push the trolley meself btw but THG wanted to help so I acquiesced.

I did not listen to the shipping forecast last night. This is likely to be the biggest non news you have heard today but it is better than having to hear all about war, famine and Donald. Donnie. I bet his wife calls him President, assuming she ever talks to him. I shudder when I think about Don. He is a worry.

A road sweeping vehicle is working its way down the other side of Wragby Road. It’s that time of year. I suppose it just stays in the shed the rest of the year.

Up at eight this morning. This isn’t news, particularly. Sometimes I get up a lot earlier, sometimes a little later though not much. Usually what triggers it “is thought for the day” coming on the wireless which is usually on at around twelve minutes to the hour so eight is comparatively late, but only a bit 🙂 None of it matters. It is a Thursday. Time moves on. Time to move on.

Breakfast this morning is a bacon sandwich made with one piece of bacon because that’s all we have in the fridge. Don’t worry there is more in the freezer. Phew eh? I sometimes buy a wodge of bacon and divvy it up into two slice portions for the freezer. Easy enough to dig out when needed and no need to defrost really.

Not thought as far as lunch yet but THG and I do have an arrangement to meet aged friend Phillip in the Waitrose caff at eleven so might have a stroll around the aisles and see what I can pick up fresh from the market innit. Not knowing what I’m having for lunch isn’t a big deal really. It’s called not planning ahead. Living life on the edge. 

I tend to plan holidays well in advance. Next August we are off to France for 2 ½ weeks. I’ve booked the ferry crossings and one week long stay in a farmhouse somewhere but nothing else as yet. Ordinarily I’d get this nailed soon but I’m half tempted to not book anywhere and see what happens when we just rock up on the day. Needs a bit of thought. If it’s peak season that might be easier said than done. I booked the farm over a year ahead as good places tend to sell out early and we have specific family size needs.

Thursdays are the most relaxed of weekdays in our house. No weight lifting classes booked etc. I didn’t walk to Tesco yesterday but I might do that today instead.

On the hip front I sense that having got over the first two weeks things are definitely starting to move ahead. Sleeping still not good due to the lying on the back thing but there is general progress. Won’t be long till I’m back walking properly.

No fox news, front or back. Wonder where it’s got to for fox sake?

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Action packed day. Had my socks and stockings put on at around nine thirty, as you do, and left for Waitrose at ten fifteen. I’ve just discovered they now sell Carlos 1 Spanish brandy. One of my faves. I actually prefer Spanish brandy to the French variety. Well ok if you want to spend a lorra dosh then a Hennessy XO and its ilk are v nice but the Spanish stuff gets very good at much lower price points. V mellow, man. Forgot to get beer in for the weekend though. THG is off there tomorrow so she can top up the stocks.

Then had an appointment with the dentist. Ostensibly just to repair a small chunk of filling that had come out. When I got there he removed a big chunk of filling and took an xray. Soz Tref he says. If it was me I’d be looking at an implant. Hmm. Parked the decis  until February. Let’s get Christmas out of the way first.

Anyway this is a long way of getting to saying that I’m home now and back in the shed and can’t really be bothered to do anything. Any suggestions?

Fishing gnome Brian has packed away his rod and gone big game fishing in the Caribbean for the winter season. Says he does it every year. Didn’t know. Alright for some.

Makes a lorra sense to me. No brainer really if you can do it. The kingfisher has also departed. Feels as if the fish levels in the lake must have dropped off. Where do kingfishers go for winter? South? Dunno.

Anyway I’ve taken the opportunity to have the rescue boat taken out of the water and moved to its winter shelter away from the elements. It will now undergo a maintenance programme designed to keep it in good nick for next season. Not much point having a rescue boat if the engine conks out on you mid rescue. 

Was listening to the shipping forecast this morning, as you do, when the subject of automatic lighthouses entered my mind. It specifically came during the inshore forecast section. The Sandettie light vessel automatic for example but there are others. The point is whether lighthouses that aren’t specifically mentioned as being automatic are actually automated or not. They must be, surelement. The next name that came up after that thought was Jersey. I wondered if there was a keeper of the Jersey light. A good sounding title.

Well “no, the lighthouse in Jersey, specifically the La Corbière lighthouse, does not have a resident, full-time keeper anymore. The lighthouse became fully automated in 1976, eliminating the need for keepers to man the station continuously, says google. 

The lighthouse is now maintained by Ports of Jersey and looked after by part-time attendants, sometimes referred to as “guardians”, who perform routine maintenance tasks like polishing brass and oiling hinges for the automatic light system. Dave Turner, one such long-serving guardian, retired in 2015 after 25 years in the role. Apaz. Wonder if he got a gold clock or similar when he finished. Model lighthouse maybs.

The former keepers’ cottages at the base of the causeway are still owned by the States of Jersey, and at least one former keeper has been known to still live in them.”

If I was such a “guardian”, and it would probably be a nice retirement job, I’d still want to be called the keeper of the Jersey light. It would really be my only reason for wanting the role. I’d probably subcontract the brass polishing to someone better suited to that activity.

Mind you I would want to be able to set my own hours. No good relying just on me. I’d need to be able to shoot off for weekends or even a few weeks at a time. Perhaps just give me the honorary title and just ask me to turn up on special occasions where a little pressing of the flesh might be required. The occasional speech of welcome perhaps outlining the history of the Jersey light and its importance to seafarers. Would need to get it in the diary well in advance. A year makes sense.

No overnight fox action around the lake although Reynard was spotted trotting briskly out of the front drive at 04:08. He didn’t come down the side of the house so must have come directly through next door’s front fence/railings.

Breakfast was three (small) slices of seeded sourdough toast and half a grapefruit. Had to remove my specs to eat the latter. HipHop2 + 12.

Here’s a question for you. What is Father Christmas‘ first name? Can’t believe I’m the first person to have asked this.

Now some of you will say hang on a minute Tref, it’s not even December yet and you’ve mentioned the C word. Well I am with you all the way and other than arranging things that have to be planned well in advance I don’t think about Christmas until December. This year is a little different in that I’m off to London on 27th Nov for the annual CCUK (ITSPA as was) Xmas lunch. They couldn’t get a venue in December, apaz. The significance of the lunch is that traditionally they held it the same day as trefbash as they knew there would be a load of people in town for that. I could never make the CCUK gig as I didn’t want to rock up for trefbash already three sheets to the wind.

Anyway, notwithstanding the above, the question remains. FC must have a first name. You’re not telling me his parents called him Father. How confusing would that have been. Unworkable.

I did once float the idea that if everyone had the same name you’d never have the problem of not remembering someone’s name when introducing someone to them. Simples really, and obvious. Of course there would be some debate about which name this would be: Dave, Andy, Bob etc, Methuselah even and I’d be making a case for Tref obvs but these are mere details. You have to think big picture. I didn’t do anything with that idea at the time and really I’ve moved on. It was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Actually more a thermonuclear weapon. This would have not only completely destroyed that nut, rendering it totally inedible, but probably vapourised the table on which the nut stood. The table in this case is our entire naming culture built up over thousands of years. It would be a lot easier to develop a memory technique for remembering names.

In Wales in the eighteenth century you come across some people with the family name Christmas, and some, the famous Welsh baptist preacher Christmas Evans for example. Whether Christmas was the first name or surname doesn’t really matter. If it was a surname the name probably stemmed from the days of the patronymic system and in this case might have been Reginald ap (son of) Christmas which at some stage would have become Reginald Christmas.

I’m not suggesting for one minute that Father Christmas is a Reginald and although you could probably get odds on it from a bookmaker it would likely be an outside chance. Who knows? Ordinarily I’d say don’t bet on it to win but where Father Christmas’ first name is concerned it is winner takes all. Even if he has multiple first names in the same way that mine is Huw Trefor. If there was money involved you’d need to have identified all first names.

Balls I’ve just blown it and googled for the answer. It’s Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas Christmas. Google said it so it must be so. Bit odd giving your kid the name Saint but there is no telling with people. At least the spelling is uncontroversial. Don’t suppose old SN was ever a naughty boy. Goes with the name territory innit. Oh he’s such a love. Keeps his room tidy and always offers to do the washing up.

All this points to a certain degree of abnormality where FC (SNC) is concerned but yanow, we already knew that. How otherwise could you get down so many chimneys, eat so many mince pie and drink so much brandy and still be a functioning sleigh driver and parcel deliverer. I really don’t know why he doesn’t subcontract the whole delivery activity to DPD. Don’t have to tell the kids. He could then stop in on Christmas Eve or nip to the pub early doors and get home in time to watch Eastenders at twenty to eight. You can bet your bottom dollar it will be a belter.

Right. Movin on. No fox news to report. No game activity whatsoever at the lake. No squirrels, hedgehogs, roaming herds of deer and no giraffes. Nowt, niet, zilcho.

THG is just off out for a run. Her 95th Park Run. I’m taking it easy and will treat meself to a sausage and a couple of bits of bacon with accompanying sides. Maybe even an egg. Seehowitgoze.

Tis a beeotiful morning for a run. Also a good time to get some leaves bagged up and ready for when the new compost bins are in place which won’t be until 2026. Today I will mostly be watching rugby. Shed door will be open if anyone wants to drop by. I have some beer but it took me almost three hours to drink two bottles last weekend. Worra lightweight.

And finally, had a good session with Claire the physio yesterday afternoon. Things are progressing well. Need to keep doing the same exercises for another couple of weeks and then move on to the new set she gave me. Same as last time really. Need also to step up the walking a bit (geddit). I mentioned that I stopped the physio sessions after four or five of them and didn’t need the total of nine that the insurance company was willing to stump up for. She said she saw some NHS referrals who got three sessions with her. Within the NHS it would have just been the one. Something wrong somewhere big time. 

Gonna try supplementing paracetamol with ibuprofen to keep on top of the soreness. It isn’t unbearable by any means but I note that this is what I did at the same stage last time. My sleep was also crappy that time around and I listened to the shipping forecast a lot. I’m a bit bored with it now and have moved on to podcasts.

No fox action to report today. No wildlife at all. The lake cam just had one recording at 1am but couldn’t see anything and in fact it was v fuzzy, as if a spider had woven its web over the lens. Not sure it could have been this though as the cam would have recorded the spider movement in building the web. Looking and listening to some of the other cameras suggests it was chucking it down around that time so it may just have been atrocious weather. I’ll check later.

Busyish day ahead. Conf call at ten. Gosh. Not an onerous one. None of them are onerous. Then physio at one thirty. Thassit. 

To the shed at nine nineteen. Sat down, at which point a ginger tomcat strode purposefully along the path between the lake and the deck. Didn’t get my phone out in time for a pick and then remembered the lake cam. Just the blurriness of earlier so I went out to inspect. Lots of condensation all over the cam including each lens and sensor surface. A simple remedy. Pulled out a microfibre cloth I’d brought along for the purpose and gave the cam a wipe over. Instant results as you will see from the before and after shots. No sign of the tomcat which would ordinarily have been captured by the cam so I think we have to write off any sightings that might have occurred overnight. Norrabiggie.

We clearly had a lot of rain as the rescue boat is hull down in the water, straining at its mooring. The only thing keeping her from sinking is the line used to tie her up and her inbuilt anti-sinking tech construction, ie light plastic. Will need to bale her out at some point but this is something I might ask THG to help with as I can’t bend down that low at the moment. THG is out right now at weight training classes. Irrlweight

Noticed btw that at HipHop2 + 10 the hip does tend to get a bit sore. I checked this same day after HipHop1 and saw that I said I’d taken some ibuprofen as well as paracetamol due to the soreness. This does help me realise that things will get better. I can’t complain as I  haven’t had to resort to the strong pain killers/morphine I have as a backup. Just have to be patient.

During my static hours of leisure I’ve started looking at shirts. My god the selection you have at mainstream clothing outlets is bland in the extreme. I googled buy “cool design mens shirt”. The only shirts I like the look of came from dodgy sites that brought up red warning signs on trustpilot or are made out of polyester. This is work in progress.

You do have to ask yourself what it is about blokes that means they only wear bland design clothes. Trouble is I’m sure that there are more interesting designs out there if you are willing to spend a ridiculous amount of cash. Remember you are talking to someone who traditionally buys his clothes in clearance sales or when travelling to lower cost parts of the world where you can get made to measure clothes for next to nothing. Problems problems eh?