where art collides philosoperontap

Includes rarely seen shots of Lincoln

I guess it depends on your definition of domestic bliss but this morning has been one of them in my book. Anne and I got some ingredients ready for a pork casserole for lunch. I’m a dab hand at casseroles and this one is no exception. It’s come out a rich tomatoey sauce with a slight spiciness brought out by some ginger and a red chilli. With it we are having sauteed spuds, carrots and kale.

After Anne had gone to church, bedecked with red lippy to impress the vicar, I did a couple of trips to the tip. I could probably have squeezed everything in in one go but I was in two minds about the single mattress. It was soaking wet and I didn’t really want it in the car at all. After the first trip I thought I might  as well get it out of the way.

When I got back John was on his way out to deliver the Bailgate Independent. This is an earner that has been handed down the Davies offspring over the years. The envelope with the cash still comes with Tom’s name written on it. Anne will probably take over the round when John finally departs these four walls to further his education.

The house is quiet now. The food is nearly ready. Just waiting for the delivery boy to return home.

Anne came home from church with the news that Curle Avenue is having a street party to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday. I’m not a royalist but the last time Curle Ave had a party, which was for the diamond jubilee, it was a most enjoyable day. Steve Wildman, Joe and I provided some musical entertainment, slightly affected by the wind which kept blowing the music all over the place. Next time we will be better prepared and maybe even have rehearsed! I suspect Joe will still be away at university though.

After lunch (delish btw) I put my boots on and went for a walk. Did 4.85 mile in 1hr 45 mins. The slowest bit was walking up the hill on West Common through all the mud churned up by the horses’ hooves. I did stop off for a swift pint of lime and soda at the West End Tap so I reckon I’m doing approx 1 mile every 20 minutes. The average for the Coast to coast is nearer 30 minutes a mile but that does include going up steep mountain sides so I have a bit of work to do yet. We’ll get there:)

The photos are a variety of shots from the walk – not necessarily salubrious pics.

In other news Anne has found some old photos in the attic – a veritable treasure trove. I’ll scan them in and post sometime.

Fountain at Lincoln Arboretum

Doughty’s Oil Mill 1863

Dog and Bone

Cemetery behind St Nicholas’ Church has war graves

The back door of the Coop by the bus station – not the most salubrious of views

Underneath University Bridge

The statue at Lincoln’s waterside – note pigeons

RIP Owen Y Garn

For those of you reading this in the year 2066, January 22nd 2016 was a wet and miserable day. I’ve been out for my usual swim and have now lit the fire back at the house. This is somewhat in response to Anne’s complaint that the house is far too warm with the heating on.  Anne would never have the heating on during the day if she had her way. She is so busy that she naturally keeps warm. I on the other hand sit at the pc a lot of the time and need alternative sources of heat to that given off during exercise.

Turning off the heating and having the fire lit in the front room is a good compromise. I also have the Dyson fan heater on when I’m in the conservatory.

Today is in theory a day of admin. However I do intend to go for a 2 hour walk and I also have to assist Mrs D in getting stuff down from the attic. Furthermore we have our new bookcase being delivered at 2pm so i will have a reasonable amount of bookshifting to do thereafter. we are constantly running out of bookshelf capacity in this house and the new bookcase will have 7.5m of space to fill.

Last night we went to the 6th form open evening at William Farr School. As John is the fourth in the series we have been to these evenings before. Never ceases to amaze me how great the staff are at the school. All the kids have thrived there and it comes as a certain shock to the system to realise that our last is now getting ready to enter the 6th form. Shirley not!

Also yesterday I received a cheque from the solicitors managing the legacy of dad’s cousin Owen Y Garn (John Owen Davies). It was more money than I had been expecting although I had no real expectations.

It’s a poignant moment. Owen died last year. I knew him but not well. He is one of the last of my links with West Wales. He makes me think of my grandmother Nana and of how different life was before I came along. I remember when I was quite small going to visit Owen and his parents in their farm, Y Garn. I think it was properly called Garnedd Fawr. There was a big muck heap in the yard and I somehow contrived to step into it over the depth of my wellies. That’s all I remember really, and the sheepdogs running around.

Many years later, when I was researching my family tree I went to visit him in his retirement  home. After getting over the shock of seeing a big stranger at the door he was most welcoming. My biggest problem was understanding him. His Welsh was a deep deep West Wales dialect and he had a slight speech defect which made it harder for me.

A lot of the pure Welsh I heard from those days has disappeared from my consciousness. The Welsh you hear on TV these days is a slightly modernised version, if I can put it like that.

The last 18 months have been a time of sadness and reflection. As well as Owen we lost both of Anne’s parents and my own Mam. Mam was a huge loss. Life moves on…

Blimey

Gosh is it Thursday 21st January already? This first week back at work is flying by. Today is my first proper day in the office which is nice. I have a nice office looking out over the back garden.

I can see that I need to top up the bird feeder. I also have a new feeder that John bought me for Christmas that needs priming and hanging out. I’ll do it later.

Notice how I slip the date into each of these posts. Might get a bit boring but by definition it won’t get repetitive:) It’s maintaining a format so that readers will easily be able to see which day I am referring to. Had I merely said “Gosh is it Thursday already” it could have been any Thursday!

Was slightly late into the pool as I had to scrape the ice off the windows but still got in a reasonable session. It’s cold and crisp and minus three degrees C when I got up. Apparently the weather is set to warm up over the weekend. I think this is a shame.

As a footnote I have to sort out registering Dad’s car today. The forms are hugely complicated. It’s going to take me some time.

Walked from Aldgate in the City of London to Kings Cross this morning. Roughly an hour so I guess it must be around three miles. Could have made it a little quicker but I kept stopping to take photos. Also I waited for the lights to go green at most of the pedestrian crossings whereas the “locals” were just going ahead and crossing when it looked safe to do so.

You notice an awful lot more when walking. I noted that most people walking in the same direction as me were moving faster than I was. The majority of walkers seemed to be coming towards me, the sea parting as they approached. It’s quite a dangerous place is the city. The walkers divided into three categories: those with headphones, those staring into their phones and those simply focussed on getting to their place of work. The first two categories were the ones in danger I reckon.

It also looks a bit dodgy for cyclists. This group really needs to have all their senses switched on.

You pass some really historic names en route to Kings Cross, at least whilst in the City. I noted the Bank of England, the Old Bailey, Bow Church, Hatton Garden to name but a few. Also those are the only ones I remember 🙂

The route is pretty straightforward. Just two straight lines really. The first took you along classic names: Aldgate, Leadenhall Street, Cornhill, Poultry, Cheapside and then the A40 (!!!)  to Chancery Lane tube. Opulent streets, initially, filled with expensive shops. Barker and Church shoe shops side by side I remember. Wouldn’t have made much sense to do the walk in their expensive shoes.

At Chancery Lane you turn right and follow the Grays Inn Road all the way to Kings Cross. The turn marks quite a change in the scenery.  Posh shops make way for more run down buildings and there are one or two stretches where the number of pedestrians dwindles – probably the furthest away from the tube stations. The International Centre of Excellence in Dentistry looked extremely dowdy and certainly didn’t project  an image of excellence.

As you approach Kings Cross you also encounter the first zebra crossings. Very refreshing after having to wait at a large number of controlled pedestrian crossings en route.

It felt good arriving at the station. An appropriate effort as part of the training for the Coast to Coast. I need to be able to sustain the walking all day and over rough terrain but this is a good start.

ttfn

I’m deep in the City of London. Liverpool Street. Commuters hurry with a purpose through the crisp coldness of a lately arrived January. I wonder what fills their computer screens. One imagines lots of deals with lots of noughts but there must be some more mundane jobs. Not that big money necessarily means interesting.

I read somewhere that the richest 1% now has as much wealth as the rest of the world combined. OK but are they happy? 🙂

I’m here for UKNOF33. Technical conference. It’s a goodun fair play. The coffee breaks are very productive. These conferences get better the more of them you go to. You get to know more and more people and the conversations become more interesting.

I was a good boy at breakfast consuming bran flakes and fruit followed by eggs florentine. An attempt to make up for last night’s beer and curry. I was reasonably good at lunch – salady stuff. The afternoon coffee break blew it. 3 small doughnuts. They were very small. Someone said more like the holes that had been removed from ring doughnuts. Hmm.

The hotel is very comfortable. I have a four poster bed fwiw. Good mattress and duvet. Important stuff. Better than the springs you get at a Travelodge.

These are long days though. Towards the end of the day everyone starts to flag. I am no different. It is now 16.41. This is when they should be rolling out the cold refreshments.

There comes a time in every man’s vacation when he has to face reality and do some work. Today is such a day. Off to the smoke until Wednesday (10.16 outa Lincoln Central). Couple of meetings today including my regular get together with Rich of LONAP.

Tonight will be a glass of wine or two, a bite to eat and early to bed no doubt 🙂

trefor.net also resumes operations today.

Take care now:)

It would somewhat misleading to say that the subject of this entry, and hence the featured image, is leeks and their fate. It was just a convenient image to hand so up it went. The leek itself does form part of our dinner tonight, roast chicken with all the trimmings, so it isn’t totally out of context. I could just as easily have put up the photo of the chicken, or of the pan-full of chopped tomatoes currently in the process of being turned into soup. I didn’t.

I have just returned from the frozen North. The house is pleasingly warm. The welcoming smile very welcome and certainly makes up for the tedious drive from Newcastle (via Durham) variously at 70 and 50 mph. The roadworks seem to be never ending. It’s a lot harder to maintain 50mph than 70 especially when it would appear that my cruise control has gone to warmer climes to avoid the freezing conditions. Some might say who can blame it but not I. The cruise control is an inanimate object. Its purpose is to serve me.

Moreover I quite like a cold crisp winter’s day. In fact I will shortly be wrapping up and walking to the train station to simultaneously pick up some tickets for tomorrow’s trip to London and try out my new boots.

I leave you with two videos. The first is a ride in the lift from the 6th floor to reception at the brand new Crowne Plaza hotel in Newcastle. The second is a video of a track repair train (I assume that’s what it is) leaving Newcastle station. It was taken from my room on the 5th floor and I can only surmise that it is related to the fact that there is a replacement bus service operating for train journeys between Darlington and Newcastle.

Only the best on philosopherontap… Why aye!

The clock ticks inexorably on into January and the freeze has set in. We are without snow but it will hopefully be on its way. I like snow although the household resilience to its effects is now somewhat diminished since the departure of the Jeep. The snow does need to hold off until I’ve been to Newcastle and back.

Today I set the compass North to head to Richmond to buy some AltBerg walking boots and thence to Newcastle to deliver a laptop and some sustenance to Davies progeny. Anne is staying behind with John. It feels somewhat indulgent to go off on my own but that’s the way it’s worked out on this occasion.

I ended up buying a very comfortable pair of Meindl boots. My feet are so wide there were no AltBergs wide enough. Popped into Richmond for a bite – lovely cobbled market square. Arrived 15.30 at Joe’s gaff and blew a ton in Morrisons on tins of soup and other foodstuffs. Now very comfortably ensconced in my upgraded room at the Crowne Plaza with no less than 2 USB ports by the bed. This is a new hotel and that’s what I call progress:)

You will want to know that I am back at home and sat in my office with the Dyson fan heater keeping the ambient temperature at a comfortable level. I’ve whizzed through a few token tasks on my virtual jobs list and will shortly be heading to Coops’ garage with Hannah in the Peugeot to get it MOT’d. Hansk and I are then walking back home via a cawfee shop or summat.

It’s my last official day of holiday. Tomorrow’s trip to Richmond and thence to Newcasssssle is just weekend stuff. I’m off to the Alt-Berg shop to buy some walking boots and then taking the Northern based kids out for a curry in Toon.

It’s good to be home. We have had a great week away but there ain’t no place like where I am now. It means getting back to a normal routine. Swim before breakfast etc although I did ok on the swimming front in the Isle of Man.

Later…

Hannah and I had lunch in Cafe Portico on the way up Steep Hill. Bit of salad (featured pic). Yum. Fair play. They had a large Ed Waite hanging on the wall. We like Ed Waite. Next up is a whizz to Waitrose for a couple of ingredients for Han’s leaving dinner tonight – “Chicken For A Crowd”. In our case four’s a crowd.

Catch ya later:)  

In cabin 812 aboard the Ben My Chree 8.45 out of Douglas bound for Heysham. There is something exciting about being in a port as dawn arrives. It’s the start of an adventure. In our case we are off home, via the Wirral where we will pay a visit to Anne’s sister Sarah. I have fuelled up with a bacon sandwich from the caff and have purchased a small carton of milk so that we can have proper cups of tea instead of using the UHT muck they give you.

Although in recent years we have flown to the Isle of Man from Liverpool we are experienced ferry goers. On the Heysham route it is an essential survival tip to book a cabin. The best way to survive a rough crossing without seasickness is to lie down for the whole journey and maybe get some kip.

The kip bit will be welcome enough as last night was not a good sleep. Firstly I always wake up during the night if i have set an alarm and secondly the bloomin side gate kept banging in the wind. I ended up having to get up at 4am to shut it properly. When the alarm did eventually go off it came as a shock to the system. Urgh!

We must be in the eye of the storm because the wind has died down and the rain is no longer thundering against the french windows. Dad is in Nobles Hospital having a cataract removed. Anne and I have been for a swim and we are shortly to depart for Tynwald Mills whereupon we shall indulge in a cawfee. There might even be a sale bargain or two up for grabs.

Storm is the norm here in the Isle of Man. When visitors mention that it took them half an hour to walk a hundred yards down the street into the teeth of a gale the Manx raise half an eyebrow and mention that they hadn’t noticed the weather was particularly bad.

If you want to buy flowers they sell them at Tynwald Mills. And cheese, which we had for lunch.

Winter in Peel is not for the faint hearted. Wrap up warm, fasten all zips and hold onto hats. Battle around the castle. Seek shelter in the Creek. Scallops and bacon in white wine and garlic. Okells Ale. A warming bottle of red. Home to watch the snooker.

Excuse the noise of the wind in this video – it was wild out there.

If you ever find yourself in the Marco Polo Lounge at Marco Polo Airport (Marco Polo would have been impressed) just watch you don’t slip on the carpet. They have polished floors covered with very nice rugs. Look very nice and designed to reinforce the Darwin theory whereby those not destined to pass on their genes slip and do themselves and injury.

Rest assured that not only have I already successfully passed on my genes but was also able to draw on balance and recovery skills inherited from my own parents to stay upright and conscious.

A miserable wet day in Venezia is a good choice to leave. We are bound for the Isle of Man somewhere guaranteed to be even more miserable and wet than Venice but somewhere I am able to call home.There are only two other people in this part of the lounge, plus an unattended Louis Vuitton bag. I got the attendant to remove the bag. Better safe than sorry.

Whether it is a genuine LV I know  and care not. There are two schools of thought regarding this bag. Either it is genuine and the person who owns it is so rich that forgetting their very expensive carry on luggage means nothing to them. Alternatively it isn’t genuine and some poseur has just carelessly forgotten it. You may also make up your own alternative scenario. I care not.

Some bloke has now returned with the bag. There was an announcement, in Italian. I think it’s a fake. He is a normal looking guy.

This is going to be quite a long day. We are at the airport ages before we need to because I thought it was a 11.30am flight whereas it is actually 12.30. At least we have the comfort of the lounge in which to sit and relax.

When we get to Gatwick we have a 4 hour layover. This is made worse by the fact that we won’t be able to check in our luggage with Easyjet until 2 hours before the flight. So 2 hours of the 4 will involve hanging around the desert that is the check in area. Urgharoonie (that’s for the Davies kids).

Whoever said international travel is glamorous. Not moi.