Felt a bit like a curtain twitcher yesterday afternoon, not that I have the curtains closed during the day. Noticed that when next door’s car pulled bin to their drive they got out and walked to the pavement to peruse a notice taped to the lamppost. I’ll ave a bit of that I thought to meself so on my next “walk” instead of turning left for the pedestrian crossing I made a right (Americun term) and snailed it directly to the lamppost.
It was Openreach announcing that they had applied for permission to erect a new pole. Ours is already aluminium but two doors down is served by an old pine job. Well I assume it is that one being replaced. I also assume that replacing it they are. No point in having two side by side is there? ?
Looking at the existing pole I couldn’t tell whether it needed replacing or not. I have a pal called Steve who is a recently retired Openreach pole tester. He would know. In fact he swung by for a cuppa only the other day and had we known then what we know now we could have nipped out to examine said pole. I’ll message him and see if he wants to come again in the week. I’ll report back obvs.
Steve used also to climb poles but in recent years I think that might have been left to younger sidekicks. Something tells me there were four pole testing teams in Lincolnshire. I must have got that fact from somewhere. Steve I assume.
Steve was one of a group of dads who would go along on scout camps. A beaver would have to be accompanied by a parent. After the beaver had swam up to cubs the parent was still invited along and a cohort of us did indeed go. They would stick the (mostly but not exclusively) dads in a separate area of the camp away from the leaders and the kids. This was great. We had the benefit of the use of the mess tent but could chill out in camping chairs doing blokey things and talking blokey talk. Whittling wood and discussing the best place to buy replacement car tyres as I recall.
Privileged as we were, we had to fit in with the constraints of the scouting organisation. We took part in the activities, which were by and large fun, but had to wait until the kids had settled down in their tents for the night before cracking open the pop. This we would do in the mess tent accompanied by a cheese platter and a bottle of port. I would also borrow Akela’s geetar and bang out a few tunes more suited to the adult audience. We would already have done cumbaya earlier around the campfire.
The food was always good and plentiful and spuds peeling duties a prime job as it got you out of doing some of the morning’s team building challenges. The peeled spuds would be tossed into a large pan filled with water, sometimes obtaining maximum splash effect and wetting the person sat opposite. The lunches were fruit, crips and sandwiches with a multitude of choice fillings that included peanut butter, chocolate spread and jam as well as the usual cheese slices, ham and fish paste. My preference would be cheese and ham with a crisp sandwich as a sneaked second helping. Fill yer boots.
Good times. We always got home knackered, especially those of us who had had to pack all the gear back in the scout room at the Bailgate Methodist Church. The marquee would go back in the cellar unless it was still wet, in which case it would be draped over the pews of the upstairs gallery of the church to be stored away later in the week.
The remnants of the dads together with the associated kids would gather for a pint in the Morning Star before heading home for a soak in the bath. Happy days.
One summer we had a dad and lad camp in Jubilee Park, Woodhall Spa where we did the scout thing without the organised activities. Breakfast ingredients were sourced fresh that morning from the butcher in the village including copious quantities of bacon and sausages to be cooked in lard back at the campsite (my bad and the only time in my adult life I’ve done it – mam always used lard).
The kids were allowed to roam wild doing what kids do whilst the dads sat around chewing the fat. Another walk into the village secured the bbq ingredients, nothing too posh, and the evening began at around 3pm when the first tinnie was opened. Ahhh.
I did also, for balance and due to heavy demand, do a dads and daughters camp. Identical routine but different set of dads of Hannah’s friends. Our kids grew up with the camping lifestyle, mainly because with four of them and only one of us earning, it was implausible to go on holiday to anywhere other than a campsite or our mums and dads’.
We had a huge tent that slept up to nine people and that required a skilled and knowledgeable team to put up. This we had. TYHG’s main criterion for a tent was that she could sit or stand up in it and this one, the Gelert Zenith 6, had a large central atrium (?) where we would put the camping table and could in fact fit two large families in comfort when it was raining which it often was.
Times have changed and I now prefer the comforts of a cottage or a hotel although I wouldn’t completely write off another camping trip once the hip is fully up and running, so to speak.
As the pips squeaked eight o’clock this morning the newsreader announced the first day of spring. Meteorological spring, fwiw. Sgood. I daresay someone will know the difference between spring and meteorological spring. The plants probably do. Not sufficiently bothered to look it up meself.
Today is a Saturday. A day for kicking back and relaxing. Going for long walks to the bus stop, stretching exercises, chillin out in my armchair and watching sport on the box. Same as it ever was really. The countdown to crutch removal continues – see updated profile cover photo.
THG is preparing to head out for the park run and will afterwards swing by a shop for some essential ingredients. Coincidentally, bacon, sausages and a bottle of port. The port is because we need a splash of two for the sauce that will go with tonight’s duck kindly sourced by @Max and stored in the freezer once dressed on the kitchen butcher’s block by yours truly. Feathers everywhere.
A bottle of port lasts us quite a long time. If we ever want a drink with cheese after dinner it is usually red wine and not really that often. We prefer the French way of eating where the cheese comes before dessert.
Azzal a hírrel fejezem be, hogy a jobb fenekem ülve úgy tűnik, hogy teljesen visszaállt a normális kerékvágásba. Gifted linguist me. Professor Higgins would be in his element. Time is a great healer.
Hasta la vista bebe.
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Btw for convenience THG is dropping in to Tesco for the shopping. It is what it is. This is a compromise we all have to make as the quality of their bacon and sausage is terrible. Most get only 2 ½ stars, three at the most and when you look at the ingredients list the meatiest sausage I’ve been able to find has only 85% pork. Some are down at less than 50%. Moreover the bacon is all full of water and white crap. Even the dry cure. We love you Fosters.
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Totes gorgeous morning out, it being both the first day of spring and St David’s Day to boot. This being a case I donned my green tweed pea jacket and went out for a stroll in the sunshine. I was far more comfortable with a coat on and felt emboldened to walk further. The pea jacket is the one I bought in Belfast when I had a bit of time to kill before the taxi came to take us to Will and Catherine’s wedding.
Turning left out of the drive I went past the pedestrian crossing, past the tree near next door’s drive and right up to eh lamppost that I noticed had some tape keeping the “door” at its base from swinging open.
On the way I noticed an old dear across the road racing the other way. She was pushing one of those strollers with a seat on it for when you want to stop for a bit of a rest and was making much faster headway than I. I must have been walking into the wind though I didn’t notice any air movement and nothing stood out to that effect on this morning’s Shipping Forecast.
On my way to the lamppost I passed a bloke with one of those nose rings as worn by large fierce bulls but in his case the ring was a lot smaller, walking the other way towards Tesco. No eye contact was made. He was focussed on getting where he was going, I assume.
Touching the lamppost and turning round I was overtaken by a young Asian couple. She smiled at me as she tried to keep up with him.
Then I noticed the postman turning into our drive. I hoped he had nothing that needed signing for as no way would I get there in time. Nope, he quickly reappeared and turned back to go into the next door drive that he had just walked past. Bit odd I thought and I mentioned this to him when he finally walked past me. In a nice way obvs. He smiled back and said he’d found a letter hidden underneath a leaflet which is why he’d delivered in the wrong order.
Interesting what you see when out walking innit.
Back at the ranch and indeed in my armchair the box has been fired up and a very exciting Crystal Palace v Millwall FA Cup tie in prospect. Well, fairly exciting, or at least better than Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmare USA that I eyeballed when flicking through the channels to find the sport and light years away from the news that is all about an ignorant person with a bright orange fake tan. I’m not allowed to name the person as it would break a rule I made some time ago.
I can report that this is their eighth meeting in the FA Cup. Palace and Millwall that is. That’s what the commentator said anyway but I guess you are probably watching the same game so you knew that. Looks to be very sunny in London as well.
Oh dear. A Millwall player has just been sent off after 8 minutes. Game over. Might as well watch Gordon Ramsey. No wait.
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Swallows and Amazons is on the box. One of my all time fave children’s books. However I finally think I’ve outgrown it. I’ll never outgrow William though.