Up early to avoid the heat. Went to the warehouse at 7am to unload yesterday’s job and put it away then got Sunday’s job ready and delivered 16’ projection screen to a client in Shoreham.
Back to Shoreham tonight to see The Men They Couldn’t Hang with my son.
Temperature keeps going up and up to a point where even our, admittedly cheap off-the-back-of-a-lorry, Aircon can’t cope. So frequent visits to our lovely neighbours’ swimming pool ( “c’est seulement nous”) in between watching TV as those crazy cyclists climb up the side of 2000 metre mountains. Tonight will see fish flung on the barbecue and bottles of ice-cold beer consumed.
We’re staying with family in the Scottish Borders and have just sweat our way around the Border Show, where we were disappointed not to see any Highland cattle.
Then we popped into Kelso, where I finally gave in and got myself some reading glasses. The medication I’ve been taking for the past 15 years gives me occasional blurred vision, but over the past 6 months my ability to read small writing has rapidly deteriorated. The difference with the glasses was quite spectacular. Although it made me a little dizzy when I took them off and my balance is poor anyway, so they’ll take some getting used to. But here I am, 48 years old with glasses, hearing aids and a walking stick, when 2 years ago I had none of them. I just need some false teeth and a wig!
I remember having to put those on the little old dears in my nursing days. I had to wear them myself when I’d had the op to remove the tumour from within my spinal cord. Post-operatively I set myself a little target every day and a week or so later my target was to make it to my toilet by myself. The day or two previously I’d, ahem, filled the commode and was lifted off it by two nurses and my wife, then my fiancee, walked in at that precise moment, to be handed the toilet roll. I decided then that I would not be using the commode again! And when we got married, 6 months later (which is why I was setting the goals during rehab, as I was determined to walk her down the aisle) the line about in sickness and in health was a bit redundant. She’d already wiped my arse, so what else is there?
Anyway, the day I went to the toilet on my own I was really pleased with myself, but turned and reached slightly too far to flush it, forgetting I was wearing the TED stockings, so I slowly slid down to the floor, bouncing off the toilet on the way and landing just out of reach of the pull cord. So I had the indignity of lying on the toilet floor for an hour or so waiting for a nurse to pop in.
It was a private hospital, through the company medical, so I had a top surgeon and medical care, but the nursing care was rubbish. The food was marvellous though. They did the best omelettes I’d ever eaten. Usually my wife would come over at lunch time to feed me, but this one day she had a meeting so couldn’t come. I was sat in my chair and the kitchen staff brought my omelette, took the lid off and it looked great. Then I waited…and waited…and nobody came to feed me. Eventually, after it had gone cold, the staff nurse popped her head round and said ‘oh, are you not hungry’, to which I replied I was very hungry but needed help, on account of being unable to use my hands. The look she gave was the same as if I’d asked her to wipe my backside, so she went to find a health care assistant. Half an hour later I got fed my cold omelette!
So, my advice to you would be, if you have medical insurance and need major surgery, have the surgery privately and then get transferred back to the NHS for your nursing care!
Woken up early by what appeared to be water falling from the sky. I know! Water! How freaky is that? Poured myself to work in the more familiar sunshine, where I noticed that the blue silk shirt I was wearing on account of the heat, had some greasy spots down one sleeve, did my honest toil in a nice cool office, bought one of those big trays of cherries from the supermarket on the way home (some might be added to the Campari and lime soda aparetif). Now gong to have a snooze and a shower before deciding if I can be bothered to cook when The Light comes around or if it’s going to be salad again (with cherries – tried it earlier this week and they work surprisingly well). I’ve just heard the first thunder too.
Torrential rain most of the day in Co. Clare. The kind where you get soaked between the car and your door. I think it’s on the way to you folks – sorry!
Torrential rain! Those words are balsam to my ears.
I was in Denmark for the Roskilde Festival at the beginning of July. They had not had a drop of rain for 10 weeks. And here in Sweden we had a rainy few days for the
Midsummer celebrations but otherwise are crying out for some rain. Everything is very frazzled.
I think what Kaisf At means is balsa, HP. It’s commin in Nordic countries to celebrate small achievments by putting a length of balsa wood in each ear until you feel ready to move on with your day.
Aah. I thought he might have meant TV’s Martin Balsam, an American character actor. He is best known for a number of renowned film roles, including detective Milton Arbogast in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Arnold Burns in A Thousand Clowns, Juror #1 in 12 Angry Men, and Mr. Green in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, as well as for his role as Murray Klein in the television sitcom Archie Bunker’s Place.
Wilting in rural France. Had a nice nap under a fan this aft. Quick bike ride early evening as it cooled off. It’s our wedding anniversary so we had a bottle of bubbly which was lovely. 22 years since you ask!
With the cunning use of a flight and another flight and a train I left Bretagne after eight days of eating and went back to the Swedish countryside. Not sure about this desicion. Still, three more weeks of vacation. Bring on the books! And maybe some rain would be nice.
It was my final day of work – now four glorious holiday weeks awaits, hooray!
My workplace has been hot like a sauna, so I’m glad to stay away for that reason as well. I’m celebrating with a drink and a snack at the moment. They’ve promised some rain this weekend here as well, but the temperature doesn’t look like it’s going to get much lower next week.
I think I’ll stay inside and read! 🙂
I’m putting the finishing touches to this lifesize model of the Golden Hind, made entirely from those plastic tripod thingies you get in the middle of take-out pizzas. Not that it’s any of your damn business.
Well, we had only distant thunder last night here in the Far East of Anglia aka The Edge Of The World, and only a small amount of rain, none of that torrential stuff we were promised. And it’s still bloody hot, despite fresher air being forecast. Pah!
And after months of cloudless skies we all sat on the terrass waiting for the lunar eclipse – I didn’t realise ‘blood moon’ meant “can’t see the bloody moon for the bloody clouds”
Likewise here in South Cambridgeshire. A replacement timetable was in operation and the blood-red moon was slate-grey skies instead. The only time it rained was 17:15-17:17, the exact time it took for me to get drenched from car to front door. Still too hot this morning to push the Hoover round without sweating, so I’m going to persuade* a teenaged offspring to do it.
Still, I’d best crack on – those new speakers are not going to run themselves in.
Visiting my Mum, not that far south and west of you, Mini, we had heavy rain for several hours last night and a further short torrential downpour this morning.
The breeze is fresher today, and the thermometer by the garage door – I’ve just been out to check – shows a positively temperate 25ºC.
As a thank you for entertaining us, mini, and knowing you like a sexy woman dancing and you have a weakness for TV theme tunes, here’s Beyoncé throwing shapes to Thomas The Tank Engine.
Sometime a blogpost comes along and you feel you’re able to reply to everything. So:
I’m recovering from two major surgeries (all’s well, it says here…), and to celebrate we went to the first day of Berlin’s “Brexit Festival”, on the rooftop of the former Congress Hall, overlooking the Spree (and Miss Merkel’s offices).
Opening the festival was the magnificent Lawrence with his Go-Cart Mozart combo (of course). Brilliant new wave hits like “Relative Poverty” and “Knickers On The Line”. Mr. Lawrence was quite chatty: “It’s our first outdoor gig. Ever.” …. “This is an old song. Everyone says we don’t play old songs…he he…” – “This reminds me of Leamington Spa…” (I bet no-one’s ever said that about Berlin!)
There was a little market near the stage, where you could buy records, T-shirts and English-language books. And a booth from Irish Tours and the UK Tourism Board, where nobody stopped.
Then it was time for the full moon eclipse and Matthew Herbert’s Brexit Big Band. Great, like the Carla Bley Band crossed with Sun Ra and Jerry Dammer’s Spatial AKA. There was a choir singing Article 50, the musicians tore up (in time!) copies of the Daily Mail, Mr. Herbert tossed paper planes at the audience with messages from the audience of his London gig, and he asked the audience to shout “Leave” or “Stay” which was then sampled into the next song.
Oh, and it was VERY hot (temperatures and music). The fun continues this evening with Adrian Sherwood and Little Axe.
33C in the factory yesterday, working with machines that blow out hot air doesn’t help. Which is why we started at 4am and finished at 1.30pm. Quick trip to Resident in Brighton then home to some welcome rain. Much cooler today.
That’s my illusions shattered. I always thought Ms Campbell would be modest and charming, like all the others in her wonderful, demanding and selflessly giving profession.
What a lovely thread this is and what esteemed company it contains. Me, having been in Beijing last week for work (as you do) where it was 38 degrees and so humid that within 60 seconds of walking outside you were living in what was essentially a bath of sweat (calm down, ladies), the weather has been a blessed relief.
Just catching up: spent most of last week on the Llyn peninsula which was much cooler and wetter than great swathes of the UK (and very pleasant). Now back in roasting Surrey – but the washing is drying well quickly, so that’s a proper bonus.
Krang! —>
Sweating, baby 🔥
Andielou!
Look, it’s ANDIELOU!!
*waves limply*
*waves back, equally limply*
How’s tricks, mini?
Alright ta. And you? Where you been?
I’m sad to report that I’m now on Instagram, Snapchat &Twitter. That’s where I’ve been. I’ve missed this place.
Good God! – horses and people from Hull sweat!
Gentlemen perspire
Women glow
and Robots overheat..
👋 btw, nice to see ya.
Lovely to see you too, Robot!
I’ve heard that old rogue HP’s back in town.
*sniffs air*
No, that’s me
“Waves”
*waves*
Hello Dave!
Fabulous avatar, Andielou. Very cool.
Thanks, tiggsy. How the devil are you?
Getting older but in rude health. You?
Very well, thank you. A lot has gone on with our family but I’m still here to tell the tale.
Yebbut what are you
wearing– er – listening to?I am disgust.
Nowt but a smile, sweetcheeks.
My. You’ve changed.
I had to, I got all sweaty. Because of the weather… yes definitely that’s why.
Very impressive. Do you have a nice lolly?
Boi-oi-oiiiing! 😊
Up early to avoid the heat. Went to the warehouse at 7am to unload yesterday’s job and put it away then got Sunday’s job ready and delivered 16’ projection screen to a client in Shoreham.
Back to Shoreham tonight to see The Men They Couldn’t Hang with my son.
Temperature keeps going up and up to a point where even our, admittedly cheap off-the-back-of-a-lorry, Aircon can’t cope. So frequent visits to our lovely neighbours’ swimming pool ( “c’est seulement nous”) in between watching TV as those crazy cyclists climb up the side of 2000 metre mountains. Tonight will see fish flung on the barbecue and bottles of ice-cold beer consumed.
We’re staying with family in the Scottish Borders and have just sweat our way around the Border Show, where we were disappointed not to see any Highland cattle.
Then we popped into Kelso, where I finally gave in and got myself some reading glasses. The medication I’ve been taking for the past 15 years gives me occasional blurred vision, but over the past 6 months my ability to read small writing has rapidly deteriorated. The difference with the glasses was quite spectacular. Although it made me a little dizzy when I took them off and my balance is poor anyway, so they’ll take some getting used to. But here I am, 48 years old with glasses, hearing aids and a walking stick, when 2 years ago I had none of them. I just need some false teeth and a wig!
Don’t forget surgical stockings. Phwooar.
I remember having to put those on the little old dears in my nursing days. I had to wear them myself when I’d had the op to remove the tumour from within my spinal cord. Post-operatively I set myself a little target every day and a week or so later my target was to make it to my toilet by myself. The day or two previously I’d, ahem, filled the commode and was lifted off it by two nurses and my wife, then my fiancee, walked in at that precise moment, to be handed the toilet roll. I decided then that I would not be using the commode again! And when we got married, 6 months later (which is why I was setting the goals during rehab, as I was determined to walk her down the aisle) the line about in sickness and in health was a bit redundant. She’d already wiped my arse, so what else is there?
Anyway, the day I went to the toilet on my own I was really pleased with myself, but turned and reached slightly too far to flush it, forgetting I was wearing the TED stockings, so I slowly slid down to the floor, bouncing off the toilet on the way and landing just out of reach of the pull cord. So I had the indignity of lying on the toilet floor for an hour or so waiting for a nurse to pop in.
It was a private hospital, through the company medical, so I had a top surgeon and medical care, but the nursing care was rubbish. The food was marvellous though. They did the best omelettes I’d ever eaten. Usually my wife would come over at lunch time to feed me, but this one day she had a meeting so couldn’t come. I was sat in my chair and the kitchen staff brought my omelette, took the lid off and it looked great. Then I waited…and waited…and nobody came to feed me. Eventually, after it had gone cold, the staff nurse popped her head round and said ‘oh, are you not hungry’, to which I replied I was very hungry but needed help, on account of being unable to use my hands. The look she gave was the same as if I’d asked her to wipe my backside, so she went to find a health care assistant. Half an hour later I got fed my cold omelette!
So, my advice to you would be, if you have medical insurance and need major surgery, have the surgery privately and then get transferred back to the NHS for your nursing care!
I dipped a gherkin into a bowl of gumbo and found God.
What was her name?
Well, minib, I can honestly say I haven’t heard a work of such musical genius since the tragic death of Cyril Knowles in 1991 (at the age of just 47).
Is that Beyoncé’s uncle?
As far as I know, no DNA test has ever disproved so.
Delightful day in Lichfield with the daughter and granddaughter, the missus and the 2 step-dters. Makes me feel quite manly and seignorial.
All that oestrogen is not good for you Retro – need to go and bludgeon someone with a club.
Woken up early by what appeared to be water falling from the sky. I know! Water! How freaky is that? Poured myself to work in the more familiar sunshine, where I noticed that the blue silk shirt I was wearing on account of the heat, had some greasy spots down one sleeve, did my honest toil in a nice cool office, bought one of those big trays of cherries from the supermarket on the way home (some might be added to the Campari and lime soda aparetif). Now gong to have a snooze and a shower before deciding if I can be bothered to cook when The Light comes around or if it’s going to be salad again (with cherries – tried it earlier this week and they work surprisingly well). I’ve just heard the first thunder too.
Thanks for asking Mini – have a fab weekend x
Grapes are yummy in salad. Will have to try cherries now.
You too Gatz.
Just back from the sauna.
I have written a training course to help my sales team understand how the NHS works and specifically how CCGs are measured…living the life!
Now about to cook a Gousto fish based meal and drink some white wine.
Checked in at Dulles to fly to Leeds via Dublin. Son’s first visit to U.K. “Dad, can we go to a pub?”
Torrential rain most of the day in Co. Clare. The kind where you get soaked between the car and your door. I think it’s on the way to you folks – sorry!
It’s meant to be pouring here, but it spat for ten minutes and stopped.
Torrential rain! Those words are balsam to my ears.
I was in Denmark for the Roskilde Festival at the beginning of July. They had not had a drop of rain for 10 weeks. And here in Sweden we had a rainy few days for the
Midsummer celebrations but otherwise are crying out for some rain. Everything is very frazzled.
Rain! Please!
Balsam? To your ears? Are you sure about that?
I think what Kaisf At means is balsa, HP. It’s commin in Nordic countries to celebrate small achievments by putting a length of balsa wood in each ear until you feel ready to move on with your day.
Aah. I thought he might have meant TV’s Martin Balsam, an American character actor. He is best known for a number of renowned film roles, including detective Milton Arbogast in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Arnold Burns in A Thousand Clowns, Juror #1 in 12 Angry Men, and Mr. Green in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, as well as for his role as Murray Klein in the television sitcom Archie Bunker’s Place.
Gesundheit!
Wilting in rural France. Had a nice nap under a fan this aft. Quick bike ride early evening as it cooled off. It’s our wedding anniversary so we had a bottle of bubbly which was lovely. 22 years since you ask!
Congrats and well done!
Cheers @neela!
With the cunning use of a flight and another flight and a train I left Bretagne after eight days of eating and went back to the Swedish countryside. Not sure about this desicion. Still, three more weeks of vacation. Bring on the books! And maybe some rain would be nice.
It was my final day of work – now four glorious holiday weeks awaits, hooray!
My workplace has been hot like a sauna, so I’m glad to stay away for that reason as well. I’m celebrating with a drink and a snack at the moment. They’ve promised some rain this weekend here as well, but the temperature doesn’t look like it’s going to get much lower next week.
I think I’ll stay inside and read! 🙂
The standard simile for Hot is “hot just like an oven”, I believe, as immortalised by the SHH
Lovely to see you back in these here parts @Andielou
Can you northern hemispherites define hot please ?
Above 30 degrees Celsius.
Well that’s on the warm side certainly and above 34 def hot.
As I recall the humidity levels can be quite high in summer in the UK.
Thank you, Junior. It’s lovely to be back round ‘ere 😃
Wot he said.
I’m putting the finishing touches to this lifesize model of the Golden Hind, made entirely from those plastic tripod thingies you get in the middle of take-out pizzas. Not that it’s any of your damn business.
I’d love to see your golden hind, shugah.
Man not hot here in NZ. But I tell you what IS hot – that choon done by @minibreakfast . Completely brilliant. Made me larf.
Thanks, that makes two of us!
Well, we had only distant thunder last night here in the Far East of Anglia aka The Edge Of The World, and only a small amount of rain, none of that torrential stuff we were promised. And it’s still bloody hot, despite fresher air being forecast. Pah!
And after months of cloudless skies we all sat on the terrass waiting for the lunar eclipse – I didn’t realise ‘blood moon’ meant “can’t see the bloody moon for the bloody clouds”
Likewise here in South Cambridgeshire. A replacement timetable was in operation and the blood-red moon was slate-grey skies instead. The only time it rained was 17:15-17:17, the exact time it took for me to get drenched from car to front door. Still too hot this morning to push the Hoover round without sweating, so I’m going to persuade* a teenaged offspring to do it.
Still, I’d best crack on – those new speakers are not going to run themselves in.
(*) pay.
I spent most of yesterday getting pissed with my dad. He told me many things, in most cases for the twentieth time.
Torrential rain overnight, it’s fresher now. There’s even a cool breeze on my knees, if you please.
Only the twentieth, eh? Wait until it gets up into the hundreds.
Visiting my Mum, not that far south and west of you, Mini, we had heavy rain for several hours last night and a further short torrential downpour this morning.
The breeze is fresher today, and the thermometer by the garage door – I’ve just been out to check – shows a positively temperate 25ºC.
NB your track made me laugh, too.
As a thank you for entertaining us, mini, and knowing you like a sexy woman dancing and you have a weakness for TV theme tunes, here’s Beyoncé throwing shapes to Thomas The Tank Engine.
John Thomas the wank engine more like! Hurrrrrrr!
(Less of this sort of thing – Ed.)
Disgust!!
Funny AND hot. Perfect!
Sometime a blogpost comes along and you feel you’re able to reply to everything. So:
I’m recovering from two major surgeries (all’s well, it says here…), and to celebrate we went to the first day of Berlin’s “Brexit Festival”, on the rooftop of the former Congress Hall, overlooking the Spree (and Miss Merkel’s offices).
Opening the festival was the magnificent Lawrence with his Go-Cart Mozart combo (of course). Brilliant new wave hits like “Relative Poverty” and “Knickers On The Line”. Mr. Lawrence was quite chatty: “It’s our first outdoor gig. Ever.” …. “This is an old song. Everyone says we don’t play old songs…he he…” – “This reminds me of Leamington Spa…” (I bet no-one’s ever said that about Berlin!)
There was a little market near the stage, where you could buy records, T-shirts and English-language books. And a booth from Irish Tours and the UK Tourism Board, where nobody stopped.
Then it was time for the full moon eclipse and Matthew Herbert’s Brexit Big Band. Great, like the Carla Bley Band crossed with Sun Ra and Jerry Dammer’s Spatial AKA. There was a choir singing Article 50, the musicians tore up (in time!) copies of the Daily Mail, Mr. Herbert tossed paper planes at the audience with messages from the audience of his London gig, and he asked the audience to shout “Leave” or “Stay” which was then sampled into the next song.
Oh, and it was VERY hot (temperatures and music). The fun continues this evening with Adrian Sherwood and Little Axe.
Lovely to hear you are on the mend and thoroughly enjoying yourself. Sounds as though you are having a ball!
Having visited both, I was wondering what city Leamington Spa reminded me of…
Pleased to hear some good has come of B****t.
Perhaps we could have a festival in the UK – last chance to see Kraftwerk, Les Negresses Vertes, etc before the drawbridge is pulled up.
Glad all is well. Brexitfest sounds ace.
33C in the factory yesterday, working with machines that blow out hot air doesn’t help. Which is why we started at 4am and finished at 1.30pm. Quick trip to Resident in Brighton then home to some welcome rain. Much cooler today.
Positively blustery on the sea front today.
Friend’s daughter is cabin crew for a Well-Known International Airline. Today she had to deal with Naomi Campbell.
One word description of the supermodel: “Vile”
….turbulence.
That’s my illusions shattered. I always thought Ms Campbell would be modest and charming, like all the others in her wonderful, demanding and selflessly giving profession.
…yeah, sorry.
The adjective amused me, that’s all.
What a lovely thread this is and what esteemed company it contains. Me, having been in Beijing last week for work (as you do) where it was 38 degrees and so humid that within 60 seconds of walking outside you were living in what was essentially a bath of sweat (calm down, ladies), the weather has been a blessed relief.
Just catching up: spent most of last week on the Llyn peninsula which was much cooler and wetter than great swathes of the UK (and very pleasant). Now back in roasting Surrey – but the washing is drying well quickly, so that’s a proper bonus.