Wednesday 5th August 2009

Sometimes, I wonder if I am on the same planet as everyone else. Yesterday evening, tv is absolutely LOUSY, and I am flicking through channels out of complete boredom. Easily, six times I asked if anyone had anything they wanted to watch...each time, I get shakes of the head. So, fine...no one wants to watch anything, so I head for what I have recorded, and start playing a movie called 'Starman'. Inside 10 minutes I am getting 'oh, its sci-fi - put something else on'. HUH? I DONE this bit already!! So I try explaining the movie, that its not REALLY sci-fi, and forget about aliens and ray-guns etc.....its about tenderness and hope and the better side of the human spirit. Nope...its SPACEMEN! I got out of the house in a really bad mood, and walked the legs off the dogs. 'Starman' was never a BIG movie...but it was one of those movies that 'touch' you............for those who can be 'touched'. Everyone has, in their head, movies that just GET to them. Ones that will be remembered. I figger, in THIS house, most of them would nominate Mickey Mouse, or something equally as mind numbing. GRRRR!!!!......

Sunday 26th July 2009

Once again, not a lot to report. Pretty bog standard Sunday really....a procession of kids for various reasons. Joanne and hers because Dr Stu was on nightshift last night and needs peace and quiet to sleep, David because Thomas was here......same ole same ole.

I finally got around to getting rid of some of the junk that lays about this house. I freecycled it. First tranche was, a pram, a laser printer, a baby carseat, and a computer monitor. Pram was snapped up within minutes of me posting it, same with the monitor. Thats where it got a bit annoying. The printer (which admittedly was a bit dodgy, though that was made clear) became the subject of a series of mails asking this and that....hells teeth!....do ya WANT the bloody thing or not! However, it went, eventually. The carseat, that got really stupid. Initially it was claimed within minutes of posting, which was fine. Then I start getting emails about 'has it got a detachable base', 'my wife wants to know....'. God, people are so bloody RUDE!! In the end, it went to the THIRD person on the list. I am now in the process of dusting off the NEXT pram, and assorted items. Only THIS time, I will be a damn sight more careful about how I word the posting. I am not having the buggers act like I was some kind of department store, its gonna be 'take it or leave it'.

Anxiously watching young Thomas, with camera batteries all charged up and ready. He's getting to the point where he is pulling himself up on furniture, so I figger maybe a couple of weeks and he'll be taking off (I'm his grampa, as well as his surrogate father, so benevolent optimism is allowed (smile) ). Cute as hell, he is, and STILL the best child I ever came across. He has now got to the stage where he is propped upright against the sofa, and he actually lets go so he can clap his hands at his own bravery. Plus, he is grinning all over his face and looking around at everyone at the same time as if for approval. I missed all this, first time around .

Onwards and upwards.

Saturday 18 July 2009

OK....its been a while since I posted anything at all. Who wants to read trivia? But I suppose I should try a precis of the last couple of months.

This is it.............SNAFU :)

First, and the thing that has MOST of the family all a-twitter is the 'heir-hunting' thing. Was contacted by a legal firm that hunts up heirs to unclaimed estates, and apparently I (along with others of course) am an heir to something. Don't know what, they don't tell you that. But....I signed up. The legal firm take 1/3 of whatever, and my attitude is that the remaining 2/3 of nothing is still nothing :). I fully expect this to be some kind of....I dunno, wind up?? Not so the rest of them. Every time the subject comes up, the flights of fancy get wilder and wilder. There are going to be some very disappointed people around here, soon :). I keep trying to point out that *I* know of at LEAST 4 others involved (my sister, for one), and God knows how many unknown ones. It all falls on deaf ears. I know the name of the person who died intestate, and for the life of me I cannot figure out a connection. The only thing *I* expect is the legal firm's research into the family tree, which they have promised to pass on to me when this is all over. Saves me reinventing the wheel <>.


Nathan. Now there is a topic!! My dearly loved little grandson has grown up into a surly, uncommunicative, common-sense-less, idiot. Is there anyone on this earth that does not HATE the teen years?? Last week, he was supposed to join his Mum at the caravan with two friends - he arrived with five. She went ballistic...being as there were already 5 kiddies already there. There is a limit to how many you can squeeze into a tin box <>. The girlies (there were two of them) were sent home on the first train the next morning, and two of the lads followed soon after. Nathan was despatched back here the next day.....a much chastened lad. So far he has been keeping a low profile and staying well out of my way (first bit of common sense he has demonstrated in ages!).

Thomas. More and more he has been staying with us of a night. Not through any machinations on our part, just real life imposing conditions. David has to work like everyone else, and is just finding it real difficult to cope with a job and a baby. He DOES go really out of his way to spend a lot of time with Thomas, though...and it is noticable that there is a bond between them. You should see his little face light up when his Dad appears :). I can see my old age being a busy old age when he finally figgers out what his feet are for <>. There WAS a bit of a glitch in all this when both David and Nell contracted swine flu. Now that was NASTY! Thankfully, they seem to be over it now. Odd thing is, of all the rest of the grandkids who pass through here, only Daniel went 'under the weather'....but no one was able to tell if HE had got swine flu or just some normal kiddie summer thing.

OK...its not much....but its very brevity tells you how BORING things are here <>.

I'll try being more regular

Sunday 1st March 2009

Seems the periods between postings is getting longer and longer! Time to rabbit some more.

Last Friday, we finally got to the tree planting. Jude's sister Karen flew over from England to be here for it. I was getting real down just thinking about it in the run-up, because I thought it could turn out to be a depressing occasion, dredging up old memories and hurts. Simon dealt with collecting her ashes, and Joanne dealt with getting the tree and organising the forestry people to be there to actually plant it. I have to say, I was very impressed by the way the forestry guy dealt with it all - he was kind, respectful, and sympathetic. I've written a letter thanking him for the way he conducted it (bearing in mind that he's a forestry worker and not a gravedigger, and he looks after 3000 acres of trees!). The one really odd note was that Jude's mother wasn't there. Now I know it had to be an emotional time for her too, but she has known about this for weeks, yet she managed to have a 'vital' appointment 80 miles away. I thought that was peculiar. However, diffrent strokes for diffrent folks. I have to add my OWN peculiarity here (about which I was cross-examined by my irreverant No 2 son ). My usual, and preferred, form of dress these days is jeans and sweater - I spent too many years conforming to 'dress codes', and I feel comfortable with what I wear. However, this whole event was to me something of a funeral,and a bit of respect was called for. As such, I felt it fitting to at least dress up a bit...nothing elaborate like a suit, but at least trousers and collar and tie. So of COURSE everyone else turned up in jeans!!

Soo....all proceeded according to plan. The tree was planted, the ashes were scattered, and all in a quiet manner, yet not 'stiff and formal' Then, because we planned on a lunch in a nearby restaurant and it was yet early, we all went for a stroll. The whole atmosphere was relaxed, for which I am mightily glad. Now that those last bits are taken care of, maybe there will be some closure, though there is one step yet to be taken that no one has had the courage to broach yet - the subject of Jude's clothes, which are all still hanging in wardrobes and packed in drawers. Still, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Sunday, 25th January 2009

OK.....so its been a while since I wrote anything! Its hard to write about NOTHING......how the hell people keep diaries for YEARS beats me!!

So...maybe a recap of some of the things going on here.......

David got Jude's life insurance paid out....that was THE biggie. His house is now paid off, and secure, and he is relieved of the mortage payments. That was the thing I worried about most, that he'd lose the house. Its safe now. Plus he actually got serious and set up trust funds and stuff like that for Thomas........all good stuff :).

'Flu has been going through the family like the black death, though luckily (so far) I have'nt got it (but if I could find a bookie that would take that bet???). Bad enough to have David staying here while I played nursie....I mean, Nell, David, and Thomas all at once? Plus Daniel, plus my darling daughter (who is the worlds WORST patient!!).

Today was Megan's birthday.....she was born on the day my Dad died, so this is ONE birthday I can remember . Claire held a party.......and 17 (count them, SEVENTEEN!) lil girlies attended. I can only say that there were two little boys....Daniel and Thomas. Can you wonder why **I** managed to avoid that party? I cannot IMAGINE a worse hell !! :). Sooo...David and I had a very peaceful afternoon, watching movies that the bastard downloaded on MY capped connection (which is almost BUST for this month! ). Still...'Slumdog Millionaire' is good......the other one, not so good (in fact, total crap) - Tropic Thunder, it was called. Total waste of good bandwidth and disk space :)

Tomorrow, I will visit the gravesite, with flowers etc, as ya do. I STILL feel the loss of my Dad very strongly, in fact I think I always will. Odd....up to the point where I joined the RAF, my Dad and I fought like cats and dogs (and I mean fought...we DID come to blows!), but from that moment on we were the best of mates. He taught me TONS after that.......or is it that it was then that I started listening and learning? He was an engineer of the old school, a toolmaker, which then was the top of the engineering tree. I guess it was from him I learnt never to throw anything out because there is always a fix. Dad, if you are listening or watching, DAMN IT!!... you might have shown me how to fix things, but you never once told me how to get RID of things!!! This is why I now live in a junk shop!!

Monday 29th December 2008

Not much to say (again!). One little snippet is.... Yesterday, David and his friends had organised a cooking competition. They do this kind of thing every few months - the last one was for Lasagne. This one was different, this one was on MY turf.....curries :).

So....I am thinking, SHEESH, this is gonna be a walkover :). First you have to define what a curry actually IS. And its all things to all people...from a mildly spiced stew to something that raises the hairs on the back of your neck. Well, to me, curry means HOT. Hell, its MEANT to be spicy!! A curry is something you and your mates desire after a night in the pub, makes ya sweat a lot, gives you the hiccups, makes your eyes water, and lets you crap through the eye of a needle while sitting on a hot poker (ok, that was a bit crude.....but I couldn't resist :) ).

I also have to point out that one of David's friends is a professional chef!!

Sooo....saturday evening, there I am, chopping and stirring and all the prep work ya do. I am thinking.....this one is gonna be PERFECT! (My curries tend to be a bit ad-hoc - just usually whatever is available ). Now the ESSENCE of a curry is LONG and SLOW cooking so all the bits come together. Well MINE cooked all night (in that magical slow cooker), VERY slowly :). By Sunday afternoon, I was all set to go, while David is still destroying my kitchen (he's the messiest cook I ever met, and I have a THING about clearing up stuff as you go along ).

Finally all is ready....and off he goes bearing HIS contribution, and mine.


At NINE o'clock that night, I still had not heard!! The plonker was supposed to ring me with the results, only got waylaid with Thomas and stuff. Eventually I found out I came second.....beaten by (you guessed it) the professional chef. There's no justice in this world :). (I was all ready to copyright the bloody recipe, too!).


Ah well...............may all those BIASED people get Delhi Belly!! :).

Saturday 27th December 2008 - more

I meant to add...yesterday, Boxing day, I got to visit (online-wise) with a very old dear friend in Texas, who was having HER family to visit. So I got to see them all (I've met them all before, but this year the kids are much more aware, if you see what I mean.........it was just good to see them all. Sorta makes 22 Charing Cross Road look a bit Victorian, don't it :).