How was your day?

[crissdee]

Many years ago, before I moved out into my flat, I was in my bed at my parent's house, and heard a shuffling noise in the garden. Looking out of my window, I saw the biggest hedgehog I have ever seen in my life! I sh*t you not, it was like a spiky rugby ball....

[Bondee]

Moving and emotional.

We met, as arranged, at the statue of Our Eric at 10am and began our tour of grandad's old haunts.

As we approached the house in which he was born, the current owner came out of the front door with her children. We had a quick chat and showed her the photo that I took of him standing in front of the house 18 years ago. It's a happy home now. A lovely young family with two small boys.

It's a bright, sunny day so the town's beaches are all busy. We found our own little spot near the tideline and - literally - returned him to the Bay, each taking a handful of his ashes and stirring them into the sand. My aunty left a rose from his garden on the spot and we sat in silence for a few minutes before sharing stories that he'd told us about his childhood here.

A century to go full circle.

[tetsabb]

Well done, Bondee. That sounds gentle and dignified.

[jenny]

That sounds beautiful Bondee. I'm hoping that when I die my loved ones will throw my ashes into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, so that with any luck some of me will wash up on the shores of both my beloved countries.

[Bondee]

Thank you. It was.

I arranged to meet my aunty and uncle this evening but had to cancel because I went back to my hotel for a kip this afternoon and woke up with a blinding headache and an overwhelming feeling that I was about to throw up. Given the slightly red and bloody sore state of my forehead, I think I might have a bit of sunstroke.

I had a craving for something stodgy and salty so I went to the chippy round the corner (see "What are you eating thread for details). I'm now sitting on a rock and watching the sunset, although it's slightly dull because the sun's behind a layer of thin cloud.

The tide is flowing gently, I can hear the lapping of small waves on the sand and oystercatchers twittering to each other.

[barbados]

When we scattered my parents ashes, it was on a dog friendly beach not too far along the coast from where I live now.
You’re (unofficially) supposed to go down below the high tide line.
We are busy scattering when we meet a pair of beautiful german shepherds, who thought we were playing a nice game with them where their job was to catch and eat the items we were scattering.
Fortunately both my mum and dad loved dogs, so in its own way it was actually quite nice. Dog owner however was mortified

[amanda]

Yesterday's notes:
After the pest controller left, my friend came by and took me to the big hardware/gardening centre where I could get EVERYTHING at once with a car (makes such a difference....)

Three bags of potting mix, a new shallow container that will become the new cat litter tray soon - the current one is very scratched and dirty at the bottom.
Then popped over to the pet supply store for more food for the Orange one (no, not that one. My cat is glad he's in Australia)

[Bondee]

I've just walked to Carnforth and back.

I am effing shattered, and I can't feel anything below my knees.

[tetsabb]

Down to tge village hall for what was advertised as a talk on Russian history. He opened up bu saying this was tge second part of a series he gives. So all we had was from about 1905 to the present.
No great revelation, other than that he said they have now found documentation that Lenin ordered the killing of the Tsar and his family in Yekaterinaburg: not just a local decision.
I could not stay to the end as I was booked for a phone consultation with a doc about a health issue of mine.

I think I could have given that talk on Russia. Might have been funnier, too.
Leaving early meant I could not ask my question as to whether he agreed that Russia has a kind of long-standing paranoia about being attacked frin the West.

[suze]

We have returned from Central England.

We were there to visit TGH's sister, who lives in one of the six towns which are collectively Stoke on Trent.  Stoke upon Trent is one of the six towns and it's where the railway station is and where the cathedral is, but it's not the city centre or the main shopping area.  That's Hanley, and going there from any of the other towns is known as "Going Up Hanley" regardless of direction or elevation.

The two excursions which we made have already been described.  For the record, I drove for the jaunt into the Peak District, and TGH's sister drove for the excursion to Shrewsbury.  Accordingly, TGH got to drive home today.  We came home via lunch with Elz in Northampton (more money for Mr Wetherspoon ...).  Next time we see her will be in Tenerife.

We don't go exploring England all that often, but whenever we do, we both think we should do it more often.

EDIT: Why haven't England declared yet?  They already have more runs than the West Indies will get in two goes, and "getting the other lot in for five overs at the end of the day" is a fairly standard tactic.

[Bondee]

That's the second time Hanley has come up in conversation today.

I was talking with the hotel owner after breakfast this morning. She's an ageing punk (her words, not mine!) and she used to be one of the "official" photographers at the Morecambe punk festival (she'd get free entry in return for taking photos for the organisers to use in future publicity). A few years ago one of the bands used one of her shots on the back of their album. I asked which band it was.

"Oh, what are they called... They're from Stoke. No, not Stoke, somewhere near Stoke... Hanley!"

Discharge.

I probably own the album with her photo on it.

[bigmartin]

Making a post dog-walk coffee this morning I suddenly noticed coffee grounds and water spraying out of the machine. There was a pinhole in the foil of the coffee pod. It's only the 3rd out of a vast number I've used, but it meant a mess I could have done without this morning and grounds floating in the resulting coffee.
Heading for "work" there had been an accident heading on to the roundabout onto the A46. The cars were being taken away as I got there, but still ages queueing up the slip road from the M4.
I was expecting a 3rd problem when I arrived, but actually an additional volunteer turned up to what I was expecting. Made us slightly less stretched than we would have been.

[Bondee]

I feel a bit sick. Partly yesterday's sunburn, partly the dread of having to go home. I bought a split ticket for the journey from Lancaster to Euston to save myself a few quid, the consequence of which is a 4 hour train journey with a change of seat reservation halfway. I think I'll ask the train manager if there's any seats that are unreserved for the whole journey so I can curl up and have a kip.

Spoke to my mum last night. She told me that Coco has hardly left her hidey-hole. Seeing her again is one of the few things that I'm looking forward to. I saw a little black cat who looked just like her yesterday. Stopped for a fuss and it wouldn't let me go. It had a tiny, raspy meow that broke my heart every time I stood up to leave.

[amanda]

With some extra money at the moment, thought I'd buy another six-pack of my long life milks. Only now when unwrapping the plastic outer wrap did I notice the best before date - Nov 2023.
Will see what the weather is like over the weekend before I go to return it.  There could be other packs still on the shelf with the same date. 
Currently blowing a gale and starting to rain.

My stomach is so sensitive that being that out of date, the milk is likely to give me an IBS attack and I'd rather go without, than chance it. 

[suze]

Jul 19, 2024 4:40:50 GMT Bondee said:

I think I'll ask the train manager if there's any seats that are unreserved for the whole journey so I can curl up and have a kip.

There are.

On both the East Coast and West Coast main lines, Coach C is always entirely unreserved.  If there is a Coach U (usually only on eleven car sets), that is entirely unreserved too.  Coach D is available for reservations, but they sell it last and so there are often unreserved seats there too.

Whether there will be seats available in the relevant coach(es) at the point at which you join the train, well that can be a bit of a lottery - but in practice, there usually are.  Or so says the man who knows about trains.

[jenny]

I'm not feeling good today. My doctor and I discussed changing my blood pressure pills almost a month ago, and I tapered one of them off. Today I took my blood pressure with a machine I have at home and it is quite startlingly high. Needless to say there are no appointments available at my doctor's practice, even with a nurse, so somebody is going to call me back with advice. It doesn't feel urgent enough to go to the ER with but it's not good.

[tetsabb]

Jul 19, 2024 14:13:45 GMT jenny said:

I'm not feeling good today. My doctor and I discussed changing my blood pressure pills almost a month ago, and I tapered one of them off. Today I took my blood pressure with a machine I have at home and it is quite startlingly high. Needless to say there are no appointments available at my doctor's practice, even with a nurse, so somebody is going to call me back with advice. It doesn't feel urgent enough to go to the ER with but it's not good.

Hugzez!

[barbados]

Here’s hoping for things get back to normal very soon

[Bondee]

Jul 18, 2024 14:19:33 GMT Bondee said:

I've just walked to Carnforth and back.

I am effing shattered, and I can't feel anything below my knees.

I did a quick estimate using the "measure distance" function on Goggle Maps. It was about 13 miles.

Definitely unlucky for my lower limbs.

[Bondee]

Jul 19, 2024 11:00:30 GMT suze said:

There are.

On both the East Coast and West Coast main lines, Coach C is always entirely unreserved.

...

Or so says the man who knows about trains.

I ended up in Coach C, which has the added bonus of the onboard shop so I didn't have far to go to get a brew.

Please pass on my gratitude to TGH.

[Bondee]

My cousin's partner placed the rock next to the spot where we left his ashes. I could see it from the prom as I walked to the station this morning, which suprised me because I thought it would've been washed away by the intervening tides. I had to go and say goodbye.

I finally lost it after 3 and a half years when I saw the waves lapping over the sand.

My train departed at 1032. High tide was at 1033.

edit: I removed the image because it was a bit too personal.

[crissdee]

The Royal Welsh Show is upon us again, and the pub next door has engaged a "performer". If questioned on the matter, he would no doubt claim to be a singer. Inasmuch as he is performing songs, and accompanying himself on a guitar, that would be an accurate statement. However, I feel that there is, or at least should be, more to the profession than that, and "making a g*d-awful racket while drunk people shout along" is not being a singer within the meaning of the act....

[amanda]

On both the East Coast and West Coast main lines, Coach C is always entirely unreserved

Similar to the Victorian country trains that I know about, those that are loco hauled (now becoming rarer as they eliminate them - the general diesel cars have no reservations and so it's good luck to get a seat sometimes.)

Station staff announce that either the first two or last two carriages are the reserved for those with tickets, the remaining two unreserved for others. Once the conductor starts making their way through the train, it's interesting to see a number of people either leaving or coming into your carriage - those in the wrong areas. 

[suze]

On very few British trains is it actually compulsory to reserve a seat.

With the sole exception of Eurostar (the Channel Tunnel trains to Belgium and France), tickets to travel are separate from seat reservations.  If you have a seat reservation, you can sit somewhere else if you want to.  If you don't have a seat reservation, you can still board the train and try to find a seat.  You can't sit in a First Class seat unless you have a First Class ticket, but even this rule is sometimes waived if there are no seats available anywhere else.

No one really wants to sit in the seat immediately outside the lavatory, and the convention is that this seat is left vacant for the short-term use of anyone waiting for that facility.  That seat is un-numbered and so they never sell a reservation for it, and you can actually sit there for the duration if it's all that's available.

[amanda]

Reservations are compulsory on the Melbourne - Sydney train that I will be taking in eight days time. And it's very well controlled - one person gets out at a border town, etc, halfway through the trip, someone else gets on and is given that same vacated seat. (if the train is full. The times I've travelled, it's surprising how many people choose this 12 hour trip versus a one hour flight) but for me and my friend, it's easier than battling our way by airport bus or taxi * to the airport the other side of the city, queuing up, getting on, going through security.....the actual flight is just over an hour, then we have to get from Sydney airport to the city area.

I have done a quick trip to Sydney by air and back in one day for my graduation in 2017 and wouldn't recommend it - exhausting.

With the train, it puts us right in the centre and a short walk to the motel.

* Ever since Melbourne airport was opened in the 1970's there's been arguments over a train link, work began on the suburban line closest to the airport but has stopped - again. Many of us are cynical that we won't see it in our lifetimes. Also issues over former state governments' deals with the taxi industry etc.

[crissdee]

Jul 20, 2024 21:00:38 GMT crissdee said:

The Royal Welsh Show is upon us again, and the pub next door has engaged a "performer". 

And they have another one, or possibly the same one, who has just regaled us with a heavy rock version of "Stand By Me" which was every bit as bad as you think it was.  This;




Is the view from my bedroom window into the beer garden........

[Bondee]

Or as some might call it, target practice.

[crissdee]

Don't tempt me! The light you see at the extreme right of that picture (along with a few others) is NEVER turned off! With my window open, I could just get a sighting on it with an air rifle......

[jenny]

I'd need blackout blinds if that was outside my window. And probably earplugs.

[crissdee]

I have blackout blinds, and to be fair to them, they pack up before I am in bed most of the time. Tonight there appears to be no "performer", so I might get a quiet bath in before beddy byes....