Nice!

I work in an office full of women and today I had a nasty time on the coffee run.

At the bottom of my coffee cup I found a long, long, long brown hair. My hair is grey and kinda short, so it wasn't one of mine.

Given that I cleaned my cup yesterday (it was that day of the week), I know it wasn't in there first thing.

This either means people are shedding hairs into the kettle or the coffee jar, or using the kitchen teaspoons to give their hair more volume and make it bouncy and manageable with that Salon look.

Nice.

Spooks

What a shame! Spooks has turned into preposterous bollocks! For me the script turns over too fast and is all too reliant on short attention-span scenes of about a minute or two. It's still good but it is not as good as a year ago and I switched off before it finished.

An early night instead. Yippee!

Duck!

The boy Heston is on Peking Duck tonight. That should be good.

I have turned into a right old domestic couch potato; having watched about one evening of TV every month all year, I now enjoy a weekly TV splurge on a Tuesday with Heston Blumenthal and then Spooks at 9. It'll be Coronation-Enders next and I'll be buying TV-Chav magazine.

Decent day at work today though I start my new role on Thursday secure only in the knowledge of a desk; no phone, no PC, no chair. What an organisation!

40 minutes in JS tonight doing a big shop and I picked the basket spend to within a pound. This is either Jedi like in my retail skills or means I really need to get out more. Not really the sort of skill to publish, I suppose.

Dr Anthony Clare threw a 7 today - that's a shame, he was a fantastic Radio 4 dude and presented In the Psychiatrist's Chair. I hope he is waved in at the Gates this evening without incident.

Tonight's picture for the blog is one I took myself - that's my Dad and my brother Greg. And a duck (name unknown) . We were all on the Kennett and Avon canal in July.

Circuits in a phone.

Circuits was great tonight! I put some real effort in and had a good warm up and then worked hard. I'm a bit of a spanner when it comes to squats but I got it on the money tonight, and I did a good flat minute on the plank too. Top stuff. Spence came along (see the first Heston Blumenthal post) and had a good session too - cool to have a mate as circuits partner tonight.

Last week after both sessions I was good and drank only water but tonight I came home and had healthy food (tuna) but also two in the house beers! As everyone knows, beers in the house don't count.

My interest in the Nokia N-95 has been rekindled having seen the Gadget Show just now.

Not much else going on on the Hill tonight and the copper chopper isn't up - rather unusual.

That's Monday!

Luke 2: 29-32 (again)

Went to see the Big Man today - He was in BS5! I have not gone to Church in my own locale before, normally being a grazing sort of a fella, looking in to a Church where it has been possible on store visits all over the UK these last 5 years, or on occasions when I am in the middle of Bristol on a day off. Anyhow, into St Luke's today which is near my house and is pictured here.

I was quite nervous because I don't normally do the congregational thing, but just like circuits at the Barton Hill boxing club, the welcome at St Luke's , Barton Hill was kind and genuine and warming. I even got a shout from Debbie (the Reverend) welcoming me along as a first timer - how kind of her!

It was Communion day today - all unfamiliar to me but still hitting the spot and I will go back next week for the family service. Thoroughly enjoyable and I am glad to have gone.

I wonder if God will now mind that I am off for a pint? I think he will be okay about it - he knows the score, and he knows I went for a run before 8am.

My extra hour in bed

I woke early but of course it was even earlier than that , and I had gone to bed early anyhow! I got out of bed and made a cup of tea and now I am going for a run. Again!

This is not how Sunday mornings are supposed to work. Guaranteed tomorrow when it's a school day, I'll want to snooze for England.

Filth and Disgust in BS5!

Another Saturday task is to get the car rather more like this picture (a clean day in July but not in BS5) than its current state of filth and grime.

Blog evidence to follow after my run and some breakfast.

I have been v.slack in car standards of late - those readers who know the 'wax facts' blog - please forgive me! My car is positively Summer Hill ready!

:-)

Runner

With all good intention I was going to go for a run last night and then stay in but alas (hooray) , my beer-light came on and I had 4 beers with the chaps in The Rhubarb. Home for a pleasant evening after that and a decent curry.

I am going for a run this morning instead. I have bounced out of bed at 8.05, put the washing on and now I am off for a very ungainly sort of a lollop around BS5. Then it's a bit of Saturday domestics and house tidying!

Not sure about how much pavement running to do and should really stick to grass for the sake of my shins. Two of the chaps in the pub have said they will come along to Circuits with me on Monday.

Friday!

The clutch is IN - free-wheeling to the weekend!

In the Pink

It's a 'wear pink at work day' today - all over the UK and something to do with Breast Cancer awareness, I think. Anyhow, much pinkness going on on the shop floor where I work - hats, wigs, cardigans, socks etc. I have a pink tie on and a suitably matching pocket handkerchief to finish it off.

None of my office colleagues in yet so I await their efforts!

Brain Activity in rare Garden Centre shocker!

Wow! I used my brain at work today - a sign of activity to come, I hope. I wrote a quick paper on this and that and it was presented to various colleagues with some good feedback.

The office was pretty noisy because stacks of people were in so it was a good day but not the most productive ever. Had very pleasant email exchanges with a refreshing new acquaintance down in Devon who has a good outlook on work and life, and also had some banter on Google talk with Walshy to compare breakfast.

Thursday night, so a bit of Zane Lowe and Pete Tong and some general chillin' after dinner. Total bollocks on the TV so radio all the way!

Apparently everyone has to wear pink tomorrow for breast cancer awareness so I am considering a pink shirt or pink tie, but obviously not both.

Clutch in for the weekend now - get in!

A man's gotta eat.

It's Heston Blooming Heck on the TV again tonight. I wrote a blog line about him last week and enjoyed his show (despite his lack of tie wearing) .

He seems to elevate simple meals to extraordinary heights and last week he took 3 days to make a chicken tikka. Tonight he's looking at hamburgers! His show is quite smart but massively impractical if you are an idle sort (and I am definitely that) but he doesn't pretend his shows are anything but what he likes to do, so that's okay, I suppose.

A freind of mine and a BS4 reader likes Hugh Ferrari Market Stall and his river cottage and Nigel Slater too - he's not bad either. She's a good cook and made me some fine meatballs a month or so back, so maybe she'll leave a comment on Heston B-H.

After that it's Spooks - top drama. Lara at work missed last week's and was dicey about whether her mum or dad would record tonight's second part. Just get on the sofa and watch it live, girl!

Back to burgers - if I'm on take out detail Mc D's suck, Burger King are okay but the UK really lacks a fine burger chain. That's one thing the Septics do well but then again that's why they're all a-massive. When I was in Los Angeles I tried a few burgers and Wendy's were okay.

Actually BS5 lacks a decent take out for burgers but we did just open a new Jamaican restaurant and we also have Thai, Chinese, Indian and a decent chippy!

Right then - off to make dinner, suitably inspired (tender loin pork korma after all that!)

Kettle's on.

I have just made the round in the office. Made my own then it all went strange.
Peppermint tea: it's brimmimng with wrongness!

Using the force. By text message.

Mr. Walsh is now a text menace given that he has free texts for life starting as of 8pm last night; plenty of useless and amusing SMS messaging from Manchester to BS5. Great laugh when tryin' to chill with a bit of TV!

Flight tip from BlogBS5

Going out in your B52 Bomber tonight?

Don't load it with live nuclear weapons and fly across what ever post code you live in unaware of your payload. The USAF will sack you which is a bit off if you already spent $53.4m to buy your ride. And the colossal will noise piss your neighbours off too.

Note to USAF: Pay attention to what you lob in the back next time.

My mate Walshy said this never would have happened in 'Nam and that old George W is losing it. As usual Mr Walsh is right on the money.

Circuits!

A full on Monday for BS5 tonight! I went circuit training for an hour at the Barton Hill boxing club, ably managed by Tom Foley who organises a lot of nights there for young fellas in BS5 on Tuesday and Thursdays (boxing) and slightly older fellas on Monday and Wednesdays (circuits).

I have not done anything remotely exercised based for ages so I was somewhat trepidatious. The welcome could not have been nicer; no pressure from the Instructor (professional) to go at anything other than one's own pace, but once he sensed the level of the room he pushed it accordingly and I gave it the full-on effort for an hour with plenty of laps of the club, squats, press ups, stuff with the medicine ball and 'the bench'. I was the youngest there by about 5 years and the oldest fella (Brian) is 83 and does plenty of walking and stretching! I had a good hour and did not slack.

Very pleasantly worn out, very openly welcomed in and going to go again on Thursday and make it a twice a week thing for the darker evenings.

Home for a healthy tuna dinner and a bit of recovery time on the sofa. Not a bad day!

May squeeze in a little bit of TV now but the option of a wallow in the bath and early night is a bit of a tempter!

Leeeeeeeeeeeeeewis!

Now this might be controversial but I don't think McLaren and Lewis H should appeal a Fuel Temp' decision for the two teams ahead of him on Sunday. If they were disqualified he would be elevated to 4th place and would attain the World Championship.
I think they should walk away with 2nd place at 22 years old in a rookie year for a great driver, and take their dignity with them. The lad can do it next year!

In other news, I walked into a door somewhat shorter than my six foot four self - much bleeding!

World cup final - heads held high!

Well, you know what? I think we did okay in the rugby! Heads held high and a great performance. No one expected us to be there and we had the Aussies and the French along the way; yeah one could go on about was it or wasn't it a try but it was disallowed and that's that! By no means was it a pasting and it was good hard sport! The result cost me 20 pounds and two bottles of champagne but hey ho!

What a great night in the Rhubarb watching it all. More excitement today with Lewis Hamilton from 4pm!

Swedish dining.

Had meatballs for dinner - from Ikea! A right Geographic jigsaw; frozen Swedish meatballs with instructions in 12 languages on the back, and then sent to Bristol.

Anyhow, cooked 'em as instructed and had them with smoked bacon, peppers, chopped chilli, chopped tomatoes , pasta and coriander , and Cabernet Sauvignon. Fine dining rather topped off by ST: First Contact and a loaf on the sofa!

The copper-chopper is alive and well hovering over Barton Hill tonight - no doubt some top criminal action is alive and well in BS4, and the chopper is hanging safe in BS5 watching the Bath Road drama - those BS4 types are a criminal lot.

Cheers as ever to top man Walshy (www.loofy.com) for Blog advice tonight...

Word!

A-list Celeb' action in Shropshire

Hi all,


Work was a piece of piss day today! Drove the gayest car on the street up the M32, M4, M5, M6 and M54 to our Garden Centre in Shropshire. It was started by none other than Percy Thrower, the pipe smoking thoroughly middle-class gardener from Blue Peter but he wasn't there what with having thrown a 7 awhile back. Anyhow, big Perc's daughters still run the place having sold it to the company I work for in 2000.

So it was an easy day filling up stock and just generally working around the 9 or so customers who pitched up with an average age of 117. I was lobbing out Christmas stock so I am covered in glitter- great laugh, I have sparkly bollocks.

It was a bit sharp driving past the junction for Hagley/Stourbridge simply because I had enjoyed such a terrif' time last time I was there, and I had been in such beautiful company but hey-ho and happy memories. Oh, but that was some morning cup of tea in Hagley! ( x to you)

Back home now for an evening of maximum idle! Zane Lowe on the radio, some cooking, some wine and a good bit of chillin'.

Friday tomorrow - smart!

BS5ers help the Prime Minister

I had a dream last night that my brother's good freind Carl Leaver who works in the senior echelons of Marks and Sparks became Prime Minister (this is not unlikely, he's a jolly clever chap). My good friend and ex BS5er, Walshy and I were drafted in as his special comms team because we were all bunkered down at Prestwood, near High Wycombe where my brother Greg lives, and indeed close to Carl.

Walshy and I were on Comms and Greg was 'Alastair Campbell' to Carl. We were in a crisis management mode that had to do with toxins. Carl just cut through all the noise and the rest of us made it happen!

I think this must all be to do with watching Spooks last night (there was a new series) because last time I watched it on DVD I had a dream that Walshy and I were drafted in the Met' Armed Response wing, SO19. I was nominally in charge but Walshy was Driver and Weapons Officer - I was there for the expertise in psychological analysis - anyhow, we tore around London with shooters.

On a separate note, congrats to former BS5er, Guy 'Bag' Brookes who has become engaged to his girfriend Kat.

Bag and Walshy are both former BS5ers now resident in Lancashire.

Wednesday Morning

Into work a bit later today and leaving at 7.30 so I can give my mate Steve (a fellow BS5er ) a lift to work. This will ensure a few minutes of fast, daft chat and a catch up.

It's Cake Wednesday at work; this is the legacy (pleasant in this case) of working in an office full of lasses. Each Wednesday someone makes cake. I took my medicine early and kicked off in week 1 making cornflake cakes, and now I have a pleasant Wednesday stream of other people's efforts. No desk, no phone, no permanent home but regular cake. That'll do.

England Russia tonight and the final of that Restaurant programme I have recently come to enjoy - Raymond Blanc seems a top chap.

I think I will post from work later in the day.

A new Banksy and a bit of politics.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7024145.stm


There's a new Banksy here in Bristol - maybe.

I wish I could say to you that he's a regular reader of BlogBS5, or that I knew him but neither thing is true. Anyhow - it's not a bad image at all what with all the news at the mo' about that poor Brazilian fella getting shot on the tube.

The news today has the fact that he (JCDM, not Banksy) had traces of cocaine in his wee. The dude's South American - par for the course, no? And anyway, WTF does that have to do with the price of fish? The poor sod still got shot. Lots.

Having said that, I think one has to sympathise with the coppers too, I mean they just did their job and got into the carriage, with the certain thought as far as they believed it, and as far as their intel' was leading them, that this man might take himself and them all out - and still they went in; that deserves respect and maybe one should look at their handlers with more scrutiny.

Heston Blumenthal

I'd heard of this fella before tonight but I didn't know he was a chef. I thought he was one of those early thirties Jerries who left the Fatherland before their dark days and fecked off to Canada.

Anyhow, turns out he's a chef and a good one at that. He's a bit like a mix of my mate Spence, Judge Jules and the bloke with Specs in Private Eye's 90s cartoon 'It's grim up North London'.

Not a bad TV show at all but I reckon HB would find new purpose in his life if he tried wearing a tie - just once - you never know.

The dude has three Michelin stars so I'm not having a pop at the lad by any means.

There you go: BS5's first Food review.

An interesting evening with the author

A quiet evening in tonight, and the first for many weeks. It is not something I had particularly missed because the last 12 weeks had been very enjoyable ones whether in the physical company of someone else or with them in one's mind, pleasant and present and really rather nice.

But tonight was one on my own and I am two thirds through it now.

My current job enables me to finish early if I start early, though recent jobs have meant if I started early, I just finished when things were done and then drove an hour or more home; sometimes I miss that, sometimes I do not. Tonight was the former, and it is a thing to miss being engaged at one's work.

I was in at 5 - a curious thing to be in before the teatime headlines.

I have cooked well and watched the news at length (I seem to be a middle class 'dangerous' drinker, ticking every box except 'affluent'. The start of the evening felt a little lonely if I am honest but right now if feels indulgent and pleasant and I am looking forward to an hour's idle, escapist TV (Spooks), another glass of (dangerous) wine, and then a few pages of an anonymous book in bed.

An evening with the author - and such delights and simple pleasures as I have missed very much of late. This recent change to a delightful run of 12 weeks' company isn't quite so empty as it felt driving home a little after 4.

The start of a Blog on life from BS5, Bristol.