73

73rd and last post for April - my record month, and indeed 25.73% of my entire six month Blog total has been this month, and I was off line for the first few days of April!

So what do we know about 73?

Well:

It is the 21st prime number
It is an 'I' road in North Carolina
BOBW Pt II is TNG Episode 73 and what a belter!
1973 total fox Miss Forrest joins Upstairs D'
James brown lived to 73
Hadrian's Wall 73 miles end to end
'Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart' Psalm 73
Ford Maddox Ford born 1873
Larry Page, half of Google and kinda providing this Blog space born 1973!


Seeya in May!

BS5 :)

Space Toast!

And there I was suggesting it was a slow morning.

While I was showering I think my toaster must have been on line looking at Nasa. I popped my bread in the the toaster a few minutes ago and turned around to do the usual morning things. Anyhow a minute or two later and KERRRR-POOW! I turned around to see two pieces of toast hurtling skywards! This was very exciting and I shouted out 'cool! ' ! I ate the first two and put two more in to see if it would happen again. 35 years old and transfixed actually watching a toaster make toast. Alas the second round was far less spectacular and just sort of popped up, not even challenging the escape-velocity of the earth; maybe the toaster was self conscious on being watched.

I am worried about other appliances following the toaster's lead. What happens when I next make a cup of tea, for instance?

Jimmy Carter going smarter.

Up before 6 as usual but then remembered I had no need to make my lunch today as I am joining a lunch party at work to whom I will then present a hour's work. Thus I have time on my hands to blog, always a pleasure but there isn't really a lot going on. I think Gordon Brown might call shortly for advice on his 8.10 interview on Today later in the morning but I am going to leave the phone unanswered - no mood for politics today in BS5 and don't fancy tipping off GB anyhow. Too arrogant!

The man whose house was raided with subsequent controlled explosions over in BS9 (where Suburbia lives) appears in court this morning. Bet they throw the book at him!

Oh, I hear Jimmy Carter is hinting at backing Barack O in his Super Delegate capacity. Smart! Do these American Super Delegates get capes and outfits?

A far less radical tie choice today and off to work later in a more regular combination, but equally attentive to detail.

The world's seventh coolest chap!

I am drinking some Californian wine with dinner as I type and it's great! Isn't California the equivalent of the world's 7th largest economy if one looks at it independently? Anyhow well done The Gallo Family and its Sycamore Canyon Cab' Sav' (from Sainsbury's where foxy women were in the wine aisle tonight).

Had a top day at work and refined my presentation for tomorrow that should give a 40% increase in productivity in a key area of Store Operations. The audience will ask good questions and I am looking forward to that , and their gender bemusement at Star Wars making an appearance in a section on shelf edge labeling!

Best of all though I MSN'd my brother who bought the recently discussed tie for me in HK as he was leaving China after 7 years last month. After 3 weeks in blighty he has now relocated to Manila in the Philippines and I think he has seen the apartment he intends to rent. I feel a visit coming on!

Top larks prior to dinner tonight; my near neighbour Steve came over to download some tunes on line at my house. Whilst he had a look at Sisters of Mercy, 'Independent Worm Saloon' (who??!) and The Melvins I cleaned my shoes and chatted away about GTA-IV, released today.

It's been a rightly strange and happy day!

Dance, dance , dance to the Radio!

Astute readers might recognise the Joy Division track that references this post...

Total Cats and Dogs on the way home from work and an absolute deluge right across the city tonight.

VX52 ploughed diligently through it all, uncomplaining and hard working in his steadfast Mercedes way. I really like my car very much and am appreciative of him in adverse conditions. Huge rain is fun in the light but not in the dark. Drove home before sunset so it was a lark in the rain, singing (really badly, but on my own so hey-ho) to Joy Division as I scooted through the centre at about 6.

On the way home I called in at J.S for some groceries and I think I either had two heads or two women in my adjacent queues at the checkout liked the pink tie; the tie has earned its keep today and seemed to go a storm! I usually wear it with a three piece suit but relaxed a little today into J and T only. Anyhow, it might just feature again, even though Walshy emailed a personal 'very dapper' to work but posted 'Gaylord' on BS5! Ha ha - my guaranteed hand grenade every reliable, dependable time! Cheers, kidder! Keeps any hint of vanity in check and rightly so.

Great American posts on said tie - what a lark this blogging business is becoming. Thank you the US of A. Just vote Barack and you'll be grand!


Now then, earlier today I bemoaned fuel prices; this on the day the UK's two hefty fuel firms posted results for the first three months of 2008. Between them they made 7bn PROFIT! Feck! That's 77 million profit a day, or 3.2m pounds' profit an hour. For three months. That's insane and almost as much as my brother's friend CA pulls in (I exaggerate)! All this money and yet at a station tonight diesel was 124.9 a litre. Mind you this fuel station in particular has a little know Idiot-Magnet that draws in retards because it's a touch cheaper elsewhere in the city, yet the place always has a queue. Must be other people paying for their fuel. My new pal Scargosun says Americans are now paying $3.76 a gallon because she filled up last night; Hey S', our equivalnt is about $8.84 for an American gallon at an average price tonight. And profits here of $6.4m an hour, MAD!

Right, it's 9pm and dinner is ready.

In the pink!

A quick self portrait just now!

This is my shirt and tie combo today - pink and blue and pin stripes from Austin Reed. The pocket hanky is actually a paper bag from a sweet shop but no one ever notices the fact! Anyhow, point is whenever I wear this gig to work, people do a just about perceptible double take with that age old prejudice or misinformed assumption, that a bloke who wears a pink tie has to be on the other bus (irrelevant but I am not!)

Crazy! Anyhow, I like it and that's that!

Fuel!

I often think of Americans when I am putting fuel into VX52 - I read in the press this weekend that the Americans have had a recent price hike in fuel and pay maybe $2 a gallon of late. Our gallons are different but over here it's as steep as Everest.

I filled my car at the weekend - 60 litres (15 gallons) cost me seventy pounds or 140 dollars. A refinery strike in Scotland this week so that price will hike more by Wednesday for reasons entirely removed from supply. That's the irritating bit! Okay I get 600 miles from a tank but it's costing more by the week. At least I am only driving 14 miles to work these days, not 72.

On a more mundane front I have had a top night's kip and am ready for a blissfully quiet day in the office to polish a presentation ready for a stand up speaking part tomorrow. All manner of exciting things to discuss but I have put a star wars reference into my talk. The audience are all women and I am not confident they will either spot it or get it if they do.

Philly!

I had a nice visit from an American lady on my Blog tonight and she wrote quite amusingly about men playing Halo at her house (one of whom is her husband, I think) she wrote with a good bit of tolerance of Halo but also a little bit of a sigh too! 'Scargosun' lives in Philly , I think - the city of brotherly love. And isn't Bill Cosby from there too? I wonder is she ever sees him on the bus and stuff.

Anyhow, it was fun to have an American visitor, another look-in via Suburbia.

I wonder if Scargosun knows Sam Power and could put a word in on behalf of eligible single Englishmen?

Off or a bath now after a happy Monday for which I am thankful.

Monopoly

The OFT has had another pop at the supermarkets today and a go at the cigarette people and the supermarkets too. The Office For Fair Trading doesn't care for monopolies but how many OFTs are there? Yep - just ONE! Is that fair?

Saturday crasher

A top, happy day at work and I really enjoyed it! I was on the shop floor as I am a couple of times a day and got button holed by a customer. This happened last week and I sold a 99 pound patio table. Today I sold an Acer tree. I did not know what an Acer tree was and 'fessed up so, but I was honest with my customer and the tree in question was 450 pounds and was RTCd in the clearance bay and was on at 225 but not marked up (Reduced To Clear, by the way). This was a bit steep but I used some discretion to hack the price a little bit and Bingo it sold! Didn't sell straight away but the customer came back later and went for it. He said. 'Young man you have a tie on, you must be a proper manager, could you help me?' Not sure what to make of that but liking 'young man' in these 2 weeks before I hit 36. Anyway, he seemed very pleased and shook me warmly by the hand as he left.

Other news: Apparently Kris Marshall the pictured actor who was good in 'Love Actually' and is cool in the BT ads (with his very foxy screen wife) was in Bristol on Saturday on St Augustine's Parade (also pictured). Poor Kris Marshall got hit by a car at 1am and suffered serious head injuries. The driver stopped at least and was not lashed up. Anyhow, Mr Marshall is bad but not critical. He seems a decent fellow and everyone who talked about it in the office hoped he'd be okay. As do I. I was at the same spot on Saturday at about 6 getting a bus home from a couple of beers in town! The picture showing the parade is me pratting about on my bike a year or two back.

I love Monday nights and I suspect another post might follow shortly.

Keenly to work

A top weekend has come to a close and I really enjoyed resuming my running; my legs are pleasantly achy this morning. Next weekend sees a 21st do, and as yet untold larks as well.

I am quite looking forward to my work today. Is that abnormal? I have lots of interesting and useful things to do and it will be satisfying to wrap them all up and then present them at various meetings later in the week. I want to get on with it and see it through.

My friend Suburbia seems to have Blog issues this morning as I can only load half of her interesting Sunday post and no more than that! I hope it comes back.

Update - it has come back and just popped in now after 20 mins.

Bristol!

I took a wander into Bristol on Saturday which I had not done for a week or three. One hint of the current bun and it was a sea of floral print dresses across the city. Inevitably I stopped for a pint (The Shakespeare, Princes St, just down from Jury's hotel) with a pal and we just watched the world go past. It was rather a sight.

Walking into town I went through the Lawrence Hill underpass. It no longer smells of wee and Special Brew and has been painted. Check out this mural!

The other pic is yours truly and Steve reflected in the large shiny sphere near the Imax theatre.

Blokes can be domestic too!

It's been quite an efficient morning here in BS5 and I am just putting the domestic brakes on as the sun comes out and the much heralded sunny day approaches.

This morning I have:

Been for a run
Had a nice soak in the tub
Changed the bedding
Put two loads of washing on (next week's shirts at 7 and the bedding I took off after that)
Done the groceries at JS (no hint of mental hour)
Fueled up the car (before the inevitable bloody price rise on Monday and again a few days after)
Changed the flowers (bit un-blokey but hey ho)
Cleaned the fridge!

Bacon sarnies for brekker just now and then I will mop the floor. Domestic Marathon at end and I am going to sit on the wall for an hour and read the Saturday paper. Ideal! I have wax in one ear so I have ear drops in today and my balance is a bit more spazzy than usual so I might fall off the wall.

Larks aplenty to come, I suspect.

This is a pic of my newly cleaned fridge and its bloke-living-alone contents. Love it!

Explainer tag

My friend Suburbia tagged me with this on her fine Blog, so I am going to have a go

Here we go..

3 Things I Can't Explain To My Mum

1 Pretty much anything to do with emailing
2 Cruise control on VX52 and the operation thereof, or the fact that the handbrake on a Mercedes is operated by the foot, just to the left of the 'stop' pedal
3 Retailers sometimes have availability issues. Deal with it, woman! (Didn't say that bit)

Now here's my little spin, Suburbia - 3 Things I was amazed that I could explain to my Mum!

1 That John Digweed and Satoshie Tomi make brilliant, dirty house music!
2 That no matter how often she tells me I don't need to bother, I feel compelled to ask her if she minds I take my jacket off if we are all sat down having dinner. It's not going to stop and she knows this now
3 That I really fancy their next door neighbour, Sally who is a married forty something. Of course my mother told Sally immediately so it's dead awkward when I visit now!

The pic is my Ma who would shoot me if she knew it was on line, but she doesn't read this Blog.

Right, off for a run now.

F.E.J!

F.E.J!!

Fancy Radio 1 playing 'Dirty Mind' on a Friday night. Cool!

Pic' is said man much later in his career, but that tune was a blinder, even if it was only a sample on the radio!

Sniff sniff, shower.

My friend Suburbia asked me what I thought about cloned dogs, created for sniffing in Korea. Sub' asked me what I thought of it from a perspective of mine which is certainly present but not necessarily prevalent in my thoughts. Anyway, I have no issue with it for a dog, I think, and I like that Suburbia associates this way of thinking with me (longer post on all of that to follow soon).

As most Koreans probably eat dogs I think it is a good thing that they are doing something else with them. Maybe they can teach them to head North and eat and kill Kim Jong Il - he's a complete effing lunatic!

There is a whole, amusing thread on showers which I don't quite have the nerve to venture into tonight.

Maybe top Blogger-Cymru Liz will go first! Come on Liz!

Thanks for the Q' sub - as ever your thoughts and posts are a hoot.

Mr Spock's Pigeon

This post has a bird theme all the way through and might earn me some flack.

I have had a day of total capers and joyous, electric delight! Okay, I nearly crashed twice but one accepts these things.

Today I delivered a BBQ down to the far end of Devon where we have a store. The BBQ was huge and I had to take a van to do the job. Loading the beast was a lark. I had to retrieve it from our restaurant, wherein I really fancy the deputy manager. Whenever I meet her I am robbed of words and the ability to construct an articulate sentence, and I am sure she sees it a mile off! She is a little older than me and married, so in fairness I should not really even think about flirting but I do fancy her; she is kind and pretty with fabulous hips and lovely eyes! Anyhow, today I monosyllabicly conducted myself through the kitchen, recalling only the LFLs for her WTD, MTD and YTD, and not grasping any actual conversation, and I retrieved the large BBQ to be delivered. I had ramps for my van and wellied the BBQ in and strapped it into place. I did this parked up by the office to much flack and comment that most van drivers don't turn up in Austin Reed pin stripes with a lilac tie and matching pocket hanky!

Off I went, heading for the M5, and tanking along at 50 I drove right into a pigeon. It was very odd. There it was a second before, this whole, startled panicking bird. There it was a second later: dead, splattered, wider, and utterly, utterly liquid on the front of my van! I think the beast must have flown to Congresbury via Vulcan, and been a pet belonging to Mr Spock. When it exploded all over my screen it was a sea of GREEN! Fancy a pigeon being Green; definitely a Vulcan. It took no time at all to go from alive to dead and I was quite sad.


Much screen wash and M5 mileage later I got to the store. As I parked up my brain kicked in and to be frank I had an effortlessly rewarding day. Away from my desk and phone I had the space and freedom to simply see the direction for a couple of projects I manage; three presentations to all sorts of folk wrote themselves in my mind in about forty minutes. They are saved in my noggin and I will just write them on Monday, practice them on Tuesday, deliver them on Wednesday (audience of 12, I think) and see them through by the end of May. It was my most productive day in nine months of work; 30 minutes' chat with three capable people contributed loads of good retail that I will see through. As a customer you would notice none of it whatsoever, but that is entirely the point.

I wish I hadn't killed Mr Spock's pigeon doing it.

Mid-week flight threatens Bristol weekend

My friend Ban Ki Moon who heads up the United Nations called me last night well after I had gone to bed. 'BS5!', he said, 'Can you verify this picture you took from the troposphere for us last week?'. I told him it was genuine and I had already confirmed the same to George W Bush after my U-2 spy plane landed at Bristol Airport (they are still in service, you know, and they are great to fly).

Thinking no more of it I went to bed and now on Friday morning I see the Americans have upped the ante against the crazy Iranians roping in the North Koreans too. I hope this doesn't crash my weekend. I already worked 6 days in 5 and I am looking forward to some larks, not to an international pickle about Nuclear facilities.

Off to Devon in a van this morning. Woohoo!

Manila

This is a little bit of Manila from Google Maps. My brother arrived there today and sent me a text to let me know he was safe and well 'Weather hot, Natives friendly'. All you need, I suppose. It was 91 degrees there today.

They only have one flavour of ice cream in Manila. Can you believe that?

'Tone' Oil on Canvas, BS5 Blogger, this afternoon.

Top sunny evening after loads of early rain.

Anyhow, I had a productive morning but the afternoon was slack so with a bit of time on my hands, I went down to the Art and Craft section of the store and knocked this up for a laugh and from memory. I am going to send it on to my mate Tone. Didn't always agree with him (very rarely in fact) but on the occasions we were sat on the wall with a beer here in BS5 he was decent enough. On said same wall Tone told me the most dangerous weapons known in Iraq when he was in No 10 were the Republican Americans. I should say so!


Busy for a couple of hours now so probably posting again at about half nine after dinner.

We love Thursdays in BS5!

Bill Clinton's cat.

More blokes with guns in pictures today.

I am off to work shortly and I only have one fixed appointment and it's with a horticultural recruitment firm who are looking to provide for one of our stores. Rest of the day is a bit spreadsheety and accounts-based; not my forte but I will have a fair old go at it to find Store benefits.

I wonder if Rogue Trooper (pictured here) gets decent-issue socks when he goes to work on Nu-Earth? I pulled out a great pair today and they are comfy as you like. These are not the knee length Victorian socks of a previous post - we are just talking mid-calf here. Rogue Trooper (if you don't know) is a cloned and lone warrior in a future war. Socks probably not factored in when they cloned the lad.

It's a slow morning as you can probably tell but it is Thursday and the weekend beckons. It's really, really raining. No beers on the wall tonight, methinks.

He's been to 'Nam, you know,

My good friend (and some say human trafficker) Walshy has been much in my happy consciousness these last two days and all in a good way!

I sent a jolly little email with a link to a special-forces story to him and to Bag on Tuesday; Walshy replied with a casual line that made me laugh out loud for about twenty seconds in the office and chuckle endlessly for the next hour, to the surprise and possible irritation of my colleagues. Concentration for work was totally wasted, the fecker!

He was like the dude in this image but not assassinating, he was instead seeing a bloke in an office from a rooftop over the road and taking him out precision-stylee with a killer comedy bullet! That said Walshy wouldn't be as amateur as to wear fingerless gloves on a mission!

I wasn't the one constantly at the back on the mission!

More work than week.

There's been more working week than the feeling one normally gets by a Wednesday night. I think I got overcharged a day somewhere and I will now carry that through the rest of the week. Bugger!

That said on Friday I am in the van, driving a large barbecue (unlit of course) down through Somerset and Devon to our store just near Plymouth where I happen to have a day's tasks. I volunteered to go in the van and save someone else the run, and it's a fantastic run with views and larks, and plenty of green on the Devon Expressway (pictured). Radio on and salary kicking away so it won't be a struggle, I hope - and the works van is quite a caper. I'm amazed they let me near it to conduct my store visits.

Had an email from my brother today. Hong Kong Wednesday and settling into Manila by the end of the week. I think he is a little trepidatious but quite excited too. A touch over 90 degrees in the Philippines according to the weatherman!

This is a bit tragic but this pic, downloaded from Google just now shows (I am pretty sure) a Pilkington Glass wagon there on the left - the green one, with its special axles and sides. Top bit of kit on a run from Cheshire, I reckon. Top transport Spoddery! On the other side it's an aggregate six leg tipper. Oh dear.

Take him out!

Cool! Apparently this is an in-game screen shot from the fantastically immoral game GTA IV, due for release very soon. I had assumed this game hailed from the Septics but apparently it is developed and made by Rockstar, a Scottish outfit. I wonder if it will work on my PSP? I haven't switched my Play Station Portable on for ages but sometimes a whole evening larking about on a console is the way forward (as I am sure and hope non-reader Small Sprog would heartily agree).

Pies and St George!

An eminent research team is reporting some scoff related facts this morning. As a woman, eating cereal or generally scoffing more pies whilst trying for a baby apparently favours the chances of having a little chap rather than a little filly.

I am not sure if this news will add to my day.

What I do know is that it is St George's Day today - top smart action for England and BS5!

'atch.

Surely this picture just says 'I'm Hillary Clinton; you can't trust me, no matter what time the bloody phone rings' - I don't like Billary, she just oozes insincerity above and beyond the regular politician's quota.

No need for Walshy's pin removal assistance here - this woman doesn't give a stuff about voters, I reckon. Eeuuugggh!

Normal, harmless posts will resume shortly.

Dire Wire

My friend Bag has a bit of a thing about poor wiring-tidiness in server rooms. He knows a thing or two about this area but not quite so much as Walshy, I think. Anyhow, I had been chatting with Bag this week and told him my server room was a regular D.O.A in terms of wire-tidiness. His is bad too, he says but I think mine is worse. Poor old Bag would need to sit down like an old lady in a flood and take a cup of tea from a friendly fireman if he came to my office and saw this cable related anarchy.

My IT lot would go spare if they knew this was on line but hey-ho, they are the ones who let it slip.

A man writes about chocolate.

I predicted March but made it well into April, with a hint of May before I became hacked off tonight!

This is a bowl I bought at an English Pottery in Stoke on Trent a year or two back. I was on a work tour at the time and the company (Burleigh) were selling to our stores - their first serious store gamble outside London. Anyhow, along I went for a look about - the company has a manufacturing process entirely unchanged since the late Victorian period; the degree of work by hand remains the same and it is very labour intensive. Each piece is unique with seven hand making stages, so I bought this one, plus a milk jug for Gigi.

Since December last year I had been storing a huge tin of Roses loose in the bowl for Christmas and it had taken me this long to whittle them down to the last two dozen chocs. Tonight I was irritated with bloody chocolate still being in my favourite bit of pottery so I scooped up the remaining chocs and hurled them into the bin. Good riddance! I can now put proper stuff into it like wine corks, books of matches or pound coins so I can treat myself to Saturday breakfasts!

Always the Sun!

Weyhey! Top sunny day in BS5!

Top day at work too with larks a plenty on a Special Forces conversation (by email) with Walshy and Bag and our last mission brief!

Go Barack!

It's an exciting day for Barack O today (he hasn't called yet so maybe he has his strategy locked down). Anyhow, I reckon it will be a little scrappy yet and not clean or decisive these next 24 hours. Hope he wins, though!

On the more mundane home front here in BS5 I am glad to report a top night's kip right up until 6. Ideal.

I think my brother will have touched down in HK by now and then onto Manila by Thursday! This pic may look like HK but it is in fact the skyline of BS5 (Barton Hill) where many a world corporation has chosen to anchor itself.

Apparently it is Earth day today. 4 billion years old - however did our planet get on before the invention of this celebration? I wonder if the Earth knows.

Close call.

At work today I nearly had a majorly embarrassing moment which would only have been funny in about ten years.

Over the weekend in the pub the chaps and I were having a very, very silly moment remembering 'Mars Attacks!' which is a hugely amusing film. In it, the Martians all get very excited and when they do, they all shout out loud and fast 'Ack ack ack ack ack ack!' like a huge noisy flock of birds. We were recalling this and spent the next hour randomly starting each other off by one person saying 'Ack ack ack!' and the rest of the gang joining in dead fast with the last one in being a bad egg. It's a pretty high falutin' and intellectual group but I must confess I was bent double in carelessly joyous glee at the time.

Anyway at work today suited and booted in Austin Reed and Loakes' finest respectively, and with a decent tie and pocket handkerchief combination in place I came within about half a second of starting off an 'Ack ack ack!' in the office, where upon I would have been carted off and put in a dark room. Decorum kicked in just in time and I stifled a giggle.

Zeds to go, please. I am tall and tired.

I woke at three a.m and just stayed up really. Work was quite a struggle by mid afternoon. Making dinner now (I say 'making' loosely) and then heading for an early night. I'm even going to miss the Gadget Show which I quite like on a Monday night. I will be a tall asleep person by about 9, I think.

Top snoozing to follow. I really should be more responsible at the weekend. Maybe it will kick in when I hit 36 in a couple of weeks.

I had a really fine email from my Vicar tonight and she is a great down to earth sort of a woman with a fine sense of thought and humour. And she killed her printer in a wine spilling related incident which I think is very cool!

My brother flies Heathrow - Hong Kong tonight and then on to Manila in a day or two where he is off to live. Go safe, my brother!

Zee Germans!

Having woken for an hour or so at 3AM I decided to go back to bed but this was futile because I was awake...so I watched another episode of Upstairs Downstairs on my 'puter. There are no spaceships or car chases because it's 1905 but it really is top stuff and I love it!

Anyhow, this morning's ep' was a cracker. There was a sneaky Jerry in the house and he was not all he seemed to be. He was a spy! Not only that but he was a ...shock horror...homosexual! I didn't think homosexuals were invented until the 1920s but there he was! Anyway, there was a right old caper and Lady Marjorie swooned at the thought of 'having a pervert in our house!'

Marvelously un PC stuff having a crack at the filthy Hun (always good for a giggle); hooray for TV from the 1970s!

Remove pin, add Northerner.

My good freind Walshy couldn't sleep either but as he says he has an 8 week old son! Walshy has said he is going to become my hand grenade commenter on BS5, lobbing in controversial thoughts! Excellent!

Right, I am going back to bed now as Erin O'Connor has just knocked on the door saying she had read my Blog and wanted to pop over to try out the left hand side of the bed (I always take the right).

Can't sleep.

It's 3.18 in the morning and I couldn't sleep so I listened to the World Service a bit and have now decided to get up for an hour and then go back to bed what with it being a school day and all that. Suburbia was on the money - got up too early and was too excited first thing!

Had a great Sunday altogether. After the rock 'n roll start with ironing and Upstairs Downstairs I went (reluctantly) to Church. I am glad I went along because it was rather nice in the end despite irritations mid-week. Our congregation had a special Sunday lunch today prior to the Church's AGM but I did not attend because I was too excited about visiting the Swan with Two Necks and having general larks with the chaps. Shallow? Well, a little bit maybe. Anyhow I did my usual bit of assisting with teas and coffees and washing up and I had a nice chat to the bright young girls who attend each week, one of whom told me about her rabbit and her visit to the Garden Centre where I work.

An hour or so after Church we arrived at the pub and I horsed down a few girls' knees (it was on form) and sang a little bit too. The chaps had a mad day on Cider and for as long as I live in this great city, I can't imagine becoming a loopy-juice convert - it's a drink that makes you go mental.

Singing in the pub is different to singing in Church, and we never gustily sing Rawhide or Dean Martin tunes in the latter.

The pic for this post is yours truly in conversation with Molly the pub dog.

A pleasant end to the day with a bit of cooking and an early night, and hey-ho it's Monday. In a few short hours I am back to work and writing up a brief on changing all the shelf edge labeling in our stores. Monday fun.

Rock 'n Roll

Hedonism beckons!

Sunday morning and after my bath it's all about ironing whilst watching Upstairs Downstairs! I am sure women will flock to BS5 if only for the bacon sandwiches accompanying the craziness!!

Oops!

The chap delivering an Aston Martin to the film location for the next Jimmy B movie crashed the car into a lake on the way. (He was okay).

Here it is being winched out. The BBC says it is the only one they had.

Maybe I can lend Jimmy B VX52 (my Mercedes)? Bit of a downgrade from an Aston but not too shabby. Of course if I deliver it in person they might sign me up as stunt double and what would my Operations Director have to say about that on Monday morning? Jimmy B, cool as he is doesn't seem an avid car cleaner either. I think I will leave VX52 in BS5.

I am quite excited about Joe Calzaghe winning in LA!

Stedman Caters

Well now, it is Sunday so no PFTD on R4 but instead Bells on Sunday at the 5.45 slot. Today it came from Rochester Cathedral and the introducing lady (Cathy Kluckston, complete with delightful northern Ireland accent) told the listening few that said Cathedral was built in 604 AD. 604! That's one thousand four hundred and four years ago, or me living my current life another 39 times! I love things like that, especially when telling Americans. Some of their buildings are nearly ten years in age!

Bells on Sunday played a Steadman Cater which sounded kinda like the Steadman Triple the other week but I guess you have to have a campanologist's ear.

Coffee on the go now and ironing to follow for all next week's shirts in a bit (half six - ridiculous!)

Must read all about LA Joe first...go on my lad!

Dining for one.

Rump steak with broccoli, chips and peppercorn sauce. This and a bottle of St Emillion - dinner for one and pretty much a perfect evening!

Stoke beat Bristol but hey-ho.

Going to listen to a bit of Rolling Stones whilst cooking. Might sing in the kitchen too.

An idle evening follows, possibly with a movie, but more likely a bath.

Larks aplenty and an agneda of one.

Sometimes the single life is bliss.

Through the letterbox

Here's a list of all the things I could have done, had I taken advantage of all the exciting offers that were foisted upon me in fliers received through the letterbox this week. This is a scourge of suburban life!I have chucked them all out now as I seem to have hit upon a wave of house cleaning.

I could have:

Let my house
Sold my house
Had double glazing
Had general repairs
Taken 4 taxis
Enjoyed a range of BOGOF offers at Somerfield
Eaten a Kebab, an Indian, a Chinese and a Mexican
Had something called Reiki (is that food?)
Learned Introductory French
Learned how to use a Digital Camera
Taken a well-woman class on breasts (Weyhey! have signed up for that one)


The only real post I got was my phone bill, my TV bill and my bank statement. They all remain unopened.

On the scissors.

Cool BS5 stuff:

Whilst having my barnet done by the regular fella who does it (he is from Napoli), we were chatting about his Dad who once cut the barnet of Cary Grant, a fine Bristol icon! This was in the 1960s when said dude was over frequently from America dutifully visiting his Ma, and one presumes having his haircut. The Salon was actually in town but I am claiming this story for BS5 heritage.

I know this story has truth because it was in the paper and on display. My barnet is as stylish as C.G's, I reckon.

Off to jolly old Sainsbury's and I will hit Mental hour but hey ho. I bet Cary Grant had flunkies for that.

The Rozzers!

My Blogger pal Suburbia is temporarily homeless over in BS9 because The Rozzers have widened the evacuation area for the chap who appeared to have a bomb in his gaff. Two more controlled explosions in that part of the City today.

Suburbia has used her initiative and taken her brood off for a day of culture near Bath. If I had been evacuated I think I would have repaired to the Rhubarb Tavern!

If you don't know what 'The Rozzers' means, I suspect you are reading this abroad. Well it won't be abroad for you coz you're at home but you know what I mean.


This is me post-barnet and walking home just a little while ago.

The city that Jack built!

My friend Jack is a steel fixer and knows his business in and out. He's a bit of a photo-hooligan (in a good way) and is always getting up cranes driven by his mates to take top pix of Bristol. This is one such pic'!

It is not a pic' of the controlled explosion from yesterday here in Bristol! Just want to say we don't do that sort of thing in BS5.

Stuff

Suburbia sent me a sent-on message to show what's on your desktop - well this is mine and you just have to imagine it with shortcuts to Google earth, email, Mozilla Firefox, Picassa and a shortcut to Blog images. That's it - a bit dull!

This is the Rhubarb Tavern from a block of flats where my mate Jack lives. The pub is just to the left of the last two cars before the flyover.

Soap on Saturday

I am getting my barnet done today and it's been aaaaaaaaages and I look a shambles, so I will have it nice and short this morning. My hairdresser of choice is on Church Road BS5 and it's a good energetic place with banter and larks and not many women (alas). I like it but it's not The Dirty Bird Shop as mentioned a post or two back! I may indulge myself in breakfast afterwards before going to Sainsbury's. Must time it right so as not to hit Mental hour at JS when all the dawdlers and eejits descend to fight over dwindling stocks of groceries and Availability issues.

Bristol play Stoke later and I will have a gander at that. I have an interest in both teams having lived in Stoke for three years (doing my degree) but come on Bristol! I don't subscribe to Red or Blue in Bristol - happy for them both to do well.

I am just running a bath and very, very reservedly using a new bar of soap that the Gift buyer gave me from work. She is a really kind, thoughtful (attractive) woman and thought I might like it (she said she wasn't implying I was unclean). Anyhow, I am a man and I don't really take lengthy decisions about a soap of choice. This one (pictured) is well beyond the usual level of indulgence. It looks pretty classy though! I Googled it. Five Quid!

I love Saturdays! Lie in and larks - ideal.

Top smart bonus location action!

Weyhey! Back in BS5 and that's always a bonus. I can now take a stack of counties off the list from the post below as plans to swing in at home (folks' place), pick my brother up and go on to Oxford for some beers have been replaced by his other half flying down from Edinburgh for the weekend, so I have left him to his romancing and will have a night on the Hill. Brother off to HK on Monday.

Nice email from BS4 when I got home even though it was to cancel a drink on Monday next ,still I will see her the week after and that will be good.

My good friend Walshy says I should strap some Tea and Biscuits to myself and take out the Congregation in protests against arcane PCC rules! Ha ha...couldn't do that - they are all a nice gang.

The Shire flier..

Entirely more chipper this morning than yesterday!


Busy day ahead that will take in Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Worcestershire, Avon, Wiltshire, Herefordshire and Oxfordshire. But not in that order. Long socks are the socks of choice for this long day!

Incidental: Check out Portishead - Machine Gun, it's on You Tube and it's a blinder!

Your criteria? FYYFF!

Just back in the house and having a late dinner.

Totally f****d off with Church ridiculousness this evening and briefly considered handing in, but it is not my church I am hacked off with nor any of the people in it so the moment has passed as a moment of churlishness and I think it is proper and right to reconcile it from within rather than from without. My Vicar really is a very good woman, and they don't like women in the Church too much either!

There we are.

Can't add a pic right now either so it's one irritation after another!


Update - Image added!