Wok , stock, chop , Soul 'n Funk and Saturday night.

I'm on a bit of a Chinese kick this week, here in BS5.

Went to the Chinese supermarket in the week where beansprouts are a third the price at Sainsbury's. I have those, spring onions, soy sauce and chicken stock. Even have the chop sticks.

Just need to strip cut the beef now.

Let's get on!

Seasonal sofa drama!

All go here at BS5 with a reluctant acknowledgement of colder days.

Time to turn the sofa around so the heat from the radiator adequately fills the room.

Big Wednesday stuff with Clarke the Shark supervising!

Court in the act

It has been a case of fun and games and warrants at BS5 today. A year ago, I received a letter chasing down someone with the same surname as me but a different frst name, and claiming to live at this address. This was a £120 fine for offensive language and behaviour. I thought I had dealt with it by emailing Bristol Court to deny knowledge, but the contact supplied had left two years ago! Another letter today with a fine for 8 x as much and a serious threat of Bailiffs, arrest and imprisonment. That one at least had the variety to be from another county. Spent my lunch hour at Bristol Magistrates' Court (pictured) trying to extricate myself from a fictitious life of crime. I think I am in the clear. It wasn't me Guv'. You'll never take me down!

Working the paddle gates.

Driving and filing at the same time, here we are in a lock with a 6ft rise in the Montgomery Canal. By this time, we had the technique down like a Formula 1 pit crew....

BS5 Barge

On the water last month on the Llangollen canal, and its offshoot, the 7 mile Montgomery canal! Had a great week out with the cast of Moments from Suburbia We covered about 92 miles in the week and had one day of rain. Lots of fun, lots of locks, lots of swing bridges and a hundred hungry ducks.

Cartographic naan bread.

Wow!

Random curry at home. Naan bread on the go and BANG, the naan emerges as an accurate representation of England and Wales.

Cutting edge at BlogBS5.

Rabbits and dogs at Didcot.

This weekend I helped my brother move two beds, a very heavy running machine and several boxes of this and that. He's moving in with my future sister in law later this month. Ideal!

We collected this cracking van (with Bluetooth telephony!) and filled it. On the road for half seven and a good run to Iver Heath and back.

Dogs walked in the same 24 hours.

A fine Saturday.

I will miss stops at Didcot though, it's a belter for numbers!

Bristol bum.

Today I had an uncomfortable four hours in the hospital. I had a hefty-feeling camera up my arse, around my colon, and through several bits of my insides. I also had two enemas and one brother looking after me. One self-enema at 06.15 and another from a terrific nurse later on. It wasn't a great day for dignity and self esteem. I saw my insides on camera, I was prostrate and semi naked on a ward, it hurt and I've been John Wayning it all afternoon. All the women who cared for me told me to be grateful I won't ever give birth. I listened to them for that.

Did I mind?

No: I work hard, I pay taxes, I love my darling other half with a depth I didn't know I ever had. I drink beer and have fun.

I arrived at the hospital and I had 110% excellent care from start to finish. They knew my name, they made me feel welcome, they sorted me out unflinchingly. They didn't charge me. This all happened 24 hours after a soldier was killed in Woolwich, his killers were taken in the street (good), a plane had to return to Heathrow with a broken engine , and another plane inbound from Pakistan was escorted, diverted and monitored by the RAF carrying live missiles over populated areas.

Is there really that much to complain about day to day? No there isn't.

I prefer to be thankful for things rather than remonstrate about things.

Yes, I have the minor indignity of all now knowing I had my arse out at the hospital, but that's a very small cost indeed for a day much appreciated.

I'm home, safe, well and very grateful.

It was due...

BS5, working from home on a quiet Monday morning.

10.40 and I'm into last week's Store sales.

WHACK! Another speeding car, belting down the road between two lines of residents' cars with hardly a gap.

The noise is so loud and really quite frightening. I look up the second after impact to see cars 4,5,6 and 7 shunt into each other, the energy fully dissipated at last.

My neighbour has had this three times with her cars now, and mine was whacked two years back.

Three lads got out ....and ran.

Seven cars damaged, two likely beyond repair. The street now has police, a fire brigade and plenty of onlookers.

:-(

Special Forces Friday...

So here I am, free to upload a recent mission with partial de-classification .

Jump the train, in off the roof and into the carriage to take out the target (that bit *is* classified though).

Another day, another operation.

Google search

Here's the next one of an occasional series: 'recent random Google searches'....

Fruit juice, special forces and GTA larks!

A day of culture (and trains)

This weekend, four of us piled onto the train from Bristol to London Paddington. We were off to The Menier Gallery to see an art exhibition of pal of mine. We unashamedly did the whole tourist thing based around this visit, it being the first time on the tube for Small Sprog I take the train at least four times a week for work, but this felt new and enjoyable because of the company and the lack of association with work.

We also took in a look at The Shard, Borough Market (est. 1755 and very, very foodie) and Tate Modern. I liked the bricks and mortar of Tate Modern but the exhibitions weren't really my thing .

A BS5 Saturday

Today I have been at my house here in BS5.

BS5 has had a fair bit of traffic these last weeks, with a pal staying two weeks and more nights here myself.

This morning I woke at ten to six to enjoy not going to work. I had a ruthless empty of my loft - stuff that has been up there for ages and from former BSFivers, each of whom had left the odd box of old crap. Out it went! I then used the space to tidy away stuff from the rest of the house that has just worked its way into inappropriate places. I shifted two old beds, an old stereo, old PC speakers, loads of old shoes, a tyre, a bicycle wheel, old suitcases, cardboard boxes and some stuff I didn't even know was there.

Some order restored and my lounge can now be lounged in for the good of all, and every box in the loft can be seen and accounted for. Happy chap here :-)

I've indulged in a new bin too.

Spiderman at The White House.

Here's a cool picture of Barack O. I saw it in The Telegraph this week as a summary of Presidential Term 1 (but originally in The New York Times some time ago).

It was taken on Hallowe'en 2012 and the little chap is the son of a member of the Administraion who was trick or treating with his Dad. Barack O' was game enough (or savvy) to join in and has reputedly said that this is his favourite image of himself from that year.

I like it, staged or not: it will make this little chap a happy young man for years to come.

Post Office

I have spent this weekend in BS5 and it has been strangely interesting in a niche sort of a way, with plenty of activity in unusual things. My friend Andrew is here, preparing for his imminent art exhibition in London. I accompanied him to my local post office to send 45 packages around the world promoting his show. We chatted to the post office fella about stamps, envelopes, weights, rates and shipment times. He was geekier than we were and had some serious interest in envelopes. Who knew it was such a topic of delight?

What to give up for Lent

I enjoy giving up stuff for Lent but beer, trains and my apple mac is a bit of a tough call. Instead I am going to try to add something for Lent instead by doing someone a good deed each day of the forty. I know someone who wrote a letter to a different friend each day last year, which was a good idea. I did think about that but I'd just have forty more people unable to read my illegible scrawl. So, look out for good deeds either digital, virtual or actual from next week.

Friday, WFH.

Today I am working from home. Most , if not all of Bristol's schools are closed and as BS7 works in a school too, it's full on and noisy here. Ideal for a Friday really.

A random selection of my recent Google searches

Suitably informed here at BS5...

A BS5 Weekend. Lamb and Spaceships.

This weekend I have been at my house in BS5 whilst BS7 has had a weekend at her house after a lunatic busy week involving a school bus crash, exam results (mock and real)  and loads of errands.

Over my BS5 weekend I have been for a couple of pints with my brother, we have watched loads of star trek and I have been spodding about on my apple mac.

I have also taken an unhealthy amount of pleasure from doing all my laundry, changing the bed clothes, tidying my room and making plans to hang this fantastic picture.  I bought the print about 20 years ago and it was framed for me last year as  a gift.  

A post to follow when it is up in all its splendour.

Too Golden?

Now I love a bargain and these cords hit the spot this week.

They were in the sale at Austin Reed, a well to do menswear retailer of long standing .

I like Austin Reed because their long trousers are a generous 35 inch leg, ideal for me really. I have a few suits from AR and they are excellent.

These cords were £99 down to £28 but it has been suggested to me that they are a little too golden. I think they're great and let me tell you, they are comfortably numb.

Too golden? I hope not!