Tried to find the name of a tune that’s driving me mad by humming at Soundhound song recognition app. One suggestion was “No idea” by a Japanese singer and another was “Speak my language” by the Cure.
I think it’s being sarcastic.
Sound not found
Déjà viewing
I just settled down to watch the film “Déjà vu” on BBC1 tonight, but then realised I’ve already seen it.
True story.
Knot Telling’s Sexagenadvent
On the eighth eve of sexagenadvent
Knot Telling brought to me
An eight-shaped lizard coloured in most carefully.
On the seventh eve of sexagenadvent
Knot Telling brought to me
Seven bowls of Jewish chicken soup
and an eight-shaped lizard coloured in most carefully.
On the sixth eve of sexagenadvent
Knot Telling brought to me
Six lives saved by the IJM
Seven bowls of Jewish chicken soup
and an eight-shaped lizard coloured in most carefully.
On the fifth eve of sexagenadvent
Knot Telling brought to me
Five pics of Commander Chris Hadfield’s moustache!
Six lives saved by the IJM
Seven bowls of Jewish chicken soup
and an eight-shaped lizard coloured in most carefully.
On the fourth eve of sexagenadvent
Knot Telling brought to me
Four inspirational quotes by Malala
Five pics of Commander Chris Hadfield’s moustache!
Six lives saved by the IJM
Seven bowls of Jewish chicken soup
and an eight-shaped lizard coloured in most carefully.
On the third eve of sexagenadvent
Knot Telling brought to me
Three kind actions by Pope Francis
Four inspirational quotes by Malala
Five pics of Commander Chris Hadfield’s moustache!
Six lives saved by the IJM
Seven bowls of Jewish chicken soup
and an eight-shaped lizard coloured in most carefully.
On the second eve of sexagenadvent
Knot Telling brought to me
Two thoughtful blog posts
Three kind actions by Pope Francis
Four inspirational quotes by Malala
Five pics of Commander Chris Hadfield’s moustache!
Six lives saved by the IJM
Seven bowls of Jewish chicken soup
and an eight-shaped lizard coloured in most carefully.
On the eve of sexagenadvent
Knot Telling brought to me
One grammar quiz
Two thoughtful blog posts
Three kind actions by Pope Francis
Four inspirational quotes by Malala
Five pics of Commander Chris Hadfield’s moustache!
Six lives saved by the IJM
Seven bowls of Jewish chicken soup
and an eight-shaped lizard coloured in most carefully.
On the day of sexagenadvent
Knot Telling brought to me
Friendship, wit, and wisdom
One grammar quiz
Two thoughtful blog posts
Three kind actions by Pope Francis
Four inspirational quotes by Malala
Five pics of Commander Chris Hadfield’s moustache!
Six lives saved by the IJM
Seven bowls of Jewish chicken soup
and an eight-shaped lizard coloured in most carefully.
Valentine’s faux pas
Note to self – If humming to “Je t’aime moi non plus” on the iPod avoid joining in with the breathy part as you walk along.
#almostarrested
Care home cares
A poem in memory of my grandmother Mary (Muriel) Peacock.
I hope that all you believe has come true.
You deserve it.
The swell of dread arises miles before,
Minutes tick away in jolts of angst.
Regret, guilt, and apprehension,
All throng to the beat of a wheel on tarmac.
A visit of duty, a duty of care.
Is the duty mine and do I
Care enough? The look of pleasure and
Appreciation is too much to bear, too grateful.
Minutes tick away in jolts of angst.
Regret, guilt, and apprehension,
All throng to the beat of a wheel on tarmac.
A visit of duty, a duty of care.
Is the duty mine and do I
Care enough? The look of pleasure and
Appreciation is too much to bear, too grateful.
Those eyes whose confusion melts
Into a loving glow stoked from years
Lost in quiet and familiar unconditionality
Express too much too freely.
Hands worn smooth by aged cold-creams
Compelled by hiccoughs of the brain to rest withered on the pane
Grip with a strength of eloquence. A war-time
Wedding ring presses the words, I knew you’d come.
Continue reading
A crutch a day keeps the bus away
Now that time is passing – and the swelling, if not the pain, reducing – I can look back on the funnier aspects of the day I broke my arm and snapped the tendons in my knee.
One stand-out is the hospital nurse who fitted my leg splint and gave me crutches. My memory of the encounter is something like this:
Her: Now that your leg’s splinted, here are your crutches. I’d like them both back at the end, please.
Me: Thank you, but as I’ve broken my arm I can only use one.
Her: Yes, I appreciate that, but you must take both.
Me: But I have only one functioning arm. I only need one crutch and, in any case, I can only physically carry one.
Her: Yes, I appreciate that, but you must take both. And I’d like them both back at the end.
Me: But I can’t take both, I have only one functioning arm.
Her: Yes, I appreciate that, but I need them both back at the end and if you only take one I can’t have both of them back at the end.
Me: Fine. Shall I shove the second one up my arse so I can carry it too? (This last only in my head, I must admit).
Her: How did you break your arm?
Me: I tripped running for a bus.
Her: You should never run for a bus. I ran for a bus once and tripped and fell under the wheels and it drove off. I have never run for anything since.
Me: Is that because of all the extra crutches you have to carry?
Her, confused: Hmmm?
Me, to Graham who has just entered the room: Graham can you take this spare crutch please?
Graham: But you only need one, your arm is broken.
Me: I know, I know, please just take it. We can put it in the cupboard – they don’t have any cupboards here. Goodbye!
Her: Goodbye! Don’t run for buses!
Josie Brown Christmas Card Interview
Graham’s Mum Josie talks about why she sends over 4,000 Christmas cards on BBC 3 Counties Radio.
Christmas trip
Yesterday on my way to work (so no alcohol involved!) I tripped on the curb and came down with a bump. I thought I was OK and went to work, but it got more painful so later on I went to Accident and Emergency – and left with arm in a sling and leg in a splint!
I have a fractured elbow and suspected meniscal tear in the knee cap. Today I can’t move my leg past 20 degrees and so we’ve had to cancel going back to see friends and family for Christmas, and Graham has been out doing an emergency Christmas dinner run at Waitrose.
One small bright spot – what wonderful treatment I got through the NHS. From turning up I had seen a nurse, had x-rays taken, seen a doctor, been fitted with sling and splint and out in 2 hours! Then I had a follow-up call this morning from a junior doctor at the fracture clinic who had reviewed the case with a consultant doctor and was answering any further questions and getting my email address to send further info, as well as booking me a follow-up appointment in a couple of weeks when the swelling has gone down. And all free. The Tory government had better not muck around further with our NHS!
Pescetarian pests
It is almost 4 weeks since Graham and I ate meat. I say “meat” deliberately because we are still eating fish and seafood, and that doesn’t count as meat. I checked in the dictionary so it must be true. I believe this makes us “pescetarians” doncha know.
I don’t much like that term. Firstly I don’t like it because it makes you sound like a middle-class tosser. I made my peace with that years ago, though. Mainly I don’t like it because it sounds like you’re a vegetarian manqué. A wannabe who doesn’t quite follow through with their convictions, and I don’t like that mainly because it’s true. This makes it head an on-going list I have of drawbacks of pescetarianism:
1) You have to defend a stance that you agree has elements of hypocrisy. “It’s ok to eat fish ’cause they don’t have any feelings,” sang Nirvana ironically. Yes Kurt, I know, I know. You’re right. Fish and sea-dwellers are still living creatures. My disingenuous answer to this would be that I don’t think that these creatures routinely suffer as much as meat-producing animals can. The real answer is, baby steps! If we get on ok with no meat then perhaps no fish will follow. As it stands, I would have gone mad without being able to eat fish and seafood over the past few weeks.
Continue reading
Brighton workhouse
‘View of Brighton from Hudson’s Mill’ Published Jan. 1st 1846 by W.Lane, 3 Market Street. A very rare lithograph by C. Childs after a sketch by R.H. Nibbs
This is a view of the West Hill area of Brighton, where I live. It was taken from the top of Hodson’s Mill (given as Hudson in the name of the picture) the base of which survived fifty yards from my house in West Hill Road until removed in the 1950s. The fields to the right of the pathway belonged to the Brighton workhouse. More information here.
My house – or at least such that it existed back then – is the one on the very far left with a peaked roof edging the field. So strange to think it was then on the edge of town when the town’s edges now stretch miles further than this.