The scene through the office window at 7.49am this morning. One really feels 'getting up' in the middle of the night. However, today is our winter solstice, with only 7 hours and 50 minutes of daylight, so, as Blair famously said "Things can only get better".
When I spoke to David this morning I discovered he has pleurisy and it is very painful. He's off school obviously and has been prescribed anti-biotics. He says they have worked partially but he still has quite severe pains in the chest. He assures me the Doctor has ruled out a 'heart problem'. I didn't keep him talking, because it would tire him. Lets hope he is soon feeling better.
And now onto more mundane and trivial matters. Recently I had to change the goldfinches' feeder because it needed a good clean and I was worried they wouldn't easily accept the replacement. I needn't have. They were bang at it within a couple of hours.
The snap isn't as sharp as I would like, its on my 70-300mm Nikon VR, but maybe I have the settings wrong. The lens instructions have gone AWOL and I fear it will be a 'consult Reg again' job.However, the picture is good enough to tell the story. This feeder is only ⅔ the size of the other with the advantage that they empty it quicker permitting more regular maintenance.
A bon mot occured to me during the night. Does the verb 'anal yse' imply having 'eyes' in your 'anus' ? If nothing else, one could construct a crossword clue around it.
John and Alannah called at tea-time. It was lovely to see them and to hear all about Uni and Alannah's Eng.Lit course. She is really enjoying it and is going to e-mail me a summary of the content.
Comments
Jill .... Teasels are also high on my favoured list and we must grow some more in the Spring. The goldfinches love them too. I'm still trying to 'snap' some of our 'long-tailed tits'. But they seem to favour the front rather than the rear garden. It's just a matter of sitting in the big-room with a camera at the ready - by the time I have gone to collect one, the birds have flown.
Y and I are pleased you came out of retirement to vote for Tom & Camilla. As you say, their 'show dance' was amazing. Please click here if you would like to see it again. Y points out that Camilla took a big chance by choreographing such a way-out piece. But it paid off. Good for her !
Bungus ..... I was a little worried when I read about rolling back the stone. I thought you were going to say that Sandra found your bed was empty !
'General Grogginess plus cough' - During John and Alannah's visit three of us were coughing in concert. Only Y didn't join in. I think tonight a stiff jollop of Buttercup Syrup is called for.
EPS/WOW ....... My failing eyesight, one-eyed reading, and my pictures - I really asked for that. Didn't I ?
By-the-way. Your infra red of Greasley Church is 'in the stacks' as art curators say and will be published as soon as space allows.
AnonymousHelen ..... You certainly aren't too late for the 'naff xmas card'
competition.The sender's decision not to put their name therein is a nice touch !
The Bombay Spice restaurant in Eastwood sounds good. Is it open at lunchtime or just in the evening ? It isn't apparent from the Advertiser piece (link above). The reviews are mixed.
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Quotation time ........
"You can take all the sincerity in Hollywood, place it in the navel of a firefly and still have room enough for three caraway seeds and a producer's heart"
5 comments:
I feel a bit better today, though mind you, I have done very little, following G's advice about naps......I do hope Bungus and G also feel better.....
I've had a look at our collection of Christmas cards, there are quite a lot I don't care for, being neither Christmassy nor very attractive, but I don't actually think they qualify as 'naff'. Define, please, blogmeister.
Thank you for the showdance link, I've watched it four times, makes me feel better just looking at it. I was reading the comments on the BBC site - the word 'fix' appears in most of them, 99% think that Rachel & Vincent should have won, they were the better dancers, but Tom had an attractive personality, and the entire unit of 'Casualty' and his local village voting for him. On the Andrew Marr show today, Vince Cable (gold medals for ballroom dancing) said he voted twice for R & V and they should have won, and an actress called Samantha Bond (she is always in 'Midsomer Murders it seems to me) accused the BBC of fixing the phone lines - she rang up 75 times to vote for R&V, only got through on 4 of them. I didn't realise you could vote more than once?
I may comment again when I have seen what Bungus writes....
DIARY
Policemen are getting younger. One of Sandra’s great-nephews has just commenced training with the Leicestershire Force. They have been ‘role playing’ (he found the drugs but two of his companions were shot dead).
In fact he is a young looking 22/23year old with a son of his own.
I had an absolutely delicious evening meal today, comprising a particularly successful Pheasant in Red Wine casserole (by Sandra) with a buttery, creamy, swede & potato mash, carrots and calabrese. I would be quite happy with no other meat than game, although I do enjoy good beef and pork (and lambs’ or calves’ liver).
But TV was very disappointing tonight. The plot of ‘Larkrise…’ was worse than weak – having watched the first half of ‘Oliver Twist’ I wished we had stuck with it. And ‘Clash of the Santas’ was so sloppily inept that it was easy to switch over to ‘Match of the Day’.
BLOG COMMENT
I am sorry to hear that David has pleurisy. Sandra’s is now much improved after a couple of months (I think) and 2 courses of antibiotics. But she still tires very easily and has been told that it could go on for a number of weeks yet.
May I suggest that ‘eyes in your backside’ would be a more elegant cryptic clue?
I remember a time (although I don’t suppose Ronnie wood or Keith Richards do) when Rolling Stones and empty beds were not associated. Overcrowded more like!
I like the sound of ‘Bombay Spice’. A pity it is 20 miles or more away (not for you, for me).
Great Fred Allen quote. He must have been feeling particularly het up.
Jill:
Re grogginess. I have improved as the day went on but I am not a great sufferer from colds and the like. I understand the recommended treatment this week is rest and fruit cordial with hot water.
I think ‘naffness’ is in the eye of the beholder; eg, I don’t find Helen’s Rudolph card naff in the slightest and would be quite happy to receive or send it.
Have I mentioned the origin of ‘naff’ (which I first heard used by the Princess Royal)?
SPORTS CORNER
Stags at last managed to rescue 3 points which was good. Fingers crossed they can now consolidate and try to get together a promotion side for next season.
HANGOVERS
There are several websites for ‘Nosey Horse’, none of which will interest you.
(And, unsurprisingly, none to do with Native American braves).
If you cannot find any suitable pictures of Ravens for the church photo, any of the Rook family would do if you painted them all-black (but do not substitute NZ rugby players).
Unfortunately Bombay Spice is only open in the evenings (5.30-11).
Bungus, you may have already mentioned the origin of naff but I either didn't read it or have forgotten so I would be pleased to be enlightened. Perhaps when I have heard the definition I will have an even more worthy competition entry!
Graham
Your goldfinch picture looks sharp enough for me. After all it’s the picture that matters not it’s sharpness. Look closely at some of Cartier Bresson’s pictures. Image stabilising lenses aren’t perfect.
By the way the comment about your pics by EPS/WOW was not mine. Would I do such a thing??
Perhaps we should have a Blog competiton for the naffest (or should it be most naff?) photograph.
We used to have a Worst Slide of the Year competition at the Club which was always one of the most entertaining evenings of the season.
Incidentally thanks for your advice re Clicksmilies. I had no difficulty getting into the site but wasn’t able to download to an e-mail. Looks like another candidate for our teach-in after Christmas.
Roy
I notice we have gone from a 'Sports Desk' to a 'Sports Corner' and I'm not sure if that is good or bad. In the world of virtual journalism is a virtual desk bigger and better, or smaller and worse than a virtual corner? The word 'corner' suggests, to me, that it's being pushed into a, erm..well, corner. I will not have it!! Let us sing long and loud and proud of our football world champions and Panthers having a winning weekend! Last night's victory in Coventry was especially pleasing, not just because of the 0-4 scoreline (it's extremely unusual for a team NOT to score in ice hockey), but also because Coventry's coach has been saying Panthers are all style and no substance, or 'Team Hollywood' as he put it. Ha ha!! I just hope we have two wins in our next two games as well. The Mighty Stags winning on Saturday was the icing on the cake, even though it came before Panthers winning in Coventry.
Jill, pleased to hear you are improving and hope you discussions with the local council are fruitful.
I've heard, from other sources, that the Bombay Spice in Eastwood is good. On Saturday night we went, with friends, to Al Capone's, which is just about next door to Bombay Spice. The meal was enjoyable but I fear the prices will put people off. They have changed the menu/pricing structure and it now costs £15.95 or £19.95 for two courses, depending on what you eat. I think a starter of, eg, breaded mushrooms in garlic followed by pizza or pasta or risotto quite pricey at £15.95. Elaine thought them reasonable though.
Roy, if anyone from NEMPF reads this blog they will be excommunicating you! "...it’s the picture that matters not it’s sharpness" indeed. Have you learnt nothing in all your camera club years? Sharpness is just about the only thing that matters although a monochrome picture must have a full range of tones as well. In support of that statement I offer you the works of Ernst Haas and Bill Brandt, neither of whom would ever win a club competition.
I used to have a boss who was a Freemason. "Why are you a member of a secret society?" I asked him.
"We're not a secret society", he said, "and we do a lot of work for charity."
"Like what?" I asked.
"I can't tell you, it's secret." he replied.
With rolled trouser legs
Funny handshake brigade sport
Little white aprons
Rob
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