So thats the London Olympics finished. What can I say, they've been an absolute triumph. Spectacularly staged, astonishingly supported and full of imagination and humour, especially in Danny Boyle's mad, brilliant opening ceremony. Its a cliche to say but they really appear to have brought the UK together - even the Scots!
We were abroad in Portugal for a substantial part of the games but of course there was no escaping them and we got straight back into the last week on return. The whole country feels empty now they've finished and they have been an absolute triumph for London and the whole UK.
Can't help but wonder when we'll see them in Europe again - given the state of the euro economies who could afford them!
Monday 13 August 2012
Thursday 21 June 2012
Small, important changes
Outside on a dreich wet day our neighbours of the last seven years are moving house, a massive removal van currently blocking our drive. I'm watching from the bedroom window.
Meanwhile downstairs a small, frightened female cat cowers behind the couch.
Brian, Lesley and their two small boys are moving to another part of the town. They've been the perfect modern neighbours, I suppose; polite, distant, unobtrusive. Going about their lives and leaving us to ours. We've no doubt been exactly the same kind of neighbours to them. Its a smallish town and in all likelyhood we'll run into them again, in a supermarket or high street or public place. A smile will pass or a few hasty words will be exchanged and we'll all go away happy. In their own way we've probably each played a subtle but significant part in each others happiness over the last seven years: nobody wants a bothersome neighbour.
And yet even now, watching them go, I'm unsure of their surname.
And what will the new neighbours be like I wonder, slightly anxiously.
But enough of that. I now have to turn my attention to the scared little cat. She arrived last night from a rescue home. a small, neat, dainty little three year old, black with splurges of white and neat white socks. Last night she wandered around inquisitively, as cats do and seemed unafraid. She even spent time up on the couch with us, allowing herself to be petted, dozing briefly and purring loudly.
When I got up this morning, however, it was a different story. She was nowhere to be seen and I eventually found her behind the fridge. Once I dragged it out she immediately fled behind the couch in the living room, wedged between it and the wall. She lies their now, scared, confused and gone to ground, as cats do when they're frightened. I've put a small dish of milk to the side of the couch and retired to write this. It will take time but she'll come out eventually, and begin to form trust.
She still doesn't have a name, and neither do our new neighbours. Even our old neighbours only had first names. Thats life these days.
Meanwhile downstairs a small, frightened female cat cowers behind the couch.
Brian, Lesley and their two small boys are moving to another part of the town. They've been the perfect modern neighbours, I suppose; polite, distant, unobtrusive. Going about their lives and leaving us to ours. We've no doubt been exactly the same kind of neighbours to them. Its a smallish town and in all likelyhood we'll run into them again, in a supermarket or high street or public place. A smile will pass or a few hasty words will be exchanged and we'll all go away happy. In their own way we've probably each played a subtle but significant part in each others happiness over the last seven years: nobody wants a bothersome neighbour.
And yet even now, watching them go, I'm unsure of their surname.
And what will the new neighbours be like I wonder, slightly anxiously.
But enough of that. I now have to turn my attention to the scared little cat. She arrived last night from a rescue home. a small, neat, dainty little three year old, black with splurges of white and neat white socks. Last night she wandered around inquisitively, as cats do and seemed unafraid. She even spent time up on the couch with us, allowing herself to be petted, dozing briefly and purring loudly.
When I got up this morning, however, it was a different story. She was nowhere to be seen and I eventually found her behind the fridge. Once I dragged it out she immediately fled behind the couch in the living room, wedged between it and the wall. She lies their now, scared, confused and gone to ground, as cats do when they're frightened. I've put a small dish of milk to the side of the couch and retired to write this. It will take time but she'll come out eventually, and begin to form trust.
She still doesn't have a name, and neither do our new neighbours. Even our old neighbours only had first names. Thats life these days.
Wednesday 6 June 2012
Londra, Sad Boys and Jubilee
Went down to London between 29-31 May, just before the big Diamond Jubilee shindig for the old Queen doing 60 years on the job. Great weather (which they didn't get for the actual Jubilee itself) and did all the usual touristy things that I never did during the 5 years I actually lived there: Big Bus, River Cruise (a freebie from the Big Bus ticket), Shakespeare's Globe (a rip-off) and theatre (Wicked). Found a good hotel in Bayswater called the The Cleveland Hotel London at 39-40 Cleveland Square, just down from Paddington station. Good value and room included a small kitchen area to make breakfast and whatever. Total £255 quid via ebookers, paid in advance. Fi loves Old Londra and I'm always happy to re-live it through her eyes.
By the time we got back the Sad Boys (Tomaz, Ian Sweet and Rene) where already esconsed in Edinburgher. I joined them on Friday early afternoon. I hung in there gamely until about 3am, when I collapsed in a George Street nightclub and had to get ferryed to the hotel on the back of a rickshaw in a tired and emotional state.
Next day, at Sweetie's insistence, we ended up at Musselburgh races. 25 quid in and another 15 down the drain on useless nags. Good day out though, beered up and fun watching them all toff about in their finerey.
Watched elements of the Jubilee stuff on the telly. Felt sorry for them on the Thames on the flotilla in miserable cold weather and driving rain - must have been maddening after several weeks of fabulous weather. The old Queen is a right miserable old grump though: oddly blank and characterless, with no obvious personality and a face that most of the time looks like a bulldog licking piss off a thistle.
As usual Scotland was very tepid about the jubilee, though London had gone mad. Despite that, a few brave souls put bunting up a round their houses and somebody even decorated the lamposts.
By the time we got back the Sad Boys (Tomaz, Ian Sweet and Rene) where already esconsed in Edinburgher. I joined them on Friday early afternoon. I hung in there gamely until about 3am, when I collapsed in a George Street nightclub and had to get ferryed to the hotel on the back of a rickshaw in a tired and emotional state.
Next day, at Sweetie's insistence, we ended up at Musselburgh races. 25 quid in and another 15 down the drain on useless nags. Good day out though, beered up and fun watching them all toff about in their finerey.
Watched elements of the Jubilee stuff on the telly. Felt sorry for them on the Thames on the flotilla in miserable cold weather and driving rain - must have been maddening after several weeks of fabulous weather. The old Queen is a right miserable old grump though: oddly blank and characterless, with no obvious personality and a face that most of the time looks like a bulldog licking piss off a thistle.
As usual Scotland was very tepid about the jubilee, though London had gone mad. Despite that, a few brave souls put bunting up a round their houses and somebody even decorated the lamposts.
Wednesday 16 May 2012
A celebration of old Merlin
We had to have our old cat put down today. The siezures he's had for the last few weeks were not improving and although he plugged on as gamely as always it was taking its toll. Watching him being put to sleep with an overdose of anathestetic was harder than I imagined and I'm afraid I didn't cope too well. An animal seeps into your life in ways you don't fully understand until they're gone. I've never known Fiona without him, 12 years now, and she had him for 15 years in total, initially through a rough period of her life, so especially bad for her.
We need to celebrate a great catty life though. He was a rescue cat when Fi got him in 1997, when he was around 2. He had a long, happy and contended life and he was a great character - grumpy and distrusting of everyone else, especially other mogs, but loving and trusting towards us. A house cat initially he got to roam and wander in the second half of his life, always determined to be top cat in his neighbourhood. He'll be well missed, but even better remembered.
We need to celebrate a great catty life though. He was a rescue cat when Fi got him in 1997, when he was around 2. He had a long, happy and contended life and he was a great character - grumpy and distrusting of everyone else, especially other mogs, but loving and trusting towards us. A house cat initially he got to roam and wander in the second half of his life, always determined to be top cat in his neighbourhood. He'll be well missed, but even better remembered.
Wednesday 9 May 2012
Molars and Mogs
The recent fight by 'Mrrr Andersooon' to save one of my teeth came to an end today. It was just too infected and likely to always be trouble. I wasn't surprised as it had continued to give me problems even after the last course of treatment. I now have two back teeth missing from the lower back of my mouth and five have gradually bit the dust in total. Hope it doesn't lead to a misshapen jaw.
Last night we took the old cat up to the vet after his recent worrying spasms which briefly twist his face. He shakes them off pretty quickly but I always feared the likelyhood of strokes and the impossibly young-looking female vet pretty much confirmed it. Nothing we can do really. He's a resilient old boy but he's 17, about 85 in human terms and its likely that his time is just approaching. It'll be a sad day when it finally comes, after all this time, and Fi in particular will be devastated. We just need to hope it will be quick and he doesn't suffer.
Last night we took the old cat up to the vet after his recent worrying spasms which briefly twist his face. He shakes them off pretty quickly but I always feared the likelyhood of strokes and the impossibly young-looking female vet pretty much confirmed it. Nothing we can do really. He's a resilient old boy but he's 17, about 85 in human terms and its likely that his time is just approaching. It'll be a sad day when it finally comes, after all this time, and Fi in particular will be devastated. We just need to hope it will be quick and he doesn't suffer.
Wednesday 11 April 2012
Food for Thought
Interesting para from the novel By Nightfall, by Michael Cunningham. Trascribing it exactly:
'Order and sobriety and a devotion to cleanliness that scours out the soul. Decent people doing there best to live decent lives, there's nothing really to hate them for, they do their jobs and maintain their property and love their children (most of the time); they take their family vacations and visit relatives and decorate their houses for the holidays, collect some things and save up for other things; they're good people (most of them, most of the time), but if you were me, if you were young Pete Harris, you felt the modesty of it eroding you, depopulating you, all those little satisfactions and no big, dangerous ones; no heroism, no genius, no terrible yearning for anything you can't at least in theory actually have. If you were young, lank-haired, pustule plagued Pete Harris you felt you were always about to expire from the safety of your life, its obdurate sensibleness, that Protestant love of the unexceptional; the eternal certainty of the faithful that flamboyance and the macabre are not just threatening but - worse - uninteresting.'
'Order and sobriety and a devotion to cleanliness that scours out the soul. Decent people doing there best to live decent lives, there's nothing really to hate them for, they do their jobs and maintain their property and love their children (most of the time); they take their family vacations and visit relatives and decorate their houses for the holidays, collect some things and save up for other things; they're good people (most of them, most of the time), but if you were me, if you were young Pete Harris, you felt the modesty of it eroding you, depopulating you, all those little satisfactions and no big, dangerous ones; no heroism, no genius, no terrible yearning for anything you can't at least in theory actually have. If you were young, lank-haired, pustule plagued Pete Harris you felt you were always about to expire from the safety of your life, its obdurate sensibleness, that Protestant love of the unexceptional; the eternal certainty of the faithful that flamboyance and the macabre are not just threatening but - worse - uninteresting.'
Pension Plus
Some good news on the pension front today. They've given me a 5.2% increase on my pension, taken from the peak inflation rate figure of last September. Wasn't expecting this; I thought only OAPs got the September figure and the rest of us had to struggle by on whatever the (lower) April rate was. Won't exactly make me a Monaco tax-dodger, but every little helps.
Tuesday 3 April 2012
Ah, Ecosse Ecosse......
Exactly one week ago I walked down to Rosyth station in shirtsleeves under balmy skies to go into Edinburgher. Now, I look out the window and heavy snow flurries blow randomly around like a flock of starlings and people huddle inside their warmest winter-wear.
Its official, Ecosse is just the weirdest country in the world.
Its official, Ecosse is just the weirdest country in the world.
Thursday 29 March 2012
Sunshine Superman
Another glorious day in this weird run of March summer heat. In the morning I found myself trimming hedges and pruning trees in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. Then I sat on the decking out the back reading a book and drinking tea. These are my favourite sort of sunny days, with kids at school and most people at work. There's no escaping the traffic that runs up and down the back road but you forget it after awhile. I watched the delicate buds begin to emerge on the birch saplings outside and listened to the crows bicker and squabble as they build nests on the big fir trees across the road. Even the old cat, who rarely emerges from his spot on the settee these days, was content to warm himself in the sun for awhile and doze in his favourite pot of bamboo. As I write he's just come in the back door, looking at me and grumbling for food as always.
Quite the lazy summers day all told, even if it actually happens to be March, but you can feel a hint of chill when out of the sun and some high white clouds have started to intrude on the clear blue skies of the last week. By Saturday we're supposed to be back to the seasonal norm of 10 degrees, but really why complain as its been such a bonus. What retirement is supossed to be all about really.
Yesterday I renewed my membership up at Jim's Gym for another year. In fact for 13 months as I managed to talk the lad Graham into giving me an additional month as if I was a new member. He told me a lot of people let there membership run out and then, a few weeks later re-apply for a new one so that they get the extra month. Worth remembering for next year. Cost me £475, including an additional 10% discount, but that works out only £36 quid a month for 13 months, so no complaints.
Quite the lazy summers day all told, even if it actually happens to be March, but you can feel a hint of chill when out of the sun and some high white clouds have started to intrude on the clear blue skies of the last week. By Saturday we're supposed to be back to the seasonal norm of 10 degrees, but really why complain as its been such a bonus. What retirement is supossed to be all about really.
Yesterday I renewed my membership up at Jim's Gym for another year. In fact for 13 months as I managed to talk the lad Graham into giving me an additional month as if I was a new member. He told me a lot of people let there membership run out and then, a few weeks later re-apply for a new one so that they get the extra month. Worth remembering for next year. Cost me £475, including an additional 10% discount, but that works out only £36 quid a month for 13 months, so no complaints.
Wednesday 28 March 2012
The Spring that Summer forgot
What an amazing few days its been. On the first day of Spring, 25 March, Summer just decided to muscle straight in and give us an unexpected, not to say surreal, treat. I mean there's still barely a leaf on the trees for gods sake, with just a few buds disobeying their own body-clocks and peeking out in blinking surprise. Not a cloud in the sky, temperatures nearing 70 and shorts and tee-shirts dragged smelly and sleepy from the bottom of drawers. Four days later and its still with us, Trust me, we'll be lucky to see this in high summer, when one fine day is usually followed by a dreadful other.
Had my usual post-budget conflab with my financial adviser Keli at Nationwide. Sorted out ISA's, making sure that almost all my portfolio savings are now free of corporation tax. Was prepared to invest further but she told me I should use an upcoming bond closure to pay off my share of the mortgage. I've thought of this many times before but always backed away from it because I simply don't want to blow nearly £20k. But she's made me think about it again. Why spend over £1500 a year on a mortgage if I don't have to basically. Then again, why blow nearly £20k?
The next day I was in Edinburger again to get my teeth sorted. Had thought this would be a final treatment for the time being, but not a bit of it. Mr Anderson (I always think of him like Agent Smith's pronounciation from The Matrix: 'Mrrr Andersooon....') wants to fight to keep a tooth and this will require two further sessions in May. Still, saved from paying the bill.
Wandered around the sun-baked, skimpy-dressed streets after that, all flesh and sunglasses, still shaking my head at the weirdness of it all.
Had my usual post-budget conflab with my financial adviser Keli at Nationwide. Sorted out ISA's, making sure that almost all my portfolio savings are now free of corporation tax. Was prepared to invest further but she told me I should use an upcoming bond closure to pay off my share of the mortgage. I've thought of this many times before but always backed away from it because I simply don't want to blow nearly £20k. But she's made me think about it again. Why spend over £1500 a year on a mortgage if I don't have to basically. Then again, why blow nearly £20k?
The next day I was in Edinburger again to get my teeth sorted. Had thought this would be a final treatment for the time being, but not a bit of it. Mr Anderson (I always think of him like Agent Smith's pronounciation from The Matrix: 'Mrrr Andersooon....') wants to fight to keep a tooth and this will require two further sessions in May. Still, saved from paying the bill.
Wandered around the sun-baked, skimpy-dressed streets after that, all flesh and sunglasses, still shaking my head at the weirdness of it all.
Thursday 22 March 2012
The heart of the matter
Went for my first post-angioplasty check-up to the cardiologist today up at the Queen Margaret hospital. Its a long walk from our house, but it was such a beautiful early spring day - cloudless, windless and mildly warm - that I decided to walk it. Anyway, I'm so tight I'll basically walk anywhere just to save a few quid. Must admit I was pretty tired by the time I'd hoofed it up that final hill into the hospital grounds, so much so that I sat on a step in the car park for about ten minutes to get my breath back. I finally went in to see the consultant and really needn't have bothered. He didn't even test me other than to take my blood pressure after I'd told him it seemed a bit low. As I suspected, this was because of the post-operation Bisoprolol tablets I've been on and he told me I can stop taking them immediately. And that was that! Honestly, we could have done it by phone or even email. Reminds me of my old job, trying to get hospitals to change their outdated consultation practices.
Anyway I walked all the way home too, though via a shorter route and then sat out on the lower decking for awhile enjoying the evening sunshine. This decking, which has been largely useless up to now because of the trees that used to screen it from sunshine, will really come in to its own now. It even stops us being on display from the back road (once we sit down that is).
Two days and not a penny spent! music to a misers ears!
Anyway I walked all the way home too, though via a shorter route and then sat out on the lower decking for awhile enjoying the evening sunshine. This decking, which has been largely useless up to now because of the trees that used to screen it from sunshine, will really come in to its own now. It even stops us being on display from the back road (once we sit down that is).
Two days and not a penny spent! music to a misers ears!
Wednesday 21 March 2012
The Return Of The Giant Hogweed
Long hybernation from this blog. Why am I back to it? Maybe its because I'm looking out on a sunlit back garden, the feel of spring is in the air with that unmistakable feel of renewal and I'm about to give the gardens their first cut of the year. The view down Castle Hill is now unimpaired since the great trees that backed onto our rear garden have been cut down after storms rendered them a danger. Some sapling silver birches have been planted in their place but they offer little screening as yet and it still leaves our raised garden in something of an exposed spot. Won't compromise the levels of sunlight the garden gets any more though.
What else has happened to me since last blogged? Had two angioplasties to relieve what was becoming quite a serious heart problem. Curtailed planned holidays in the latter part of last year but already been to Dubai/Emirates this January (well done Trailfinders) with trips to Verona, London and Lisbon already planned for this year.
Budget later on today. Hoping that good news on tax thresholds will help my modest pension!
POSTSCRIPT: Well a decent rise in the tax treshold did come through, but not until April 2013. Oh well, at least it guarantees I'll get a semi-decent rise next year as well, even if inflation does fall.
What else has happened to me since last blogged? Had two angioplasties to relieve what was becoming quite a serious heart problem. Curtailed planned holidays in the latter part of last year but already been to Dubai/Emirates this January (well done Trailfinders) with trips to Verona, London and Lisbon already planned for this year.
Budget later on today. Hoping that good news on tax thresholds will help my modest pension!
POSTSCRIPT: Well a decent rise in the tax treshold did come through, but not until April 2013. Oh well, at least it guarantees I'll get a semi-decent rise next year as well, even if inflation does fall.
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