Tales From The Crypt - Saturday 13th August 2022

Today will be a day of mixed emotions.  

The day starts well and once ready Q and I head for the shops to buy bread and pastries and, more importantly, breakfast at a local lounge to set ourselves up for the day ahead.  I guess Q needs this more than me as she is facing the prospect of 17 hours on planes and even longer spent travelling until she reaches Perth (in Australia, natch!)

After breakfast, we returned home for final packing and case luggage weighing.  Car loaded, it's now time to head for Terminal 4.

I drove us to the airport, parked up and headed for departures. There was quite a queue for check-in as there are three Qatar Airways flights to Doha this afternoon. I was reminded that queuing to check-in is one of the things I hate most about flying.  Once we got to the desk, the fun and games began.  Q is a seasoned traveller and was not phased by it at all, but in all honesty, it was stressing me out and I wasn't even the one travelling! (I did wonder if I should ask one of the airline staff if they supplied copious amounts of tissues on board, though I'm not sure they'd get the joke. Or appreciate it, come to think of it. I quite like homophones, they are the basis of many of the funniest jokes. IMO!)

We said goodbye just before Q headed through security and it was time for me to drive home for a quick lunch.  I have an appointment at the car showroom which I need to attend.

I snaffled a quick shop-bought salmon and cream chees sarnie before heading off,. just in time according to the SatNav, for the showroom.

The showroom visit began with a test drive in a car almost identical to the one I'm interested in. This was one of those dirty sales tricks (we hadn't arranged the test drive in advance (or rather, I hadn't!)) because I was impressed.  I loved it, in fact.  The first thing that I noticed was how quiet it was - when I started it I couldn't tell the engine was running. When I drove off, the next thing I noticed was that my right foot is too heavy.  Acceleration, especially from stationary, for example at traffic lights, caught me unawares.  Shiny shovel wasn't in it.  The car weighs about 2 tons, but you wouldn't know it.

Naturally, I had to take one of my USBs of music with me to fully test the car.   Forget the engine, what does music sound like in it? That's what really matters, after all, isn't it?

After the test drive, I returned to talk turkey.  Two hours later (there's lots to talk about because of the immense uncertainty around my life (which affects money) and because of the need to get a charger installed at home, for example) I have ordered a car to my spec and put down a small (well, relative to the cost of the car) deposit.   I felt crazy as I left, but reminded myself that the deposit is fully refundable and I can cancel at any time.  If I proceed, the car will be available in January or February next year. Excited, but I'm also thinking I have lost the plot. It doesn't seem real, yet.

Home and time to make dinner with the boys and, for the first time in ages, we all sit down to watch a film together. Tonight's choice is 'Dune', the recent remake.  Turns out it's not so much a remake (the original featured Sting, you may recall) as a return to source LOTR-stylee.

Aloha Doha!

Q has arrived and so I miss the last 40 minutes of 'Dune' (it's two and a half hours long) as we chat via text and voice messages.

The eleven-hour flight to Perth is delayed, not sure why.  I end up going to bed as the witching hour is in sight.  I need to sleep better tonight, please.  Q is still in Doha as I read, listen to the radio and head for sleep.

Caravan / 'All The Way' / 'Blind Dog At St. Dunstan's'

[[This song has several connections which make it the perfect choice for today, not only for the lyrics.  (Yep. At least one person I know would say it was soppy.  Plus ça change!) Connections? The band are one of the so-called Canterbury bands. The album title refers to St. Dunstan's which is/was in Canterbury (though specifically, it relates to a remark Noel Coward once made! Not only that, the cover is inspired by that remark, partly) The song itself, well?  Need I say more?

N.B. I was going to choose some Australian psych, but It would probably go down like the proverbial lead balloon and also lyrically there'd be no connection. I'll save that for a rainy day, whatever those are.

I suddenly seem to have a load of songs I'd like to choose here]]