Nine Feet Underground

Another start, though today I'm greeted by rain after a rubbish night's sleep, don't know if I was vocalizing. Perhaps not. The cleaner arrives, hotly followed by the bin men so I have to rush to take the non-fox proof rubbish bag out shortly after which the first carer of the day arrives. At times it seems that there are no hours of the day which aren't interrupted by an arrival or departure of one sort or another. It's going to be a busy working day, and, luckily, my access has been restored. This week's poem is rather different. It's not the use of words and the way they are ordered, more the emotional power of someone's memory. I don't think it's a favourite, but equally there is some echo or memory which evoked by the words. It's called 'Handbag' and it's by Ruth Fainlight: My mother's old leather handbag, crowded with letters she carried all through the war. The smell of my mother's handbag: mints and lipstick and Co...

Another day, another dollar. Last night's sleep experiment seemed to pay off - no three am disturbance.  I will stick to this for tonight and see if this is the new approach.  I had a slightly earlier start to the morning as son #2 is heading into his office for the day, so he needs to shower early, which means I need to shower first if I'm not to be late.  Son #2 heads for the bus as I head off for a walk and we say goodbye before parting company. My day proper thus starts with a brisk walk, which also coincided with a chat with Q, thus making this a doubly positive start. Q is waiting to travel to London for the day and is on board a very crowded train. Now down to serious business. Blow me down with the leg of a chair!  I've only gone and lost my access again. The bells of hell. Usual shenanigans, except this time, thirty minutes or so after it was returned, it went again.  I must be cursed! There was some other work, wearing my other hat, that I could progre...

Seems like I must have slept through part of June, as it's hard to believe the month is almost over. Guess the weather has made it fly by. So far. Pontification aside, it's time to get down to work again.  (I wonder if that's what James Brown is referring to?) It's going to be a busy week and I also have to find time to complete a review for my team and for myself by the end of the week. We have new software to use and learn, so that will add to the fun. That's it. My working day is over.  Hopefully someone else is making dinner tonight. Son #3 is returning home with his gf this evening, so there will be five tonight. I managed to steal enough time to watch more of QOTSA at Glasto, but not enough time to watch it all. Time. Planning a new approach to sleep tonight to see if it will stop me waking in the wee hours.   I'll know if it works tomorrow! The Jesus and Mary Chain / ' Happy When It Rains' / 'Darklands ' [[ ]]

As usual, I have a lot to cram into today, but, also as usual, I'll probably not get everything done. When I'm in Liverpool my car is often parked under trees, and at this time of the year they ooze some sticky gunk that drops onto whatever's underneath.  Added to that, birds insist on resting in trees and none of them appear to be toilet-trained.   Consequently, I'm off to the car wash this morning, which will waste a fair bit of time when I could be doing something more useful. Pig's bum. One thing I didn't find time to do was sort out any of the stuff I need to sell, take to the tip, etc.  Highest priority was going to be sorting through the Folio Society books I'm going to sell. First step is listing them. I didn't find time to read the papers either, owing to a photographic distraction, and then it was time to make dinner. Ate dinner watching more Glasto: Sparks followed by Queens of The Stone Age.  Blistering start from QOTSA!!! Zebedee intervenes ...

Sunday arrives all too soon.   It's been quite a week, but now it's time to pack up and head south. Whilst I pack, Q makes breakfast for me, because she is wonderful. According to Google the journey will take around three-and-a-half hours if I leave now.  Not too bad, if it works out. We've said our goodbyes and I'm off. I'm back now after another magical mystery tour (minus the magic), there having been multiple detours and a very early departure from the motorway through the Oxfordshire countryside.  Nice views. Bloody slow. In the end, the journey took an extra hour, but in the grand scheme of life what does it matter.  There are bigger fish which need to be fried. Battered first. I'm feeling lazy after the drive, so I'm planning on watching some of Glasto on iPlayer and chilling, and suggest ordering a takeaway. and that is how I find myself watching Warpaint and Charlotte Adigéry with Bolis Pupul whilst eating an Honest Burger.  No one wants ...

Late start to Saturday as sleep was in short supply last night. Too muggy. There are plans for today, but only vague ones. A trip to the post office to return some JL items. Noticed the new Thai restaurant has opened. One for another day. Now we're home it's time to assemble a couple of shelve units so we can sort out Q's shed contents. Job complete it's now time for some lunch.  There's stuff for the bin and stuff for the tip.  Can life get any more exciting than this? (Answers on a postcard, please) Q made me a nice lunch and out next job will be cutting the grass. I am the cutter (cue Echo & The Bunnymen). I'm now indulging in some activity or other related to things that fly, whilst also watching Glastonbury (the rather wonderful Jockstrap). In parallel, Q makes a nice chicken and lardon pasta salad with mango and passion fruit. Very yummy. There's only one thing that can follow... Jockstrap / 'Concrete Over Water' / ' We Love You Jennife...

Normality returns. Work is the order of the day again. Q came home early and then headed out to the hairdresser.  By the time Q got home, I was thinking of finishing work, and since we need to go food shopping, I will draw things to a close. It's been a successful and productive day, so I'm happy to bring it to a close. Q made dinner and we sat and ate and chatted about a busy day and week, as well as trying to make some kind of plan for July and August. Glastonbury began and there are some brilliant bands on the line-up: from today I've only managed to watch The Comet Is Coming. Lot's more to come, but probably not enough time. Shame I hate camping. Tentatively. Cleared up the dinner stuff and now time for bed. Simple Minds / 'New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)' / ' New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)' [[ ]]

Strange to wake up in Q's house when she's not here. Even stranger, to have a call with her whilst in her house. Be that as it may, it's work as usual, with one slight detour.  I'm heading to the local kosher deli, which is just up the road. Not sure what I'll come back with, but at the very least something for lunch. I'm back in plenty of time for my first call. Interesting food choices: I've got a salt-beef cholla roll for lunch (freshly made and looks yummy), a rye loaf and an oat flat white. Head down now. Work is over, and Q is on her way home from the smoke.  She's due back at around half-seven. I'm heading off to a local Turkish restaurant that does takeaways so that Q comes home to something hot.   Great timing. I arrive back and start setting the table just as Q's taxi pulls up. Food. Chat. TFBSZ. His Lordship / 'Buzzkill' / (Single) [[ ]]

It can't be put off forever (yet).  Here we are again at the show that never ends. Step inside! Step inside! Owing to a reprioritisation of the activities that are potentially available for execution, tasks that were previously off the list of desirable ways of spending the limited hours of the waking day, have now been reallocated to positions at the top of the ever-increasing list of things that I am obligated to action. In short, I must work today. Desire. Obligation. Necessity. Unavoidability.  Q briefly returned at lunchtime, then again a little earlier than usual in the afternoon as she has to head for the big smoke this evening, to stay overnight for a conference she is presenting at tomorrow. The cat and I (isn't that a film?) are in charge. Well, I say "I", but I suspect it's Bagheera who's actually calling the shots if not actually drinking them. I worked a bit later to complete a couple of mandatory training courses. After work, I had a call with my...

A taster for the future, perhaps? Spent the day reading the weekend papers (catching up), listening to my 'Freak Zone' backlog and organising my Bullet Journal for July.  Inevitably there was some stuff that had to be done, such as organising delivery of meds for E,  but mostly it was about getting stuff done for me. Q came back from work at lunchtime, briefly, and is off to dinner tonight for a work function.  Consequently, I'll be impersonating Billy Nomates (I can't sing as well as she does...) and making my own dinner for one.  (Is that a violin I hear in the distance?) Watched some TV after dinner including a documentary on the Hacienda before Q returned after a meal which included a Lobster-based starter. NV. To bed, for tomorrow is a working day.  Wire / 'Map Ref 41 Degrees N 93 Degrees W' / '154' [[ ]]

Celebrations continue. Hotel breakfast, (fairly) full-English (not half-Nelson). Checkout, walking the grounds in the sunshine, dodging balls (not). [Oscar Wilde] Parked in the shade, but the birds have been very ill overnight. Dirty bastards! Next stop, the car wash. My car is shiny again and we're off for fuel next, then a brief stop at a country park café, before picking up sons 1 and 3 and heading for a coffee shop. We collected son #2 later and all met up in a Turkish restaurant. Great food, including a right Octopus  tentacle, verified with the waiter.  Next stop. Liverpool. It's a fair way to drive, not in a Golf.  Q and I are in Liverpool now and the long day is coming to a close. Black Box Recorder / 'The Facts Of Life' / 'The Facts Of Life' [[One of the great unsung bands, and a great album to boot! ]]

A chilled day to start with, though things will get busier as the day continues. The boys gathered for a Father's Day mini-celebration before a planned walk. Sadly, the weather changed and it started raining, and thus before I knew it, it was time for me to head to the station to meet Q who's been travelling down from Liverpool. We're all going for a surprise meal (I don't yet know where we're going), but first Q and I are driving to a hotel where we'll be staying tonight before tomorrow's celebrations.  The plan is to all meet at the restaurant after we've checked in and Q's had a chance for a shower. The hotel's grounds are huge, including two main hotel buildings and much more.  On arrival in our room (after a long tour of both hotels) I was greeted by some surprise decorations, but we need to get out as soon as possible as we have to be at the restaurant by seven. Well, that was a fun surprise!  We all met up at Kei's restaurant for a Fat...

A fairly bog-standard Saturday lies ahead. It's a little different because of the upcoming events of Sunday and Monday. More on that, when/if they happen. Apart from the usual chores the main feature of my day was watching the King's birthday flypast.  Watching it on ADS-B, listening to it and most surprisingly seeing some of it.  Post-flypast we were treated to the unusual sight of RAF fast jets overflying us very low.  Initially a pair of Typhoons (I'm guessing the ones that flanked the P-8 Poseidon) followed by around seven to nine Typhoons that had been part of the formation which were the letters 'CR' in the sky.  I managed to get some photos of the second set of Typhoons, nothing brilliant, but a memory if nowt else. As part of this peculiar behaviour I also worked out how to control my new scanner such that it logs and records all that it captures, with timestamps and frequencies/tags. Of no interest to most, but my boat is kept afloat. Spent a chunk of the r...

Bloomsday again.  Organised for the day by wearing my Bloomsday t-shirt, and equipped with two copies of 'Ulysses' (the first one I bought and read some forty-odd years ago, now rather dilapidated and the most recent copy I bought for the 'Ulysses For All Course' I finished last week), with only one challenge, it's a working day. Busy working, so apart from a pre-work visit to 'Calypso' (which begins at eight am), I haven't had much time to 'celebrate', but given how much time I've devoted to the book this year, I don't think this matters.  I'm going to read more about 'Penelope' before I sleep. During the afternoon son #1 and his gf returned from town, but I am still working, so not a lot of time to talk. Starting making dinner whilst 'banging out some tunes', helped by son #2. Son #1, his gf and I watched the hilarious 'HIGNFY' celebrating Johnson's good news. Usual sequence of activities leading to sleep...

Started the day with a brisk walk again, which also serves as a great time for a chat with Q as I follow a reverse route today.  Reverse route because I need to post my nephew's birthday card and I don't want to carry it for the entire route. Work will be the order of the day until this evening, but in the meantime I'm going to quote this week's poem.  I read it to Q over the phone and she remarked it was the only poem she remembered from school, so I feel it deserves to be here for that reason alone.  It's by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and is called, ' How do I love thee? Let me count the ways'. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day’s Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for right; I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with the...

Another (working) day, another walk. The heat! The flies! I'm hoping I can write more than I did yesterday, though frankly don't hold your breath. E always finds the heat difficult as it worsens her symptoms, and tires her out more.  She has been coughing more too, which makes her even more tired, so it's a vicious circle.  There are things one thinks that are difficult to see in print. I'm off out for a curry with an old school friend tonight. We've not seen each other for a few months, so I guess there'll be a lot to catch up on. Great evening with lots of laughter and fun conversation, with some amazing tales of South London, history and family catch ups.   We weren't out that late (I have to be up at six tomorrow), but by the time I got home Q was asleep. Everyone feels more tired in this weather if they aren't sleeping well. I did some clearing up, took the recycling out with son #1, chatted and then ascended heavenwards (a little). Talking Heads / ...

Started my day with a good thirty-minute brisk walk, before it gets too hot. Barring surprises, today is going to be all about work.  The most exciting (?) thing is that after work I have a double appointment at the dentist. I'm back from the dentist, via the shops as I needed some crispy lettuce to go with the fajitas I'll be making for dinner. First, I must change my bed. Son #1 and I ate dinner together whilst watching 'Springwatch', primarily because he was a tad on the late side. I reckon that's the lot for today, only sleep remains. Sleeping remains? Hmmm. Old, but not that old! Damien Jurado / 'Silver Timothy' / 'Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son' [[ ]]

Multiply interrupted sleep due to the heat and flies. Woke up several times, each time still feeling tired. Today is the big day.  I shall (valuation notwithstanding) be taking around a hundred books, mainly novels, to the charity shop.  This is the first stage of a bigger process to get to a book collection / library that fits into the four (maybe five) book cases that I have. When I delivered the books to the charity shop, the man in the hat asked if I was moving house, and I said "no, I've just realised that I will be dead before I've read all the books I have remaining." As I continue the process of sorting through my books, I've decided that those that go will be called 'post-death' books and the books as a whole will be my 'dead list'.   Most of the books I have given to charity are books that I've read, but know I'll never read again, and they are mainly novels. It turns out there may be such a thing as "too many books" or ...

Lazy start to the day, after an interrupted night.  The alarm was set for eight-fifteen anyway, but I think I didn't get out of bed until nearer half-past. What a devil! Sparked by a reminder of my mum's birthday next weekend, I went into a state of reflection about my life so far. I think I had some deep thoughts about what has happened, bad decisions, good decisions and my approach to life (in the past at least), but I'm still processing it. These thoughts may appear here, probably won't. If only I could transfer my thoughts directly here and then edit, before releasing.  I'm planning a lazy day with some minor chores and catching up with people. Let's see how that turns out.  Wa**ing to start off with.  After that I need to sit and read the papers to chill. Made lunch for myself as no one else has surfaced, yet. I'm going to return to the papers before getting a couple of minor admin chores out of the way.  I called my big sis for a chat mid-afternoon, so...

Usual start to a Saturday, only a lot warmer. For some reason I've been pondering the word pulchritude.  It sounds like the least beautiful word for beauty that you could possibly imagine.  Guess I don't have any Roman blood in me. Mid-morning things deviate from the humdrum.  We're going to the tip in the afternoon and so now, on the hottest day of the year so far, I'm disassembling an office chair, flattening boxes and sorting through rubbish in the garage.  Good planning.  Around midday I'm joined by son #2 who helps me sort out more stuff and load the car.  He's accompanying me to the tip on what is the first of many tip trips this summer. Whilst we're sorting through the rubbish a Hurricane (I'm assuming of the BBMF) flies over while doing a flypast at the local carnival. No camera on me, of course. D'oh! Back home now and time to make some lunch, before chilling for a bit. Earlier in the week I mentioned I'd changed poems, 'The Coming O...

It's getting closer... The weather is splendid and I will be splendidly stuck in front of a screen for most of the day! E is still not herself, but not enough to be certain things are getting worse, but still, based on the carers' observations I did speak to the Community Matron.  After that, I settled a bit and E seemed OK, if a little warm.  False alarm, I guess. False alarm or not, I was thrown off-kilter, and needed to talk to someone. Q stepped into the breach, despite being at work, just when I needed someone to listen to my drivel. Worked later than I'd planned as there were a bunch of things I needed to finish that depended on the outcome of a four o'clock meeting and that I needed to work on so other people could work on Monday when I'm off. After I'd finished I got some good news: Nadine Dorries has resigned.  May her name be lost forever. Culture? Pah! As I started prepping the dinner, I put my CCM playlist on random and was uplifted by some great tun...

We are told that time flies when we are enjoying ourselves.  Time also flies when you are busy, whether enjoyable or not. I am busy at work and life is currently on orange alert. Thus time flies. E seemed to be in a lot of pain when the carers did their morning hygiene visit, so much so that I called the district nurses. The current recommendation is for our GP to prescribe stronger pain relief than paracetamol, so we'll see what that turns out to be. I'm not sure if there are signs that things are changing with E. Nothing definite or significant yet.  Keeping a close eye on E. Back to work. Tonight is the return of The Idler drinks after a break for half-term. The guest speaker is Guy Hayward talking about The British Pilgrimage Trust . I am a little sceptical because of the religious connotations of the word 'pilgrimage', but we'll see. As so often happens, my preconceptions proved false, and it was a very interesting discussion about all aspects of walks to sites...

Another working day ahead, but with some extra interruptions expected. In the end I did some weights rather than walk, for reasons too boring to elaborate. After yesterday's concerns about E's coughing, the community matron visited first thing to check her over.  As is always the case, her cough was clearer whilst he was here, but most importantly there was no sign of anything on her lungs, so she must be OK. E's catheter was due to be changed tomorrow, but as he was here, he did that too.  That's good because it means there'll be less disruption tomorrow. Of course, as soon as he left, E's coughing worsened, but no sign of 'rattling' on her chest, which is good. After all the above, it's hard to get my head back into work mode and to concentrate, but it is what I need to do. On Tuesday night (yeah, I'm a bit late here) I decided that this week's poem, an extract from 'Beowulf', was so much not my cup of tea, that I needed to choose t...

Heigh ho, heigh ho and all that... Busy day of work, disrupted by an abnormal amount of coughing from E. When the evening carers came, we both agreed with my earlier observation that the cough was different and seemed to be rattling her upper chest. The consensus was that I should contact the community matron and so, that's exactly what I did. After work I spent an hour or so finishing the 'Penelope' episode of 'Ulysses', in plenty of time for tomorrow's final class.  What will I read next? Something a little lighter, that's for sure.  Nevertheless, I love the 'Penelope' episode, it's really eye opening and not for the vicar's tea-party. Son #3 and I made spaghetti carbonara, with me acting as sous-chef, and obeying orders. We ate dinner watching the penultimate episode of 'Colin From Accounts' which managed to be funny, difficult to watch and sad in the space of thirty minutes. Chatted with Q and then read a little before hoping for ...