Nine Feet Underground

I am quite a fan of Techno, but I wouldn't listen to it for four hours  continuously, especially not when I'm trying to sleep. To be fair, we could only hear the bass, but I don't think it really works without the melody line. Discuss. Consequently, Q and I didn't get the best night's sleep, though thankfully it finally finished around two in the morning.  When Q booked the hotel they might have mentioned that this was likely to happen and perhaps provide a discount.  The breakfast wasn't very impressive either, so it was a good job that the room was OK and the hotel in a good location. What the Dickens? (Not only all that, but also the ugliest chandelier I have ever seen in my life.) We consumed a light breakfast before returning home to meet up with the boys and their gfs (well, two out of three).  Once they got ready we headed to a local eaterie (!) for brunch. We had a fun lunch before returning home to allow Q to begin the long journey home. Q is now home a...

At last, a semi-decent night's sleep. I've got a busy day planned, so I need to be well organised. Q is dropping her daughter off at the airport early this morning before beginning the drive here. I'm off for some shopping and to get my hair cut and beard trimmed at the local Kurdish barbers. Having your beard trimmed is very relaxing and there'd be a danger of going off to sleep if it weren't for the steam.  No sleep, but I'm back now and Q is due to get here within the hour. After a bit of a break we both left for town and the hotel leaving our cars here for the night. We're now checked in and we'll shortly be heading to town to buy some birthday presents for son #3  for next week before meeting up with my kid sister for a coffee. Just back from town after meeting up with my sister.  We had a great chat and it was the first time my sister had met Q.  We need to meet up again for a meal next time. Back to hotel for a rest before getting changed and head...

The weekend looms large, but a full day of work first. Probably the worst night's sleep so far this week, and that's saying something in a really lousy week of sleep. Before that, though, a walk and a chat with Q: this weekend is going to be a busy one, but more on that later. Q and I had a couple of very useful discussions as well as finalising the details (as much as we can) for tomorrow. For a variety of reasons it looks like there's an increasing chance I'll be sticking with my current client into 2024, though it's not 100% certain yet.  I imagine I'll know by mid- to late-August.  That could work very well. Early evening I had an important conversation with son #1, hopefully this might be the start of something really helpful for him. Son #3, his gf and I made dinner and we all ate together and watched the second episode of 'Dreaming Whilst Black' More convos then sleep after reading, I hope. James Ellis Ford /  'I Never Wanted Anything'   /...

Not much in the way of plans for today, other than work.  All in all a bit of an anti-climax after the previous couple of 'momentous' days. Mid-morning the pharmacist from the GP surgery called for a long discussion of the meds I'm on, to request me to monitor my blood pressure at home for a week and then to come in for my annual blood tests next week.  I do so enjoy monitoring my blood pressure. If I can remember to do it. The afternoon turned out to be especially busy with almost back-to-back meetings from half-one until six, with some delving deeply into some fairly technical business data discussions.  Just what my brain cell needs, though at least I did have time to make a coffee. After work, a chat with Q in parallel with a discussion with son #1 about dinner plans (we're the only ones here for dinner tonight), which leads to a decision to get fish and chips. We ate these while watching three episodes of 'Andor' (what), which is one of many Star Wars spin-...

Busy day ahead with an important in-person meeting today, but starting with an unexpected trip to a post office because our local post box is inaccessible, tanks to City Fibre.  I'm wondering if there's anywhere locally that they're not digging? Wheels set in motion. So many alternative plans owing to the complexity of the situation.  Now I just need it all to come together... Tonight we're having our traditional Wednesday night meal and son #3 and I are 'making' it. We ate together and watched the first episode of ' Dreaming Whilst Black ', which was funny and very promising. Roll on the next one. Lots to discuss with Q before putting the bins out in the rain. Julian Cope /  'Try Try Try'   / '20 Mothers' [[] ]

...and the cycle begins again. (WWWWFFF) Alongside work, I need to find time to do a lot of washing (my bed linen mainly) and hang it out. It looks like the weather will remain dry, fingers crossed. Thanks to son #3 all the washing got hung out with minimal disruption to my working day. E had a visit form the OT, to look into the possibility of a new head support system so that he upper body tremors don't keep shaking her pillows out. What's so bad about that you ask? well, typically it results in her head and neck being tipped quite far back, with increased risk of aspirating something. The OT discussion widened out into topics we've previously dismissed but still are keeping at arm's length but which may become necesario. Only time and my sanity will tell. (That bird has already flown.) Usual sort of evening...nothing more to tell. The Jam /  'Running On The Spot'   / 'The Gift' [['The Gift' was The Jam's last album, and one on which the ba...

A long, long time ago (in a galaxy...) a counsellor said she couldn't imagine how I was fitting so much into my life (which was also the start of the process that led to me working only four days a week and getting a cleaner, but that's a long story) and now I find even the extra day off I have a week gets filled and I don't have time to do half the things I want to do. I need more time. I have an appointment this morning at a local health centre for a scan owing to my impending (who are you kidding?) old age. Lots of stuff to get done either side of that. I'm back from my scan and have the all-clear, so no further investigations and no further check-ups.  Result! After lunch I downloaded camera photos from son #3's graduation, including a video.  I've started sharing these with family and will share more widely over the next few days. Time again. Late in the day I got a message from an OT about E's bedding and what we can do to help keep her head comfortabl...

The weather today doesn't look very promising, at least not for what I've got planned. Being blessed with hard water, one of the exciting things one has to do is clean limescale off the shower.   I have this planned for today (I've been 'planning' to do it for weeks, but as we all know planning is not the same as doing), only this time it will get done.  I'm taking an eco-friendly approach using diluted white vinegar, which is supposed to be kind to both the shower and the environment.  I may end up smelling like a fish supper, which may be no bad thing. In fact, maybe that's an idea for a new men's cologne? Chuck in some eau de mushy peas and I'm sure it can't fail. Despite the weather I have done washing and the weather has changed (and so has the forecast) and I reckon I should be able to get things dry outside. Result! I've cleaned the shower, just letting it soak before drying it and removing the vinegar from the shower head. It's wo...

An 'old-style' usual Saturday, no travelling,  just chores 'n shit.  I would prefer to be away or travelling to/from, but there's a lot of things happening here for me and up north for Q. I'm back from shopping and have had a chat with Q.  I was excited to tell her that I've reached a new decision about my car, one that provides us with future flexibility and decouples sorting out a car for the short-term from any other big decisions. Son #3's birthday is imminent, so I've been organising presents and plans for that week. Herding cats or boiling the ocean? (Emphatically NOT boiling cats) I owe several friends replies to recent exchanges we've had and we're still trying to find a way to visit Nice and Berlin this year, hampered by our usual challenges. As a break from the above, I spent a bit of time watching a programme about Paul Weller at the BBC, which ranged from The Jam, through to his solo career, via The Style Council.  Some performances I...

Back to work after yesterday's joyous graduation celebrations, but my bubble can't be burst because it is Friday. Walked before working, then got down to it. It will be a busy day as there's lots that needs completing, not helped by the fact that I had yesterday off, but I care not! Work is over.  Let the weekend commence. This week's poem is 'Day Trip' by Carole Satyamurti, which has some compelling imagery and a hint of oblivion: Two women, seventies, hold hands  on the edge of Essex,  hair in strong nets,  shrieked laughter echoing gulls  as shingle sucks from under feet  easing in brine.  There must be an unspoken point  when the sea feels like  their future. No longer paddling,  ankles submerge in lace,  in satin ripple. Dress hems darken.   They do not risk their balance  for the shimmering of ships  at the horizon's sweep  as, thigh deep, they inch on  fingers splayed, wrists bent,  learning to w...

Today is son #3's graduation though it being a Thursday, I have to get up extra-early to be ready for the arrival of our cleaner.  We're supposed to arrive at the university two hours before the ceremony so we have to get a move on, either way. No walk to start the day as I don't want to get sweaty and I don't have the time for another shower - the bathroom is going to be very busy. It's a glorious day, maybe with the risk of being too warm, for those who will be suited and robed. First there's ironing to be done for me and for son #3 as we need to look right for all the photographs.  As some of you know, I have a think for bright shirts, particularly on special occasions.  I have decided to choose a different shirt for today as I don't want my shirt to detract in any way from son #3's robes etc.  I have chosen a blue-ish shirt with a subtle repeating infinity motif from the same designers as the more outrageous ones.  Seems like a fair compromise. We...

Another working day, but the last one before I have a day off to attend a special occasion. More about that tomorrow. In the meantime, reality. One thing that's really cheesing me off right now is all this bullshit from the con-artists and Richi Sumac (c) about poor quality degrees. Since when has the only objective in life been to earn loads of money? All degrees have value if they teach a student to think for themselves, to become independent, to learn the value of life-long learning and to develop a sense of their potential impact on the wider world.  I'd like to see how this is to be measured and how value is determined, because it surely isn't from a spreadsheet.  Writers, poets, musicians, artists, comedians and more besides, may not necessarily become rich and maybe they don't aspire to do so, but we need them.    I have a bigger, logically constructed argument on this subject, but it really pisses me off, and I despise people that think like Sunak and so I ha...

There is a price to pay for all this chilling, and so it is that it's back to work today for me. One of those days...started with a brisk walk and a chat with Q, who will be attending the first of a series of graduation ceremonies at the Catholic cathedral in Liverpool. My day, in contrast, will be less exciting.  The weather was better than the day before, however, so a lot of washing was done and hung out by son #3. I had to make an 'emergency' visit to the pharmacy after work to pick up another bottle of E's ant-seizure medication, which she runs out of tonight and must continue taking.  Unusually the pharmacy was empty and I picked up the script and returned home via the shops. There will be seven of us for dinner tonight (and tomorrow night), which was served rather late, but served nonetheless. Off to bed: eat, sleep and repeat.   The Maisonettes /  'Heartache Avenue'   / (Single) [[💓 ]]

This must be a first! I have a second CONSECUTIVE day of chilling planned. Why on earth is that, you cry?  Well, today is departures day at the International Air Tattoo, and, subject to anything more exciting, I shall be watching it live on a screen.  I've attended this in person on many occasions and it is one hell of a spectacle: over two hundred military aircraft (fast jets, bombers, transports, helicopters, warbirds, trainers etc) depart in a three or four hour window.  If you're on the airfield it is an incredible sight and sound, as effectively you are sat on a grandstand in the middle of an active airbase. That's probably all I need to say on that subject. I promise I'll not say another word. After lunch, I had a break for a trip to the shops to post a letter for son #1 and also to buy some food.   It was good to get up, get out and get some fresh air, though the smell of aviation fuel.... Back to the departures armed with a coffee and some dark choc...

I'm planning a very chilled day, aiming to get a few admin and routine tasks done, but my primary focus will be watching the Royal International Air Tattoo air display at RAF Fairford live on PlanesTV.  I won't bore you with details of the air display, but here's a brief summary to whet your appetite. There were planes. Lot's of them.  I currently am currently in the midst of a moratorium on book purchases (I've even avoided entering a bookshop in Belsize Park, though I was invited to do so!), however I couldn't resist buying the book whose cover is below. It's just been published in paperback, and is a history of the music press.  As someone brought up on the music weeklies, especially the NME, this will be fascinating reading. For many years from the 1970s through to the mid-/end-of the 1990s it was essential reading for any music fan. At its best it was challenging, provocative, politically charged, sometimes pretentious, but often a source of new ideas t...

Atypically, I'm returning home today.  Q has an appointment this morning and a bunch of things to do, so I've planned a mid-morning departure. Q makes us an enjoyable cooked breakfast, which we enjoy together before I finish my final bit of packing. ETD around 11  a.m. That was a journey!  Thunder, lightning, torrential rain and very strong winds interspersed with bright sunshine meant that it was a very tiring journey. As is seemingly becoming customary for this time of the year, the satnav directed me off the M40 to avoid a traffic jam, unusually at Banbury, earlier than I've ever done before.  I had a surprise tour of the Northamptonshire countryside passing near Hinton-on-the Hedges airfield and RAF/USAF Croughton, whose myriad aerials and golf-ball structures are always a fascinating sight. Well, they are for some people. On arrival home, I began with my normal visit to E, to say hello without going into details of my previous week, Idler aside.  Son #3 hel...

A quick trip to the shops before work. Today, however, I'm not after chocolate, but instead some essential things: eggs, milk and bread.  I had to go to the kosher deli for bread as Morrisons had almost none, so I decided to pick up a smoked salmon bagel and a flat white whilst I was there. Now I'm well set up for work today with some lunch and chocolate for later in the afternoon. Work is now over for the weekend and Q has returned.  I begin packing away my work stuff, my scanner and aerial, as well as this laptop, for tomorrow I must brave the forecast wind and rain and head down south. Today is the first public day of the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, though the weather is pretty diabolical with a very low cloud base, heavy rain and gusts of wind.  Not the best conditions for air displays and especially not for formation flying.  Glad I'm not there, though next year I hope to be able to return if the conditions are right, which...

It's going to be another busy day at work with the usual potential consequences on this post. Mid-afternoon, prior to making my second coffee of the day, I had an urge for chocolate.  As the shop is only a few minutes up the road, I decided to go for it and buy a stash to last at least until tomorrow. Just in case. (Who he?)  Joy and delight all around. Back to work.  Q returned home later than in previous days: she's been at the city's Catholic cathedral attending the inauguration of the new Vice-Chancellor.  Dinner. Conversation. TS gig/ticket chatter. The day comes to a close. Grian Chatten/  'Last Time Every Time Forever'  / 'Chaos For The Fly' [[ ]]

Another rainy day in prospect, though as I'll be working again it won't affect me much. The morning was taken up in back-to-back meetings which finished at half-past one, at which point I decided I needed to eat. Too much work, and all that. Don't read what follows in curly brackets... {In contrast, the afternoon was spent updating a Swagger/OAS definition, manually.  What sort of software does not come with its own API definitions? I am an architect, not a developer!  I think I am going to get it to a certain point and then ask someone in the integration team to take over before I lose my mind.} Normal (?) service is resumed... This week is the start of arrivals for the Royal International Air Tattoo this weekend, which is, I guess, why the weather has changed.  I think it rains for RIAT more often than not. I'm not going this year, though I hope I'll manage to do so next year.  I think that guarantees rain. Q returns early again, and we decide on a new plan fo...

After a long weekend and the excitement of the Idler Festival, it's back to earth.  Earth in this case means work. Rain is forecast for the day and sure enough, we had plenty.  Since I spent most of the working day stuck in front of screens, the rain has been largely irrelevant. Q returned from work before I'd finished, though I finished not long after that.  Q made dinner while I cleared up and that grated some cheese. 'Hi Cheddar, you're amazing' Dinner leads to Spanish which leads to more clearing up of the dinner things which then, in turn, leads to sleep.  All with the express purpose of doing it all again tomorrow. Unloved / 'Strange Effect'  / 'Ode To The Lovers' [[ ]]

At the risk of this becoming a meta-blog, a big chunk of Monday was spent writing the blog post covering the Idler Festival.  In fact, part way through I decided not to write in as much detail as there was a danger I'd never finish it. How did I spend the rest of the day?  I walked to the local deli to pick up lunch and a coffee, I read the weekend papers and a bit more of 'Faith, Hope and Carnage'. Q came home early and we chilled before dinner and then began watching the movie of the 'Mathilda' musical on the pretext that Sindhu Vee is in it (which she is). There has already been an inordinately large amount of singing and dancing for reasons which I cannot fathom. Luckily, I have managed to find laughs several times. We're off to bed early as we BOTH have to work tomorrow. Anish Kumar / 'Lata'  / 'Bollywood Super Hits! (EP)' [[ ]]

Owing to my attendance at the above festival at Fenton House in Hampstead (teeth obligatory) this post has all been written after the event and covers the entire three days. As my fingers tap the keys, it's now Monday, I am in Liverpool and the is persistently coming down. Let me take you back... An altogether different Friday. I'm on leave. I'm packing to go to London this afternoon and then to Liverpool via home on Sunday.  I'm planning to leave at around a quarter to two for the station with a view to checking in to our accommodation in Belsize Park before meeting Q, who's travelling down by train from the 'pool. I could go into lots of detail about my journey, but it's pretty mundane and without incident, apart from the penguins. ...and so it is that I find myself sitting opposite Belsize Park tube in the sunshiiine, when I spot Q across the road having emerged from the netherworld that is the Northern Line ('Mind The Gap'! anyone seen the Britis...

Another busy start, and thus no walk. Again.  This is not good. Work will be busy today, more than usual because I have tomorrow off. As a direct consequence, I probably won't have much to say here. It's a busy day generally around the house, partly because son #2 and his gf are off to Vienna tomorrow and I will heading up to the big smoke for the Idler Festival . This week's poem is 'Symphony In Yellow' by Oscar Wilde, and it goes like this: An omnibus across the bridge Crawls like a yellow butterfly And, here and there, a passer-by Shows like a little restless midge. Big barges full of yellow hay Are moored against the shadowy wharf, And, like a yellow silken scarf, The thick fog hangs along the quay. The yellow leaves begin to fade And flutter from the Temple elms, And at my feet the pale green Thames Lies like a rod of rippled jade. I generally like Oscar Wilde's writing, however this doesn't totally hot the spot for me, even though there is some excelle...

It's not been a good week for walking so far, I seem to have too much going on, which means I've been busy each morning before starting work. Same today. Around nine in the morning son #2 returned home from the airport with his gf who's just flown in from Costa Rica (via the USA). Today we have a full house: there will be seven of us for dinner tonight!  Work is over and I've put in place a medium-term plan to solve yesterday's 'gig-envy': I've now got tickets to see The Orb and Queens Of The Stone Age, both in the same week in November. If their Glastonbury performance is anything to go by, QOTSA should be excellent, though perhaps not for everyone. In fact, specifically not for Q. She looked up QOTSA on the web as she'd not heard of them and on seeing the words 'stoner rock and metal' she knew it was not for her.  Instead I 'll be going with son #1 as the gig is in Brum. Son #2's gf has recovered a bit from her jetlag and is up abou...