Another Exciting Day in the life.....

Almost 5 am, I am awake.  

Again!

My preference is to rise around 7 am, here I am again awake at 5.

And awake it is.  No drowsiness, no yawning, no weariness appears.

Wide awake.

The street light has come on, soon followed by hints of the rising sun afar off.

At least those hints sneaking through the cloud cover.

Cars begin to pass by, sometimes three at a time, this because they stop at the traffic lights up the road.

Many have failed to stop at the red light, they are often halted outside my door by the unmarked police car and smug officer who at last has something to do.

The 7.5 ton bread van noisily heads up to Sainsburys.

An artic throbs its way in the opposite direction, his load removed and already an employee who wishes he was elsewhere is increasing the price of the goods left to astronomic levels.   

I am still awake.

5:15 am

I attempt to put noise into my head, on comes the radio built into the mobile.

All the programmes I have kept are rotten.

I do not want any at 5 in the morning!

Instead I put on the sound of lapping waves.

These will lure sleep back into my mind.

5:45 am still awake.

The lapping waves have been making me feel seasick so have been swapped for bird song.

6:01 am still wide awake.

What sounds like a bad tempered buzzard forces me onto Radio 3 while I seek gentle tinkling piano music.

Screeching opera woman finds mobile lying on floor!

6:20 am. Still awake.

My mind fills with bad thoughts, depressions, failures, and confusion.

7:16 am I awake tired and weary, groggily searching for the door and heading for breakfast.

I will be like this until my lunchtime nap.

Just on 10 am, washed, coffee'd, and weary, I am sitting watching grey hair being blown across the floor.  I suggest that it is actually Blonde, but the barber woman will not accept this.  She does accept the two pound coins as a tip on top off the £11 cost however.  

Suddenly feeling the air colder I head for a cheap trip round Tesco special offers, this was once again disappointing.  Hobbling home the air appears even chillier, though some Spring flowers are appearing in the gardens, this is encouraging.

15:16 pm.  Much work to do, cleaning, tidying, hoovering...

Luckily, the neighbour downstairs has come home early, this means I canny hoover, I may as leave the rest also, just in case it disturbs him...

A Supper Party - 1903   Julius LeBlanc Stewart (1855-1919)

Friday Frippary

The tingle in my toe indicates I sit around too much, similar tingles in my fingers indicate repetitive strain injury caused by too much time playing solitaire working on this laptop.  Therefore more walking and exercise is required, but this aches the knees, it doesn't do much for the back either.  However, this morning I crossed the park, wandered the long way, that is another five minutes, through the town, and limped home hungry for lunch.

This afternoon I returned the empty beer vinegar bottles to the recycling bins at the supermarket, with great difficulty.  For a start the bag appeared heavy for some reason, and the actual bins had not been emptied.  The lids were bursting open, bags crammed with bottles lay all around, beer bottles, wine bottles, spirits of many kind bottles, all stood to attention awaiting disposal in amongst the discarded plastic bags and broken chips of glass that always lies everywhere here.  At least people are trying to recycle and save the planet.  

Having added my bag to the flock I meandered towards the bank, took cash from the 'Hole in the Wall,' and marvelled at how easy this was.  In times past Scots banks were not keen on customers, after all, they had work to do, so they opened at 9:30, closed for an hour at lunchtime, and closed again to the public at 3:30. These are all ideal times for the man in the street to make use of a bank!  Today I just inserted the card, pressed numbers, pressed another couple of buttons and money appeared from the wall. This is great!  

I wonder who the card belonged to?

Anyway, I hobbled down the road passing many mum's returning the kids from the schools, crossed the park once again and amazingly sat on a bench to enjoy the warmth of the day!  It was heading towards 70ish degrees today.  Short sleeves abounded, women putting their noses in the air expecting all men to admire them, I look the other way to annoy them, all around the unexpected relief that summer might be nearing.  Ha!  I thought it was getting cloudy now, the weather man has promised rain tonight!  Typical.

 

 

Sadly the local elections turned out to be disappointing for us all.  While the Tories lost heavily it was clear they did not lose heavily enough.  Worse, many continued to vote for them, in spite of the mess they are leaving us.  Labour have done well in Scotland, but elsewhere they have gained many local seats but not enough to encourage hope in a general election.  Boris may yet try for an early general election if he thinks he will gain enough of a winning margin.  I doubt this however.  There again there was not sufficient displeasure amongst the faithful to call for his removal, but underneath the ground is shifting.

 

 

My day of excitement will end with the second leg of Inverness Caledonian v Partick Thistle tonight.  The play-off time is here again and always to be welcomed.  The first legs are not always so enjoyable, however, when the game is there to be won in the second leg it gets interesting.  These are good games to watch.  However, not all is good in Scottish football, last nght the blue bigots won through to the final of a European competition.  This is sad news to me.  The last thing we need is the sectarian pair getting more cash, they will waste it on themselves and continue to spurn Scottish football. This is not a good moment for Scotland.

 

Isolate, Press, Jab.

 

I have been isolating for several days.  By 'isolating' I mean, 'too lazy to go out.'  There is no need to venture downstairs, the neighbour has left the mail at my door, well, two grubby adverts for takeaways that is, there is milk in the fridge, bread in the bin, and meat in the freezer, so no need to spend money.

Weather dreich again, the icy sunshine replaced by rain which removed the last vestiges of snow and saturated those dogwalkers in the park.  The dogs did not notice either the rain or the saturated walkers.  I watched from the window, giggling.

I have, like so many others, ceased watching or reading the news.  On Twitter, when not banned for no good reason, I find headlines worth reading, from several media, few are worth following up.  The main press online appears to fill the page with half naked ageing celebrities, women showing their scars for no good reason, occasional murder, robbery, shock-horror or sentimental slush stories, no real in depth news or comment.  Why do people buy them as their is nothing inside?  'Bread & Circus's for the people I suspect.

The vaccine of course fills the spaces, either millions have been given, or not enough, depending on who you read.  My first 'jab' is scheduled for Saturday, if I can walk that far to the hospital and then stand for hours in the queue!  We wait to see how it goes.  Already talk is of ending lockdown and back to normal.  No chance for a long time in my view.  Sudden ending and soon another lockdown.

Back bench Tories with their eyes on the cash box will disagree.

 

 

'Source to Sea,' a Walk

Waterstones

Isolated as we are, banned from walking the earth as we wish, and quite simply unable to hike 215 miles alongside a river this book is a good way to get ourselves outside, in comfort.  
The author, a Londoner who lives and works close by the river, decided one day to leave the travel desk at the 'Times' and travel along the river, from 'source to sea,' thus providing himself with a title and some blisters.  Walking from pub to pub, with occasional hotels, for rest spaces he completed the task covering 368 miles in 21 days.  His detours, not always deliberate, added to the length of the journey.
What can be said about a walk by a river?
The early stages cover paths blessed by a wide variety of flowers and wildlife, cattle, horses or sheep appear in fields around, swans and sucks paddle past often silently.  The stopping places and foodstuffs get good coverage, some would say too much but if you follow the trail you will see this as wise advice or warnings.  Old pubs often go back several hundred years, all have their tales of famous or infamous deeds and people, some of them true.  Occasional houses, usually for the very rich, are passed all along the line of the river.  Near the beginning gardens from aged cottages costing a million reach down to the waterline, often with boats at the ready.  Near the ending London apartments cost double that with views of the river front and former warehouses turned into just as expensive flats.  Neither indicate prices we can afford.
From the bird covered countryside London appears, as do industrial estates, lower priced housing and dereliction.  You will note I miss out Reading!  "One does not linger in the neighbourhood of Reading," wrote Jerome K. Jerome, out Tom considers this good advice!
I'm torn with wanting more descriptions of the house, churches and past sights throughout the book while being somewhat bored with the repetitious nature of much of the writing.  It must be difficult taking notes on such a walk and even more difficult to find new ways of describing similar daily experiences.  The fact that so many historical or interesting places, events, situations arise on such a walk along a river that has seen two thousand years of history, more than that we cannot discover much about, means there are several books to be made from such a walk, possibly half a dozen at least all the way along the river.  
I could be being greedy of course.
Eventually, having wandered through London itself, again the contrast between the rich and the poor appears, he snakes his way to the finish a black stone that marks the official end of the river authority and the beginning of the North Sea.  Two stones, one at either end mark the course, one at the sea the first in a dry field!  Later in the year it is wet they say!  From this trickle that cannot be found to the far end the book holds out attention, not least for his honest descriptions of those he meets.  Several bars are to be avoided, some to be looked out for.  
This is the type of book I wish I had written, although it must be said the grammar is better in this book.  However I have not made such a journey in recent years, I am unlikely to make one soon, unless a description of walking early to Tesco will do?  I recommend this book a s worth a look for those who are trapped indoors, like rivers and pub food and have 'spare time' to read...

Gardens in the Morning

Early this morning I took myself over to the gardens before the mums arrived with their kids.  It was quiet, the top gate was blocked off so almost no-one was there, jolly good I say.  

 
The idea was twofold, to loosen my aches from yesterday and to play with the manual settings on the camera. The bones creak still and the camera produced a great many failed shots!  At least one creature stirred in the gardens this white cat that yelled along after me, I am not sure whether it was lost or hungry, I suspect both.

The cat and I wandered slowly among the trees, he meowing not me, until we separated near the grass part.  Being not long after nine I expected more people but in times past I have arrived early and in the quiet found many birds and creatures going about their business, maybe the early morning heat was putting wildlife off.

   
The barking high above me announced this wee man who was upset about something.  I had noticed one other squirrel running about and maybe this is he possibly upset because all others have gone to ground.  His bark, there is no other word for the noise emanating from him, his bark could be heard everywhere, very loud for such a wee creature.  I did speak to him but he just turned his back on me.

   
Then the disappointed seagulls hovered around.  Disappointed because there was little in the way of foodstuffs to fight over, normally early on there is something left lying about.  How do birds cope with the heat, let alone other weather situations?  It seems to me they appear at the hanging feeders less in high temperatures possibly because other food is more readily available, possibly it is just too hot?  I know not why?  Gulls fly in to feed on farmland and return in the evening to the estuary to sleep on the sea, rather them than me.  There were only a handful of them around today also.

I almost got this purple thing right.  Few flowers around except those planted by the garden staff, mostly green stuff at the moment, except for the grass which is like hay.

This wreath lay at the memorial today but I am unsure who it represents.  At first I thought it was referring to the Korean War, also called the Forgotten War as few wanted to know about it at the time and few know about it know.  Between 1950 and 1953 the Korean peninsula was the scene of the first UN operation, many nations participated but the UK sent a relatively small number of troops (led by Australians) so soon after the second world war, several thousand died mind.  On the other hand it reads '16 Med' which could refer to the RAMC in which '16 Med' serve today with the 16th Airborne Division.  I do with people would make things clear for my little mind.

 
What is this all about?  This took several attempts with manual setting before I got one that I could actually see that is what this is about!  What is it?  I have no idea...

Christmas Cat...

Repose

I woke slowly yesterday afternoon.  The dream in which I found myself was enjoyable, though what it was disappeared from my mind the minute consciousness returned.  I huddled under the ageing ex-army blankets enjoying the warmth and desiring to continue the sleep for some considerable time yet aware that I had passed he point where this was possible.  So rousing myself with little wish to do so I eased myself out of bed and lay prostrate on the floor until I could gather the impetus to stand up.

Why is it that the afternoon nap is more refreshing than the night one?  Why do I enjoy the after lunch kip more than one that last six or seven hours in the dark?  Could it be our perception of sleep is confused?  Are we meant to sleep longer during the say than during the night?  In the Middle East people rise with the sun and take to slumber at midday, no-one bar the 'Mad dog and Englishman' go out in the midday sun.  In Spain, and in the new state of Catalonia it is not unusual to have a siesta and work late into the evening.  Football games often start at nine in the cool of the day, something that would encourage frostbite if attempted in Dundee I can tell you.  Yet does this pattern benefit people more than the UK norm of rising in the dark and working all day straight through?  Are we more efficient or less so than Johnny Foreigner because of this?  
I suspect weather is the real determining factor in sleep patterns.  Hot nations need to hide at midday, this is less a requirement in Aberdeen or Inverness where finding a source of heat is more important than avoiding one.

 

Maybe the sleep pattern of the male lion is what we ought to follow.  Whether because of heat or habit I do not know but cats in all parts of the world appear to follow similar routines.  The male sleeps for around fourteen hours a day while the female hunts and provides food for the table.  The male then eats the largest portion and returns to sleep it off while the girls and kids finish what is left.  An admirable pattern on my view of things.  Quite what the male actually does to deserve this is as yet unknown but this is a pattern cats worldwide appreciate and adhere to so it must be correct.  

Of course if I sleep less at siesta time I might sleep more during the night.  But is that the way to improve my life?  Is it not better falling asleep at midday for ten minutes catnapping to refresh the mind for the rest of the days work?   I admit if you are driving a bus this could be a hazard but many folks would benefit from such a routine, shop workers, office dwellers, and men who have real jobs.  Those who are retired need it more to keep the mind fresh and I consider it important to practise as much as possible, in fact I think I ought to do so now...

The Edge of the World

As a matter of course I am always dubious about any book that claims to be an 'International best seller' as they are often pap that appeals to the less bright masses.  This book, pictured in a blurred fashion above, makes that claim and I am still wondering if it fits the description or not.
This is a big book with a great deal of research behind it (the author has read lots of books is what I mean) and each chapter is stuffed full of information.  That is one of the problems as there is a great deal of info written at high speed and we race along somewhat breathlessly through the story he offers.  Each tale attempts to fix on one man or one type of people living in a certain way around the north Sea.  Frisians, Norse, those who now fill the Netherlands, Belgian, Danish regions and including some of the British Isles when he feels like it.  There is a lot to read but with no previous depths of knowledge about much of it I cannot tell if he is historically accurate.   
However for all the pace I found it a hard read.
Possibly too many words, possibly as some indicate too much emphasis of the money side (the author appears to be somewhat anti capitalist while rolling in the dough the books he writes bring him) and possibly his irritating PC attitudes keep appearing.  He uses 'women and men' and 'BC & BCE' instead of 'BC & AD' needlessly just to prove his 'right on' credentials.  Occasionally he forgets this but I will not indicate where.
'How the North Sea made us who we are' is the subtitle of the book but I am not sure he indicate an answer.  Too much happens on land as opposed to sea and it seems to me that since the ice age left and the sea arrived we have been crossing it to trade or explore so what new can he say about this? We were passing across the sea since time began and if he intends to claim we are what we are because of the traffic round the sea I have to ask how else would we be as we are? 
Humans trade, explore and pick up good and bad ideas from one another.  The places we live in have an effect on how we live and how we see the world, no book is required to know this surely?  The author gives much information but while the book is well worth a read and will stay on the shelf for reference I am still not sure what his intentions were.
I must add here my family have often won the 'Most stupidest person' award many times and this must be taken into consideration when reviewing book reviews...!   

Now I'm not one to complain but when I saw the board outside Sainsburys this morning I was tempted to inform the girls that the board was out of date.  Both exhibitions advertised have finished and the new one is not yet on show.  
Should I let them know....
            ..or is keeping my teeth where they are more important?  

November 30th

Each St Andrews Day the sky clears and high above travellers heading from Europe to far of lands such as Canada, USA or Luton Airport helpfully form a Scots Saltire Flag in the sky above us all.   It is a gift from above we ought all to be grateful for.
There is a growing movement that suggests that this day ought to become a national holiday in Scotland, I am sure all will be glad about this bar the Banks which work to London time of course.  They can work to London time if they wish but as the Bank of England keeps indicating the Scots Banks are not being run properly I can see their point of view.   A far cry from the days the Banks in Scotland were trusted and even then the one time chairman of the Bank of Scotland, long before the corruption of recent days, was famed for saying "Don't listen to the sound of another drum, just take the cash!"
The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has been contacting foreign powers with the intention of having Scotland remain in the EU rather than run into poverty with England and has recently been rewarded with support from the Republic of Ireland.  I am sure some of her supporters back in her hometown of Irvine, Ayrshire, would be less happy about this than most of us.  Supportive words have been offered from other states but there again Nicola you must never trust a politician!
My eatables tonight will represent the Scots diet of today - Moussaka, a Greek dish obtained through the helpfulness of Tesco who reduced its price because of the sell by date.  Scots of course have always been happy to contact Europe, some have even lived there and refer always to the friendly nature of the natives whenever they mention that they "Are NOT English!"  Historically Scots have traded with northern European states since this land was occupied and there is no reason for this to change.  We have much in common with them, and here I do not refer to a liking for too much beer, but so many things in Scandinavia and Scotland ring true.  Holland and Northern Belgium also as well as Germany have much in common with Scotland and long may this remain true.  I know these places well as I flew over them once, in the dark, and once with cloud cover!  At least I have eaten their cheese and drank their beer, and Belgian beers strength must be noted before consuming by the way!
The English on the other hand are divided re Europe.  In the south they consider the Continent to be isolated if there is fog in the channel, in the northern parts they can often be similar to Scots in their approach.  It is the 'Little Englander' in the south who led to the Brexit decision, his papers spurring those up north to support him by lying in his teeth daily about immigrants.  Interesting to find any poll that asks Brexit voters whether they enjoy a Curry takeaway or not?
Scotland must have strong ties with Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia and we must not let English navel gazing take that from us. 

A pot boiler!  Or at least a boiler going to pot!  Today it runs smoothly, switching on at the right times, heating the radiators and even the water if I wished to make use of it.  Today it runs well but when I required it early yesterday morning it was a different story!
I came through into the east wing and found all the little red lights shining brightly as they ought.  So confident in their heat I turned on the tap at the bath and proceeded about my business.  Later I plunged my hand into said bathwater to check it was not too hot and instead it was freezing cold!  The brute had switched off!  I fiddled with the thermostat and waited, and waited and waited!  The little red lights would not light.  No matter what I did this brute would not switch on.  One red light appeared for a while, joined by another but seconds later they were gone. 
My entreaties, not particularly considerate ones as I was in a hurry to get ready to leave, did not work.  Speaking forcefully to it in a full and frank manner made no difference so I added a kettle  or two of hot water to the tepid bath which remained tepid as I made use of it.  I was pleased I can tell you, I was so pleased....
Shivering I took my skinny seven stone body through to the kitchen and made an unhealthy breakfast, I ought to have made porridge but I was afraid the microwave might blow up.  So naturally as I sat there, hair combed, shaved, almost dressed and checking the time before the off the blessed boiler sprang into life!  All the little red lights came on one after another! One, two, three, four, five...six, all of them smugly pumping hot water around a soon to be empty dwelling.  
Since then the boiler has worked perfectly and obeyed each and every command.  When I next attempt to bathe my physique, on Sunday next as usual, I suspect funny boy will play up again.

   

Zzzz For Me!

Tonight I sleep!
Too many long days and too much energy wasted along with a touch of something has left me weary and those light migraines are bothering me again.  One arrived last night and another this morning when I was trying to explain something to a woman visitor.  Not nice when the vision is impaired and you are pointing to things on a map!  
Not enough sleep I say so I am following the advice of the cat. 'Sleep at every opportunity.'  Seems good to me.