Calamity All Round Day

Another week filled with joy and happiness heads towards its end.  The thin cloud covering the world, the chill in the air, and the leaves lying across the world indicate the time of year.

The choking cough I suffer today indicates I did a  washing yesterday.  This involved a lot of shirts and one blanket.  Some fool forgot that this blanket leaves fluff on everything, so I now have fluff on everything!  Including my throat.  I had kept the red duvet cover separate to avoid more pink items, and put that through on its own today, but having done that separately I now have to wash all the rest once again on Monday.  Life, as it is normally lived, in this house!  

Oh yes, and I had to hoover the fluff off the floor afterwards also.  Fool!

Of course I can add to the delights my Turmeric soup.  I did not plan on making Turmeric soup but as I added a bit of this, a bit of that, I also added a bit of oops, too much Turmeric!  The flavour, for want of a better word, will not earn me a place on one of the ten times a day, cooking programmes  on television.  I heard the dog downstairs howling as I ate, I suspect the aroma got down to him.

As it is the end off the week the weather had deteriorated accordingly.  Wind has gathered its power, clouds gather, huge clouds gathering in mid Atlantic awaiting Monday morning, and football ruined by the wind.  Tsk!  The clouds also mean I canny get a better shot of Jupiter than the last one.  Once again my wee camera is not reaching that far out.  I thought I had got something special last night, but it was just a plane leaving Stansted and passing over us.  Those lights are confusing.

It now transpires there are only three Prime Ministers until Christmas.  How time flies?  The shortest ever Chancellor has gone back to making more money and dodging tax, while the woman responsible for his policies that ended with him thrown under the bus in a vain attempt to save her own skin, remains planning decorations at No 10.  

I'm not sure she needs bother.

The somewhat smug Chancellor has been replaced by a very smug Chancellor, one Jeremey Hunt of Freudian slip fame.  He of course is no fan of our Liz but he is a fan of taking her job.  Clearly he sees an opportunity falling towards him here and she has not.  Liz not comprehending surprises no-one. 

So, what now?  Satirists are struggling to keep up here.   It is not possible to write something today and know it will not have changed by tomorrow.  I wonder if she can find a small war to occupy people's minds?

Pink Laundry, Conservative Liars and Pies.

After several sad episodes this week I rose determined to ensure a successful day.

I was careful to make sure the kettle was filled with water, that I switched it on to boil, and that the tea and milk were in the cup before I filled it.  Special care was taken not to spill tea over the (now very clean) laptop again.

I also placed my shoes near the door so that I would remember to put them on before leaving.  Something I failed to do twice this week.

Impressed by my ability I continued my day by changing the bed, removing the new scarlet duvet cover after a month or so, and thrusting it into the washing machine along with the routine T-shirts and stuff.  I selected a shorter wash slot, I put the 'Poundland' soap goo into the machine, switched on, and left it.  

Being Thursday, (Thor's Day, named after the Norse God, why?  Was it his day off?) I took the rubbish bag and the recycling bag down into the cold weather (only early 70s today) and dumped them in the appropriate smelly places.  

Naturally, when later I made my lunch, I discovered so much veg in the fridge had gone off and another trip to the bins was required an hour later.  My lunch was delightful, as long as taste is not required, reduced priced pork chops with tomato and cucumber.  The choice based on whatever was lying around.  It will do.

After this the washing machine cranked quietly to a halt.

I removed the bundle of wet, soggy material and dumped it in the west wing.  

It was then I noticed a slight flaw in the day. 

The white shirt, of considerable age and, to put it mildly, somewhat done, had changed colour to pink!  Not wishing to be mistaken for a member of a 'Pride' parade this was dumped! 

Also found in the heap was a once white, hankie, and several other items which had darkened or changed colour, not always badly it must be said.  The scarlet duvet was untouched by this I am happy to say.  Hanging to dry, it appears to have suffered no harm today.  I might have to be wary next time...

Politico

 

Talking of mistakes, another vote occurred regarding selecting the person to lead the Conservative Party into oblivion at the next General Election.  The crassly stupid Braverman woman has been removed thankfully.  However, the crassly stupid and incompetent Liz Truss remains, and appears to be the 'Daily Mails' hope.  Mordaunt, possibly more vile than Braverman remains in second place.  The others, though I once had hopes for Tugendhat, will fail next time.  

We have had Cameron, who we thought looked like a PM but wasn't one, was bad. He failed because he fell for the ERG ruse about Brexit.  Theresa, equally useless, attempted not to be ruled by anyone, including those who spoke the truth and offered facts, instead appealing to the 'wide eyed loons,' and failed.  

Then we had Boris.  

I considered it impossible to find someone worse than Boris, but we have Truss, Mordaunt and Sunak in the lead!  I tell you, this is a judgement on us!  

Murdoch Butchers Forres

Having done all, with little energy left (how do women do all these jobs?) I found I had a space in the freezer.  Hmmm thought I, how about filling it with pies and Sausage Rolls, good ones?  So, it was off to Murdoch and by this time next week the fridge and freezer will be, like me, groaning!

Good innit?

Oh, and another thing, never go food shopping when hungry!
Don't ask how I know...

   

Work Never Ceases...

Man alive!  I was at it early today.  Rising at 7ish, I was almost awake by 9.  Listening carefully I realised the house was quiet, all had gone out to earn large amounts of cash and pay towards my pension increase, not that many hours would be required for that!  So, I stuffed the next blanket into the washing machine and set it going.  Three days in a row!  This is costing a fortune in water.

Then in quick order I sorted out the rubbish for the bin men tomorrow, forgetting that it is 'Good Friday' and they will not come till Saturday, did some exercise to ease the pain from yesterday's exercise and then hoovered the house!  

What is wrong with me?  

Coming in from dumping the rubbish I began to pick weeds from the front of the house, a tedious and difficult job for someone who does not bend easily.  Thismay please the landlord but I wish he gave me a stick to use!

I then began my study time, three hours late, failed to understand a word, and all the while contemplating wandering across the park.  

By lunchtime I was dead.

No majorwork could be done as I had to check the budget!  So, I then struggled through the afternoon until near six.  It was then I stopped planning for tomorrow's work when I remembered it was 'Good Friday,' all would be holidaying, the sun would go in, clouds arrive and there is a church 'Stations of the Cross' online at 3 pm.  This meant my cupboard cleaning was out, under the bed remains under the bed, and the need to sort my files continues to grow. 

There again as it is a holiday, visiting Sainsburys early in the morning is also out which saw me hobbling up there tonight, much against my will, to collect what bread I could find for the weekend.  This meant eating late, being out of joint and catching up on emails.

What does it all mean?  

Energy and desire to work, exercising daily?  Housework rather than laziness?

I must be ill...  

Laundering Blankets and Baby.

 

Lock Down fever has hit me!  I returned to Spring Cleaning!  Yesterday I washed the bed cover, a large object that filled the machine.  It turns out it is actually white!  For years I thought it was a kind of magnolia colour.   Impressed with this, knowing the neighbours are all out, today I washed the big blanket.  This remains mostly black but some colour now shows in various regions.  Hopefull all are out tomorow and I will do the orange coloured one, I think that is orange...

The thing is I have to ensure folks are out or the whole building shakes, depending on which spin speed is used.  Luckily the large objects were done on 'Duvet,' though I have not the courage to wash my duvet itself, much easier to buy a new one possibly.  How many years should they last...?

The thing is large objects only get washed rarely, in this house years have passed by since the last time and the covers have done their work well, so why bother say I?  Fussy people may grumble about the smell and the somewhat tinged covers but these people I refer to as just 'woke.'  

After this I must clean out the cupboard I began Spring cleaning, oh about two years ago.  Then there is 'under the bed,' which may produce many lost items as well as a wee bit of dust.  I am in no hurry to look under there.  Worse may be the trays on my desk.  The last time I cleared the paperwork I had stuff going back four years, it creaks a bit now so there may be a similar outcome this time.  Time!  Where is a lazy person like me going to get the time to do all this, or indeed the energy?  Oh, I begin to feel weak at the thought...

 

 

I had not heard from my favourite, intelligent, beautiful and talented niece for a while and was under the impression her work was keeping her busy.  l ought to have known better!  ln fact she was not keeping a social distance between herself and her husband and while forcing him to do all the cooking, even choosing the ingredients, and they have been working on child production.  So now I have my favourite, talented, good looking, highly intelligent great neice/nephew to look forward to spending money on.

Her intelligence has ensured the birth will arrive in September, thus ensuring several gifts and avoiding them paying for same while Christmas approaches.  Then the family will pile more on the spoiled genius to be.  

Still, I suppose they had not much else to do in Lock Down...

 

 

Oxiana and Laundry...

 

I managed to finish a book!  No, not one of the colouring in ones, an actual book. During 'Lock Down' I expected to read all the books in the pile, I failed.  Indeed, I hardly picked one up, at times there was no incentive to read, nothing tasted and I just could net get into any off them.  Eventually, having been forced by 'Waterstones' to buy to keep my voucher points I bought three.  Even more eventually I began to read.  

I bought this because it was a travel book from the past.  In fact it covers this man Robert Byron, no relation to the other one, on his trip across Persia and Afghanistan and Turkestan in his quest to investigate ancient Islamic architecture during the winter of 1933/34.  Quite why he would choose to visit a place with towering mountains during the winter months I fail to understand. It is to be expected at such seasons that roads will be blocked by snow or landslip so why try? However, when we reflect on his Eton Schooling we will begin to understand that acting like a normal individual was not his way.  

Byron had travelled widely before this book visiting the Soviet Union, India and elsewhere and he had published several books, some of which are still available.

The book is formed from the diary he kept at the time, and the diary form works well in travel books I think.  His usual way is to describe the day, the place where he stays, the food, those with him and then an in depth description of the architecture he finds.  This part I found a wee bit wearing as such descriptions in books do not make clear to the minds eye what is being described.  However, this website offers pictures of many of the sites visited, often with Byron's own photographs as well as a modern colour view.  This site in very helpful in understanding what he is viewing.  The tale then returns to his day, the food, the problems and so on.

Journeying in this region at any time is fraught with many dangers.  Politics, tribesmen, Muslims upset at a heretic in the mosque, are all testing, while food, shelter and breaking down on the road far from help are all trials to be faced.  Illness, when it strikes shows little mercy at a time and place when no NHS exisited.  

Hints of humour, mostly from his dealings with people appear, and a surprising wide variety of  people appear in this book and his determined personality mixed with that of his diplomatic friend Christopher, who occasionally accompanies him, often forces them through difficult situations. 

Being 'British' of class opens the door to the local leaders as they pass, some more friendly than others, this including the Russians who invite the travellers to enjoy a refreshing party which leads to a headache in the morning.  

The book offers a different world from what is found in this region today.

War, politics and individual stubborness have made this part of the world attractive to many and dangerous for most.  It is unlikely a similar journey could be made today.  The road from Tehran to Kabul may offer many intriguing sights for the modern traveler but I wonder would one return?

Robert Byron died in 1941 when the ship in which he travelled was torpedoed off Cape Wrath and his body was not recovered. 

This is a good book, I recommend it.

Late in the evening, well about 5:30 pm the van arrived.  By 6 pm they were on their way. The reviews spoke well of the delivery men and John Lewis's organisations efficiency.  I now agree.  Called by a robotic voice twice to inform me of when they would deliver and by the driver himself when 20 minutes away was impressive.  It was not so efficient in the 80's before an online service and an robotic voice could call.  

A very large young man, I had to look up to him, came in, looked around, said "It's no bother," and began to remove the old machine.  His mate joined him and said, "No bother," and soon they had the old machine out, the new one in, and working!  Paying for them to fit it was a great idea!  

Well-organised, efficient, experienced, and capable, they were indeed friendly and helpful and careful not to leave any mess.  Within 30 minutes they had gone.   

These guys would not finish till around 9 pm in the evening.  Working four long days and having three off is a good idea to me.  I never had the chance to do that but I think it works well, especially when delivering goods and considering the customers work hours.  I was pleased with them, I nearly gave them a tip I was so delighted.

Today I tried the machine, once I began to understand the booklet, and happily it worked OK.  How delightful to be wearing something that does not make dogs noses twich when I pass...