allanswales wrote on May 8
To try and improve my knowledge a bit I looked up "Emeritus." Discovered it can be a postpositional adjective or a prepositional adjective. Why do I do these things? Think I would rather remain ignorant.
Be Happy Doc (sounds like one of the Seven Dwarfs)
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ronmalta wrote today at 7:18 PM
I am also deeply grateful and highly honoured to find myself elevated to the rank of a postpositionally adjectival and prepositionally adjectival emeritus and even more gratified by beng congratulated, after years of study, as a fully qualified digital watch adjuster.I was however baffled by a toaster oven door with a diabolically obstreperous hinge.I couldnt get it to close, after hours of effort. Then my granddaughter came along and fixed in in three seconds.
Of course, I awarded her a diploma in mandibular technology and a toasted cheese sandwich.
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allanswales wrote today at 7:19 PM
Knowing me, it was bound to happen. Did any of you spot that the infamous Michael Masden, a.k.a. ear slicing Mr. Blonde (ex Reservoir Dog), was in the news for misbehaving on a cinema set in Cardiff? And Louie keeps popping up all over now. I think it is Cosmo this week, where he celebrated his 41st by appearing in the nude, apart from a rather large, strategically placed, pineapple.
Catch you later. Got some ironing to do. Bowls kit from Saturday is back on parade tomorrow. A Hamster on a wheel springs to mind.
Be happy Allan
Ron, Ron - how are are going to cope? Somehow we are into having a Vol.1 and a Vol. 2. This is unprecedented in the Annals of TGS & Multiply and MSN. Do we pass the buck to higher management? Do we do the pioneering stuff alone? Or are we too old to cope with the pressure? Maybe they will just shoot us and get another two old fogies who behave in a rational fashion. Are we past our sell by dates as mavericks? I'll get to the bottom of this at the Bowls and report back later. In the meantime can you get hold of the Maltese Mafia. We might need back up. I'll round up the boys from Garndiffaith this afternoon. They don';t come harder than that. They had a murder there last week, and it only made p.10, Col. 4, down atb the bottom o9f our local rag
ReplyDeleteBe happy.........................Allan
Whoops - that sprung away without my permission. Sorry abt the typos. No chance of editing. Why is technology so prone to error? It was much easier in the days of Chalk and Slate in Thorne Infants on Fieldside.
ReplyDeleteC yah all...............Allan
Allan,do you think that the clouds are gathering over our head,that there is an impending impeachment for Hogging and Monopolisation of the Website being trumped up against us?
ReplyDeleteIf so,we can throw ouselves on the mercy of the court of public opinion and slink gracefully into exile,continuing our exchanges by privatge email (So there! Exile don't cut no ice with us,we know all about it).
Or,we could rise to the challlenge, and tell them Say you love us, or we quit! We give you 24 hours! This is an Ultimatum!
Then they will be the ones left out.They will find themselves in that municipality in the middle of England, from which, once sent, there is no return.They will find themselves deserted, snivelling like Ovidius Naso...
Cum repeto noctem,qua tot mihi cara reliqui,quae mihi supremum tempus in urbe fuit,cum subit illius tristissima noctis imago,labitur ex oculis nunc quoque gutta meis.....
What a loss it would be for them (or a godsent relief ??)
Sorry I can't muster the Maltese Maffia, I AM the Maltese Maffia, at least the only once accredited to this site.
You're just a little worrier Ron. We have never ring fenced our stupid jokey banter, or killed off more cerebral pursuits. So let the music play on, play on.
ReplyDeleteMy 2 thought it a hoot to go out and revenge the Rugby Club by going on a spend on Sunday. Junction 28 the name. Something else a bit Welsh and comical. Take Junc. 28 off the M4, go up a bit, and you are there. Pan fried pigeons breasts for starters, and then onwards and upwards. They went home happy and I was really sunny and bright. Inspired me to have a good win on Monday p.m. We were right up on the rim of the valley - way above the tree line. It is very strange and forbidding to have an outlook with no trees. A mix of grass and heather, a bit of coal showing thro here and there, granite, standing stones. A tremendous view of England to the East and also South over the Severn into Devon. And we WON.
And my final sneaky self satisfaction. I forced myself to go into Pontypool today, with all its major parking probs, to return overdue books. (I am still sore at the closure of our local little one.) Only to find the mystery computer fixer had booked them in for me, so no fine to pay for Allan, again.
So you see life is good. Head up, go for it, and nothing but good will happen to you.
Be Happy Allan
Allan,how can one not be a worrier?
ReplyDeleteThis fine flower of S Yorks culture,this bloomin blog,will one day fade and die.The last alumnus to say "ET EGO IN TGS VIVI AUDACTER" will give up the ghost in 2111,assuming lifespan of 100 yrs (we're all living longer,just look as us old devils sinking so slowly into dotage)and counting from 2004,plus 7 plus 100.
What shall we do then? Maybe establish a paleological research group and publish "Ancient educational frolics< Deeds and misdeeds in the delta of he Don"
And that's not the end of it They say the earth is warming up and the sun is cooling down. Nowhere to run. So worry,worry,worry.
Ron - words are yr strength. And looking below I guess number and arithmetric - well lets be kind, mebbe not so strong.
ReplyDeleteSo look on life like I look on sport. "Play to your stengths and cover yr weaknesses." Give me an hour or two and I might have worked out what you are talking about. Or is it maybe a coded message from the Maltese Mafia that I have to read, chew, swallow and then work out the consequences.
Catch you later.......................Be Happy....................Allan
I got the maths wrong,as I usually do.
ReplyDeleteFrom 2093,give or take one or two years.there will be nobody to record experiences at TGS. Well, that does gives us a bit more time,so come on,folks.
Will the last one to leave turn out the light?
ReplyDeleteThere's still a glimmer over at The Red Dragon. They're burning the candle at both ends. Don't leave them in the dark.
Wotcha Shirl -0 you might have turned up just at the right time. At a very crucial point in my life. With Ron back in the Babies Class boning up on his 2 times table, I desperately need help. Adopt a motherly expression and listen please. You know you lot are in front of Telly watching and waiting for who does what and to whom within this Coalition thing. Well, I already live with a Labour Rule and a Conservative/LibDem coalition in opposition in the Welsh Assembly.
ReplyDeleteWhoops off it went again. Bag of nerves I am.
ReplyDeleteSo what do I do, how do I cope when I cross the Bridge? What should be my strategy? They have even neglected to appoint a Welsh Minister. Things are looking grim for Allan. Is this the end for me? This is not politics. This is my life. Or the end of my Anglo/Cymru lifestyle. Ron. Ron, where are you in my hour of need?
Bye Bye Folks...........been nice knowing you..................Try and be Happy........................Allan
I have a simplistic view of politics. The Conservatives got the most votes the Lib Dems got a foot in the door Labour will provide a good opposition seems fair enough to me. The front page of tomorrow's Sun sums it up.
ReplyDeleteShirl,
ReplyDeleteWhen you voted, did you know that you were voting for a change in the constitution so that an election does not automatically follow when a government fails to raise a simple majority in a House of Commons confidence vote? The bar is to be lifted to 55%. But what is sacrosanct or logical about 55%. Once the principle of a simple majority has been abandoned why not 60%? And eventually 75%?
And what justification are we given for abandoning a centuries old feature of our constitution and those of most liberal democracies? Firm and stable government !!!! Every dictator uses that excuse when he first starts to nibble at our freedoms. 55% can end up as 100%.
The benign, caring image so carefully nurtured for the last five years by Cameron and Co has just started to slip. What amazes me is that the Lib Dems, who see themselves as the apotheosis of liberalism, bought that.
What, no response? Well try this:
ReplyDeleteThat £10,000 a year threshold for income tax, a cherished Lib Dem objective, is to remain just that - an objective. But whereas employers are to be relieved of any increase in NIC contributions, the increase in this form of tax is to remain for all liable employees, including those who earn less than £10,000.
Of course, NIC paid by employers is a tax inhibiting the creation of new jobs, we are told. So employers are to be relieved of the proposed increase, whether or not they intend to create any new jobs. The fact that the relief also boosts profit lines and shareholders dividends is of course just coincidental.
And we have yet to hear how much more we are all going to have to pay in VAT, which proportionately hits hardest those who have to spend all their income because they do not earn enough to save.
And have you counted the number of women in the new cabinet, the number of minorities, the number who have benefited from the privileges of a private education?
Suddenly that smile on the face of Cameron, in the picture taken yesterday at the joint press conference in the garden of No 10, begins to look suspiciously like a smirk. I suddenly feel less confident about a future without civil disorder.
Keith, always was a smirk,wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteI follow uk politics fairly closely,don't know why, but I missed that bit about the 55%.Is it the nonexistent constitution that is at fault
?
Or should there be some sort of ombudsman to counter all the swindle,scandal,skulduggery?
Allan, I find it heavy going with the twicetimes table,though I think I've mastered the oncetimes.The trouble was all that Latin at TGS.We learnt that 3 minus 2 is 2,you have to count in both ends So the date of 31 March is two days before the 1st of April.Also,there's no zero,it's a short toestubbing step from plus 1 to minus1.J Caesar would have done bettter if he'd been as bad at maths as me and got the date wrong.
Now I have a telephone bill dated 11 3 2001.This means either 11 March or 3 November depending on where you are and whether they've heard about the ISO and it has decided .Till then you try to figure out if there are more than 12 months in a year and if so 13 must mean the 13th day of the month.Did you know that?
Ron XX ante diem Kalendis
I meant 2010 of course,not 2001 otherwise they would have switched me off long ago, though it's only yesterday.
ReplyDeleteAs stated in my platform -
ReplyDelete'Simplism' (n). The tendency to oversimplify an issue or a problem by ignoring complexities or complications.
Any politician may doublecross that bridge when he/she comes to it.
Dear me. All I wanted to know is when I cross the Bridge and go for a walk, do I lead with my left or with my right.
ReplyDeleteAnd Ron - the Romans had the most atrocious calendar system. That I do remember. Go up to 7, jump to 15 minus, get to 15, go flat out for 31. Start again. The geezer who issued the warning, "Caveat Idibus Martiis" was just using the only day he could remember. Cue for Keith to come in with more examples of back stabbing. Pity we didn't do all this election stuff in January. Janus the two faced god might have had his faults, but the ability to look forwards and backwards would have been an asset.
Be Happy Allan
It wasn't a smirk, he was just too tired to go the whole smile.
ReplyDeleteIt's alright this Westminster stuff, but I have breaking news from the Land of our Fathers. Last night the Welsh Choir "Only Men Aloud" took first prize at the Classical Brits, seeing off competition from Faryll Smith, our Rhyd (Rhyddian Roberts), Pope Benedict XVI and others. Helped along by 3 local boys - one from Newport, one from Abertillery, and their Musical Director Tim Rhys-Evans comes from Blaenavon, just up the road. Will be broadcast on May 18, ITV1. Myleene Klass says so.
ReplyDeleteO.K. duellists - out with yr rapiers - go for the jugular. O.K..
Be happy. Let me tell you a lovely story first before I go. A boy in Abergavenny ran the London and raised £100 for Charity. Before he had time to pay it in his mothers house was burgled. Telly etc and the £100 gone. So the papers said. Without any requests folk have donated £400. As the lady said, Insurance cover will replace her items, so the whole of the £400 can now go to the Charity. Isn't that nice?................................Allan
What a fabulous weekend. Chelsea won the Cup. I like Chelsea. Their jerseys are the same colour as my old school blazer. Then Saturday night on Tv was "Have I got News for You". You'd have loved this Keith. Paul got 7 points and Ian got 6 pts. Followed by a huge discussion over who in this new age had really won. Then today on Radio 5 the biggest treat for I don't know how long. The England 20/20 cricket team won the World Final for the first ever time. Not on home turf but out in Bridgetown. And agst Oz. The cocky Oz had a lacing. My cup of happiness floweth over. Followed this evening by a docu on Boy George. Whether he created or reinforced the New Romantic Movement is bye the bye. He was a major player. Then back again to the same era to showcase more of the same like Human League, Spandau Ballet, Wham etc etc. Em had a terrible preteen crush on Andrew Ridgeway, which drove us all mad. We used Wham to get me to teach her how to Rock. Crikey - we even had a hamster called Pepsi. It was going to be Andrew, but on reliable authority it was a girl. Pepsi was the nearest we could get. And to wind up the night, Heaven 17 are doing a live concert. Two of the blokes are completely bald and the girl is a bit matronly (but not as much as Sue Barker) but they can still cut it. No bowls tomorrow so I can have a late night. Funeral of a well known player in the valley taking precedence. Occupational hazard which goes with Bowls, unfortunately. It is getting late tho, so better go. I have got to go 10 rounds with a duvet cover trying to get it on my duvet. Just kept leaving it all day, hoping for a miracle. But I didn't get lucky. You see when we divorced, my wife advised I would need a new duvet quite soon, and for a double bed you need to buy King Size. So I did. Not guessing a final act of revenge. But I am seriously thinking of giving up any further show of bravado, and buying whatever is the next size down.
ReplyDeleteBe happy folks - just like me - Allan
Duvet - no prob. Fitted sheet - nightmare. Then I spotted I was trying for fitting the long side laterally. And as we all know, it goes longtitudinally. So much to remember in this domestic battle. No wonder I go out so much. Going on a charabang trip again tomorrow. Up to Kidderminster and then get on a
ReplyDeleteOut of context.....the aura of feminine appeal;
ReplyDeleteSue Barker crumpled matron, little minx creased with laughter
Brigitte Bardot opinionated old prune, ripe beauty with strong convictions
Jordan 'two bags of sillicone' (Martin Amis), upfront and focused
Paula Radcliffe tightly drawn androgynous, coiled spring
? ?
Whoops - STEAM puff puff along the Severn Valley. Lunch is arranged, but forgotten the detail. But somewhere nice. Roll on the next trip. A Winery and then a Cider making plant - both just outside Abergavenny. Leave the car at home that day. Drunk and Disorderly on a bus does not carry the same heavy penalty!!!
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan (does anybody know which key I keep hitting to engage "Submit". It's lightning fast. Normally I hit Submit and count up to 3. This one takes less than a millionth of a second.)
Shirl - loved yr contribution, Until.................watch your step when ever you mention my lovely Paula. Did you not know she is in the Club again? That will be her second. 6 months on, and running the New York 10K next month and then going all mumsy. Wrap over skirts and those comical bras with a little trap door at the front of each cup.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
The Charabang trip went a bomb. A luxury coach for starters. And with a toilet!! Put 40 or 50 male O.A.P.'s in a coach and they are wanting to go before
ReplyDeletehe is up to 4th gear. The sun was beaming down and we got to Kidderminster O.K. A period station like Railway Children with Olde Signs for Camp Coffee & Bruno tobacco etc. Milk churns on the platform. The whole bit. And a black greasy engine puffing out black smoke from the chimney, and huge clouds of steam from somewhere underneath. The driver pulled a string and it went Whoop, Whoop. 60 yr old carriages, where you 3 of you sat opposite 3 others in a little room. And off we went to Bridgnorth. Lovely countryside with bright yellow rapeseed, cows, sheep, elephants, rhinoceros, chickens. All the usual stuff. ELEPHANTS? RHINOCEROS? Forgot to mention we went by some Safari Park too. We got that for free. Bridgnorth is a typical English market town. Lovely and clean and peaceful with colour washed house fronts and/or Tudor bits of wood. (Altho we did see a Ka Ka crash into a Merc!) Lovely little pubs and a Sunday Roast Dinner for Lunch. The sort of place you ear mark for return one day. One of our boys writes and publishes books on gravestones and oddities on/in Churches, as a hobby, and found loads of fresh material. Ray Westlake. He'll be back.
And on my way home I heard the Stones have reissued a '71 album with 10 extra tracks. One of which is "Happy". I know you won't want to miss out, so as soon as poss I'll tell you all abt it.
Be Happy Allan
Phew got here first. Thought somebody some where will be checking me out on Google so I have been to get there first. Ray gets bags of coverage as it happens.
ReplyDeleteAllan ( it's remarkable who I know at times. Sometimes even I don't know. How abt this for fame. Somebody you all know. Every one of you. And he was Abersychan born and bred. Remember the dark brooding chap standing on a bridge at midnight all on his own, slowly exhaling smoke from his cigarette, and uttering those famous words - "You're never alone with a Strand." All those years ago and you'll still remember.)
And if you like you can get Google to bring up the ad and you can relive the moment as a Video...................Al.......No more. Promise. Brits on telly.
ReplyDeleteWhat an imaginative start to the Brits. Only Men Aloud marching in thro the cloud of CO2 fog. A straight pinch from "Thriller" with Michael Jackson and his Zombies, but very effective. And then our Rhyddian arrives looking like something from the Exorcist. All good Showbiz.
ReplyDeleteThe name of the Stones' Album out on Monday is "Exile on Main Street." Just in case we have any Stones' fans or wannabes.
C yah.........................Allan
I have put the Stones on my birthday list so you'll have to wait 4 weeks for my crit. So if you nip out and buy it first, just go ahead. (I think I saw a pig just fly by my window!!!) Yes folks, 79 in a month. I am ancient. Having got so close I am a bit concerned abt hanging on for 80. So I have taken action. Tell you later.
ReplyDeleteJoyo, joyo. Or so I thought. The cops posted me back my Driving LIcense, all the paperwork, and my 60 quid cheque today. I thought, "There's kind, letting me off my speeding offence." Optimist. I had sent trillions of paperwork, but overlooked the plastic one. Instead of just asking for that - oh no. All back and start again from new. I even phoned them and asked if it was all a joke, but they reassured me I was still a miscreant (Vee haf our Vays.) Well stuff 'em. I've got bigger fish to fry. Bowls tomorrow, and Saturday, and Sunday, and Monday. So Tuesday at the earliest, I am afraid. They give better treatment to Pakistan terrorists. (On Telly at the moment - Question Time. Just wait - I'll be there next week!) They get everywhere. Only yesterday I was ranting and raving at a Leaseholders Comm. Meeting abt a Police camera van clocking me on the way to Bowls last week. Only to find out the bloke in mufti next to me was a copper. Ron - fancy a lodger for a year or two? I might be doing a runner any day.
Be Happy Allan
Life is good. Went down to the Bowls this morning. No breeze. No cloud cover. Temp nearly 80. Just two of us competing in a knockout Internal Competition. After half an hour we looked like Errol Flynn in a Burma War movie. Huge sweat patches everywhere. But he was a Lancashire lad, so no prob with grit and tenacity. But not enough. I beat him. I am in the next round. He has to wait another year. No fiddling. His wife refereed.
ReplyDeleteAnd isn't my little country doing well. Steph's Mum was interviewed on Radio and apparently the whole of Tonypandy has gone Dorothy mad. (Say Ton - like in gone - then er - then pan - then deeeeee) O.K. She's only 17. Never had training in dance or voice, and never left home before. But her Mum loves her, and so will you all do the right thing and vote for her tomorrow. You see we are down a bit on numbers cos the whole country is away up the M4 to Wembley. Cardiff playing Blackpool with the winner going up into Premier League. Look out for a young boy leading Cardiff out. His whole family are footie mad. Last week the whole family and an uncle were watching the preliminary, and the uncle died of a heart attack when Cardiff scored. The club approached the family and gave the young boy the thrill of being mascot at Wembley. Isn't that a great story. How abt this tho. They come from Cwmfelinfach. Say Come - Vell - In - Vark. Easy when you know
I told you I had a cunning plan for my birthday. As an insurance agst missing out on getting to 80, I have arranged for all my family to join me for a "79 plus 1" major celebration. I get a knees up, and just have to hang on in for 12 months, and I get another knees up. A win win for me. Can you see any improvement to build in?
Gotta go now. Early to bed in readiness for Pontypool Park tomorrow. They actually do play in the Park. Right next door to the famous Rugby Ground.
Be Happy Allan
Right girl. Wrong name. Wots in a name. Sophie rules. Red heads rules. Keep on voting folks.
ReplyDeleteAnother lovely day of sun. Aren't we lucky girls and boys. On the deck chair this morning watching my washing dry while I insulted the next door cat (she used to be my mate but has started ignoring me. I've seen her mother but she cannot help. Very unpredictable is our Dory.) And then down the Park to hammer 'em. Skin by now is colour of mahogany and hair bleaching out. Any minute now I will break out into "Good Vibrations" or some such surfing stuff. And another long day in the sun tomorrow in Cardiff. A Friendly Mixed Boys and Girls Match. I think I am on a roll. Back to Cardiff on Monday for Neil Sedaka's life story. Down in the Bay.
Must go. I had forgotten the rules. Everytime you wash you must iron. Being civilised is hard.
C yo9u all.............................Allan
There is nothing worse in life than coming second.
ReplyDeleteA very deflated Al
Can't let you get away with that Allan. Dim memories of Stanley Matthews and Mortenson(?) when I was a nipper living in lodgings in Blackpool and Dad was at Padgate paratrooping.
ReplyDeleteSorry to interrupt the monoblog. Enjoy it very much.
Mick you are welcome. This has just evolved into the Diary of a Nobody. It is not that by definition. I did have a sparring partner called Ron, but he is on a sabbatical. His forte is to baffle me with foreign lingo and long words. This is only a theory but every so often he disappears, and I am sure he is down the Library (Biblioteche/teque) topping up on same to catch me out once again. I remember the 2 M's - winger and centre forward. Remember the cup final where I listened to the match on a radio driven by a huge dry battery plus a lead/acid battery. No expense spared in those days.
ReplyDeleteI am working on getting a will to live. With the double whammy of Sophie second and Cardiff second it is hard. Swansea are enjoying it tho. Some even went to Wembley dressed in orange to shout for Blackpool. This East/West divide is very healthy for the nation. We hate each others guts, but God help any outsider who dares to interfere. They have to take on the two of us. The ongoing interaction keeps our reflexes and knuckles in trim ready for the real action.
Plse write some more...................be happy.................Allan
Allan,I like your plan of 'getting a will to live' but you may be setting too high a standard with 'There is nothing worse than coming second', especially when also saying it's a 'diary of a nobody'. I think I detect a dichotomy of resolve here. If a nobody is going to be first this makes them a somebody, but being second doesn't lead to nobody status. Perhaps in North America where not winning means losing but not in the Wizard and Adventure and the milieu in which we grew up. I abhor the attitude that says show me a runner up and I'll show you a loser. I doubt very much that you would call your Sophie and Cardiff losers! What about the well known 'It is better to have competed and lost than never to have competed at all' or was it 'loved' Never mind, same sentiment.
ReplyDeleteIt's largely about being happy and creating situations that keep you in that frame of mind. You seem to be good at that. For me it's Sunday morning and a great weather forecast-win one.Ate a perfect toasted bagel-win two. Had a walk in the park with the dog and saw the first rose of the year in the garden-wins three and four. Am going to the club to 'work' on the boat,drink a pint on the deck, watch others working and sailing,see the planes taking off and landing,perhaps watch the 'Victoria Day' fireworks or go to the pictures to see'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'-wins five, six,.....a day full of wins and not a loser in sight. Yes, I am easily amused and consider myself to be fortunate in that.I take you up on your sign-off. Be happy.
Mick.
Hey Mick, ta for that character insight. You are quite right. When it is tough going, there is no harm in coming second. But even while I type it I still have a germ inside me telling me - look Al, winning is better than losing. And I guess I communicate via hyperbole, cos I cannot help myself. But yr attitude is great. Life is for fun. Take one step back from life and just laugh at the antics some of us get up to. By the way things can go downhill any minute. Multitasking see. TV is on and a prog abt "Wham" is just starting. As you might have caught already, Wham were part of my family upbringing - more like my daughter bullied me into accepting them. They are up there now - George and Andrew with Shirley and Pepsi (the name sake of the family hamster). Can't remember why we never bought a boy. Happy memories. "Wake me up before you Go Go." That's the one I used to teach her how to rock. This is ridiculous, but I am finding this very moving. I guess the 80's must have been good for us.
ReplyDeleteMick, I don't think you are in with a chance tonight. Wham have gone and been replaced by the Stones. And I have opened a bottle of Nye Bevan bitter. Quote - people who stay in the middle of the road get run over - unquote. He must have been quite a character. He never compromised. I must apologise and go for the Stones. But catch you tomorrow or Tuesday. Just remembered that tomorrow is down to Cardiff for Neil Sedaka's life story. Very shallow, but I am going to get entertained, not get educated.
So just you stay happy..............Allan
I might have muddled you by mentioning "Diary of a Nobody". That is the title of a book from, say 1905, written by one of the Goldsmiths. Not the one who kept Gilbert and Sullivan at the grindstone. His brother. Just a stupid record of a berk called Mr. Pooter, who had such a boring life it was comical. He also had a son called Lupin, which was the name of one of our cats. We had a diabolical plan to always keep our pets guessing.
ReplyDeleteAl
Volare ho ho, 3rd. in the Eurovision song contest. Cantare, ho ho ho ho, 1st world wide hit.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget O Carol, Breaking up is hard to do, Solitaire, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen. Dare I mention Amarillo. Shirl - when ever you pop up, you always get to the heart of things. He had his day. He was great. The guy taking the lead role tonight played a blinder in Manchester. Can he cut the mustard in Cardiff? Ho ho ho ho.
ReplyDeleteBe happy Allan
You'll be expecting to hear abt last night but first I must tell you abt this morning. Pontypool Retired Mens Society. Tea Break. Cuppa and a bun and chew the fat with your mates. Get in quick. "Had a brilliant night in Cardiff last night. A show abt the life of Neil Sedaka."
ReplyDelete"You'll have really enjoyed. Saw him live in Vegas last year and he is fantastic.".............
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrh."
It went well. Taped music from the 50's to 80's so no prob with a subdued sing a long to warm us up. Then the show was on the road. Fairy story stuff. Jew boy living in 2 up and 2 down with Mother and Father and sister and 3 single aunts. Wins scholarship to go to Music School to become a world famous classical pianist. Ducks out like so many others in the 50's to try his hand at singer/songwriter in rock. Writes a song and hawks it round. Eventually sells it to.............CONNIE FRANCIS. May as well start at the top with a world star. "Stupid Cupid" went global. A man who wrote from the heart. "Oh Carol" was his girl. His agent banked him, just as Brit pop was making it hard for a Yank to earn a copper in the States. Even "Amarillo" was a no hoper unless it was passed on to an Englishman like Tony Christie. So he split from his co writer to chance his arm in the U.K. "Breaking up is hard to do" was a natural. Followed by "Solitaire". Back home. Reunite with co worker. "Laughter in the Rain" with a little help from Elton John, and he was back on track. The casting was fantastic. The girls were young and lissome. And had long legs. The boys coundn't half sing. The only miscast was a Rock n Roll band who were on stage all the time, just waiting for a chance to play. More friendly than being stuck in the pit. Except the bass saxophonist was a girl abt 4' 8" tall. As you are probably aware sax players do it by squatting and wagging it abt. And a bass is abt 5' long. Every time she played I was on the lookout for her front teeth going west. But she survived the night. So there we are. Another great night of standing up and arms in the air. Back to nature now. Bowls training tonight and a match tomorrow.
Be happy Allan
Humble Pie time again for Allan. You might recall I was quite scathing during the winter, abt members who preferred to be down the shed rather than watch International Rugby on Telly. Well you will never guess what I am into tomorrow. A photo call for the grand opening of a.................you are right............A SHED. Monmouthshire B. Society sponsored the Bowls Club for a Tools Shed. The concrete base has gone in. Umpteen parcels - a bit like IKEA having a clear out and Bingo - we had a shed. Now they want bragging rights. So I'll be there in my white trousers and shoes and club top doing my thing. As long as it doesn't make the front page of the F.T. Never a dull moment. Always something new.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
MIck - one of my quirks is when nothing much is happening a mad coincidence crops up and gets me all focussed once again. While you were reminding me of Stanley Matthews, so news broke that Ivor Powell had retired from Football Coaching at the age of 93. O.K. sort of news, but not front page stuff. Except for his Welsh connection - born a few miles West of me in Bargoed. Worked down the pit for a year or two, worked his way up thro Junior Football to be a pro. When War broke out, he was posted near Blackpool, so he played along with Stanley. Wing half Even curiouser, he was picked to play for Wales agst England and had to drop out thro injury. Wales hadn't bothered with Reserves, so "borrowed" Stanley Mortensen from England!!! I know there was a war on but that really takes the biscuit. To round off, post war he stayed in football as a player, player manager, manager, without hitting any great heights. Then he went coaching Juniors and just stuck with it. The Queen thought she might get him to go when she gave him an M.B.E. for his 90th. But he put in another 3 yrs before calling it a day. And you made all that happen. Just one rule to observe. Never ever argue or question the reason for the coincidence. Follow that and you will find they happen all the time. There you are, a bit of fun and a bit of education, cos that is what you like to do.
ReplyDeleteBe happy Allan
And for the rest of you, we had the Crown Prince of shed piccie men. Euronymus Bosch himself. He took one look at the Green and flung himself down prone. LIned his Nikon up at grass root level and did some serious composition. A group of Bowls and us lot staring away at them. When we had done we had to take 5 while the breeze went down. Unbeknown to him he had taken a series of Marilyn Monroe sort of art work. Bowls skirts are cut for action not modesty. The second series looked more acceptable so off he toddled. Some of them were disappointed the shed didn't get any action. Quite honestly, even Lowry would have struggled with that, to make it look pretty.
ReplyDeleteWonder what tomorrow will bring? Just remembered. My youngest, Pete, is visiting. He textd me asking if he could bring his didgeridoo!!! He only bought it yesterday and his P.C. won't bring up the music tutorial. This should be serious fun. I might even ask the neigbours to tell you all abt it tomorrow night.
Ron you should be in on this. Serious Andes stuff.
Be Happy Allan
I knew there was something else. I went to wash up my tea things, and back aching slavery like this does promote deep thought, and it hit me like a flash. Never asked the ladies if they wanted an intro to a 6' 3", black haired, green eyed, 22 year old with a 31"waist. If so go to Google. Type in Jack David male model. And who do you get? Guess? Not in a million years. Give in? Sure you want to give in? O.K. You will see our Bowls Captain. Bet nobody got it right.
ReplyDeleteI love teasing.
Be happy Allan
The jury is still out on Didgeridoos. The easy bit is learning how hard or how soft to blow to make a real good "MOO" sound. The next thing is to keep it up as a continuous noise. That is what is expected of you if you are ever going to make the grade as a concert didgerdooist. So we are working on how to keep a continuous air flow thro the instrument, while at the same time doing normal breathing in and out thro the nose. It is not easy. But. And it is a big but. He wants to be up and running ready for sunrise on 21st June at the Glastonbury Tor or Stonehenge. Miss that and he is stuck for a whole year. Anybody got something more sensible, and still acceptable, for him to celebrate the Summer Solstice?
ReplyDeleteDo me a favour plse. Make an O with your lips. Fully inflate yr lungs. Quite gently exhale thro the O. Simultaneously do normal breathing thro yr nose. Don't stop playing. If you can do it plse let me know the trick.
Thks folks. Allan
B.G.T..................Tonight..................What a pity Neil lost it....................Not particularly bothered abt his "Frankie" act. But am I going to miss the chucker out thug friends of his. Were they menacing or what? Imagine a film with that lot in, with Vinnie Jones as the leader of the gang. Swaggering down the Mile End Road kicking butt. After dark. Thin rain. Gas light on the greasy cobbles. Kray Twins, Jack the Hat, and all that lot, running for cover. Having a pint in the "Blind Beggar" before torching the joint.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
I wrote a charming little story, hit "Submit" and it has gone to Room 101. I was making the point that I have tried music, jokes, film script without any response, so tonight I try the TV fall back - cookery. It starts abt 18 moths ago. The TV prog where entrepreneurs try to persuade a panel of 4 self made millionaires to invest in their idea in return for a share of the action An Asian guy tried to drum up interest in his "Tiger Tiger" range of sauces/dressings. No hopes. Market already overloaded. So he went it alone. It not only sold well, but he picked up a big contract from Tesco. I thought to myself here is a man who deserves encouragement, nipped down to Tesco and bought a botle of "Thai Red" and a bottle of "Thai Green," They are both very good but I prefer the Red. Pour a packet of ready mixed lettuce, rocket etc on your plate - drizzle on the Red. Add a savoury. Serve with garlic bread. (10 pieces for a £1 in Iceland). And you have a meal fit for a king. Any leftovers make an excellent Dip served with Pringles on another day.
ReplyDeleteGive it a whirl for a couple or four quid for 2 or 3 of you and tell me what you think.
Be Happy Allan
I think the guy who invented that girl singers need to sing in knickers and high heels (Madonna?) was a genius. The modern girls, like the one on BGT just now, can knock spots off Vera Lynn, Lita Roza etc. Just sitting around pondering life, and the thought just flashed thro my head.
ReplyDeleteBe thoughtful and become happy....................ALLAN
Might have been Kylie. Who am I to know?
ReplyDeleteAll good news tonight. Gavin and Charlotte have split. Pity abt the kids, but Henson had nothing really going for him. He had one outstanding game agst England, and then just faded away until he took his gardening leave. And in any case Charlotte looks and sounds like my Em, so no contest.
ReplyDeleteI have mentioned the next door cat, Dori, has gone off me. And a counter attack of insults got me nowhere. So I switched tactics, and tried a charm offensive. I left on her doorstep a card full of love etc and a huge, deep deep blue Clematis, (6 and 3/4 inch diameter) in a bowl. President. They all buzzed off to Hull to see her Grandma for the weekend but came back yesterday. Dori must have heard me chatting to Rachel over the garden fence cos she came tearing out, down the garden, thro the fence, up my garden, and threw herself supine at my feet. Paws in the air, and "Plse tickle my tummy!" So our relationship is back on.
If you don't hear from me for a day or two - have no fear. Going over to Risca for a few days while Em and Alex are oop North for a wedding. Their two dogs are really geriatric, and she worries abt them being in kennels and mebbe dying on their own. They should have family around. And that is me. A bit morbid, but I admire her honesty and caring attitude.
Be happy Allan
Allan is watching B.G.T. over in Risca.
ReplyDeleteAllan is using Windows 7. Takes courage.
ReplyDeleteBreeching the gap in Allan's chronicle of life in today's Britain, June 5th 2010 temp. 22c.....
ReplyDeleteWith a silent minute of reflection for our neighbours in the west of the county the annual Holker Festival took place amidst the calm green countryside of South Cumbria and the beautiful surroundings of Holker Hall, home to the genial Lord Cavendish, and just a couple of miles from the village where I live. It's been a day of good manners, simple pleasures and outstanding beauty; it's England and the English at their best and I am eternally grateful for this day.
Shirl. Patriotism. Shirl. And by the bucket full. I love it, love it, love it. Pray you have started a trend.
ReplyDeleteBe going home soon. Alex and his 3 nurses have just left Liverpool. Sounds like a good wedding. They all got hammered last night. Didn't do so bad myself with a bottle of pink, meatballs and chips. She knows how to spoil her dad.
Be Happy Allan
Go to my page (Allan Swales) on Facebook. Surprise, surprise, I am only a sleeping partner on there. But this newsy wedding of mine gets into print, plus 5 photos. And one of the five is Alex and Em (orange dress) on their own.
ReplyDeleteWhich reminds me. Charlotte has bought Gavin a £1m house just down the road from their mansion. Help him keep close to the kids. Look out for me down there tomorrow with my magic President Clematis. Done the trick once, so don't laugh.
If you wonder, why am I on Facebook then? I was bullied into it by a young lady you all know very well. She was pretty good on persuading me to get in there but never really followed thro with a code of conduct for when you get there. And me being terrible shy, I have never progressed.
Aren't I just lucky. The footie has finished and Piers is trying to get you in the mood for Africa by playing......... LADYSMITH BLACK MOMBAZO. Wowee.
Be Happy ALLAN
I wrote some of my best ever prose tonight, and then my P.C. fell to bits. Now I am back it has gone for good. Forgotten what I said now, so instead will tell you I am all geared up ready for a charabang trip tomorrow to somewhere in Herefordshire. Sos and Mash already ordered (you'll need a good lining) and then an afternoon meandering round a Cider Mill. (Somebody has to do it.)
ReplyDeleteBe happy Allan
I got it all wrong. No prob. It is all a surprise then. A little village called Much Marcle, which is home to Westons Cider Mill. A family business more or less based on one apple tree and a timber peggy tub for the fermentation. It grew like topsy and now has a tank farm of a million tanks each holding 45,000 galls. A real biggie. But the Grandad Weston still lives on site and, surprise surprise, drives a BMW with a personal plate - C1DER. And his Missus drives C10ER. We kicked of with a complimentary coffee, followed by a plant tour and then got stuck into the action. Sampling. Roughly 100ccs of each. 'Cept they have an enormous range. 10 samples is a litre. 20 samples is 2 litre. Go back for seconds. Vintage is 8.2% alc. Mellow is the word I am looking for. But being mellow really helped with my sos and mash (with drinks). The sun was shining, so it made sense to sit in the garden (with drinks). Now the Welsh seem to have a thing abt Tudor cladding on buildings, so the driver of the coach was persuaded to go into Ledbury, and give us an half hour break to soak up (in their words) the "Black and Whites". Ledbury having them in abundance. I made friends with a huge mastiff. She nearly reached my armpits and her name was Naomi. She was massive. And then home.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
Allan, About a million years ago I was in Ross on Wye with a Canadian pal looking for a souvenir for him to take home. Heavy sealed pots of cider from Much Marcle were our choice. Shortly after getting back to Toronto the phone went .. "Have you tried your cider yet. It tastes...funny" It did too. Absolutely putrid and I've had some bad stuff in my time. We ended up throwing his and mine out.I didn't even want to cook with it although the empty pots were nice souvenirs. I wrote to the cider mill mentioning how I had recommended the cider and ended up being embarrassed when it turned out being 'off' Never heard another thing 'til about two months later when this very heavy parcel arrived,airmail,with about 200 quid in stamps on it to cover postage. Two pots of cider,one for him and one for me.We opened mine first, then his. Exactly the same as the first lot! Bullmers and Woodpecker are absolutely useless in developing a taste for this stuff.
ReplyDeleteBe Thirsty, Mick.
Anyone born and bred in the northeast as we were knows nothing,I suppose about real cider. I have heard that they shove everything from rusty nails to dead sheep into it.I once tasted "rough cider" and it was unpleasant, though not putrid. I also, in my carefree youth,drank half a barrel of the sweet stuff with a friend and we were to all intents and purposes dead for three days after.Expensive? No,it cost us nothing.I won't go into the reasons for us being in that cellar at that time when we were supposed to be on guard.This was a week or two before the last but one of the V2 rockets landed near us,but far enough only to break the windows and shake us up a bit.But
ReplyDeletefor years after that evenng with the half-barrel I couldn't touch cider or stand the smell of it
Ron, Ron. Bon jour mon ami. Comment ca va. Missed yah.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely true. But never own up to it. A lads day out is something to be treasured and what men need. So if you hate every minute, always come back and eulogise. No prob then getting permission for the next one. Too true, the apples arrive in a scratty old lorry - get tipped into a pit full of dead beetles and rotting twigs and leaves. Everything transferred by gravity (aided by hose pipe) to a Macerator giving a massive reduction in particle size. Filtered. And the residual beetle juice, twig juice and apple juice is fermented. That is our salvation. A decent alcohol content guarantees sterility. Believe me. I am (er...was) a chemist. But, do your inhibitions & post war trauma stretch to Calvados? Cos you see that fire water is actually distilled cider. The govt regulate drinks to be no higher than 8.4% alcohol content, so to enhance the kick, distil it. You probably are unaware of this, but in the good old days they tested the %age strength of alcohol content by pouring it over gunpowder. Then throw in a lighted match. If it exploded it was good stuff. If the match was doused it was just gnat's. There is fun in a Chem. Lab. I won't go any further - involves higher maths.
Here's something to interest you. My P.C. a few days ago went off the rails and arrived back with wonderful linguistic talents. Don't know how to do it and don't know how to stop it. But when I hover the cursor over a word, up comes a little balloon with abt 30 translations into foreign language. So look out. I haven't given it the acid test of typing foreign and seeing if I get English.
Adios Amigos...................Allan.....XXX
Just had a go and you will love this.
ReplyDelete"Comment" comes up as comentario, or observacion or vista de observacion or vista de glosa.
"Ca" comes up as California
"Va" comes up as Virginia (could do worse. Might have been Viagra!!)
"Vista" coimes up as Vista
"De" comes up as Delaware
I am going to play with this for hours. It's like Xmas all over again.
"De" comes up as Delaware
The hiccup over "De" was nothing to do with me. I think I will have to get this machine exorcised
ReplyDeleteBowls last night. Bowls tonight. It's killing me. You lot wanna try sucking in your stomach and puffing out yr chest and then not exhaling for 2 1/2 hrs. It's hard. Duw it's hard.
ReplyDeleteAl
2.15 - Just got in from a morning out helping the kids. Catching the end of a Greek footie match. Very disappointed to find their names on their shirts. You expect a motor boat owner or two - like Doppledoppledoppledos. But no Xerxes or Ulysses. Neptune? What is happening?
ReplyDeleteAllan...............Bet Ron knows.
The fun just carried on. Went down the gym and came across a scenario which brought back memories. Little kids flexing their muscles. Proud dad having taken 2 yr old for a swim, takes kid for a shower. Adjusts temp., flow rate etc. LIttle kid goes under and jumps straight out. "Get back in" says dad, "It can't be too hot." Kid gives look like "Get lost." So dad cups his hands and throws contents over kid. "There you are you see. Perfectly O.K." "It looks like I've had it now. I'll go and get dressed." Exit dad with kid. No doubt went home and strangled him, and then finished his own shower!!
ReplyDeleteAnd then on the way home I dropped off in Tesco for an onion. The checkout girl looked like a right old slapper - which I must admit is a bit of an improvement - so I made the effort to walk over and congratulate her. She explained the female staff had all come in as WAGS. Which knocks hanging out flags into a cocked hat!! Well. Wonder what will turn up tomorrow. I fancied a morning of painting and then in the afternoon we are entertaining a lovely club from England - Avonmouth - coming over for a Mixed Friendly. Something will upset it.
How abt this? Got a letter from my old place in Dagenham this morning, inviting me to a bit of a do. 5,000 worked there in my day, but it is flattened now. The Royal Society of Chemistry have awarded the status of a Chemical Landmark Site for the "Pioneering Research and Manufacturing Work" and I am invited as someone who "contributed greatly to the success of Dagenham." I think I am bound to go. You'll all know why.
Be Happy Allan
Allan.when you're dealing with foreigners it's a good idea to get the names and the countries right,especially the names of their goddam gods.Otherwise they might condemn you to a long life (those whom the gods favour die young) or drive you insane(those whom the gods would destroy they first make mad) though it may be a bit late to avoid that.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Xerxes was not Greek, he was a Persian king and the greeks had nothing but trouble with him. Neptune was unknown to them, they had their own god of the sea, Poseidon,and Ulysses was Greek alright but his name was Odysseus
Not that I know anything about Greece and Greek. The absolute summit of human achievement in the world of Gaff Turner in the 3os and 40s was to become a classics teacher, but I resisted all efforts to learn Greek,and when I told him I didn't want to go to his old Alma Mater, Birmingham University, he declared that he didn't want to speask to me ever again ( he relented later).Sinfullly, I took my degree in a nasty little modern language.
Sometimes I think it would have been nice to spend my days is some idyllic village like Thorne as a classics master,but the trouble was that I didn't want to teach anything, I preferred a job where I was learning, not teaching something every day.
On a visit to Crete once, I tried to remember some phrases I had tried to learn but the only thing that came to mind was Muaresi nakolimbo meto fengari ( I like to swim by moonlght) which doesn't get you verey far.
I'll bet they had a few illegal immigrants up on Olympus. Hermes would pull on his Nikes and spread the word round that Bacchus was having a right ding dong of a party and they would all be there. Park your Pegasus with Hercules. He had the cleanest Stables in town. Cabaret by that new rising star - Venus. And after a bit of the old Ambrosia I bet some hung on like my rellies do, for a century or two. But please don't take me to task abt Geography. I gave up many years ago. Just work off that the end bits are cold and frosty and everybody eats blubber. And the middle bit is hot and smells of Vindaloo. Then life is full of surprises. I notice you didn't challenge Dopple-dopple-dopple-dos. Did I get that bit right?
ReplyDeleteBy the way - we hammered Avonmouth today. The sun shone really hot. Our red black and white new "Drifit" shirts looked sweet, and did what it said on the tin - kept you dry. But the painting was never in with a chance. Wonder why I always select to do the things I like first. My mother always made me eat my crusts. Or is that my Oedipus showing?
Be Happy my friend..............Allan
I've remembered why my painting never got done. Not "Manana" at all. I was having brekkie at 10.00. Sucking Bran Flakes thro the gaps, hair vertical, sleepy dust in the eyes, wearing my Hang Ten cut-offs. In other words a mess. And in came Em and Alex. Gave me a box of Roses for being such a good dad/in-law yesterday. And after a good old goss it was shower and shave time, and out. So I was a victim of my own goodness. Not a lazy slob. I can sleep well now.
ReplyDeleteNight night. Al
Ron don't take life, or your gods, too literally. What the gods were offering was that, irrespective of the calendar, if they fancied you, they would ensure that as you became an old codger that you would stay young at heart and mind. Enjoying life and taking a positive slant on affairs. And not turn into one of those grizzly old devils finding fault with one and all.
ReplyDeleteSo there. Allan has spoken.
Made a startling discovery! My birthday is next week and had a passing thought to check what music I was born into. They didn't have weekly charts, downloads etc in those wind up gramaphone days. They could just do annual sales of records. And you'll never guess - mine were "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" and "I don't why - I just do." How prophetic.
ReplyDeleteNothing to do with the old wives tale that born on Midsummers Eve means the fairies came and did swaps with you for a fairly crummy fairy baby.
Check yourselves out folks.
Be Happy Allan
I am now a collector of names on shirts. So it is with great glee I tell the world of T.G.S. that the name of the Goalie who appeared today for BRAZIL was....................JULIO CAESAR. If his father and mother happen to be at the Reunion, plse make sure I get an introduction. I need people like that on my team.
ReplyDeleteAllan
Best wishes for your Birthday,Allan,may you live long and boldly,as we were once enjoined to do (ma non troppo or you would catch it)
ReplyDeleteAs we advance in years,as you so well reminded me only the other day,we do well to start taking life seriously, refrain from sowing wild oats and dragons' teeth,make peace with our gods,if any,and snore gracefully into oblivion.
A few hours ago I was just dropping off,as folks nearer ninety than eighty are entitled to do after a lobster and sauvignon lunch ( an exception,it's usually a bit of a sandwich and a bowl of veg soup,but after all,we had to celebrate your imminent coming of mature age, and I fell to dreaming of Broadway where I lived from age 6 to 18. I was waiting for an old friend, and when I heard his footstep I went to the door to greet him, but he had gone, leaving only some letters stuffed into the letter-box.
Then I awoke, went down to the water, tied a chair to a post on my dock to secure it against the tempests of the night, and listened to the lake water 'lapping with low sounds on the shore', and thought again of Broadway, how I might have stayed there and become a sententious old schoolteacher. or how instead of my Dad taking us all down from the North in1925,we might have taken over my grandma's smallholding near Rosedale Abbey, and I might now be going down with the swill to feed the pig, and the pig,the dog and I would have had sage conversations on the state of the world, in the North Riding dialect.
But here we are, w've just got to be careful not to make the worst of a good job.
Ja,ma Du leva uti hundrade ar!
Ron
Now this is for serious. This morning a lady brought in a bit of "old junk" into the Pontypool Adult Education Centre. It was a cricket bat left to her by her grandad. It had some pen and ink scribble on, and she wondered if anybody could translate. I was first there, and b****y ding dong. Was I surprised? Don Bradman, Keith Miller etc and the Oz Touring Team of 1948. Wally Hammond, Len Hutton, Verity, Bill Bowes, Leyland, Compton et alia from England. About 30 names and each one a legend. What a find. Value? Haven't a clue but I would guess £2.5K to £10K. It was an honour just to touch it. These were not cricketers - these were gods. Did I feel privileged just to have been there. It was a souvenir from the first test of the Tour, which was being played at Old Trafford. How I wish it was mine.
ReplyDeleteRon - you cheeky devil. I am typing away at my desk and up you pop. And with a piece of literature which I haven't a chance of emulating. Thank the gods mine has subject matter. Hope you are ready to salivate as you read mine. Too late. You've already read it. Life can be cruel at times.
Allan on cloud nine.
Ar divvent nar wot yer torkin aboot, wi yer North Riding tork etc.
ReplyDeleteFor educationalists, teachers etc do you have an opinion on Charlotte Church being used as a role model for how Welsh kids in school should speak English. Examples tomorrow - bed time.
Night night.....................Allan
Allan. your transliteration of the Cleveland dialect is very good,though I would have used a v instead of a w. As in Oodivahno (How do I know).It's a language that deserved great respect: probably spoken by Caedmon,the first English poet,by the Venerable Bede, by a world renowned soprano, a champion footballer, by the internationally celebrated company of sword-dancers of Loftus, by Captain Cooke (or was he really a Scot), etc etc etc
ReplyDeleteIf language was hereditary,but it isn't,your proficiency could be explained by the fact that your ancestors once lived just down the street from mine.I once got the names of all the inhabitants on a certain street in Loftus and my father,grandfather and greatgrandfather lived just a few doors away from a family called Swales. So maybe they were mates,and all of thembeing natural troublemakers, had the occasional squabble. But considering the meaning of the word swales your lot could have come from anywhere in England, as could mine.
Ar gets arl ova doo dar when yizz giz uz praise. Ar guz arl red int face..........hang on washing machine is needing emptying............can't do it any more now. Not when I know everybody is watching. You are a big screen man. I am a shy introvert.
ReplyDeleteI thought Capn Cooke came from Hull. If you live in Hull it makes sense to go hell for leather to Oz, i.e. max the possible distance.
That's interesting you had a Swales. Wherever I go I have a look in the Directory and there don't seem many anywhere. But I agree it is not an area word. My step father (a Leeds man) called these depressions "swillies". An American even wrote me complaining abt the swales in the grass at the Millenium Stadium, Cardiff, making a poor surface for Rugby. Even worse he was right. The daft bats put up a mouth watering stadium. Beautiful it is. But overlooked the high humidity at ground level. Plus no drainage. So when the grass was trucked in on pallets and laid it sat and sulked. Stayed wet and slimy with no lateral growth to seal the joins.
I am tired and ready for bed now. Before I go just a bit of brag. I have started my paint job. Just the first coat. A fungicidal wash to kill +/or prevent fungicidal or algae growth. Bet that's got you guessing!
Nighty night Allan
Whisht lads had yer gobs arl tell yer arl an arful story
ReplyDeleteWhisht lads had yer gobs arl tell yer boot the Warm.
Take no notice of that. Just an attention grabber. But Ron I must draw the attention of the world to your howler. Take a bit closer look at my prose next time. Like now.......you can have "divvent" or you can have "diwent". Now take a second look and my first attempt has 2 of "v" and the second has 1 of "w". Unless and until you take pains to spot the difference how can we converse in this strange dialect. After an apology, I will consider the subject closed. I don't wish you to carry the burden of this for the rest of your days, ducking and diving every time you spot me in the Maltese Cross, or whatever label you have on yr local boozer.
Regards Allan Swales
If I were to confess that I mistook vv for w I would plead extenuating circumstances,in my view this presumed pecadillian oversight is no heinous crime and you won't get no grovelling apology from me. If you wish to pursue the matter,I will demand the convening of a disciplinary tribunal, consisting solely of my English friends and Maltese bodyguards, to make a determination on the matter.and my counter-charges,the verdict to be delivered by the end of the decade,if possible.To secure the date and venue for the preliminary hearing please deposit one thousand pounds sterling into my bank account.,the remainder of the damages that will be awarded to me for epistolary character assassination to be paid in solid gold Fengshui leaves.
ReplyDeleteSee you in court,
Ron
Ron - I am afraid you and the Maltese Mafia will have to go on the back burner. I am tamping, I am screaming with pain. Tonight was a cup round. Off we all went to Llanhilleth. Beautiful siting. Verticals on all 4 sides. Millions of trees just managing to keep hold. Houses just hanging on by fingertips. And some lunatic wrote a set of rules that said we lost. The overall score was 55 - 53. You can't lose by 2 points in fifty odd. We got knocked out by 2 points!! It is ludicrous to even think along those lines. What sort of country am I living in that allows such atrocities? All I can say is we are up in the sticks again tomorrow. Beaufort. Go to Ebbw Vale and turn left. Find a street full of C reg. Astras (half on bricks with wheels nicked), and you are there. All I will say is they had better look out. I, personally, will not be taking any prisoners.
ReplyDeleteAllan
Well, we were on the High Veldt today. 1000 ft up. The Green was in a beautiful condition and the sun was hot. And we got hammered. We just came out of the second Division and these boys are always at the top end of Division One. As a social comment it is pretty well established that the upper Valley towns and villages just offer no future for youngsters except the sex industry, beer and drugs. On the other hand the youngsters can, and some do, devote a lot of time in excellence at sport . And we paid for that today. A young enthusiastic bunch of lads took us old codgers to the cleaners. Welcome to the real world in Div One. I know, so it goes without saying, that I am a bad loser, but my feelings today were a million miles away from last night's. When I was playing Rugby I had an absolute ban on my players talking about fixtures or games. We played "matches" and nothing else. I rest my case.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Winners Allan
Life is going ahead at such a speed it is difficult to keep up. Where to start? Rugby news. Good news first. England beat Oz. England have been struggling. Oz are in amongst the top 3 teams in the world. And we beat 'em. Joyo. Not so good. Enzed beat Wales. Enzed are also amongst the top 3. So we must try harder next time. And now for a match which I have never heard of before. About an hour before the Welsh match in Dunedin (this is a traditional event reserved for International day only) the Nude Blacks beat the Welsh Leeks. A good 1000 people congregated to watch a full on Rugby Sevens. The two teams were local boys against a scratch team of back packers, tourists and the like. Now for the catch. It is played in the buff. Not a stitch. Cue for Tackle jokes and Naked enthusiasm etc. They had a streaker (fully clothed of course) escorted off by a naked Policeman!!
ReplyDeleteAnd for me today - Sun, Sun, Sun. Mixed Friendly at home agst Brecon. 6 Rinks with 8 0ld codgers (mixed gender) to a Rink. They are a lovely club. Really friendly people who just enjoy Bowls so much they only play friendlies. A wonderful sight to see the perfect green grass full to capacity with 48 players in their whites, against a back cloth of an 8 foot high hedge (keeps out the world and all its probs) and a blue blue sky above. And the icing on the cake (to coin a phrase) our normal buffet of sarnies, pork pie, pate and hot bread, crisps etc gets supplemented by cream cakes and gateau. Wowee. Have I mentioned the bar. Must have.
Tomorrow looms the spectre of painting, or find a good reason why not. Might rain - if I get lucky.
The cricket bat is progressing. Up in England I have a friend on Sportlot who moves in the right circles. He is acquainted to Cowdrey's son Chris, who does auctions and sports memorabilia, charity work etc. If I get feed back I will let you know.
Be brown and happy...................Allan
I ran out of puff last night. I had another story abt this mad country I live in. A married couple in Bridgend. They are really committed Christians, Church every Sunday, doing good around the parish, fund raising, bring and buy. The full Monty. Then abt 18 months ago the husband came in and told his wife of a brilliant business scheme he had just thought of. "God promotes marriage. Sex is one of the things that hold a marriage together. So why not open a religious sex shop?" "Sounds a bit dodgy to me. Perhaps we should run it by the Vicar." Surprisingly enough, the vicar approved of it in principle. They also gave him the power of veto on all lines etc prior to them ordering in. And it was soon up and running. Known as "Wholly Loving". Which is a joke itself. Don't believe me then go to the web page. Listen to a tape of her Radio 4 b'cast.
ReplyDeleteAnybody interested but a bit shy - just send your order to me. I get 25% off Ann Summers stuff at the gym. They held a mixed Ann Summers party only a few weeks ago. Never went.
I always want you all to be happy. A tip. Don't shelter from the storm. Learn how to dance in the rain.
Be happy ALLAN
Tuesday night you will have to twiddle yr thumbs for entertainment, I am afraid. Big birthday day has arrived. I push off at 09.30 for 24 hrs, at least, away from the madding crowd.
ReplyDeleteBut I must tell you this before I go. My mother always told me not to go away leaving dirty washing in the basket. So today I washed and hung out in the sun. Pegging out I subconsciously colour coded the pegs. White for knickers, blue for towels, yellow for shirts etc. Then it hit me. There is no such thing as a black peg!!! I have found a gap in the market. We could make a fortune here. Somebody nip round to Jerry Waller for tech back up (he was busy in 1948 making plastic toys for Kellogs Corn Flakes et alia, so he'll know how to do it. Say "Compression Moulding" and wait for his eyes to light up.) Not many people know that. Rich. We are all gonna be rich. Must check out our Ron to see if he wants to write the copy. Somebody check if Gypsies hold the patent rights. No time to waste if we are in the big time. A monster contract with Wilco looms.
Sleep well & happily.........................Allan
Am I getting paranoid,or do I sense a dastardly plot? Allan is planning to manufacture Black Pegs and wants me to be associated with him.His next step:send me as representative of his Black Peg company to the Mexican Gulf.
ReplyDeleteNext days headline: BP REP disappears in New Orleans.
Steady on,Allen.
The question of colour coordination between pegs and clothes was raised on this site a few years ago. I confess that I do not possess the aesthetic sensitivity required for this kind of refinement. If I have to peg anything on the line I strung between two trees I take whatever peg my fingers fall on,and most of our pegs are woodcloured anyway because they are made of wood.
ReplyDeleteBut I would suggest that all pegs should be clear-glass colour so that they would be perceived by chromatic osmosis to assume the colour of the thing they are suspending. And it should not be beyond the talents of scientists like our Allan to invent a Chameleon Peg that would assume the appropriate colour...and I would feel safer as World Representative of the Chameleon Clothespeg Company than of BP.I would also recommend that Allan look at his washing machine to determine whether there is not a second door that you can open and stuff the washed clothes in and switch on.It is pertinently called a Dryer, because it dries the clothes,without reuiring any pegging at all., and on rainy days without caparisoning a "clothes horse" withthem in front of the fire and filling the house with cold steam as we used to do long ago.
Ron, Ron. Have you no soul? Is romance dead? Traditional habits and practises are what made us Brits great. Driers are for softies. No, hang em out. It chucks down with rain and you become a hero for fetching them in. All sorts of brownie points for the taking. Mrs Ron waiting at the back door with a wee dram as a reward for her hero.
ReplyDeleteBut if you are chicken abt black pegs, we may as well find out now. I don't want anybody on my team, unless they are totally committed to the cause. You would be my first choice as a copy writer/sales, but there are others out there. Having got it established as a world leader then you could be hooked back into Product Development for Chameleon peg overlord. It's your choice mate. All I can do is offer fame and fortune. Dare you refuse? Can you refuse?
(I remember now that I have been into pegs before. I was using the pen name of Probs of being a Male Singleton, I think. Something like that.)
Hey, but I had a great birthday. Cards and pressies. Belated cards and pressies for Fathers Day. We started in the garden. (The council cut the grass on Monday in readiness - good thinking.) Drink a little wine, soak up the rays, contemplate a barbie. First mistake. Do not buy wine in 3L boxes. With 0.75L bottles you have a measure of yr progress by the no. of M/Ties. You have reached the point of no return when the box is found M/T. So Barbie abandoned on H. & S. grounds. But good pub/restaurant a country mile down the road. Walk? Ride? Ride? Walk? Ride there and walk back made sense. Healthy see. You're joking. The state we were in. But clinging on to each other (and bouncing off a few walls) we made it back. Taxi? No hope. Weaklings only. When we got back Alex started playing my new Stones C.D. thro the telly, so a bit of Rock n Roll with Em. Totally mad.
Today has been recovery day. But, by jingo, it was worth it. Roll on the next b'day.
Everybody be happy as me..............Allan
Congrats Ron, on creeping in a posh word like "caparison". Had to look it up, but perfect. Horse - clothes - clothes - horse. Magic. But I warn you now. I came across "capillaceous" & "capnomancy" at the same time. I intend working those in one day.
ReplyDeleteCheers Al
The birthday door might be closed,............. but another door opens. Thro the post this morning arrived an invitation from the Govt (W.A.G.), two free tickets actually - pensioners perk, for the National Eisteddfod up in Brynmawr. So that's me off again on Sunday 1 August. It's hardly got started by then, but there's a Cymanfa Ganu seeing it is Sunday. Have to get some practice in. "On word Kris ti anne So,o,o,old jers" etc etc. There's plenty of talent thro the week. The Oldies, Aled Jones, Bryn Terfel, Angharad Mair. The new kids, our Kath, our Rhyd, Only Men Aloud. A mixed choir of 230 with soloists Jason Howard, Leah Marian Jones, Wynne Evans & Iona Jones doing Mozarts Requiem Mass. A real beano. And of course, going shopping on the Maes for Welsh produce. And all just a few miles up the road. Roll on. (If you want more go to www.eisteddfod.org.uk nearer the time)
ReplyDeleteBe happy.................Allan
Phoned the organisers today for hints and tips and got reminded everything is in the medium of Welsh. Just makes the Cymanfa easier. Go La la to everything. This happens every year and the papers run with it. Do we want a Welsh speaking festival in English speaking areas? Elfed Roberts, Chief Exec., got it going tonight by stating "A warm welcome is the same in any language." "Culture crosses barriers." My opinion is that as long as I can differentiate my "Merched" from my "Dynion" when wanting a toilet, I'll get thro.
ReplyDeleteBut just to show we still look at life with a sense of humour. There was a report today of a police raid on a house in Newport. Sniffer dogs (Lou and Joey) went in and found £500,000 worth of Amphetamines and £15,000 stashed in a Tumble Dryer. And this is true - a couple have been arrested and charged with "possession of drugs with intent to supply, and money laundering."
Beddy byes.........night night all....................Allan
Surprise, surprise, nothing happened today. But I have news from yesterday.
ReplyDeleteWe are getting our own Angel of the North. On Monday it will be 60 yrs exactly since the Six Bells Colliery explosion. The memorial to the 45 dead was getting tatty so funding was obtained for a replacement. It is a collier of the era, 13m. tall on a 7m. plinth. It is being erected this weekend and will be unveiled by the Archbishop of Canterbury on Monday - just above the site of the disused colliery in Ebbw Vale. Type in "Six........Explosion" and select one or more of half a dozen references, which should be interesting to mining families. Shift manning, safety rules, description of the pit underground, and the legal enquiry. All sorts.
Did you see Bill Clinton at the footie today with Mick Jagger, right up high in the cheap seats. It would have been interesting to eavesdrop. Bill, "Sat up here in the bleeders (coll. American for high up cheap seats - like thin air gives you a nose bleed) when I should be at the front with Mandela. If only Monica had worn a wash and wear polyester from Matalan." Mick, "Know what you mean. Detail catches you out. There was Marianne in the nuddie, lying on a fur coat. Harmless. And somebody had to give her a Mars bar just as the cops came."
A passing thought, "Nervous breakdowns are hereditary. We get them from our children."
Be happy Allan
Well I never. My postie came with good tidings for ALLAN. All this austerity stuff being bandied about, and the W.A.G. has an even bigger pot of money to throw at our Council to relieve the suffering of us poor pensioners liable for Council Tax in 2011 - 2012. Same rules as this year, but widened the bottle neck. Dropped the age limit to 73 from 75. So if somebody can do the maths, it's a toss up how many over 75's have or will snuff it v the size of the incoming 73 - 75 new kids. Add 'em up, divide into the pot, and that's what we get You might recall we clicked for £60.00 this financial year. No messing, I'm in for the long haul for 80 now. Throw down a gauntlet and I am there. Getting booked in down the Surgery for a complete check up becomes top priority.
ReplyDeleteThe prog for the Cymanfa came too, but was a mixed blessing. Can't read music and can't read Welsh. Doh. So no ideas on Christian Soldiers or Rugged Crosses appearing or not. But I know the music to "Calon Lan" & "Cwm Rhondda" so I'll improvise a few la la's there. In fact, I find Calon Lan grabs me no end. I just get a huge sadness, and feel in need of a cuddle whenever I hear it. Very stirring. Anybody else get that way?
"They mess you up your Mum and Dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with faults they had.
And add some extra just for you."
Be Happy Allan
Uneventful day so went for a bit self improvement. (Plenty of scope there!). Looked up Calon Lan and it translates as,
ReplyDelete"I don't ask for a luxurious life,
The World's gold or its fine pearls,
I ask for a happy heart,
An honest heart, a pure heart."
Could do worse I s'pose. Noteworthy in that it is a Welsh hymn which has not had any success at all, after English translation.
Cwm Rhondda is just the opposite (Guide me Oh my great Jehovah). A noisy little ditty it goes down a storm anywhere. Written for the opening of Capel Rhondda (Pontypridd), it so impressed a family of Hindus they donated some furniture to the chapel.
A Welshman was shipwrecked and lived on an island on his own for 20 yrs. When rescued they found he had built a coal mine, a rugby field, a pub and 2 chapels. "Why two chapels?" "That's the one I go to, and that's the one I don't go to!!"
Be Happy Allan
I told that little joke, which was really at the expense of the Welsh and how in worship they have one R.C. Church, one Anglican Church and umpteen Methodist Chapels per town or village. Then I thought a bit harder and realised Thorne was just the same. We had Primitive, Wesleyan, Bethesda (predominantly Welsh, but the one I went to) and several others who I forget. I can remember there were more cos of Whit Monday. Umpteen horse and carts or flat bed lorries for the little ones as we were carted round the town. Big kids and parents all marched. All of us in our new clothes as tradition demanded at the time. Huge banners. Town band. Sarnies. Jelly and custard. A bit similar down here for my kids, except it had become a Whit Walk. The same follow thro of a kids party and then a Cymanfa to follow that.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
Times change. Went looking for a reminder, only to discover that the Wesleyan Chapel has reinvented itself as a Methodist Chapel, and the remainder have gone. Well probably not gone but, like so many more, are selling carpets.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
Since my daughter dragged Louie into the lime light his rise to fame has been meteoric. He's cracked it now with an appearance on Top Gear tonight. You just can't do better than that.
ReplyDeleteAllan
If all you non writers have amongst you some readers then try this. It is totally genuine but does carry a health warning at the beginning. http:/www,doncasterpct.nhs.uk/documents/GlossaryofYorkshireMedicalTerms-2.pdf Up to you but I found it comical that we even need to publish a document like this.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
Dagenham tomorrow folks. Allan acting posh which won't come natural. But I have arranged to mebbe have a beer with friends from the Rugby Club, when it's over. I was asked to supply any reminiscences of my time there, which was quite easy. I once ordered and got delivery of a 45 gall drum of Vaseline, which the Rugby Club appreciated. When it is your job you don't do anything unusual. You are paid to deliver on time at a good price, and you do just that.
ReplyDeleteC Yah Saturday.................Al
As I warned you on June 12, I got an invitation to go up to Dagenham for a back slapping ceremony and an award from the R.S.C. Just got back and am all hyper from a quick sprint down the M4, so here goes. It went a bomb. I pulled up at the gate and after I.D. check, photo etc, I parked the car and hopped into a staff car for a 200 yd drive to the hall. The driver only recognised me!! Crikey. I left 41 yrs ago, and there were 4,000 employees on site. And this just kept on happening. The award was very prestigious. First time for it going to a commercial concern. And for the presentation to be done by the President elect of the R.S.C. Wow. In a presentation of the history of the company I got a mention for my contribution to "693", with the rider that I was also "a nippy scrum half". Winston Churchill's radio broadcast after being brought back to life from pneumonia, "This admirable M. & B. product from which I did not suffer any inconvenience, was used at the earliest moment and, after a week's fever, the intruders were repulsed." Magic. And the free food and free beer were pretty good too.
ReplyDeleteI must tell you this tho. I stayed with a very good friend out in the sticks in Essex. A wibbly wobbly house with oak beams all over the place, dating from 1440.
Pt 2. We also took a potter round the graveyard. Strange to me but you might have seen it already for yourself. The Anglican Church/R.C. and Methodists were separated into 2 separate plots. Records have to be kept and audited, and this simplifies the process.
ReplyDeleteApologies for sending a 2 parter. Not done deliberately.
Be Happy Allan
Back to the mundane - but not for long. Yippee. My Paula, bless, ran the Leeds 10K over the weekend (6 and a bit miles), but took an awful long time. 45 mins. Which is just abt the best I ever did. But she would normally do 28 ish. She's getting a nice little baby bump tho. And now I've had my moment of fame, it is time to meet the public. Booked in for a trip down the Bay on Thursday for - you'll never guess - a Romeo & Juliet ballet. So I'll be mixing it with the Capulets and Prokofiev and heaven knows who. Saturday is birthday time. Little Cian (my ex running partner Jo's boy) is two. Lovely woman and a lovely kid too. Cost a fortune in money and heartache getting him by I.V.F. but worth it. Love em both. We've never lost touch. But listen to this. My eldest gets to 40 in a week or two. His party is you take a tent to some Drum Music festival in a field on the S.W. Coast, and a gang of us get together and have a ball. I should never have bought him that drum kit when he was abt. 8. O.K., he was in the school band for a production of Hiawatha and playing the drums, but I never thought it was going to keep coming back and haunting. Guess what. Not even looked at my painting yet.
ReplyDeleteHow about:- "To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while." Plenty of these left.
Be happy Allan
If you think I am barmy you should meet the bloke I was with over the weekend. He's into buses and machines that run on tracks. Takes his wife to London for a ride on the only two Routemaster buses in service for a treat, every now and then, and for her birthday took her to India to see a rather special narrow gauge railway. Except it rained the day before and a landslide had blown it away!! And to her annoyance always has to sit at the front of Double Deckers, and by the window of all the others
By tracks I really mean lines. Like trains and trams. And is it "funiculars". Those things to get you up a cliff, like at the seaside.
ReplyDeleteThis fascination with railed transport is not so unusual. Unless it is that my friends are unusual in any case. There was another in the Rugby Club. I've mentioned him before - Abo, the Kiwi living in Oz. But he was a bus driver. Even so, he drags Mary all round the world in the pursuit of a new piece of rail or tram track. (And funiculars for all I know.) Takes all sorts.
ReplyDeleteMy Retired Mens Society let me down this morning. We had a concert pianist, plus piano, in to give us a recital. A nice mix of classical and old time hits. Until he had his grand finale. He played 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau' which I thought was unfair. I voiced an objection, and requested he make amends by a chorus of 'Swing Low', but lost it. Parochial so and so's. End of Term next Tuesday. Down the Con Club (yes, there really is one) for beer and pickles, and our traditional end of term buffet.
Are you ready - time for another from my Little Book of Quotations. "To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while."
Only a little one tonight. Still got to iron my Bowls Shirt. No time tomorrow. Busy, busy.
Be Happy Allan
Whoops - two of the same quotation!! I am going slightly mad.
ReplyDeleteCalling priorities. We won. Down the Park, overcast, cool, threat of rain. But we made it agst Pontypool Park. A bit of subterfuge mind. We ordered this season a freebie from the Club of a black hoodie apiece. First chance tonight to wear em. You'd have killed your self. Not quite sure whether we were geriatric gangsta rappers, or street dancers. But enough to scare the living daylights out of em.
Next priority. Today is the 7th of the 7th. Now if you are a druid or a shaman (shawoman? shaperson?) that probably means a lot to you. Being neither, I had to look it up. 7 does have a bit of magic but nothing particular. But I did let my eye wander to a chap called Jhair Jamin who just wanted a few stats and would reveal all. He sent me a long email which was really helpful. He wanted to "speak abt the time I have left on earth" and to "wake up to something." People have "negative reactions", ......"their lot in life is not to have a good life" "Don't create a DARK CAGE until you pass on." "I can offer you a way into the light." I can seek for you, "LOVE, HAPPINESS, & POSITIVITY." "The KEY does not come from outside, it COMES FROM INSIDE." And lots more like that. I could do that. Just tell em all to play Bowls and write to Multiply. I guess now I've got him for life. Give him 48 hrs and I'll bet he'll be flogging Viagra. But he gave me a laugh.
Quotation Time (double check it is original) - "This would be a better world for chidren if parents had to eat their Brussel Sprouts."
Be Happy.....................Allan
Too late for the ballet news. Catch you tomorrow. Tell you of a near miss tho. My eldest has his 40th coming up. You know that. Change of plan circulated. We'd all go Zorbing. Who knows what Zorbing is? New change of plan. We will not go Zorbing. Still, you can try to tell me what Zorbing is. You never know - you could get an invite next. As our language and habits change, so we must be prepared to go with the flow.
ReplyDeleteBe happy.............................................Allan
Last night was absolutely fantastic. Dinner was unusual but very very tasty. Salad etc with a spicy vinaigrette dressing, topped with hot shredded black pudding, bacon, fried onion mix and a fried egg on top. Or if you like, a full English with a bit of oily lettuce. Then on to the main attraction. Such a beautiful building. The dancing and interpretation of the story was mind numbing. Juliet was unbelievable. The body of a rag doll. And the ability to run backwards on her points. I've tried it today, and it is really really difficult. And the backing by Prokofiev was great. Plaintive mixing of violin and flute for the romantic bits. And a guy trying to saw his double base in half for high drama. Then you come out to the Bay by moonlight and all the throb of people out and about enjoying themselves. Wouldn't it be great to be young, the owner of a six figure sports car, plenty of cash, and join the madding crowd.
ReplyDeleteLeft it too late once again. Try and catch up tomorrow. But where's my little book.
Found it..........."There are times when parenthood seems nothing but feeding the mouth that bites you."
Jhair Jamin called today!!! Surprise, surprise.
Be Happy Allan
Another fine day in the sun. One of my best friends Jo, threw a birthday party in her back garden for her 2 yr old Cian, and I had an invitation. Bouncy castle, tank of balls, bubbles and all that sort of garden toys. So all the little uns fought and wrestled, threw the balls over the fence, had jousts with kitchen brooms, burrowed under the castle inviting others to jump on them. The big uns had wine and beer and chicken legs and all the buffet stuff you meet, and to spare. It is brilliant to just be an onlooker, while the little perishers do their level best to mortify their parents. But watch this space. Jo is thinking about getting out on the roads again. Will I come out of semi retirement, and make a come back? Can I resist a combination of jet black hair and green eyes? And I got birthday cake wrapped up in a paper napkin to bring home.
ReplyDeleteJhair Jamin update. No you will have to wait. I don't know what happens if I leave this to go into email for a memory jog. We'll just have to fall back on my Fathers Day little book. "Anything which parents have not learned from experience, they can now learn from their children." How abt that.
Be happy Allan
Anybody watch Dragons Den on Telly tonight? Right, a young kid of 24 called Kirstie Henshaw was trying to promote her health range of milky puddings. These she had dreamed up in her kitchen for her little boy. Then she thought they could have commercial possibilities so worked night and day to look after her family and look for manufacturing facilities and sales outlets. Being on a promise from Tesco, so she went on the show to obtain financial backing and business back up for expansion, from those snarling wild animals on the panel. And she got it. Hurray. But as you all know it doesn't matter two monkeys how wonderful your product is, until folk actually buy it. Sales volume and repeat sales is the backbone of business. So I am pleading with you to give the girl a kick start by keeping your eye on Tesco shelves and promotion and buy it. Tell your friends. Let's make it a winner and get a feelgood too, by knowing your effort has been in a good cause. It is not often I do this, so please trust my judgement.
ReplyDeleteBe kind to people...................Allan
Ron, Ron. It happened tonight. I told you. Zipper di do dah, There was I watching and listening to Mahler's (that's it - the real McCoy Gustaf himself) 8th, when what did I see. A whole row of Double Bass and they were all plucking!! Then the camera moved forward a row to the Violas, and they were at it too. I knew it would catch on. And then to crown it all - very rock and roll - they had a specially trained tubular bells man, having a go on his tubular bells. Poor lad. He was only about 4 ft tall, and the bell was about 6 ft high. The music must have said, "Hit it on the end." Which he did. But he was right up on his tippy toes. That's art. Very demanding.
ReplyDeleteNight night.............Allan
Beng a bit curious I thought I would take a shufti at what, if anything, Jean MIchel Jarre is up to these days. He is still around, but his publicity was in Norwegian. Couldn't read a word. Could be he is giving a concert on 29th August. Have a look and then get a ticket,
ReplyDeleteDing dong................Allan
Or if you like you can download some tubular bells from Mike Oldfield as a ring tone on yr Mobby. The world is yr oyster. AL
ReplyDeleteMy son has, an otherwise silent, video of his Gulf War activity in the Saudi Arabian desert with a Jean Michel Jarre 'Oxygene' soundtrack added. I next heard it on the car radio, driving alone through desolate Featherstone one dank autumnal night long after the miners strike. Surreal.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Shirl. Really gets you. I wasn't there, but I have vague memories of a ground breaking open air concert as a launch. Isle of Dogs I think, with lasers and fireworks and heaven knows what. Donkeys years ago. See you then in Oslo along with our Ron - Aug 28. (I think Oslo is in Norway - better check before you go.)
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
I've mislaid my little Fathers day book, so here goes with my "1000 paths to enlightenment". "Always face the sun, and your shadows will be behind you."
Those two young boys who invented Google might be very clever, but they cannot differentiate between Oxygen and Oxygene. Just been there. Back to Enlightment. "Sometimes in life the glass seems half empty, sometimes it seems half full, and sometimes the glass is twice as large as it needs to be."
ReplyDeleteAl
Fussy people can stick an "en" into enlightenment just below
ReplyDeleteYou all know I like the prog "Dragons Den" on Telly. Just realised it is a prog where multi millionaires are being paid to get first crack at funding and exploiting innovative beginners, and making even more money. Doh.
ReplyDeleteBit of Enlightenment?..........."To divide one's life by years is to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic."
If you are feeling you have a surfeit of enlightenment - there are only 997 to go. He hee.
Be Happy Allan
A bit of self promotion I am afraid..........if you belong to the Monmouthshire Building Society, take a close look at the front page of their monthly magazine. And if you don't belong, get one by hook or by crook. They are going to be valuable collectors items ere long. Why? Cos your Welsh correspondent - lil ole me - my piccie is on there for the official opening of our new Bowls shed (sponsored by the M.B.S.).
ReplyDeleteIn return for joining me in this self adulation - no Enlightenment tonight.
Be happy Allan
Back again. Fame. Newport (pronounced Nooput) has risen to international fame after some kids published a song on Youtube which has gone global. It's pretty good really. Go to www.youtube.com Then ask for "Newport (Ymerodraeth - State of Mind)" Video. The words are there too to help you follow the visual links etc.
ReplyDeleteCan't help myself - "Real friends are those who, when you have made a fool of yourself, don't feel that you've done a permanent job."
Be happy ALLAN
Told you. National TV now. National Dailies. Charts next?
ReplyDeleteAnybody who can rap Llanfairpg deserves it. Beautiful lines like:-
Tom Jones, Steve Jones, Zeta Jones, Traffic cones
If you come and visit use the designated parking zones.
Or when his Mam threw out the Argus with his publicity:-
She didn't see the article calling me a rap star
Ripped it into pieces and used it for the Hamstar.
Have a look. You'll find next you cannot get it out of your head.
Be Happy Allan
"On the dance Floor, pack of sixteen Bensons
ReplyDeleteSomeone's fighting. Turns out it's Gavin Hensons"
If you find Youtube inhibitory, go to www.southwalesargus.co.uk No prob finding it, it is smack in the middle. Biggest news on the page.
"Cheese and Chips and Curry makes you feel brand new
Washed down with Special Brew"
Be happy Allan
Keeping Enlightenment on the back burner - did I detect a huge sigh of relief?
Going to have my tea now. Mention of Cheese and chips and Curry and I am starving.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, just can't get it out of my head, I've tried but..
ReplyDelete.
Hotentot Polyglot you gotta find a bon mot
Put it in a meltingpot find you're in a tightspot.....
....its a wrap.
.
Wowee. I have a reader. Shirley baby - you've made my day. You read. You like it. You put in another verse. And only 5 mins ago I was feeling so low. Shadrach dead. (Well, he looked dead) Dianne ripped off - money gone and her love life - all to a con man. Ta for your backing.
ReplyDeleteIn fact. In the Argus was a competition which I entered. Prize = 2 tickets for "Rock around the Clock." In Bristol. Buddy, Elvis, Chuck, Jerry Lee, Platters. Roxanne Pallett for the eye candy. If I win you get first refusal. How about that?
Enlightenment time - "Eight words that can help life run much more smoothly - You know you might very well be right."
Be happy ALLAN
Curry sauce in a chip shop might not be news but have you heard of this - Irish Curry. The 3 old ladies running the Chippy just over the road from me sold up to a young woman called Scam, who has "Irish Curry Sauce" alongside the usual "Chip Shop" & "Chinese". I queried that this was ridiculous, so she brought me a 20ml sample to taste. Surprisingly it is O.K. In fact I had a helping on my chips. Oddball name she has. Her surname is Scammell, and right from starting Infants School she has been known as Scam. Had a hairdressers called Scam's, sponsored Garndiffaith U 12 Rugby 15 with Scam's jerseys. Now a chippy called Scam and Chips. Hell of a girl. Gobby, but I like characters.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy ALLAN
Just in case you were thinking that The Rap had gone off the boil, they are now up to their 1,000,000th hit on You tube. The Sundays had done their homework and were able to tell us that the writer's mam came from Cardiff, the male rapper's dad was a South Walian and the female rapper came from Pencarreg in Carmarthenshire. Got to get the pedigree right you see. Plus the publicity is going upmarket. Now on walesonline.co.uk Go there and type in Abersychan and hit Search and all my environment can be revealed. Like I was up the doctors thIs morning getting my ears syringed. As I was called for, the Nurse shot by, waving vaguely, "We're in be there. See you now, in a minute." Which means, of course, "Go in and sit down, while I go to the toilet."
ReplyDeleteBe Happy ALLAN
Your command of the Welsh language is very impressive!
ReplyDeleteTa Pat - give me a bit of encouragement and off I go. You are really meaning Wenglish. A Welsh guy, John Edwards, went teaching up in England and coming back in retirement to Abercynon recognised that South Walians used "Wenglish". Topped up his pension quite nicely by publishing books and going on the Lecture circuit telling us all about it. It is the prattle of the pit, the word spinning of the Workmans Club, the eloquence of the Eisteddfod, the chatter of the Chapel, the ranting of the Rugby field etc etc. The valleys still communicating in Welsh, but thro the medium of English. The character and rhythms all being maintained. There are millions of examples I could give you, but that would be boring. But what do I know? Been here 40 years and still addressed as "Englishman". And to round it all up - the double adjective - "small small, you could hardly see it", "a small little man", "a big, 'uge factory."
ReplyDeleteBe Happy ALLAN
Enlightenment time:- "Old men give advice to console themselves for no longer being in a position to set bad examples." I had a tidy and lost it for a few days.
Black gold is the answer. Black gold. Sucked in the Lewis's and William's and Evan's etc, plus Micks and Geordies etc, in to S.Yorks in the 1920's. So many years before the same lust brought Mid Walians, English and Italians (why Italy - I don't know) into S. Wales. Changed it from a monoglot to a polyglot society with each group having huge input. We had it easy in S. Yorks. They all had English as a first language. And the few who hadn't had to learn pretty damn quick. Different down here see. The Welsh speakers were only prepared to go so far. Sentence structure and ways of saying things were just translated over literally. And then not anglicised any further. The English education system completely ignores the fact that we have in the U.K. the Welsh Language. It's having the penny and the bun, to completely opt out of something, and then snigger when it says "up yours", and goes its own way. (you cannot help it - I'm as bad as anybody) Put the fault on Offa. He started all this.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan (lower case today - keep hitting the Caps lock along with "A" at other times)
AND i WOULD BET NONE OF YOU EVER KNEW WHY i KEPT JUMPiNG FROM allan to ALLAN. Have fun folks - how will he spell it tonight?
ReplyDeleteBe happy ALLAN - DAMMIT, Done it again. Ho, ho, ho,
I am shattered. Multi tasking and overdone it. Watching Emmerdale, the cricket and the athletics, while doing my ironing and cooking tea!! And then to cap it all Merlene Otty pops up to justify sprinting at world level at the age of 50!!! And just to rub it in, is seriously considering Olympics when she is 60. What's she on?
ReplyDeleteBut that is not why I popped up. You are probably unaware, but the Newport Transporter Bridge has had a £1,200,000 makeover and opened up today. And who opened it? That's it - the "Newport State of Mind" couple plus their director. Wasn't that nice. Recognition - something we all crave, but so infrequently get. Anything else? Of course. They have got a gig at the Millenium Stadium, Cardiff, in September to do with the Ryder Cup. Not bad when the oldest (the girl) is only 25. A social network site did that for them. Anybody on Multiply fancy their chance?
But The Argus is comical. They reported that they have done so much more for Newport than Matthews just throwing money. Matthews made his money from a humble start over in Canada in I.T. But he's come back and built a huge 5 star hotel to attract folk into the city. Then built a £10,000,000 golf course. Then pulled strings to get the Ryder Cup. That might be just loose change to him, but he was prepared to come home and do a bit for the city. Whoops - on my soap box.
Be Happy Allan
No time to elaborate. Eisteddfod day tomorrow - so watch this space. (Pooer dab. Gissit year. You gorrope. etc.)
ReplyDeleteBe happy and patriotic..........Allan.................Cymru am Byth
P.S. The report below is misleading. It means that the Argus considered the rappers had given Newport more and better publicity than Matthews and all his millions. But there again Matthews is not liked. Something funny abt money. If you are loaded and splash it around, it doesn't go down well.
Update on our rappers - The young lady has been approached by "Zoo" for some "glamour" shots. Thinks that it wouldn't be a good thng for her future as a performing artiste, so has said No to revealing what she has up her jumper. Clever move. Gets the publicity without any risk of flu.
ReplyDeleteBut everything is starting to wind up now, in readiness for the Ryder Cup. Newport is awash with flowers. Hanging baskets everywhere you can hang that sort of thing, and pot plants on the kerb, down the middle of the road and any and all other spare spaces. 60 of 5 ft. tall Dragons had been distributed round the schools for painting. These psychedelic happenings are on display all over the City now. O.T.T.............Yes. Approve/Disapprove...........Approve totally. Life needs fun.
Be Happy............Allan
Summer time, and the livin is tropical. Feeling sluggardly as a slug,I saw my doctor and he gave me some miraculous pills and told me that I would now be playing football and running like a deer. So now, imbued with renewed energy, ready to take on all the world in mortal strife,so long as I can choose the weapons, which shall be garrulity,loquacity and persiflage, I'm tellin thee,Allen to shuv ovver for five minutes and let somebody else chew t'fat for a bit.
ReplyDeleteI hope you gave my regards to my old friend who comes from near Cardiff,so on your doorstep,you must know him,his name is Jones, and his brother's name is Jones too, they never miss an Eistedfodd and went about 15 yrs ago to the one in Argentina where the brother won the Bard's Chair, the prize for the best poem.
You will have enjoyed the poetry,no need to know Welsh,if you have ears and they have'nt been paralyzed by rapp "music" you can appreciate the magical lintricaciy of the alliteration and assonance, qualities no longer extant in English since the Normans came and started mongrelising the old language.
My own forebears came from Gloucestershire,where their name was famous already in the 17th cntury when one of them, not known for the delicacy of his conduct,is recorded as a resident of the local jail. Some of them wandered off over the border to Llanwonno and became welsh, their descendants live there still. Others left in some haste for the North,after their contributions to ecology were misunderstood by the Powers that Were and branded as poaching though I'm sure they never poached anything other than a hen's egg.
They ended up on the north york moors,to grace the area with their virtue and prowess,one, my uncle Earnest, becoming captain of Loftus cricket team - he was the strongest man in Yorkshire, if not all England,never used more than one hand on the bat to knock sixes all the time, and once overturned a rival's caravan with one hand.These migrations,as you have pointed out,filled soutjh yorks with the bloom of English and Welsh valour. It was the time when the Williams of Wrexham settled in Broadway so that theirdescendants could have the thrill and adventure of reading Vergil,decyphering Pythagoras at TGS and becoming members of this website.
There was I, idly thumbing thro my Bandeja de Entrada, when whom did I spot. Joyo. Ronno the Boyo. Where ya bin? Bard in bed under the doctor indeed. You couldn't take the pressure, my old fruit. Alliteration? Can you even recognise the stuff? Go ca 6 entries back and you will find ranting and rugby, chatter and chapel, prattle and pit. But for all that, I forgive you all yr sins and give you centre stage. Altho I know I have performed much better than you would have done in the circs, I don't mind shoving ower. I did have an Eisteddfod report coming into bloom but that will keep on the back burner. Must tell you this tho. I'd just got onto the Maes and spotted an Ice cream van. And who did it belong to? Ui Swales!!! Trading on my name to increase sales without a doubt. So I accosted the guy and asked for an explanation of this outrageous plagiarisation. "Me not Mr Swales. Me Hungarian. Mr. Swales, my boss." The mysterious Hughie was not even on site. But I traced some fine print on the back of the van. "Bolton Abbey". Hell of a long way to come to flog ice cream, but I was satisfied with his credentials for all that.
ReplyDeleteDragons Den is on Telly. A young girl showcasing hawks to scare off pigeons etc. They've been doing that for 10 yrs down at the Millenium Stadium. Stops the pigeons pooing on the tracks for the sliding roof. Mundane but highly necessary. And on that note............
..............Bienvenu Ronaldo.............Adios Allan.........Be happy folks.
Well Ron if you cannot turn up to the party, I will have to go it alone. Just remember folks this is unscripted and unrehearsed.
ReplyDeleteSo first of all, our Shirl. Did you watch Mastermind tonight? The winner was brilliant with his tremendous knowledge of Mike Oldfield and his music. You and me lead and John Humphries follows.
And back to Sunday. Surprise - it wasn't up itself with cultch. Light hearted fun was a part of things too. As we walked from the car park to the site we passed a huge concrete tank with Banksy type Graffiti about 6' tall of head and shoulders. A young lady with title Zeta (easy peasy). Slightly older lady with title Tanni (our champion wheel chair athlete). Tom - (only one Tom). And then a young boy - well 40ish - Cable (bit more difficult for some. Drummed with The Stereophonics, lived locally in Aberdare, killed himself a few months ago). 3 rondos for continuous live music (45 min sets) . One was out of this world. A samba band with abt 20 drummers. Drum music is so inspiring. The heart speeds up. Blood courses thro yr veins. ("Bang out that rhythm on a drum" stuff for those who saw the film "Carmen Jones" in 1954) They were my favourites. Altho I liked a funky jazz band Wonderbrass (www.wonderbrass,org.uk). Got talking to one of their dancer/trumpeter girls, and ended up seeing them twice. Then the Cymanfa to finish off. A choir of ca 300, then the brass band, then ca 1000 - 1500 audience. Just as I thought, we had Calon Lan, and predictably my eyes went prickjly. Can't help it. Then the more robust Bread of Heaven. 2 and 1/2 hrs of quality stuff.
That is history now. Saturday my eldest gets to 40. The one called Blue. Bit of a hippy. Bit of a biker. But a very happy contented person. Never asks for anything. Never wants anything. So already he has achieved all his aims in life. Just wallows in happiness. Quite a large number of us meet up in a farmers field somewhere on Dartmoor - light a bonfire - put up our tents. Bbq food. Fireworks. (I am taking Chinese Lanterns, to show em I understand and belong!!!) Drink (of course), bring your instrument and sing. Little bit disturbed that one guest has posted on Facebook a clip from "Universal Mother" by India Jiva - ancient Sanskrit chant devoted to the divine mother. What the hell good is that. Hate it or love it - another new thing. What you need at 79, and feeling complacent. Then Sunday wake up to the real world. 200 miles drive and play respectable middle class Bowls all afternoon.
Come back Ron - can't keep up with all this pressure to perform.
If anybody knows any clever clog tricks to do with Chinese Lanterns, plse let me know. Got to look suave, haven't I.
Be Happy Allan........Ron - get well soon. Plse. XXX
Spelling mistake..............www.wonderbrass.org.uk Sorreee
ReplyDeleteWhatever made you think Iwas incapacitated,Allan?I do see doctors,but they are usually in worse shape than me,so not very helpful. I said that I was sluggardly and this is not sickness,but sin.Beware of us sluggards,because we may not seem to be men of action, until you suddenly get slugged. And now,good Father Allan you have forgiven me all my sins,so that I can go forth,absolved,to sin some more.But as Plato and Pliny said,none of us is getting any younger.When I lived in Portugal in my seventies they called me 'um jovem un po' usado) (a young fellow,slightly used) and I guess they would now call me 'um velhote com dia da morte esquecida' (an old chap who missed his die-by date)'
ReplyDeleteWere you not reminded of this sin by the words printed on your first exercise books - Early to bed,early to rise.....He that will thrive,must rise at five....but did you not learn also What is this life if full of care.....
Are we not also told Rise from thy bed,thou sluggard,consider the ant,observe her ways... but I'm not fond of ants,too much like the Germans and Japs of the worst of bygone times. I prefer fireflies, that spark for a moment then dissolve into the blackness of night. As we all do, but we have invented cockeyed selfish time- systems to kid ourselves that we are different.
Besides communing with fireflies at midnight,I have conversations,rather more interesting than those on this thread, with the next-door dog,who is black with white paws and called Chaussettesblanches.The folks he permits to share life with him have a restaurant,and restaurant dogs are among the most aristocratic,deferring only to the dukes and barons of doggery belonging to butchers.I offer him a biscuit,and he deigns to toy with it, regaling me with tales of thick steaks,liver and bacon and sausages. He also has many possessions,balls,dolls,teddybears, that families with kids have abandoned when they dropped into the restaurant to "grab a sandwich" in the Canadian manner and then speed off to Ontario and points West ,and he graciously gives me them as presents,but only on loan.
I was disconcerted by this grab- a- sandwich mentality when I first came to Canads after a few years in the 3- or- 4 hour- lunch culture of southern Europe and it was hard to find sluggardly companions,but they are improving.And while English Canada sings We stand on guard for thee, Quebec sings Gens du pays,c'est le temps de parler d 'amour ....
Omigod. One of the party goers lined up for Saturday described today how much she enjoyed getting together down the beach with other yogis, doing yoga, at the crack of dawn today. Wonder what I will be doing at daybreak on Sunday morning? But it won't be Yoga.
ReplyDeleteHarry Krishna, Harry Krishna.................Allan
better a rainy day on a hill
ReplyDeletethan a sunny one in the office
Don't know what that means, but it might be pertinent. Getting all touchy feely with my inner self.
Al..........peace be with you children
Woke up this morning and found a 6" nail sticking out of the car back tyre. Being pretty certain it wasn't there when I bought the machine, I slipped it down to the local garage. (£90 for a tyre - oh dear). Yippee, the nail had gone in sideways, into the tread. Pulled it out, kissed it better - no cost - take it home. "Hang on a minute. You need two front ones." "O.K." (The ante now is £180.00). So he ran me home - all of a 1/4 mile walk. He delivered the car this p.m. and he had washed it for me too. "Thought it looked a bit dirty!" They might make me laugh, but you have to admit they have a heart of gold.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
Where you gone, Ron? Still making overtures to the next door pooch? Reading books on Yoga? Having your head shaved and buying saffron clothing? You'll have to get a move on to catch up.
No,Allan, I'm not getting no move on. The doctrine of Festina Lente has always served me well,and tortoise makes just as good soup as hare, and Den som gapar efter mycket ofta tappar hela stycket (He who gapeth after much oft drops whole piece). I'm the renard,not the corbeau.You reign supremissimo,the powerhouse of this site, I am merely an untuned and raucous second fiddle. May your logorrheia spring eternal!And all your wise saws and noble instances.
ReplyDeleteBut we shouldn't leave you alone at the wicket,the boy on the burning deck when all but he had fled. Where are all the other great Raconteurs of yesteryear?
There was one eleven year old who took a running charge at the Headmaster (unintentionally, she says) knocked him for six, almost felled him to the ground, and cleverly bounced off.... one who, summoned to request an audience at the Headmaster's residence, to mend the wirelesss, knocking on the door, was met not by a lady of the Manor figure, but a sad and sodden one emerging breathless in a cloud of steam from the washhouse....and the grand comedien,who,invited to bend over a chair by the Gaff instead installed himself in it in expectation of a pleasant conversation...and one who explored the frozen wastes of Iceland...and the wanderer lost in the Persian desert ,dying of thirst by his exhausted steed,I mean his broken down old jallopy,rescued and succored by a samaritan Maltese band who lavished their mechanical know- how and a gallon of radiator-brewed English breakfast tea on him....
Come all ye pilgrims and prodigals! are there no more tales to tell? Wer eine Reise gemacht hat,hat was zu erzählen ( Who a journey done has, has what to tell) .
Don't let me be the one to start,I might never finish,but give Allan a break!
Ron - we are complementary. Like I know all the little words, and you know all the big ones.
ReplyDeleteI will keep it for later, but the garage man and me have a story to tell.
Be happy Allan
I've crossed the Rubicon (Severn Estuary). Dying for a bath, a long sleep, food. But have I been shown a wonderful experience? You bet. See you all later.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
Woke after 12 hrs sleep. Bliss. Flat full of smoke. Panic!! The place is on fire. What do I do now? Wash yesterdays reeking clothes. Open all windows. Cancel Fire Brigade. Put note in my little book - "Always sit up wind of a wood fire in a field."
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
Time to draw a line. Been down the Gym and given my Cardio-Vascular a hammering to move on. Just hoping all the CO, CO2 and benzpyrenes etc steadily poisoning me have metabolised and moved on. Am I worried....No. Did I enjoy it ............YES. What a wonderful experience to get together with people who just have the ability to switch off and soak up life and happiness. Not bought in, but home made. The fire was hot and bright. The food was tasty. Those with too much gave it away to those with too little (2 rounds of Choriza with Feta in the middle, lightly grilled - yummy). The drinks were passed around. The Chinese Lanterns were most spectacular. Went straight up, caught the wind and whizzed over Dartmoor. Then the instruments started to appear. Guitars and voice for starters. Blue and Gow (Gawain - family friend for 20 odd years) had tom toms. Guess - what next? 3 Didgeridoos!! Couldn't help it. 3 of em. Base, baritone and tenor. Had to learn. And I am now the only didgeridoer on Multiply. I can do it.
ReplyDeleteNow refer back to Aug. 3rd if you have a bad memory. "Wonderbrass". And whom did I hear Gow mention? - Wonderbrass!! My long arm of coincidence strikes. He sits in with them now and then, and has a couple of gigs coming up this week. Lovely to have a chat about personalities from the band like Fran (trumpet) and Eve (bass sax) etc. And so the night wore on. As the night wore on so we cwtched up until we were almost part of the bonfire. A human necklace round the neck of a bright red fire. Until it was time to split for bed. No Yoga thank heavens. We just faded away. The following morning I had a singular experience. A girl saw my watch and requested I didn't mention the time. "Why?" "Cos time is not material. When I stop enjoying this I will know it is time to go." What a healthy way of looking at having fun. And what a wonderful way to arrive at 40, and with such a unique crowd of people.
I did go back to Blue's place but only to be introduced to Dazy - the rag doll. She just scratched me and ran away. Maus was more amenable and the great big soft lump just loved a cuddle. A quick stroke for Megan and Dewi and off I went. Close of the adventure.
Be happy ALLAN
How about that Ron? With all your mastery of polysyllabic words, I'll bet you have never met a "Benzpyrene" before. Your fault. The aim of every teacher should be that the pupil ends up better than them. Otherwise knowledge cannot expand. Profundities abound today. Amazing what a Sauna, a Steam Room and a Hydrotherapy Pool can do for a bloke. I am on top doh and loving it.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan (Missed the Caps Lock today!! I think the middle finger of my left hand has a bend in it. Veers to the left a bit.)
NO,Allan,I never met a benzpyrene and hope I never will. As for polysllablicity, you are the champion,not me. You have two 5 syllable words in seven lines there, an amazng display of meretricious sesquipedalianism that I could not hope to emulate.
ReplyDeleteEnd up better than the teacher? Some of our teachers would have condemned you for heresy and sacrilege,I think.
Ron - throw a dogmatic pebble in a pond and wait to see what happens to the ripples. And yr response was perfect. Heresy and sacrilege just about sums up the reaction of that era. Or perhaps it still happens. Maybe our recently retired teachers could update us on the modern attitude.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime I will help you with benzpyrenes. They are the product of incompletely burnt carbonaceous materials and are highly carcenogenic. Think toast, crispy bacon, bonfire smoke, car exhaust fumes, overenthusiastic (note 7 syllables) BBQ's.
And on that note - your very good health folks...................Allan
Looking at that now, I just hope I have not put you all off eating and breathing and such pleasant occupations. Or maybe you have indeed all cocked your clogs, and Ron and me will have to cope without external stimuli. Duw it's hard.
ReplyDeleteSo get ready Ron. Tomorrow I will be flying blind. Never mind baffling you, I won't even know myself what I am on about. I have a recommendation tho..........Whoops.........Good taste stopped me putting it into print. I'll find another one for tomorrow. Here we go now..."Success is a journey, not a destination. Half the fun is getting there."
Night night. Sleep tight..............Allan
She's at it again. Poncing about on the sands in Torbay @ 07.30 hrs. Except now all the party goers are wanting to join her. Look, I don't mind having my psyche bent for a bit of eastern promise, but no hope at 07.30 hrs. And what is so mystical abt doing it every Thursday. The whole world is going to the dogs.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy & enjoy a lie in...Bliss...............Allan
What about the prospect of a welsh woman as premier of Australia, Allan ?
ReplyDeleteBarry girl too. Isn't it great. But are you aware that she is already Premier. She saw her chance and grabbed it, and is now out to consolidate her position by going to the country for endorsement. Oddly enough her opposition (Liberal) is a turnip eater from London. I'll have words with Abo and get insider knowledge. (And she is living ower t'brush too. And her father was taken out of school at the age of 12 - "We couldn't afford such nonsense as education." Union man. Live here, and if you go to the toilet every body in the street knows.)
ReplyDeleteAnd on another semi political front - how many of us remembered that today is the 65th anniversary of VJ day? I didn't, until I read todays paper. We do tend to compartmentalise these things and regarded it as being America's war within a war, but it cost a lot of Brit's lives. I feel ashamed.
Allan
Dredging up some little known facts for you. There were no buses in Pontypool on VJ day. The drivers and conductors decided for themselves that if everybody else was on the pop, well so were they!!
ReplyDeleteBut here is one that is even more surprising. The Mayor of Hamilton, Waikato, N.Z. wrote to the Sunday remarking what a lovely bunch of boys the Welsh Rugby team were when they were over in the Summer. And he can't wait to have them back for the World Cup next Summer. Makes you think the phrase "What happens on tour, stays on tour" will soon be defunct.
A little language highlight. Went to watch Bowls this morning. County Champ Singles and Doubles competitions (semis) with some of our boys playing. Looking at the Head and muttering, "Thaz mine, an' thaz yooers." (For non players - a Head is the gathering of bowls round the jack.)
Be Happy Allan
Pat - you are going to regret that bit of name dropping. Just can't stop now. Alex Jones (NOT my son in law) makes her debut tomorrow at 19.00 hrs presenting the One Show. Plucked from obscurity presenting on S4C thro the medium of the Welsh language to replace Chris Bleakley. Her live in lover (up to Xmas 2009) thinks she'll be great. Plus Gethin Jones, lover of our Kath, who has co presented with her in the past, thinks the same. I don't give a monkeys - anything or anybody who gets rid of Adrian Chiles gets my vote.
ReplyDeletePat, plse don't tempt me anymore. There must be other minority ethnic groups busting to get on Multiply.
Be Happy......................Allan
Been teaching the boys (10 and 8) who live next door to play petanque. Now I know this isn't on the same planet as your county champs but the scrutiny of the "head" is just as keen and acromonious and not above a little toe nudging !!!
ReplyDeleteGo go go Pat. As you've heard from me before - if the game is killing you, cheat. So, for the sake of their development for sport and life and everything - if you see any misdemeanour like that, just ignore it. You might be coaching the back bone of our footie team for the World Cup 2022. Good game is Petanque. Put Drake in an aggressive mood before he went and knocked hell out of the Spanish Armada. Not many historians know that.
ReplyDeleteBe happy Allan
I heard a different story Drake spent his time just plundering one ship that ran aground, and there was nothng to stop the Armada but the weather,that blew them up the North Sea and down again the other side of England. But we need a real historian to sort this out.
ReplyDeleteRon - wasn't like that at all. First of all the combatants were unevenly matched. We were Mohammed Ali "float like a butterfly & sting like a bee" and they were Sunny Liston, very heavy, get in close and do in fighting. They were on a religious thing with a plan to invade along our East coast - knock hell out of the Protestants - and then go like mad to Scotland and link up with the Catholics. Queen Elizabeth took a cunning line by chopping off Mary Queen of Scots head, which sort of inhibited the growth of Catholicism in Scotland, in any case. But they still came up the Bay of Biscay, turned to starboard, and their big fat galleons had a real prob with our nippy little racers. We were in and blasting cannons everywhere while they were dithering about trying to engage with grappling irons and board with cutlasses. No chance. That was at Portland. There was another ding dong at Gravelines, so they went with Plan A to land at Gravesend et alia, and march to Scotland. No hopes. So nowt to do but high tail it round Scotland and down to Ireland and back home, with losses all the way. Rumour hath it that animals on board ship to combat rats, swum ashore now and then. And that was the start of West Highland terriers. And an exotic breed of cat from Egypt - didn't have a tail - swam to the Isle of Man, and bred there. So you see you were nearly right. It was not a stand up battle, more a running fight. They had no clue on seamanship so kept hitting sandbanks. And the Spanish boss was neither a soldier or a sailor. But we had the Duke of Effingham. And to get a dukedom with a name like that takes grit and determination. So, say "Sorry Allan".
ReplyDeleteBe happy Allan
I could have mentioned that the Spanish cannon balls were too big for their cannons - but you would never have believed me.
ReplyDeleteho, ho, ho. Al x
Allan....wish you had written our history books ! Why don't you contact "Horrible Histories" and see if they have room for another author? Noggy Holt makes a living out of writing English books in Hong Kong so why not you and English history in Wales ????
ReplyDeleteI thought you might approve of Ben's attitude to winning. He is somewhat of a genius at bending the rules of Scrabble too.
I am warming to this character Ben, by the minute. Develop this attitude of his of being a rule maker and breaker. Should go far. And if he doesn't go far, will at least have had an interesting journey.
ReplyDeleteBut to get back to our resident Mediterraneanphile, the Armada had no clue of equipment required. Galleys? - now a rowing boat on the Cam showing off yr tan and black curly hair is O.K. But not a lot of good in a Channel dust up. Their cannon balls were made of the wrong kind of iron. Shattered on impact with the hull but never penetrated, so they were reduced to aiming at the masts. Some hopes. Whereas our low trajectory Sheffield Steel balls could hit the water and strike the hull below the Plimsoll Line. Boat sinks in 5 mins. Simples.
Pat - I'll have a look at "Horrible Histories", but I am not an author. More of a lavatory wall scribbler. Except I am too shy to actually do it.
C yah Be Happy Allan
I am indeed sorry,Allan,sorry that you still seem to be a bit of a jingoist. And did you ever read a book not written by one of your own tribe?
ReplyDeleteEngland in the 16C was just another of what we now call Rogue States,sending its pirates to prey on other folks shipping.In 1588 Drake staged a stabintheback attack on the Spanish fleet (later copied by the Japs at Pearl Harebour).How could they not react to that?
As for northern scientific and technical superiorit8y, it didn't start till a century or so later. England led the world for a while, till the Germans drew ahead by 1880.
Correction: Drakes attack was a year earlier,in 1587.How coud the Spaniards not respond to that?
ReplyDeleteHave you heard that the Welshborn PM has shown here loyalty to the English crown by stating that Australia should stay just as it is,until the present monarch leaves the scene, then Long Live the Republic!
Cheers! Cameron and Co.what are you waiting for?
"Plus ca change. Plus ca meme." Thank god that came to me from out of nowhere. Just tell me what difference that will make to your average Wallaby. The odd Sheila will not be able to pinch Charlie's Bum any more. That's all. As long as they keep on raising Rugby, Cricket and Bowls teams that can be a power in World sport, they can call themselves what they like. It didn't seem to matter whether they were a colony or what, when I got savaged by a Police dog for importing in half an apple onto Sydney Airport. The thing came over, and I just patted it cos it seemed to want a friend. The next minute I am having my collar felt.
ReplyDeleteBut you cunningly side stepped that, when you called for a historian, I just filled the breach to the manner born. Plus getting a gold star from Pat. Have you had a gold star from Pat? That's put you on the spot. Get out of that.
It was only a little dog - but the principle is the same - no priveleges for Brits. Not for half an apple.
Love you really.............Be Happy................Allan
Don't be too sure,Allan. When I rechristened the Higgs Bosun thing to Piggs Bosun Pat said You do realise that from now on we'll all be calling it Piggs Bosun. I interpret that not as a Gold Star, but a whole constellaton of diamonds and fireflies. Hope I'm right.
ReplyDeleteRon - I know, I am sure Pat knows, and any second now you are on a steep learning curve and then you will know. In life, in work, in anything, if you realise you have made a bloomer by singling out somebody for praise, money, affection etc, you just dash round and do the same to and for everybody. And that diminishes the award. You were a sucker for a pretty face, I am afraid. Us men never learn!!
ReplyDeleteBe happy and contrite.....................Allan
It's happened again. It's happened again. Sitting in the sauna having a chat. A chap leans forward, and chips in, "Didn't you use the Cwmffrwd Garage some years ago? Frank Smith's place." Well I did, so I said so. "Must be 10 or 15 years ago, but I went there regular. Doncaster man he was." "Thought I recognised you on the Running Machine, and remembered you used to be a runner. I'm his son." "Well, I never etc. Give him my regards etc. and his Missus." I told you it would just keep on happening. Just never question why.
ReplyDeleteAnd Keith who is this lunatic in Winchester? Drew £1600 out of yr local bank and walked outside and threw it in the air. Was it you by any chance? There's supposed to be a sqeeze on for money. Well, it's not the sort of thing we do down here.
Went down ASDA today for a change. A little old lady abt 90 was having a ball. She had a little didgy which allowed you take a Trolley without putting in a pound. Everybody was going for it. I must admit, I had a free one. No big deal you didn't get a pound back afterwards. But then inside I think the world is going mad. The queue for D.I.Y. checkout was considerably longer than the manual one, The average D.I.Y. takes abt 20 mins compared to a manual operator doing it in 5. When will people learn?
BeHappy Allan
Ben has roped me in as a decorator this weekend.....we ( meaning me and folks next door ...sort of joint effort) have acquired an allotment. Their mum got a shed, Dad put it up but we were warned that it would be stolen unless we painted it brightly....so it is now bright blue but Ben has decided it needs a more personal touch so we are off to paint some "muriels" on it. He has a wicked sense of humour so I shudder to think what I am letting myself be an accessory to. If the shednappers feel that selling it locally is too risky( there not being many bright blue sheds) it may be fenced( sorry !) in farflung reaches of the empire ...like Wales or even Malta so keep a look out, boys.
ReplyDeleteWell Pat, I dare say there is a rule abt politics on this site, so just hope you get to read this before it goes to Room 101. Not a cat in hell's chance of a Blue shed being wanted down here. Red - yes. Blue - couldn't give it away. Do a rescue job with "muriels" (bless Annie Ogden) of Zeta and t'others I mentioned, and you are in with a chance.
ReplyDeleteBut your billet doux (just put that in for Ron - he collects foreign words and phrases, you know) threw me. I had news. Some berk called Doherty won Mastermind tonight and he didn't even know what Stones' record was reissued this year. Crikey, even I knew that. So where does that put me? Cor, I might be allowed to drive a London Taxi now.
Seeing tomorrow is already today (kind of) in Oz, so let battle commence. Wonder who'll win. The back stabbing Welsh Sheila, or the guy with a pop belly who insists on wearing Speedos a size too small. Wish our politics were so transparent. And they've got wotchermecallit - AV? - to factor in too. Seeing the Yanks couldn't even add up, how is Oz going to cope with maths of that calibre?
Bowls tomorrow - forecast says rain. My world is being ruined. Be happy Folks....................Allan
'Chas And His Rock N' Roll Allotment.' Down to earth gardening book. Saucy anecdotes fruity language.
ReplyDeleteWhat did I tell you? You cannot say you were not warned. Oz are going to take upwards of a week to get their voting system to declare a winner.
ReplyDeleteShirl - that looks a pretty good book. Fancy him becoming a man of literature, when he's already famous for such rousing words as "Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit."
Coming back to Oz and democracy. Have you heard that as a result of (1) being forced to vote, and (2) being forced to enter second, third etc choices, that non political folk just go in and tick em off 1 to 5 etc, as they see them on the voting list. Job done. So if yr name is Aaron Aardvark, or something like, you've got a better start in life than you thought!!
Getting closer to home. Did you see they had our Nigel out in S.A., reffing the Boks v Blacks match? He's only little and skinny, plus he bats for the other side. But apparently he had a great game. If I was watching a game between them, I wouldn't even feel safe up in the top of the stands. The Blacks are on a roll. Only 12 months to go for the World Cup. And they will be playing in front of their own. Wonder who'll come second???
Yesterday. Freezing cold. Heavy rain. Got hammered. Demotion looming. Outlook for Allan - gloomy. Had a bloke from Middlesbro' playing for them. Never heard of anybody called Ron.
Be Happy Allan
...Flopsy Mopsy & Cottontail? Think Peter Rabbit. First he ate some lettuces and some French beans; and then he ate some radishes.
ReplyDeleteNo Shirl. Think "rabbit" - "rabbit and pork" - "talk". Cockney rhyming slang for talking too much. Like when Chas was a rock n roller in East End pubs singing and playing with Dave abt having a wonderful girl friend, except she talked too much. Like "Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" all the time. Not quite Enid Blyton stuff. More Millwall docks. As a rocker, a guitar man, a rebel, I just found it strange that he wrote abt gardening. As an aspiring musician he was tired of Cliffy et alia doing mock American so he came up with rockney - cockney rock
ReplyDeleteFor the purists, I didn't forget to finish with a full stop. My little bit of literature felt it had had enough, so Self Submitted.
ReplyDeleteSo there. Here endeth the lesson...................Al
I'm going slightly mad.................Beatrix Potter. That's her. Not Enid Blyton.
ReplyDeleteRabbits. Take a butchers hook. The sophisticate sees the analogy.
ReplyDeleteShirl, you are talking to the wrong bloke here. I don't do sophistication. I will admit I have had a butchers, but I cannot see any analogies in yr beautiful literature. Just for me, do you think you could explain just a teensy weensy bit more. Chas (and maybe Dave too) have gone for a change of career here, and the more we procrastinate so it could be Pat will lose interest. So they have lost a sales opportunity, and who knows, Pat might have had me earmarked for a crate of mixed veg at Xmas.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
......two liguistic forms serving as the basis for the creation of another form, with a resemblance in some particulars otherwise unlike; authors Chas & Beatrix join forces in the vegetable patch with a moral tale for all allotment holders.
ReplyDeleteMmm a bit pompous.
ReplyDeleteI was going to do indignant 'Yes of course I know its rhyming slang I'm not Dolly Dimple.'
A straightforward 'I am cognisant with the rhyming slang in this context.' was not an option.
I plumped for pompous.
Not to worry Shirl. You and Pat have taken me on a journey of allotment enlightenment, for which I am grateful. Are you aware that several corporate establishments now provide an on site allotment for employees to get some r and r? Cos I wasn't. The market leader apparently is Google. If the job is killing you, walk away from the desk and get down and dirty amongst the radishes for an hour, in company time. New to me. And you brought back happy memories of "The Watermans Arms" in Millwall in the 60's. A good music pub.
ReplyDeleteOz update - at least another week to go.
Post just come. Hand out from Ikea - "Live a Happier Life at Home" Jumping on my bandwagon, I see.
Be happy Allan
Had a look at Google's take on The Watermans Arms. Even had Judy Garland up on stage once. Never knew that, but not surprised. It was a sort of "in place" to go, as I parked my Mini by the Celebs' Rollers. Featured in a TV series too, to showcase new musical talent. You have to go back to the days of Daniel Farsons on telly.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
I enjoy The Ron and Alan Show in The News from the Land of the Red Dragon, even when I do not understand it. May we hope for its equivalent from the Land of the Green Dragon, the Red Bear and Uncle Arthur's ?
ReplyDeleteJ.A.L.
Jim - you've made my day. We have an audience. And I will have serious words with Ron. If you and me are regular readers, and neither of us can understand a ruddy word he is saying, I'll just have to tell him to pull his sox up. After all, you two earned your coin by being in the communications industry. Bit different for me - as long as I could visualise 6 carbon atoms having a penchant for forming a hexagonal ring, I had it cracked.
ReplyDeleteBut I like your idea of having a Green Dragon version. Easy peasy. Just look at yourself and laugh at what you see. Not you personally - you are on a pedestal as regards this site. Mebbe you'll get lucky.
While I am here:- Pat. What happened to your Banksy/Nunnsy/Bensy type Muriel after all? Did you get it sufficiently hideous that no self respecting thief would have his evil way? Just a bit of detail to keep us going - that's all. I'll tell you a story. Once over I bought the end house of a new development. Field at the side and a field at the back. Perfect. I hadn't been in 5 mins before they started digging next door for sand. (Regular thing in Essex.) I ended up with a ruddy great hole, 30 yds diameter, full of water. So I named the house "Lochside". Complete with a nameplate by the front door. As a deterrent it was useless. Just more diggers taking more sand.
Be Happy Allan
Allan. I am also very happy to know that our flowers are not born to blush unseen and waste their sweetness in the desert air.
ReplyDeleteI have been quiet recently because I did not feel competent to engage in the competition between you and Shirley for maximum incoherence nd opacity.
A riposte is at my finger tips but I can't quite grasp it.
ReplyDeleteRon you old charmer. A telling off which cannot be expressed as words. I got the real hands on hips - take your pick of 3 - no, I'll pick for you. But now, look, is there any help we can give Jim. I've got some News from the Land of the Green Dragon, for starters.
ReplyDelete"A lady in Leeds was today hailed as the saviour of all single men, widowered, bachelors etc when she revealed to the world one of the greatest inventions since sliced bread. An ex-pat, now resident in S. Wales, is even considering returning to wallow in such an environment of original thinking. What was it? A duvet cover with POPPERS DOWN THREE SIDES!!!" How about that for starters? Do you like it Jim? I think it is a sensational start. Over to you, Ron.
But Red Dragon news seems a bit thin. For those who don't read the back pages, the man you love to hate - Gavin Henson - has been dropped completely by The Ospreys. No longer on gardening leave - sacked. Looking for an English club, we are told. But be warned, looking at Strictly Come Dancing too.
It's done it again. My "Submit" has a hair trigger. Wish it would behave itself.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
Jim - you reminded me of an event from a million years ago when I was just a lance corporal on the ladder of industry. We had a Night Manager who was absolutely useless. Until an operator wrote on his message board:-
ReplyDelete"When your on nights
And looking for Steddon.
Take my advice
You're flogging a dead 'un."
Never found out the author. If I had, he'd have been on my team straightaway. But I really refer to yr Green Dragon thread. But onward and upward, here I go again..................Welsh ex pat nearly has a fit when he reads of the howlers committed by Kirklees Council Publicity Dept. Kirklees - more usually called Cleckheckmondsedge - issued a Tourist leaflet with 50 spelling mistakes!!! Cleckheaton became Czechisation. The British Waterways email was manic-depressive@brutalisation's.co.uk. Then had the cheek to put the blame on Software. The one abt Cleck really hurt. In the twilight of my career I was Capt of the "A" XV, popped in a hat trick at the age of 42, and retired at the end of the season.
And here's a quiz from a Dewsbury ex teacher friend of mine. What have these words in common? Banana, Dresser, Potato, Revive, Assess, Uneven, Potato, Dresser. Had a good look? Give in? I refuse to accept the simple usage of two of the same letters. So................put the first letter at the back. Read it back to front and you get the word you started with.
So, just dredge around. The talent is out there. Tap into it.
Think of me tomorrow, and say a little prayer plse. We are bottom of Div. 1 and bound to go down. But we are playing Caldicot, who are only a couple of points in front of us and the bottom 3 go down. Now in Bowls the max points you can pick up per match are 14. So we are playing for honour. We'll still go down but not come bottom if we hammer em. So go for it folks. Ron - let's get Malta behind me too. We need all of you.
Is it just my telly, or are all the female Weather Girls preggers? I did read somewhere that folk were at a loose end for entertainment when locked in by the snow etc in Jan/Feb.
Be Happy Allan (Never went anywhere near Submit tonight.)
Delete a Potato and insert Grammar........................perleazzzz..
ReplyDeleteJust spotted. While you are at it delete a Dresser too. Either one. It makes no difference to the answer.
I must admit my daughter Em found this. Go for it. www.youtube.com Then find "Erotic Discourse" by Paul Woolford. That is some drum music.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy and Inspired.................Allan
Knocks Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers - "Like the beat beat of the Tom Toms/When the jungle shadows fall/etc/etc" into a cocked hat. Al
ReplyDeleteRon - was it you who swung it, or was it our non writers. Whatever the whole nation is in shock. Caldicot are tough to play on their home green. Cos their green is so wibbly wobbly only they can master it. And we took it to them and beat em 12 - 2. Wowee. And the next 3 above had easy fixtures. The telephones were red hot as we came off the green. And one by one they failed to deliver. Until we ended up 4th from the bottom. (Bottom 3 go down, remember). Yes, we live to fight another day. Or another season. So now we go into slo mo and play Touring Clubs, Friendlies and each other. No stress. Ta everybody for your help. I feel all washed up. Just got to decide if I could face another topsy turvy event like this next season. Even makes you feel sympathetic towards folk like Alec Ferguson.
ReplyDeleteNight night - just want to sleep for ever - Allan
Sorry nothing to report re shed painting....it has been " rain stopped play" and now the sun is out( ish) I have got visitors so no time to play. However I can report on the school holidays games league ( scrabble, dominoes, petanque, speed tumblers) Geoff's team ( him and Sam) 2, my team ( me and Ben) 3. Two games to before end of summer holidays...watch this space.Wednesday is the big day ( school starts on Thursday) Two games to play then a celebratory lunch at the Haunch of Venison ....special venue so we can view the mummified hand ...bet you haven't got one of them in LoGD !!!!
ReplyDeleteYou little temptress. I am not falling for that one. What is dead and mummified, and what is alive and fully functioning down here - my lips are sealed. I like yr competition. With you being 3-2 up (and putting Ben in charge of scoring), maybe it is the right time to introduce loser pays for grub.
ReplyDeleteI must remind you I am overseas correspondent for LoRD. Jim is i/c LoGD. I was just paving the way. Demonstrating that madness and eccentricity might be the norm here amongst my noisy excitable lot, but it can be found even in dour phlegmatic areas.
Let us know if you win. Don't bother if you lose. Take care and Be happy,,,,,,,,,,,,,Allan
I've got a new toy! I've got a new toy!! Do you wanna share it and have a go? O.K. - I'm a soft touch. Right, just do this -
ReplyDeletego to http://61226.com/share/hk.swf And you get a piccie of Hong Kong & the Harbour. Put your cursor at the top left of the piccie and you get the info it is 6.40 p.m. Now without pressing any buttons, let the cursor slowly run down the left hand side of the piccie. The time moves on and you get to see H.K. in the dusk. Until finally, you get that most exciting happening - H.K. at night. You've gotta see it to believe it, but that's how it is.
Knocks virals into a cocked hat, dunnit?
Be Happy...............Allan
Couldn't help myself. Had to have a test drive. It's hypnotic. You've got to keep on doing it again and again. In fact I had more agains than that. As long as it makes you happy.................AL
ReplyDeleteThat's life I s'pose. One minute you are in The Empire. 10 yrs later and your name does not spark the slightest interest. Back to the knitting - k1, p1, k2 tog. Think that's how it goes. Moving up a gear tomorow folks. Buy some Arran wool and we can do cables.
ReplyDeleteBe Happy Allan
Ben and I won ( was this due to Ben's scoring? Nah. just our superior skill)The lunch was a great success and we also got to see the dungeons ! Sorry abput the slip up ...LoRD it is.
ReplyDeleteWe have a dragon here ...he's called Gilbert and is on facebook....put Gilbert the dragon in and you can be his friend but he is nearly ready to hibernate so hurry up.
Mary 's grandson ( think NZ), Myrom ,is in the Commonwealth games in Delhi and she is going for two weeks to watch. He rides BMZs !!!!
Congrats Pat n Ben. When you win - you win - full stop. No need to qualify it by claiming you didn't cheat. Just makes people wonder!!
ReplyDeleteYou can warn Gilbert I'll be there.
I was a bit tetchy yesterday folks. I have nothing against knitters. In fact I was only getting cosy with a knitter on Facebook yesterday. She collects wool and spins it first. Lovely woman, and I had decided that before she told all. I am now her friend.
That is wonderful news for Mary. She was very proud of the progress he was making when I was with her a few yrs ago. Kept falling off and breaking his arms in those days. Will write to Manurewe - Congrats. I bet she is real chuffed. I know I am getting fussy abt you and acronyms - but is it not a BMX? Or have I been asleep while they have gone from BMX to BMY to BMZ? You never know, do you. I float round on a cloud, and must learn to touch base more frequently. Delhi - is that India or Pakistan?
Be Happy Allan
Ta Pat for providing the incentive. Been on a wander round and now know where Delhi is. Found out it's a race agst time to get the Stadium completed. (Nothing new there) Corruption meant they had to fire the Committee and start again. They have built new access roads with dedicated lanes for the athletes (shades of John Prescot) and taxi, bus, cafe folk etc are being forced to learn English. A 28 day cram organised by the Govt. All the homeless are being chucked out & their tin sheds bulldozed. Some are just being rounded up and hidden away behind a big fence. But no reference as yet to Myrom. Mainly cos BMX hardly figure in the reports from NZ. I'll keep trying. You know I still get a buzz when I recall Mary getting so aereated shouting abuse at the Telly, the ref, the players. And it was only a domestic Club Game of Rugby. But not to her.
ReplyDeleteJust an after thought. Perhaps Ben's quality of play carried you thro & won the day!!
On that note I take a hasty retreat.................Allan
Back again folks. Just exercising my bragging rights. Have you noticed in the Press that the N.H.S. are closing their Tel help line as a cost cutting measure. Well not quite. Well not here. How's that? Devolution. Which by definition you cannot do, but you see we can. So while you are doomed to sitting in some grubby surgery reading a 2 yr old "Womans Own", so I'll still be sprawled out on my settee discussing my bunions on the freebie line. And then of course belling the Pharmacist for my freebie prescription to be delivered. Duw, it's hard out here in the sticks. What happened to Democracy did I hear?
ReplyDeleteHad a good day at the office yesterday. The Ladies and Mens sections combined forces for a Mixed Match. Husbands and wives were paired off, with us O's and S's filling in the gaps to make up the foursomes. Grass was bright green, hot sun on our backs, all the jokes and banter. Just what Saturdays were invented for. Until!!! The Ladies volunteered to cater. Can you imagine? No way is her chocolate cake going to beat my trifle etc etc. We ate like lords. And a huge doggy bag to bring home. And we are at it again on Friday. We entertain a club from England on an end of season tour. That should be fun too. They'll be bomb happy, and mebbe in the first stages of alcoholism too. They are in West Wales all week - travel East to play us - and then having a few shandies before going on home.
Tomorrow I entertain my ex running buddy, Jo, and baby Cian to lunch. We usually go out but I have an idea she is in the throes of "Terrible Two's" with Cian, so is playing it careful. We've all been there, and I guess you'll agree abt terrible twos. You know, I have a good life.
Be Happoy Allan