Monday February 1st, 2016

Well bye bye January.  You’ll not be missed.  And that’s all I have to say about that.

So here we are in a new month and you’d never know the difference. The continuous rain and high winds are still with us and showing little signs of easing anytime soon. I’m saying “easing” because “stopping” is being a tad too optimistic.

Then again, the forecasters are promising us (ha !) a lovely Wednesday so we’ll see.  Isn’t it wonderful to be promised ONE DAY of good weather. A month !

I get a daily quote via email, although the quotes are often pathetic and from people I’ve never heard of.

In another of those spooky events that seem to happen to me, today’s quote was……

“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.”

Someone’s having a laugh, I’d say.  The quote was from Langston Hughes (born 1902) and the email said he was elected class poet at his school in Lincoln, Illinois.

So clearly not a weather forecaster then ! 

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As the weather was so bad today, I watched “Grease Live” to cheer me up a bit.  Having seen “The Sound Of Music Live” a few weeks ago, I thought this cast was being very ambitious taking on Grease.  But I loved it.  The production was so impressive and the enthusiasm of the players was fantastic.  I was only aware of one sound glitch which in a 2hr 12min show (that was spread over so many stages and sets that the cast members had to move around via golf carts), was some achievement.

Well done to all concerned.

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I went to Sainsburys this afternoon for a small shop.  With all the time in the world, I’m always upset when I find myself in a supermarket around 3pm when the kids are just getting out of school.  Suddenly the previously half empty aisles are full of screaming kids with their mothers in tow (usually) and I’m left wishing I’d planned my visit with more care, time wise.

I had thought about mentioning my honey glazed ham story (see previous post) but for once i went with my head and let it go.  I’m sure I’m already on their list of annoying customers who complain about anything.  It’s an age thing I think.  Or maybe it’s just a Victor Meldrew gene that lies dormant in us all and comes to the fore once we get beyond 60 !

That’s my excuse anyway.

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Back home I settled down to have a relaxing late afternoon/evening.

Things hadn’t been so relaxing back on the first Monday in February, 1970.

Remember how I’d been “asked” by Fr. Kerr (Dean of Discipline) to give him a written explanation of why I wasn’t available for lessons on 26th January and I’d popped it under his door shortly afterwards and then heard nothing ?

Well on my return to the school after a weekend at home, I was sent for by the President, Fr. McHugh or Sticky as we called him. Making my way to his office I suddenly remembered I’d forgotten to officially report back so I thought that was what my summons was about.

After entering his office, that was initially what Sticky got me for.  But then he held up my written letter and shouted “Is this your work” ?   As I’d signed the damn thing I thought this was teetering on the blindingly obvious but decided to keep this to myself.  Sticky then ranted and raved for 10 minutes saying he ought to tell my parents and the usual “your brother would never have done this” which always pissed me off.  He called it gross impertinence, told me to apologise to Kerr and finally shouted at me to get out.

At this point I’d better explain that my letter was an early example of my sarcastic style of writing and reading it now (for I still have it within the diary), it comes over as rather wordy, a trait I’ve maintained over the years as proven by this blog.  As well as explaining what took place, I took the opportunity to mention that the method used to let those in authority know who was off sick was seriously flawed and needed overhauling. I guess this hadn’t gone down well.

Outside the office I breathed again and although I thought the anger at me was uncalled for, I decided I’d got off lightly considering Sticky’s reputation for using the strap with little or no provocation.

I also decided not to go out of my way to apologise to Kerr and as the day went on, I totally forgot about it.

That evening I was with the other boys watching Panorama up in the tv room when a furious Sticky burst in and told me to follow him to his office. He wasn’t actually too angry once we got there and just told me to go rightaway and apologise to Kerr.  I went to his room and for a good 30 minutes I was verbally assaulted by him.  I was on trial, told I couldn’t speak, was told to tell all the boys who may have read the letter that I was totally wrong to have written it, called a cheeky pup (oh so harsh), told I should never have come to this school etc etc.

Basically I think he’d lost the plot and it was probably a good thing that he’d told me not to speak !

Never one to pass up an opportunity to abuse his power and despite the fact I had apologised, he put me off my privileges for an indefinite period and couldn’t go to the film on Friday.

I actually complained to Sticky but already knew the outcome…..he said the punishment was appropriate.  Oh and I also had to apologise to matron as I’d made a reference to her in the letter.  That reference was that she hadn’t come to see me (as she didn’t know I was ill) so it wasn’t exactly a reference I felt needed an apology.  Collateral damage I guess.

Being off 6th form privileges at a boarding school was a big deal; privileges included going home on occasional weekends, being able to miss evening prayers and being able to stay out till 10:15pm.  Missing out on the film was just as bad as I’d not missed one in almost 7 years.

My dislike of priests, already pretty deeply rooted, took a sharp upward spike that day.  Oh I know it wasn’t anything major compared to others but you have to remember that up until then, my disciplinary record was spotless as I’d never been in any trouble at all.

THAT was why I felt so aggrieved by that situation.

And still do !

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Back in the present and after supper I settled down to watch “Inside Out” again….but in 3D.

I know it’s not had the home takeup that the tv manufacturers hoped for, but watching movies in 3D is so much more of an experience than in 2D.  You really get into the movie and although animated ones are the best in this format, others are as well.

I’ve over 60 of them now and even the much maligned “Jupiter Rising” is a much better watch in 3D although it does nothing to help Eddie Redmayne‘s voice and acting.

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Then it was 2am and time for bed…..and a few more pages of “Fall Of Giants“.  According to the Kindle app, I’ve 5hrs 32mins left in the book but given my speed, that time, like the rain, will probably last till the end of February !

Wednesday January 20th, 2016

Wednesdays, being mid week, are usually when I go out for a pub lunch with my friend Daphne and then come back to my place for a coffee, a chat, and if there’s time, an episode or two of Modern Family.

Oh yes, we know how to live !

Although we have a few local pubs that we regularly frequent, we like to find news ones when we can. This morning I checked out The Half Moon Inn at Pool-In-Wharfdale, about a 20 minute drive away, and according to TripAdvisor it had changed hands recently and the reviews were pretty good.

So we set off at about 12:45 and as Daphne was talking my ear off when we approached Pool-In-Wharfdale, I was mentally on a beach somewhere and overshot the pub. It was about a quarter of a mile further on before I found a place to u-turn and returned to The Half Moon.  It was not a very welcoming car park and the building itself looked like it needed quite a bit of TLC.  Upon entering and after getting our eyes accustomed to the light, or lack of it, we saw the place was empty.

As we approached the bar, a distant voice shouted out that they weren’t open and weren’t serving food in any case !  As I’d just checked out the opening hours and the food menu less than an hour ago on their web site, I wasn’t impressed. The new owner, I’m assuming, said they’d just taken over the pub and still hadn’t got access to the website.

Well as your window to the world, I’d say that should have been a priority.

Very annoying but as there was nothing else to do, we left.  Daphne pointed out that there had been a pub where I’d done the u-turn and so we drove back there.

The Hunters Inn, for that was its name, looked decent on the outside but not exactly welcoming on the inside. It too was gloomy but at least there was a real coal fire blazing away in the eating area. We were handed one menu (!) and made our way to a table near the fire, passing two old ladies seated at the only other occupied table. When I said “hello” to them, one of them said she hoped we weren’t in a rush to eat as they had been waiting 30 mins for their meals.  As we sat down, their meals arrived and I noticed they’d both ordered toad in the hole.

Would that be toads in the hole or toads in the holes ?

Daphne and I also picked the same meal but for us, it was the steak and ale pie. Having listened to what the lady had said, I checked my watch……

As we chatted, the barman came over with the condiments and cutlery and took the opportunity to ask the ladies if everything was ok with their meals.  They seemed to mumble yes as he left immediately.

We chatted some more. Well what I mean is, Daphne talked some more.  After exactly 30 mins even she had run out of things to say but our meals arrived to save the day. The barman then when to the ladies table to remove their plates but as this was going on behind me, I never saw what food they left. He asked again if everything HAD been ok and it was only then that the ladies said their sausages hadn’t been cooked properly !

Surely they hadn’t been cooked properly when the barman asked them the first time…..when there was time to do something about it ?  Maybe they hoped the sausages would continue to cook as they ate them !  Gotta love us Brits when it comes to complaining when eating out.

Anyway our meals were just fine and the pies were full of tasty meat AND PIPING HOT.

No one else came in to eat while we were there and only a couple of locals came in to have a drink and prop up the bar. Not a place we’ll be adding to our favourites list but it was ok on the day.

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Back home and we did indeed have our coffees and two episodes of Modern Family.  Only 35 more and we’ll be caught up.

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I’m still struggling to follow many parts of my 1970 diary.  The entry for today mentioned so many boys by their nicknames that despite being a member of the school “group” on Facebook, I can’t match up real names with nicknames

And these included the teachers, especially the priests – but their nicknames can’t be mentioned here !

Today’s diary entry mentioned Blinkers, Doogy, Fairy (!), Cully, Monty, Yogi, Duck, and the delightfully named Olly Creep and Rubadub.

Now Rubadub was a dayboy and we boarders had to use them to bring in items from the outside world, especially records.  You know, music records ?  Vinyl discs ?  Singles ? 45’s ?

Come on….some of you reading this must remember them ?!

The first single I ever bought was back in 1965 when I was 13 and I still have it today.  I think. Upstairs under the spare bed probably. It was “Mirror, Mirror” by Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours and featured the lead singer, Tony Newman, playing an autoharp.

High tech gear in those days. The video link above (click the song name) shows the group much later but it’ll have to do as it was the only footage of them I could find in colour ! It doesn’t take long to watch as back then, most songs lasted about 2 minutes which hardly seems value for money.

Barely time for a chorus.

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For the late night movie, after the footy of course, I watched “The Danish Girl” which was a great disappointment to me as it wasn’t about a girl working in a pastry shop at all.

Nothing like !

I jest.  Hopefully.  Actually it was excellent but one of those movies that are very hard to review due to their subject matter/storyline.  Probably best if I leave it at that !

Once again, as in “The Theory Of Everything“, Eddie Redmayne displayed his incredible talent for becoming another person which, as it turned out, was what he needed to do in this movie.

But my eyes were mostly locked on every frame that featured the stunning Alicia Vikander. I first saw this Swedish beauty with the girl next door looks (if only) in Anna Karenina and then parts of her in Ex Machina – if you’ve seen that movie you’ll know what I mean.

If only I was 30 years younger…..and 40 lbs lighter and 70% more handsome and an actor and rich and had confidence and style, I’d give that Fassbender guy a run for his money !

I donno know what she sees in him.

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Then to bed (the two aren’t connected !) and back to Treasure Island. I’m 25% into it now and finally Long John Silver, or Stumpy to his friends, has made an appearance so maybe, at long last, we’ll be off to sea and the glorious adventure can really begin.  There has been way too much dry land shenanigans going on for my liking and I’m more than ready to exchange the “yo-ho-ho’s and a bottle of rum” for some “heave -ho me hearties” and “splice the main brace”.

I want the wind in my hair (!) and the smell of the sea mixed with manly sweat and vomit in my nostrils. Despite my only experience of such things being the P & O ferry to France, I’m sure I’ll be right at home on The Hispaniola.

As long as Alicia Vikander is with me.