Monthly Archives: January 2019

A Few Favourite Photographs

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Cranesbill Geraniums
Apple Blossom
Tulips
Foerget-me-nots
Primulas/Auriculas

Now that I look back on my flower photos I wish I’d taken more. They are very comforting in the middle of winter.

I also wish I’d sorted them better as I’ve had to go through 1,300 images to find these.  They are cheering me up already, particularly the blossom. I’m looking forward to blossom time, which seems a very haiku time of year.

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I’ve always like grasshoppers as subjects – something that hides in the grass and is prone to jumping when disturbed is a challenge, and a good shot is always a pleasure.

Flatbreads ready to go
Spice selection
Party time
Potato & Chickpea Curry
Rolling Flatbreads

Finally, the Bread Group’s end of year curry. I miss the bread group, the smell of fresh bread and, of course, the curry.

I’m now feeling cheered, pleasantly nostalgic and inspired to write haiku, so it was worth sorting through a few photos.

Another Day in the Shop

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I did quite a lot of things this week, but it was mostly boring or requires too much tedious detail to describe it.

This morning I mounted a few medals, having finally remembered to take some cotton to work, and for the rest of the day, with a few stops to serve customers, I prepared things for eBay.

British War Medal
Burma Star Group
Ambulance Long Service Medals

These are the medals – a British War Medal from the Great War that is being given to another member of the family, a Burma Star group mounted for the family and two Ambulance Service medals mounted for someone who embarrassed his family by using safety pins on Remembrance Day.

Brass and Mother of Pearl RASC Sweetheart
RASC Silver bar brooch
RASC WW2 Sweetheart

These are three styles of Second World War sweethearts of the Royal Army Service Corps. The one below is First World War – you can tell this from the fact it’s Army Service Corps, as they weren’t made “Royal” until 1918. It’s also made in WW1 style, using tortoiseshell, which wasn’t popular in WW2.Finally, as you can see, it’s hallmarked for London 1917. That’s why hallmarked silver brooches are always more sought after, as they can be dated precisely.

Silver and tortoiseshell ASC WW1 1917
Silver and tortoiseshell ASC WW1 1917 Hallmarks

The marks are an indistinct maker’s mark, a lion passant for Sterling Silver, a leopard’s head for London and a “b” for 1917.

It’s not a bad job when you can spend all day handling things that are also the basis of your hobby. And I get paid…

Harvester – Review

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Here it is, my first food review of the year. The target is to visit 100 tearooms in 365 days, but I’ve decided to review all the places I eat out to ensure we hit target. I’m hoping that it will also prevent me eating out too much, but I fear this may be a doomed hope.

We had to take Number One Son to the airport and Julia suggested eating on the way. Harvester in Wilford was conveniently placed so we tried there. It’s usually passable and often quite good. It provides free salad, fresh bread rolls and last time we went they had a special lunchtime offer.

Well, the offer is over, the bread roll baskets were empty and the salad looked like it had passed peak freshness several days previously.

Very disappointing.

The worst bit was when I ordered cod and chips.

“We don’t have any batter, but we can do you plain grilled cod.”said the server.

Because, of course, beautifully battered, golden, gleaming cod is very much the same as dull, dry, boring, grilled fish. (Please note that I’m being sarcastic here.) Frankly, I’d rather have a slice of grilled carpet.

Hake and Chips in Cromer

These are the fish and chips from Fish and Chips at Cromer. Just reminding you, and any passing Harvester employees, what they should be serving. Unsurprisingly, I have no pictures of plain grilled fish. There will be plenty of time for grilled fish when I’m in a care home and can’t find my teeth.

Did you know you can have your false teeth made with your name on so that you don’t lose them in homes or hospitals? One of our customers told me this as he makes them. You machine a recess in the plate, put in the name tag and then finish off with clear acrylic. Cunning, or what?

So I had a burger. No 1 Son (as I think of him in our less formal moments) had a chicken burger. Julia had gammon with egg. She was offered pineapple too but turned it down. I may have some reservations about aspects of the meal, but they can be quite generous at times. Even if they don’t have fresh salad, warm rolls or batter.

I was mildly sarcastic about the chef not being able to mix flour and water, but it seems the batter comes in bags of batter mix.

Without being too detailed or sarcastic, it wasn’t Harvester’s finest moment. They did replace the salad and refill the rolls before we left, but the moment had passed by then.

The food was good, even if the lack of salad, bread and batter was disappointing. Wasn’t keen on paying full price either, though it isn’t actually expensive by modern standards.

 

 

Slacking

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I came to a decision last night – I’ m setting myself no new targets until I’ve completed the current challanges because with the two challenges plus reading, writing and eBay I have enough to do in the evenings.

The world won’t stop if I slack off for a few days.

I’m taking Number Two Son to work now and may not get back in time to post before midnight so it’s a short post today.

Slacking is clearly contagious.

Today’s picture is a Mallard/Pintail cross from the pond at Arnot Hill Park. He’s been featured before. I didn’t go there but everyone likes a duck.

Christmas is Over

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The day is drawing to a close. Number One Son has texted to say he has landed and is now in a taxi heading “home”. Julia has trouble accepting this as a description, as she still thinks his home is Nottingham rather than Valetta. If someone offered me a job in Malta I know what I’d very quickly be calling “home”.

We had a meal on the way to the airport, which will form the first part of my 100 Food Reviews in 365 days. Tootlepedal suggested visiting cafes in order to indulge my talents for sarcasm and vitriol over the next year, and apart from being a family meal it will double up as the first review in the series. The company was fine, the server was excellent but the food is going to provide me with plenty of material for indulging my grumpy old man persona.

Between the meal and the text I finished Library Lost. It’s the second book in the Great Library Series by Laurie Graves, better known to us as the writer of Notes from the Hinterland.

I’ll be reviewing it soon. But if you want to buy it and read it before reading the review you’ll be safe in doing that, though I will warn you that it it finishes too soon as I would have been happy with reading it for another two or three days.

That, I think, is it for today. Back to work tomorrow.

 

 

The Second Day

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It’s the 2nd of January today, and New Years Day seems to have slid by imperceptibly. I’m trying to decide on a new project, though I’m struggling at the moment. I may need to finish my other two projects first, and may even allow myself a rest.

For the moment, as I said yesterday, I’m going to write a few clerihews. They are short, the rhymes are simple and they don’t need to scan. They don’t need nature words either.

I’ve learnt a few things about such projects – one being that poetry requiring nature is probably best written in spring. There’s not much variety in autumn when all you get is leaves going brown, leaves falling off and leaves doing things on the floor. It’s worse in winter – you have twigs and frost. And, so far, we haven’t had much frost this year.

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Sherwood Forest

Another thing is not to see the 1st of January as a starting point for new projects. I’ve been conditioned into starting things on the first day of the year and I bought a diary, with the plan of writing something every day. With the posting and haiku challenges I’m  struggling for time and inspiration. On the other hand, I don’t want to leave the first two weeks of the diary empty.

I’m not expecting too much from the rest of the day as Julia has plans and I’m taking Number One Son to the airport at 4.00 this afternoon, so I’m not going far.

I’m thinking of writing a poem about a man who becomes nothing more than a taxi-driver for his family.

 

 

 

 

 

The First Post

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I’m not doing anything so I thought I might as well start blogging for 2019.

We saw the New Year in with fireworks from London and music from Madness. It was average. After seeing in 60 New Years it’s hard to raise much enthusiasm.

I’m currently using a hot water bottle to sooth my arthritic hand and am regularly swilling out my mouth with a saline mouth wash.

Julia has been quiet tonight. She says she’s worried that we are falling apart.

There’s no point in worrying, as I told her: we’re going to fall apart whether we worry about it or not. We might as well disintegrate cheerfully.

She doesn’t seem convinced. Normally I would cheer her up with chocolates, cake and my natural charm. However, we’re trying to lose weight and the charm is wearing thin after 30 years – I’m obviously going to have to work on that. Tootlepedal suggested a couple of tons of manure for the garden, it seems Mrs T was very pleased with this as a present. I’ll be honest – I’m not sure Julia wants manure

So, apart from that, what does 2019 have to offer?

There are approximately two weeks left of the posting challenge and the haiku challenge. After that I’m going to have to find some things to do.  I have a page-a-day diary ready and waiting and I’m going to use it every day, starting today. I’m not actually sure what I’m going to use it for, but I have 22 hours to work that out. I may go back to clerihews. The world needs 365 clerihews…