Monthly Archives: April 2023

A Sucessful Day of Procrastination

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I have all the copies I think I need (though the solicitor will doubtless disagree) for Number One Son, and have successfully not filled in any forms today. I know this isn’t really the attitude, but I’ve always taken the attitude that in these things it is easier to reduce the target rather than work harder. It’s n attitude that hasn’t always won favour with other people, but it works for me.

My excuse is that I had a disturbed night’s sleep and rose early to write poetry so had no time for forms and such stuff. In fact I rose at 7.30, worked till 9.30 (a variety of time-wasting exercises) and made breakfast when Julia came down.

At that point we watched TV, did the washing, had afternoon tea and, in my case, napped. We watched The Hippopotamus, which was adequately funny and had enough mystery in it to keep me involved. It’s originally a novel by Stephen Fry and is a sort of cross between Withnail & I and Gosford Park.

After that I made  a simple meal of pizza, using ready made bases, and that was really the end of the day. I have done a bit on WP and |Julia made the sandwiches for tomorrow. I didn’t ask what she filled them with and look forward to a surprise tomorrow.. We ended up watching a programme about celebrities in he dark and had hot chocolate.

As usual, I say “celebrities” but I don’t have a clue who three of them are.This could be due to  my lack of celebrity knowledge, or it could be down to them not really being celebrities. The best one in there is Chris McCausland, not only is his career buoyant, but he’s blind, so he’s at home in the dark. I like him I find him funny and I find it poignant that he’s looking after the others. But I don’t think tht even he will persuade me to watch any more of the programme.

And that was my Sunday.

Another Lawyer Rant

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Tonight I went to see my dentist. She is a nice woman and didn’t really deserve an after hours visit from a man moaning about governmental restrictions, estate agents and the fact that the so-called “checks” to prevent money laundering and international terrorism wouldn’t defeat many teenagers, let alone a would-be criminal mastermind. It’s hard to believe that Russian Oligarchs, Saudi Princes or African Politicians are short of suitable professionals to sign their ID documentation. Even if they were, it’s hard to believe that the Estate Agents and Lawyers of London would let a little thing like the law get in their way as they fought to get their hands on as much tainted money as possible.

I had an appointment to see her, in  case you are wondering, and didn’t just turn up waving a sheaf of papers. Her husband is one of our customers, so I’d set the appointment up earlier in the day.

Also, as Derrick has just highlighted an area needing more clarity, I was visiting to get my ID check signed, not about teeth. She is an excellent dentist but today’s call was over and above the call of duty. I can, when dealing with these solicitors, either take a picture on my phone and they will accept it. Or I can send copies signed by a reputable person. I don’t like technology and don’t actually see how a selfie proves anything, even accompanied by my driving license.

The accountants who handled my parents’ estate were set up to allow us to do it all securely online. The people handling my pension are considerate enough to send me paper copies of everything. The solicitors handling the house sale for Number One Son, expect me to have a printer and to produce sheet after sheet of print outs. You, of course, know how I run my life, and will not be surprised to learn that my printer is out of action.

I have used the printer at work (yes, I asked the owner . . .) for some of it, and one of the neighbours printed us off a sheet tonight, but I have just had to spend several hours breaking up a selection of PDFs to extract the bits I need – either as forms from the solicitor’s pack or copies of emails from the bank regarding the estate of my parents. Yes, they not only assume I’m a criminal or terrorist and then insult me with a series of security checks that would embarrass a toddler, but they make me re-live the deaths of my parents as I prove my sources of income.

Meanwhile, the company that does the on-line identity checks, the ones I refuse to do, tells me that electronic ID checks are the future and have been proven to be safer than paper systems. My reply to that would be that if teenagers can hack the Pentagon and FBI, how can you be so sure that your system is secure?

 

A Mind Live a Sieve

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I was just looking up more details for the fund-raising efforts of the Boer War (as I’m writing a short article on the medallion I bought last night) when I found this reference. It’s a poor do, as my grandmother would have said, when you don’t even remember what you wrote six years ago.  I do, to be honest, remember most of the detail about the medallion and fund, it’s just that I have forgotten writing about it. Actually, I can’t remember much from six years ago, I think I was just starting to develop arthritis and my knee was a bit creaky. How things have declined in the last few years . . .

As you can see in the picture, if you click on the link above, the medallion I used as an example is not a patch on the one I bought last night. Now I want a silver one, preferably in a box. That’s the collecting bug for you – buy one, want another. You can probably get pills to cure collecting.

That’s about it. Inspiration has eluded me once again, though I have managed one senryu tonight. It is not a lot. Three lines of poetry does not really excuse my neglect of the washing up. Nor does making the sandwiches count for much as Julia has already made them twice this week.

For some reason my mind just turned to a piece of stock a friend of mine once had when we shared a junk shop. It was  German WW2 helmet with holes drilled in it and a base added so it could stand upside down and be used as a colander. IN 1945 Germany had been so badly knocked about that everything was pressed into use to rebuild the nation.

I don’t have a picture of it, but this is a slightly more sophisticated version from The Western Australia Museum. This he sort of thing my mind contains. It’s also the sort of thing it talks about when trying to avoid useful effort.

King Charles III 2023 Sovereign (Reverse)

The header picture is the Obverse of the new coin – sorry about picture quality but hey are too shiny to show up well on photos. Well, they are when you have second class equipment and skills.

 

The Auction

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Back to last night . . .

I ended up being late and arrived at the auction as Lot 11 was going through. This wasn’t actually a problem as I had nothing marked until Lot 22. Prices were strong for the ancient cons with brisk bidding. We don’t actually make any money from the auction, but it’s nice to see good prices as it means members are showing enthusiasm, and are obviously getting things which they want.

Lot 22 came up. It ws a coin weight of Charles I, with a good clear portrait. I fancied it as a good example, and something that would be an interesting piece in my small collection of interesting things.  (Note how little excuse I need when buying shiny things). In the earlier days of our coinage, when the value of a coin was guaranteed by it’s weight of gold or silver, merchants would weigh the coins to check they were full weight and value.

I chased it up from £10 to £40 but decided to le it go at that point. It’s not something I collect, just something I fancied as a curiosity.

After another gap, bidding opened on a token that had been sold in Newark during the Boer War (1899-1902) to raise funds for the families of troops fighting overseas.

Borough of Newark Mayor’s Fund 1900 (Obverse)

Borough of Newark Mayor’s Fund 1900 (Obverse)

I’m told they come in silver and in gilded bronze, and also in official boxes, but I’ve only ever seen loose bronze ones like this, which is  better example than the one I currently have in my collection.

After that I waited for the Nottingham Transport tokens, adding to my collection with a nice brass one (they are mainly plastic). That cost £10 for two tokens, but I split it with another collector after the sale so ended up with one for £5. I then bought seven plastic tokens for £7. It wasn’t one of my better buys as I have six of them already and just wanted one that I don’t have. Sometimes this happens. I will,I expect, eventually sell the rest.

Nottingham Corporation Transport Blind Person Transport Token  – Number

Nottingham Corporation Transport Blind Person Transport Token  – Coat of Arms

Then I waited for a local street trader’s arm badge. There’s not much more to be said about it. At some time in the past (I suspect they were pre-war, but I haven’t really researched them) street traders would have worn these on their arms. It is marked by Hiatt of Birmingham on the edge – Hiatt were well known makers of police equipment, including the arm badges of Special Constables between the wars, which were similar to, but larger than this badge.

Derby Street Trader’s Badge – made by Hiatt

Are you getting the idea that I’m spending quite a lot of time being bored between lots? If you are, it’s an accurate picture. Our volunteer auctioneer makes a decent job of it, and is as good as a lot of the professional auctioneers you see around the country, but club auctions don’t give him much to work with – lot after lot of low value lots being pursued by grim middle-aged men nursing grudges against other members and trying to get something for nothing.

Finally we got among the cheap medallions and I made a few purchases for my medallion collection – three lots for a total of £7.

In all it was just over and hour of boredom on a hard chair with a few minutes of excitement every so often. At least the chair kept me awake. I once sat on a comfortable settee in a Lincolnshire country auction and only just woke up in time for the lots I wanted to bid on.

It is the nature of an auction that the anticipation is generally better than the actual experience, and that I think more about the coin weight I didn’t buy than the things which I did buy.

 

A Very, Very Good Day

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Breakfast was very nice bacon served in a roll from the local bakery, which includes chia seeds. So healthy . . .

Lunch was corned beef sandwiches with lashings of cucumber (I seem to have over-ordered again on-line and you really can’t mess with cucumbers, which have a habit of turning on you). The house is currently full of the scent of toasting spices as Julia is making Hot Cross Buns for afternoon tea. She is full of energy today as she was planning to garden and has been stymied by cold rain and high winds. As a result, I haven’t had to lift a finger except to change channels on TV. This is my idea of an ideal life.

On top of that I seem to have solved the problem I was having with one of the repeat lines of the new villanelle. As days go, this is a good one.

Talking of which, here is a link to a poem in Contemporary Haibun Online. Yes, I am showing off again. You might like this one too. It’s by Xenia Tran, better known to WP readers as Whippet Wisdom.

There is a break in continuity here as I went off to do Numismatic things.

I set off a little late for the Numismatic Society Auction tonight, stopped at a cash machine and found it was empty. This was irksome as it left me short of money and even later. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. It all worked out well in the end.

Returning home, I was presented with a meal of lamb, cabbage, sweet potato, carrot/parsnip mash and broccoli with gravy, Yorkshire pudding and mint sauce.

TV, Easter eggs, roast dinner, bacon rolls, Hot Cross Buns, Numismatic Society and new things for my collection. This was one of the best days in my life. Not quite as good as my Wedding Day or the kids being born, but I’ve definitely had worse days.

So Much to Do

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Now that the ideas are coming, I can’t stop them. Unfortunately I can’ remember them either, so I’m not making he best use of them. This morning I had three ideas coming downstairs. Only one of them was useful. The other two were about gravity and accidental death in the home, but I often think of them whilst making my way downstairs. The other was forgotten before I set foot on solid ground. I know it was a good idea, because I distinctly remember thinking “That’s a good idea.” as I came downstairs. And “I must remember that.” But I didn’t.

It’s the Numismatic Society Auction on Monday night – not the best time for it, being Bank Holiday Monday, but we will have to see.. I have to sort out what I’m bidding on. Fortunately I don’t collect coins so there aren’t many lots to interest me. This could be the recipe for a cheap but exciting night out – all the anticipation of an auction followed by a night buying a few cheap lots. Or even buying nothing . . .

Watch this space.

It’s been a cold day again. The weather is very changeable at the moment -one day Spring then a  day or two of Winter. I can put up with the cold (I’m wearing a blanket like a shawl as I type) but the disappointment is harder to bear. A day of daffodils and blue skies followed by a couple of cold days with grey skies and a sprinkle of cold rain is depressing.

Meanwhile, I’ve actually done a little tidying. I won’t be hanging out any flags just yet as it’s not made a noticeable difference. However, if I do  bit each day (as I often say when making excuses for lack of results) the results will eventually become significant.

I’m now going to make a list of things to do this evening and tomorrow in the hope that I might get something done before I go to the auction. (I’m not neglecting Julia, by the way, I asked if she’d like to go out for a romantic evening tomorrow (coin society auction followed by pizza on the way home) but she said she’d rather stay at home and watch her courgette seedlings grow.

 

 

Carrot Soup, Curry and Cushions

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The day is nearly over and I have completed the first draft of the new villanelle I discussed a couple of days ago.  It’s still a bit rough around the edges but it now has all the lines and all the rhymes it needs. The lines are nearly ll the right length, and the rhymes nearly all work, so it’s coming closer to being ready and looks quite like a poem.

I spoke to a bird watcher I know a few days ago and told him about the kites we saw on our drive through Northamptonshire. He was unimpressed. He’s only been doing it for around a year and he has never known the kite as a rare bird. What is a thing of wonder to me is a commonplace event to him. It’s strange what a difference twenty years can make.

After a lazy day, we had sweet potato and chickpea curry, which was quite tasty. It tasted all the better for being the culmination of a plan, and was quite an easy meal – just needing warming up to be ready. I am at work tomorrow and have just made sandwiches using the mackerel paste I made on Thursday. Tomorrow Julia will have the rest of the carrot and parsnip soup for lunch. Not sure about tea, but e will then have the leftover curry. We won’t have it for tea, I expect, because Julia has a fixation about not having the same thing twice in a row. Women, in my experience, are like that.

As a child I once expressed an opinion that I wished I could eat nothing but cheese and pickle sandwiches for the rest of my life. My mother said i would soon tire of them if that was all I had. I wasn’t convinced. Sixty years later I am still happy to have them every lunchtime, but my digestion does require me to take a break every few weeks, at which point I try something else for a while. We’ve just had a couple of weeks of tuna mayonnaise, corned beef and now mackerel paste, but I still find it hard to beat cheese and pickle.

I honestly believe that is one of the main differences between women and men. They like cushions, children and variety in their menus, wheres I could happily live without all that frippery.

And just like my food, I have little difficulty in reworking old titles and photos.

Kites, Curry and Carrot soup

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I now have all the paperwork assembled for claiming my pension. Now I need to assemble the documents so I can give money to one of my own children. It’s all very vexing. The pension company ws happy to take my money and hang on to it, why do they suddenly need to know who I am? As for the “money laundering” regulations, I’m sure they would all melt away if solicitors were not able to charge for doing then checks. They would suddenly remember that the law relating to gifts isn’t quite clear and may not apply.

To restore some calm to my life I have been cooking. I dismembered a parsnip of considerable size, chopped some carrots, softened an onion, added lentils, garlic, stock cube, water and boiled it up. It is now blended and waiting to be eaten for tea tonight with crusty rolls and mackerel pate (Julia is buying the rolls and I will make the pate later). I think it is quite tasty but it’s difficult to tell because I’m also cooking a curry for tomorrow and I tasted that before the soup. Schoolboy error.

I will try again later when the feeling has returned to my tongue. It’s very difficult getting the right degree of bite when adding chilli in the form of crushed chillis from a jar. It also features onion, sweet potato, chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, garlic and curry powder. And the leftover tomato soup from earlier in the week. In turn, we will add the remains of tonight’s soup to the leftover curry and use it as a base for something else, probably curried vegetable soup.

This the first time in a while that I have felt fit and organised enough to get stuck into some planning and batch cooking, so it’s a good sign.

A bad sign of trouble to come is that my WP screen is acting a little differently at the moment, and I cannot access the comments. They are still there, but in a flickering diaphanous form. Probably a sign of more changes to come.

Red Kites in Wales

 

Henry VI, Part 2.

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It’s soup made from tinned tomatoes tonight, my new go-to soup.  Quick, cheap and tasty, what more could you want? After a lunch of junk food it seemed the sensible thing to do. Julia’s teeth are now positively gleaming and her eyes are 100% tested so she’s good for another year. And me, I’m almost porous. I have so many holes in my arms I could almost be a colander.

I would tell you about everything I’ve done this afternoon, but I didn’t really do anything.  Several TV programmes and some snoring doesn’t constitute activity.

Silver Britannia coin

My copy birth certificate came through yesterday – it was a bit of a shock, as it came in an official brown envelope with a red/pink covering letter. For a moment, it looked very threatening. I need it for proof of my ID when claiming my private pension.  It’s not a very onerous form of identification as it’s a available to anyone who wants it. Fortunately, I don’t suppose their are many people looking for a moderate pension. It’s a nice surprise for someone who wasn’t expecting much, but it’s not going to keep a fraudster supplied with much more than a few groceries.

I’ve also fixed up help with proving my identity for the solicitors involved in Number One Son’s house purchase. It seems that because I have chosen to give a member of my own family some money to help with a house deposit I have yo have my morals checked. Yes, they want to check that I haven’t made my money from crime or terrorism and check that I’m moral enough to give some of my own money to my own son. Part of this is proving my identity. It’s not enough that I have a phot driving license with my name and address on it, I have to have further proof of my address. I’ve been on the electoral register here for the last thirty four years and have  voted at every election but that isn’t enough either. I have to have my ID signed and verified by one of a number of people, including a medical professional, a financial adviser or a minister of religion.

So, if Dr Crippen, Harold Shipman or Josef Mengele was available, hey could vouch for me. So could a financial adviser, if they were to take time off from embezzlement and advising on how to avoid tax and launder money. There is no note on which religions qualify to sign – passport  regulations stipulate “recognised religion, including Scientology” for their needs but the solicitor, who has clearly formed this list with little thought, seems happy to accept the Universal Life Church and Jedi.

Silver Britannia coin

In other words, the ID requirements are a mockery and unlikely to cause problems to any half-intelligent criminal. The fact that they do seem technically demanding to a solicitor merely reinforces my long-standing prejudice against the legal profession. You have to have a degree to become a qualified legal professional, a move they took some years ago, but this merely cuts out the lower classes, and does not prove that the holder of the degree is able to think, merely to remember a mass of facts, which they then trot out at some appropriate time. The judge, who, to be fair, is usually a lawyer of great intellect, then sorts the facts out and renders a verdict.

In my next post I will continue with this theme. I have enough material for at least another 500 words.

Is the title making sense yet? Henry VI, Part 2.

“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers”

Silver Britannia coin

One Test, Two Nurses, Five Attempts

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Yes, as you can probably tell from the title, it was not a great day for a blood test. It was a gloomy day, very different from yesterday’s lovely Spring weather, and there was a touch of rains and cold in the air. I was seen quickly but after three attempts, was passed on to another nurse (my favourite) with a comment about drinking and dehydration. This always the excuse. I have difficult veins, and some nurses have better luck than others at finding them. Even my favourite nurse took two attempts today.

It’s raining now and looks set to stay that way for the rest of the day. I am home from my errands and Julia is home from hers, so I have arranged for a delivery of Kentucky Fried Chicken. This is the height of decadence and I feel slightly ashamed to be doing it. However, if someone reads this in the future they might like to take a break from their processed soya meal in a tube/Soylent Green/organically grown algae and reflect on the fact that we could once order fried chicken for lunch. Others I suppose, would say that posterity doesn’t need to know about my attachment to junk food.

The food is nearly here now, so I’d better finish.  Once I correct my writing troubles (which are starting to get less troublesome) I will address some of the worst aspects of my diet. Now that Spring is here it feels like time to start renewing myself. However, I’ve said that before and it hasn’t really worked.