Tag Archives: Terry Pratchett

The Day Drags to a Close

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Gatekeeper

Another day and another set of excuses. After reading more of the Terry Pratchett biography I thought of writing an autobiography, but it soon passed. I’m having enough trouble keeping up with a blog and a bit of poetry. Add a talk for the Numismatic Society and a historical whodunit and I definitely don’t have the time or the energy. And, as a final point, I’m not famous, successful, on reality TV. or the possessor of either an abusive or criminal past. so I really have little to offer in the way of subject matter.

Mint Moth

That, of course, is the lesson to be learned from Terry Pratchett – he never seemed to stop writing once he went full time. So far today, I have written what the counter on this blog tells me is 133 words. I’ve also replied to a few comments and done another 150 words that I deleted. And written a haiku to finish off a haibun I want to submit in a  couple of days. That’s it. It’s not an impressive work rate.

I don’t even know why I’m not happy. My time is my own, I have plenty to do, and I am being paid to stay away from work. This should be the best time in my life. I do know it won’t get much better. Julia just told them at work that she will be leaving at the end of September. Once October arrives I am likely to find myself living in a less relaxed way, and having a lot more little jobs to do.  I’d better start appreciating how lucky I am.

Comma

Photos are from July 2015. It all seems so long ago, and there seemed to be more butterflies.

Still Sniffing and Sneezing

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The day started with me taking pictures of the wrecked polytunnel to support Julia’s bid for funding to recover it. Then I drove to the shop.

Arriving early I sat and listened to Tony  Robinson reading a Terry Pratchett novel.  Pratchett could, at times, be a bit irritating, and, in my opinion, lost his edge over the years, but he’s still moderately amusing.  Tony Robinson is also quite irritating. The audio books are heavily discounted, but if I could find Wodehouse for the same price there would be no contest.

I managed to be a bit more active today, but by the end was beginning to flag. When I actually stepped outside the wind felt absolutely freezing and I needed the car heater on all the way home.

After a couple of hours of light TV watching I’m giving serious consideration to going to bed. I’m just waiting to see the report about the Nigerian bobsleigh team and then I’ll make a decision.

I just watched the report, and read an article on the team. Although it’s interesting it’s also very noticeable that the first Nigerians, and also the first Africans, to qualify, are actually American by birth and upbringing, which is a bit disappointing. However, I’m probably being churlish by insisting on accuracy over hype.

I’m now waiting for the Cool Runnings remake. And yes, I am aware that Cool Runnings is massively inaccurate, but then again, it’s a film, not a news report. At one time we used to have different standards of accuracy for news and fiction.

Lots of Errands and a Traffic Jam

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Big day today. Off to the letter office where five parcels were waiting for me. There was no queue today and I parked in a disabled space as my knee was killing me. I know it’s not a good thing to do, but there were three others left empty and I was having to use my stick.

It turned out there were six parcels, which was a bonus. While I’ve been at work the postmen have been taking them back to the letter office. The trouble is that everyone wants them to be signed for. There’s no trust in the world anymore and everyone wants proof. I posted over 2,000 parcels when I was dealing by mail order and I only ever lost one.

In general I like to believe that people are honest, and the proliferation of distrust on ebay tells you a lot about the way modern society is going. I also have my suspicions that ebay and Royal Mail are in league to take as much money as possible from us. Remember that ebay also charges commission on postage costs. I was happy with my purchases, but you’ll have to take my word for it as I haven’t photographed them yet.

After that we had breakfast and set off for Newark market where, noting the lack of customers, I did the old show business joke. It basically hinges round the phrase “there’s no business (pause for effect) like show business”. It tends to amuse us, though we don’t have high standards.

Then things took a turn for the worse. We stopped at Grantham for a toilet break and a drink. Julia’s coffee, in a paper cup, cost £2.75. We’re going to have to start taking a flask.

Forestry land in Brazil costs as little as $50 an acre – about eighteen cups of coffee. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

After that we joined a queue on the A1. The traffic spent ten minutes travelling fitfully then ground to a halt. In the next two hours we listened to a Terry Pratchett talking book, chatted, watched red kites and fell asleep. Well, one of us did. The other one recorded me snoring and sent an audio file to my sister.

It seems that a trailer had become unhitched from a car and emptied itself on the road. Nobody was hurt, which is good.

Finally we arrived in Peterborough just in time to miss a low key but photogenic sunset, visited my father for a couple of hours, wished him a happy 89th birthday for later in the week and returned home without incident.

All in all, quite a worthwhile day, with the bonus of a relaxing snooze in the afternoon. I know it’s generally frowned on to sleep on major roads, but I think it’s OK if everyone has stopped.