Can't we just stay in tonight?

After two consecutive nights out, combined with a niggling cough and sore throat, I was not feeling my best this morning.  The large quantity of red wine last night probably didn't help either!

After a lazy breakfast TP headed off towards Nottingham to complete the compulsory Christmas visit with his Mum and his half-siblings.

I decided to put a little effort in to looking busy, whist doing absolutely nothing at all.

A short walk with the dogs took place, and a long snooze on the sofa used up a healthy chunk of the afternoon.

Tonight was yet another evening out. This time it was to see the PODS* Christmas Review show at the No. 8 Theatre in Pershore. Our party included Mummy Sheila and Michelle, and we had a splendid night of Christmas themed entertainment, performed by this talented amateur company.

I know that I wasn't at my best, but I would have been disappointed to have missed it. And I know that we have a lazy Sunday planned for tomorrow.

---

* Pershore Operatic and Dramatic Society

Tired!

I have not been sleeping particularly well recently, and the fact that TB has tried to join me in bed during the small hours hasn't helped!  As a result, I am somewhat lacking in energy at the moment.

This morning I headed out early, to drop off the wheelbarrow frame at the Powder Coaters. Andy was there and advised that it would be finished with plenty of time for me to reassemble it before Christmas Eve.

The remainder of the morning was taken up with chauffeuring 30% to the ROH in Birmingham.  They had had a cancellation and had asked her to come in for an MRI scan, with only two day's notice.  It has been a few months since her last consultation, and it is encouraging that she hasn't been forgotten about. She is not a huge fan of driving, so I was more than happy to come along, provide moral support and make sure she got there on time.

The scan took about thirty five minutes, and I had planned to read the last few pages of my book, but I was overwhelmed with tiredness and found myself falling asleep in the waiting room.

Once we were back home I retired to the sofa, and attempted to catch up on some sleep. I have a scratchy throat and an irritating cough at the moment, and I don't think these are helping with my energy levels. I think I slept for an hour and a half, before waking feeling slightly less knackered.

This was a good job as we spent this evening with B&H, sharing a pre-Christmas meal. We had a lovely evening. I drank just enough red wine and there was a lot of laughter.  They also so enjoyed our Bad Manners gig, that we have now arranged to go and see Squeeze with them later on in 2026.

We arrived home at a relatively decent hour and were welcomed in by TP. His work schedule has been revised, so he made a last minute decision to travel up and see us.

I know I am very tired, but it was a lovely evening of socialising.

A change of plan

30% was out this morning, which gave me an opportunity to head out to the workshop, and make a few decisions about her Christmas present.

We are both of an age where we have most of the material items we need, and if we do need something we just go and get it. As a result neither of us really need, or want, anything for Christmas.  I appreciate that it is nice to have a surprise on Christmas morning, so I have decided that 30% should have her heart's desire ... a yellow wheelbarrow!  When gardening she has often mentioned that she would love a yellow barrow, so that is exactly what she will get.

A yellow wheelbarrow pan arrived a couple of weeks ago, and I have stripped down our trusty, but rusty, black barrow, in preparation to receive the new pan. Today I looked at the frame and decided that it really needed to be cleaned up, before I put it all back together.

I started to rub away the dirt and surface rust, and this led to me breaking out my angle grinder and flap disk. The more rust I cleaned away, the more I thought about paint finishes. The more thought about paint finishes, the more I realised that I really should do the job properly. 

I made a phone call and arranged to drop off the wheelbarrow frame at our local, friendly powder coat company.* The refurbished wheelbarrow will soon be sporting a bright yellow pan, on a gleaming yellow powder coated frame ... I also ordered a pair of yellow wheelbarrow handle grips to complete the ensemble.

So that was my change of plan.

As I pottered in the workshop I heard the front doorbell ringing.** I wandered out and was surprised to see Grandad Jack loitering at the front door. He had been out to lunch with one of his ex-workmates and had decided to drop in on us.  We had a lovely couple of hours catching up on each others' news, before he headed off home.

We then had to get ourselves tidied up for this evening's entertainment. 30%'s cinema club were having their Christmas Dinner at the Redditch Catering College Restaurant.  I had been invited along to join them ... apparently I am "one of the girls"***

We had a splendid time, and the food was lovely. My chosen menu was a smoked trout mousse, followed by a venison pie with a chocolate tart to finish. It was all beautifully cooked and a special mention has to go to the honey and whisky sorbet palate cleanser.  It was tasty, yet subtle ... absolutely beautiful food.

---

* Owned and managed by our nearest neighbour, Andy.

** Aren't internet connected doorbells brilliant?

*** I'm not quite sure how to take this.  I think it is because I don't tend to get fazed by the female banter.

Honda clean, part 1

30% headed off to Stratford with TB, and Jules.  TB was booked in at the dog grooming salon and 30% and Jules planned on spending a few hours checking out the shops.

As soon as they had left, I unravelled the hosepipe and wheeled the Honda from the garage. I then spent the next few hours getting her washed and dried.  I plan to give her a thorough clean and polish over the next couple of weeks, before bagging her up until the warm weather returns. 

The clean and polish will also allow me to make an assessment of her condition and decide on the priorities for her refurbishment/preservation.  I am already aware that the forks need re-painting and a stainless exhaust system might also be needed. I hope the resulting list is not too long.

In the afternoon I headed off down the lane with Hobson, Whiffler and The Rat for a walk, before attempting to catch up on some sleep ... for some reason I was absolutely shattered this afternoon.

My attempts to nod off were disrupted by a phone call and then the return of 30%. I gave up on the idea of sleep and did as little was possible instead.

As the sky darkened we headed back in to Stratford to collect TB. He looks very smart, and, again, his behaviour was perfect. When 30% walked in to the salon, he was playing with some of the other dogs and was having a riot of a time.

This evening I attended the last Tai Chi session of 2025. The Bear Frolics are becoming more familiar, and I am now quite comfortable with most of the Dau Ying Yan Shen. I still have my doubts about one of the moves in the Shibashi sequence we are learning ... it seems quite incongruous.

Can you just move that chair upstairs

We were late to bed after yesterday's Frankie Valli tribute show, and neither of us were particularly keen to get on with anything this morning.

Basically it was a few hours of pottering. Abandoned items were put away and rooms were tidied. Midway through the morning 30% asked if I might move a leather tub chair upstairs to TP's bedroom.*

Now this chair is not huge, but it is quite heavy and, most definitely unwieldy.  Neither are our stairs very high, but they are bloody steep and have a 90° turn half way up.

It is fair to say that a simple statement, lead to a lot of huffing and puffing, and a high risk of personal damage. No assistance was offered by my dear wife and I'm not sure that there was any acknowledgement that I had got the fucking thing up to the landing.

I wasn't expecting an award, or such like, but a thank you would have been nice ... a helping pair of hands would have been nicer!

So that was the morning. In the afternoon we took the dogs out for a short walk and I then retired to the garage to fit a fly lead to the Honda's battery.  This involved removing the side panels and seat to access the battery box. It took a while, but I can now report that the Honda is reconnected to it's life support machine.**

That is one item of my current to-do list. There are several other Honda related items, mostly related to getting it clean and dry.

---

* A strange descriptor for a room, especially as TP has never been recorded as a resident at this address?

** A CTEK battery charger/conditioner. I did use an Optimate, but that now serves my Royal Enfield Trialer.

Why, Who, What?

So, this morning I spent half an hour attending to The Rat's toes. I can now report that she looks quite smart. The only thing is, the tidying up of her tootsies has left her toenails on show, and they are overdue for clipping. The only problem is that she is going to squeal like a stuck pig as each one is shortened by a few millimetres ... she is such a drama queen!

It was a fairly quiet day, but we did head over to a local dog walking field and spent a hour hurling tennis balls for the dogs to chase.  They had a lovely time and were quite exhausted by the time our time slot came to an end.

On of the reasons driving this afternoon's canine exercise session was a puzzling event in my calendar. Apparently I was to spend the evening at the Regal Cinema in Evesham watching a Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons tribute act.

Now I had been aware of this upcoming event for a few weeks and, on and off, I have been wondering, and asking, WHY the hell I would have agreed to attend this performance? 

I also wondered WHO thought I would actually enjoy it, and, of slightly less importance, WHAT the performance would actually entail?

30% was suspiciously vague when these critical questions were raised. This got my spidey senses tingling.  Despite repeated questions, I got no further information, so grudgingly tidied myself up and provided chauffeur services to the event. 

It is fair to say that I wasn't looking forward to the show. I am not a fan of Fifties/Sixties American do-wap, hence I couldn't, for the life of me, understand why I had agreed to go?

On the drive to Evesham it transpired that 30%'s friend, Paula had arranged the event many, many months ago.. That fact didn't answer any of my key questions. It could, possibly, be argued that it raised several more.  I am, for the moment, assuming that several months ago Paula asked 30% if we wanted to go, and 30% had agreed without consulting me.*

Anyway, I was at The Regal, I was in the company of friends, so I had better put on my "I'm really enjoying the show" face.

So the show started and it was four American gentlemen who sang a series of Four Seasons songs interspersed with a narrative about the history, formation and hits of the band.  They were very well rehearsed and sang very well, BUT it was unbelievably cheesy!

The matching suits, the dreadful sixties/seventies choreography,** and the odd attempts to perform in character just didn't work for me. It just seemed dreadfully old fashioned, despite their hard work and professionalism.

On the way home*** 30% admitted that she hadn't really enjoyed it either. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't really our sort of thing.

AND, we still haven't a clue how we ended up agreeing to go?

My suggestion that the show really needed a Stevie Nicks impersonator dressed as The Ghost of Christmas Past needs to be taken under consideration.

---

* I will accept that, somewhere in the multiverse, a somewhat simpler version of myself was asked about this event and grudgingly agreed to go.  For the record I need to state that this was DEFINITELY not in this reality.

** I swear I saw a couple of moves from last week's Tai Chi session!

*** AFTER we had dropped off Paula & Neil, and Mummy Sheila

Almost finished

It is day #3 of my dog clipping marathon.  Dog #4 aka The Rat is today's victim.

She can be a bit of a squealer, but I have to be fair and say that she was a very good girl today. She stood patiently for most of the clip and it was quite delightful how playful she became, when we took a break.  She would bounce around the room, rushing at me, nuzzling and pawing me with great excitement. 

I had forgotten how much fun she can be. Her natural playfulness can be inhibited due to her size. She is much smaller than the dogs and she can become a little nervous, when they want to join in the fun and games.  

When I am grooming the other dogs are shut out of the room and she can play without fear of being barged, or knocked over, by the boys.  

Over the course of three sessions, I removed her long coat. Her feet still need to be clipped, especially around the toes and pads, but that can wait until tomorrow.

The clipping took most of the day, although we did find time to put away a recent delivery of wine.  30% also completed and inventory and scared me with the amount of booze we have around the house at the moment ... TP better not invite his chums over for a party ... it's far too good for them!*

---

* I'm almost embarrassed to say that our friends are divided in to two categories. Those we are quite happy to share a bottle of Governo with, and the rest.

Two down ...

 One to go!

I woke horribly early this morning. It was at about half past four, and, after tossing and turning for a while, I rose just before five.

I've mentioned before that I am a completer/finisher, and, after yesterday's dog grooming session, I still have 2.05 dogs to clip.

First task of the day was to deal with the 0.05 ... Whiffler's rear feet. This didn't take long, and Hobson was next on my list.  Over the course of the day I got Hobson looking a lot less hairy.

I suppose I should have mentioned that Whiffler, Hobson, and, ultimately, The Rat are all going to get the same haircut ... a complete, all-over trim ... no top-knot, no fluffy ears, no furry legs! An all-over short, back and sides. 

There is method in my madness.  This severe clip ensures that they have no matts or tangles left in their coats. It also makes them easy to wash and dry, now that the roads are generally wet and filthy.

The one thing I didn't take in to account is that, at the end of today, Hobson and Whiffler are very difficult to tell apart. They are a similar size and colour, and it is now necessary to take a long look at their faces,* their collars and their colouring to work out which is which.

So that was my main achievement for the day. 

The early wakening meant that a kip was needed in the early afternoon, and the vile weather meant that a fire was lit before it got dark.

---

* Whiffler has the longer, narrower nose, and Hobson has the chunkier collar. Hobson also has slightly darker ears.

Time for a haircut

It has been a good few months since Whiffler had his final clip at the dog grooming school, and he is long overdue for a haircut.

30% had set a deadline of early next week, as he is booked in at the vet's for his booster shot, and she wants him to look his best.*

So, after tidying up the debris from yesterday's honey bottling, I grabbed the clippers and set to removing four months of hair growth.  I took my time, with plenty of breaks, as Whiffler now in his twelfth year. However he was surprisingly boisterous as each grooming session ended, and he was rewarded with a biscuit.

Midway through the afternoon I had completed his clip, apart from needing to tidy up his rear feet. The clippers needed charging, so I called it a day and looked for something else to do.

I headed out to the garage and topped up the Honda's petrol tank with 99 RON storage fuel, I also added 30ml of fuel stabiliser.  I appreciate that this is probably belt 'n braces, but better safe than sorry.

I can also report that I sold the last two jars of this year's honey crop this afternoon. From hereon I am reliant on Pete the Beekeeper until next year's harvest.

---

* It is also useful to give him a thorough visual examination whilst clipping him, to make sure there are no new, or worrying, lumps or bumps.

Bear Frolics!

After a long and busy day yesterday, neither of us were filled with energy this morning.

Don't 'n Dave had invited us over for coffee and cake, and we had a lovely time catching up on each others' news.  Unfortunately Dave's VFR 800 had been sold back to its original owner, so it won't be joining my little collection, but the good news is that he has recently been out on his Royal Enfield Meteor and really enjoyed the ride. It seems that he plans to continue riding for a little while longer.

In the afternoon I bottled another batch of honey and used the intervals, while the honey is in the Bain Marie, to catch up on a little sleep.

The final, or perhaps only, exertion in the day was this evening's Tai Chi session at the Parish Education Centre.  This evening Kung Po Fran took us through a warm-up, the Winter exercises, the Dau Ying Yan Shen and elements from set three of the Shibashi sequence.

I throughly enjoyed this evening's session, but I have to say that Fran does pick out some quite unusual exercises. The Winter exercises included Bear Frolics, one of which involved picking up an imaginary rock, lifting over one's head, and then casting to one side whilst growling.

If I hadn't seen it on YouTube I would swear that she is just making it up to see how gullible we are!

It's a good job my afternoon was relatively quiet

My day started with a short visit to the local surgery for a blood test. My annual diabetic review is due, and I'll be back at the surgery on the ninth, once the results of the tests are available.

We then headed over to the motorcycle workshop to collect the Honda.

Having already paid the bill, I simply needed to thank Nick and Simon, the proprietors, before starting her up and heading off down the road. It had been over four years since I last rode her and she now seemed incredibly compact after becoming, almost, familiar with the bulk of the BMW R1250R.

After riding through the Industrial Estate, I pulled onto the roundabout and then headed down the short length of dual carriageway. I twisted the throttle open and was alarmed that it seemed incredibly stiff, and the bike unresponsive.  I twisted the throttle a couple more times, and really wasn't happy with the result. 

I continued on to the next roundabout and turned to head back to the workshop. This time the twist grip and the engine response seemed better, and within a few hundred yards I was a lot happier with the bike. I am guessing that either the throttle cables need lubricating, or that the refurbished throttle linkages just need working a little.

My ride home was cautious, as the roads were wet and I was riding on new tyres. However, I can report that she is now running beautifully and the in-line four cylinder motor sounds amazing.  At home I parked her up in front of the garage and turned off the petrol tap.  

Nick had advised that I should let her run until the carburettors are emptied of fuel to minimise the risk of damage from modern fuels.  I was amazed at how long it took for this to happen. I didn't time it, but I estimate it was close to five minutes before she stuttered to a stop.

So the bike is now back home, and I need to think about getting her cleaned and bagged up for the rest of the winter.

In the afternoon I set to bottling a batch of honey.  I was only able to process a single batch as we were out this evening with B&H.

About a month ago 30% and I had gone to see Bad Manners perform at The Assembly in Leamington.  Unfortunately, one of our party found them a little too loud, so we decided to curtail our visit and head home to enjoy a couple of bottles of wine.

30% and I felt a little cheated about having to leave the gig early, and, when 30% found that Bad Manners were playing in Worcester this evening, we decided to go and see the entire performance.

We had mentioned this to B&H, who immediately said, "we'll come along." So this evening we found ourselves queuing outside the Marr's Bar with a motley crew of punks, skinheads and sixty somethings.  The Marr's Bar used to be a dance studio and H informed us that she used to learn to jive there.  It is now a small licensed music venue that holds somewhere around three hundred people.

It is amazingly intimate with the small stage no more than twenty five feet away, even when stood at the back of the room.

This evening Bad Manners were supported by Max Splodge, formerly of Splodgenessabounds.  We were treated to a set that started with a cover of Nelly the Elephant and finished with the infamous Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.  It was a brilliant punk set and the atmosphere was amazing. I had forgotten how the energy and enthusiasm of the band infuses the audience with such a great feeling, especially as we were so close to them. I loved it.

And then it was time for the headline act!  This time they were fifteen or twenty feet away. Up close and personal rather than remote, as they were in Leamington. The band were incredibly tight and the horn section was incredibly accomplished. This time we stayed through to the glorious end and were treated to a long list of ska classics, ending, of course, with Lip up Fatty. and The Can-can. 

We had a fantastic evening, and are actually grateful to S for not being able to endure the noise of the Leamington gig.  If we had stayed to see all of the gig at the Assembly, we wouldn't have discovered the super little venue that is The Marr's Bar, and we would have missed out on a fantastic evening with B&H.

Thank you Sue!

Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow

 I had arranged to go and pick up the Honda this morning, although the weather really wasn't cooperating.

It had poured with rain all night and showers, alternating with heavy rain, were forecast for the rest of the day. 

I was aware that they are short of space at the workshop, and that the mechanic needs to empty the workshop of motorcycles before he starts work, and then put them all back, before locking up at the end of the day. I felt somewhat obliged to collect the Honda, as it was yet another machine that the poor chap needed to shift twice each day.

So, early this morning, I grabbed my helmet and jacket, and 30% chauffeured me over to the workshop.  Nick, the mechanic, greeted me with the phase I wanted to hear, "I didn't think we'd see you today."  I replied that I was conscious that he was short on space and didn't want my bike being there unnecessarily. Nick advised that it wasn't a problem and he was quite happy if I left it until tomorrow, when the weather was supposed to be better.

He took me through the work that had been completed and reconfirmed that she was a lovely machine, and well worth the expenditure. I said that I did feel a little guilty that she had been neglected for so long. Nick shrugged and countered that, at least, she had been kept under cover in the dry, and had been brought in for recommissioning.

I paid the bill, which was probably slightly more than 50% of her current value, picked up the invoice and MOT certificate and headed off home, promising to return tomorrow.

So that was Monday really!

The vile weather deterred me from doing anything else, although the sale of four jars of honey meant that I will be bottling again tomorrow. Jars and honey were brought in from the store room in preparation, but little else was achieved. 

A little ride out

A couple of months ago 30% found a rather nice Stressless leather armchair for sale on Facebook Marketplace. With TP's assistance it was purchased and, eventually, transported here. It now sits in the smug, and is very comfortable.

The thing is that this chair is really crying out for a partner to sit opposite it.  The smug is then the perfect area for pre-dinner drinks and post-dinner chat and ... more drinks.

Well 30% came up trumps in the preceding days, and has found an identical Stressless chair for sale.  It was located in Bramcote, near Nottingham, so this morning was spent driving up and down the M42/A42 to collect it.

It is in beautiful condition and was a steal at £125.  It was so good that I couldn't bring myself to haggle on the price.*

---

* perhaps, in part, because 30% hadn't managed to locate an auto bank, so forty five pounds of the price was paid in pound coins from the honey takings jar.  It was a little embarrassing having to hand over a large handful of shrapnel, in part payment.

Christmas plans, or "what every woman wants"

Neither of us are huge fans of Christmas.*

As a result Christmas tends to be a fairly quiet day here. We do presents and a Christmas lunch. There will be a large honey roast ham and plenty of tasty treats around. We enjoy having visitors and seeing people. It is just that we really don't like the horrendous hype and nonsense that is spouted at this time of year.  It is not yet December and we are already weary of the commercialism and faux festive cheer, that seems to come from all directions. 

We had assumed that it would be our normal Christmas; me, 30% and TP, having a relaxed day featuring good food and some rather nice wine.  

That was up until a few weeks ago when TP informed us that he had purchased a one-way ticket to Vietnam and was flying out on the 23rd of December.** 

It was now just the two of use here for Christmas and plans were scaled back. We have now agreed that our plans for Christmas Day will be determined by fate.  We propose to head in to our nearest Waitrose supermarket, one hour before closing time on Christmas Eve. Our Christmas lunch will be the most appealing bargain that can be found.

The name for this new game is Waitrose Pot Luck!

Now on to the subject of presents. We are both of an age that neither of us really need or want anything for Christmas. We either have it already, or, if we need it, we have already gone and purchased it.  We therefore agreed that there would be "no presents."

Now I have been with 30% long enough to know what 30% means by "no presents." Firstly, Christmas is immediately after my birthday, so birthday presents are purchased and she does tend to go a little overboard. A phrase often spouted is "I'd finished my shopping, but then I saw this, and simply couldn't resist." I am also sensitive enough to know that "no presents" actually means, as a minimum, at least one present that has involved a high degree of thought and originality.

By way of example, one year, when TP was very young, we purchased a pair of red wellingtons for 30% and then spent several hours sticking black spots and googly eyes on the toes. She was absolutely over the moon with her "ladybird wellies", and still recalls the delight of opening them.***

In that vein, I have landed on the perfect gift for my good lady. For the last year, at least, she has positively pined for a yellow wheelbarrow.  Now we have two wheel barrows. One is green with a narrow wheel and is an utter bastard to use in the orchard. The other has a rusty black pan, a puncture proof wheel and is a delight to use. She is happy with either of these BUT she really wants a yellow wheelbarrow.

Today I took delivery of a yellow, 85 litre, replacement wheelbarrow pan. I spent the afternoon in the workshop carefully removing the worn out rusty pan from the black wheelbarrow. I have plenty of time to complete the upgrade before the 25th of December.  It may not the what every woman wants, but I know that 30% will love it.

The only other news was that I dug up the last of my leek  crop this morning. Half of which was converted in to another batch of leek and potato soup.

---

* I think it is matter of public record that my favorite part of Christmas is Boxing Day ... because that means it's over!

** This slightly infuriated 30%, as she had arranged a birthday outing for me on that very date , and TP had confirmed his availability.  His proposed return is "sometime in January."

*** Mind you! About that time TP also spotted a rather nice pair of ladybird earrings in a jewellery shop window, and commented that they "were just like 30%'s necklace." He wasn't to know it was a Faberge item ... and the earrings were a very expensive gift to purchase on behalf of an eight year old! ... She loves them too.