New Year's Eve

The days are ticking by and I am getting nowhere near the task of polishing the Honda. Consequently I have decided to put it in a Vac Bag and give it a damned good polish when the weather warms. The alternative is for it to sit in an unheated garage and suffer from condensation until I find time to complete the job.

One of the reasons driving this decision is that we have ordered new gates for the cottage and they will be delivered in the next couple of weeks. I will then need to get them treated before they can be installed. This job is going to take priority, so the Honda is going to have to wait.

I have put an extra dehumidifying trap in each of the other bikes' Vac Bags and propose to do the same with the CBR. This item was therefore added to my shopping list for this morning's outing to Alcester. 

The trip was only partially successful. I failed to get the dehumidifier trap and also failed to get another bucket of honey from Pete the Beekeeper. I did manage to get firelighters and a few essentials for lunch.

In the afternoon we nipped in to Worcester and spent a few hours in the company of B&H and their two granddaughters.  We had a relaxed afternoon, as B&H had had a marathon session hosting their large family over the Christmas period. They had twenty one for lunch on Christmas Day, and didn't appear to have had any time to themselves in the intervening week.

We had a quiet New Year's Eve and neither of us actually saw the New Year in. I think we headed off to bed shortly after eleven.  Just before we retired to bed the long case clock decided to throw a hissy fit,* and refuse to stop striking. I managed to halt the incessant chiming, and decided that I will need to track down Mr Troth early in 2026.

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* It barely managed two days of running

** A somewhat eccentric Horologist that has attended to this clock a few years ago

It's been a while

 We have an old, 30 hour, long case clock that stands in our hallway. 30% purchased it many years ago and it has marked out the hours and minutes of our lives ever since. It really is like the beating heart of the house.

A few years ago we had its works refurbished, and it kept time beautifully. However, after we moved, it did not seem to take to its new home.  Its striking mechanism became temperamental, and it would frequently just keep striking until the mechanism wound down.

Consequently it has stood silent for a good while, and just collected dust. For some reason I decided to set the pendulum swinging this morning. At the top of the hour I adjusted the strike, so that the number of chimes coincided with the hour. 

It now seems to be running beautifully, but, apologies for the pun, only time will tell!

Today's main activity was to bottle a couple of batches of honey. This was the last of the thirty pound bucket that I bought at the beginning of December.  I really must pop over to see Pete and buy another couple of tubs.

This evening 30% and I did something that we, as a couple, hadn't done in years. We went to the cinema.*

I had noticed that the third of the Avatar films had been released, and my good lady suggested that we view it on a big screen.  Now I enjoyed the first instalment, but found the second film visually stunning, but very poor in the script and character departments. As a consequence I was somewhat reluctant to fork out good money to view a Christmas turkey.

30% advised that our satellite tv package gave us two free cinema tickets each month, so we decide to go.

And what a splendid time we had. Running for just over three hours, I can report that we got to watch a lot of film. It looked beautiful and the darker plot and script was so much better than its predecessor.  There were a couple of areas where it was a little baggy,, but overall we had a great evening and decided that we really must make more use of this free ticket deal.**

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* 30% goes with the cinema club on a fairly regular basis.

** Especially as 30% now has her Blue Badge allowing convenient and, often free, parking. Now I know that one shouldn't celebrate her current mobility issues, but if life gives you lemons ...

A couple of hours at the pub

 Our local singing duo, Mid-life Crisis were playing at the local pub this evening, so 30% had arranged for us to pop down for an hour, or so.

She had also arranged for her friends L&J to visit us in the early afternoon, and then join us at the Pub ... Oh Joy!

Now I can cope with L, but J is annoying. He tends to dominate the conversation with anecdotes that have been recounted many, many times before.  He is also incredibly opinionated, and always right! 

This afternoon he availed himself of our toilet facilities and, upon completion, came and advised me that the light switch did not comply with UK wiring regulations. I attempted to explain that a pull switch was not needed in a toilet, but he would have none of it! He even went on to advise how I should rectify it. 

I saw little point in discussing further, and telling him that he was full of shit* didn't seem to be the appropriate response from the host. 

The couple of hours in the pub was OK,** and Mid-Life Crisis were great, but my eyes had been dreadfully sore all day and repeated application of drops did nothing to ease the irritation. We, therefore, left after a couple of hours and headed home for supper.

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* I was sorely tempted.

** The music was very loud and I was sat at the opposite end of the table from J, ergo conversation was impossible ... RESULT!

Paul Kidby exhibition

There is not much to report for Saturday, other than a rather pleasant hour spent viewing the Paul Kidby exhibition at the Worcester art gallery and museum.

The works of Terry Pratchett have given me great pleasure and entertainment over the years, and the cover illustrations by Josh Kirby and, latterly, Paul Kidby have always brought the characters to life.*

The Kidby exhibition took up two rooms of the gallery and included cover art, preparatory sketches and character paintings inspired by Pratchett's novels.  Each work was accompanied by quotations and explanatory notes about their inspiration and development.

It was a great morning, and it seems that 30% was somewhat inspired by the pictures and quotations. 

On the journey home she intimated that she might search out a Pratchett audio book!

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* There will always be differences of opinion between reader and cover artist, but they are fantastic interpretations.

Our Christmas Break

I've finally summoned the energy and enthusiasm to bring The Journal up to date. We have had a quiet and relaxed few days ... and will probably have a few more before the New Year!

So here is a quick run through the highlights.

Wednesday, 24th December

The day was cold and dry, and I was finally feeling somewhat more energetic after the lingering chest infection. 

The morning saw me wander out in to the garden, with secateurs in hand, and wander over to the raspberry canes.  I spent an hour or so pruning the canes and tying up the stems that will  hopefully bear  fruit next year. 

I then headed up to the orchard with the prunings. These were deposited on the bonfire and, for some strange reason, I decided to check the chicken coop nest boxes.* I was surprised, and delighted, to see that one of the Norfolk Greys had come in to lay and had left us two early Christmas presents.

In the afternoon we headed over to Alcester for a game of Waitrose Lucky Dip.

We were somewhat apprehensive about what might be left for our Christmas lunch, but we need not have worried.  There was food in abundance and tomorrow we will be dining on a rib of beef, roasted medium rare and served with roasted vegetables.** The meal will be topped off with a Tiramisu dessert.

We both agreed that this was a great way to approach one's Christmas lunch ... don't get any fixed ideas and enjoy the surprise element!

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* I rarely do this in the Winter, when the girls take a break from laying.

** The veg patch will provide the carrots, cabbage and parsnips

Thursday, 25th December

We had a gentle start to the day. Breakfast was croissants and coffee, and the triple yellow* wheelbarrow was unveiled to the delight of 30%.

Late in the morning we headed over to spend a couple of hours with 30%'s side of the family. They were being hosted by 30%'different brother, Stevie.

On our return we took the dogs over to the local exercise field. The had a happy hour chasing after tennis balls before we returned home and the beef was put in the oven.

The two of us shared a lovely meal, before settling in front of the fire and continuing the tradition of moaning at the crap on television!

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* A yellow frame, a yellow 85 litre pan and yellow handlebar grips!

Friday, 26th December

Boxing Day was even lazier than Christmas Day.

We did take a wander down the lanes with the dogs in the late afternoon, but, other than that, we spent the day lazing at home.

One might assume that we spent the day stuffing our faces with food and drink, but we were actually very restrained.  There was a splendid beef sandwich and a couple of glasses of decent wine, but we were the very spirit of moderation.

Sixty Two

Today is my birthday. I have previously wittered on about it not being the best time of year to celebrate a birthday ... unless your birthday is a couple of days later, and your name begins with a "J"!

Anyway, it's my birthday and this is how it all panned out.

I started the day with a few cards and gifts.  TP had messaged me from deepest, darkest Surrey to advise that my presents were on the dining table. He had kindly settled on a chocolates, a bottle of gin and a tin of pork luncheon meat.*  I decided that these were clearly the ideal ingredients of the breakfast of champions, and would have happily munched them down, but 30% had other ideas.

This morning I was treated to a huge brunch at a cafe near Tardebigge. She had booked a great table, right next to the log burner and we had a splendid time tucking in to an enormous fried breakfast.

We returned home around midday, and had a massive kip.

In the afternoon we took the dogs over to a nearby exercise field and spent an hour throwing tennis balls for them to retrieve. They had a great time and were exhausted by the time we headed home.

This evening we headed out for my birthday treat. Mummy Sheila joined us to see the RSC's production of Roald Dahl's BFG at the Swan Theatre.

It was a fabulous show that combined actors with puppetry. In one scene the character Sophie might be played by an actor, working with a 12' high BFG puppet. In the next the BFG is played by an actor and Sophie is a marionette. It was a splendid performance, and we all throughly enjoyed the show.

It was a good birthday.

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* This item was a joke. Several tins were left over props from his last production, and he decided to bring a few back with him. We all decided to have a blast from the past and have fried luncheon meat for lunch a couple of weeks ago.  It was actually quite tasty! This tin is likely to be used as fishing bait next year.

Slightly more active

TP wandered down stairs this morning and advised that his London-bound train had been cancelled.  Initial panic subsided after he added that he now planned to take an earlier train, and needed to be dropped off at Evesham station  before half past nine.

So that was how my morning started. By the time I got back, 30% had left to spend the morning drinking coffee with her mum ... I was home alone.

After days* of inactivity I finally summoned some enthusiasm and headed out to the veg patch with a fork. I had decided to investigate the success, or otherwise, of my parsnip growing experiment.  

Previous Journal entries have reported the sporadic germination of the crop, but I can report that the few plants that did grow produced enormous roots.  Realistically, I should have probably harvested them a while ago, as I am a little concerned that they may now be woody.  No matter, I will definitely put in another crop in 2026, as I can see that they grow well in our soil.

The rest of the day was spent in general domestic tasks, with little of interest to report, apart from starting the cure of two pork loin joints.

We are running short of bacon and 30% had purchased two discounted loin joints* from the supermarket. These were rubbed with a cure mixture, and are now sat in the bottom of the fridge slowly curing. They should be ready for removal on, or around, the 28th.

I am likely to be smoking the bacon a couple of days after the New Year.

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*  more accurately a fortnight!

** We usually buy two complete loins from a local butcher for curing, and these will produce sufficient bacon to last twelve months.  I didn't get around to completing a cure this year, hence this stop-gap measure to keep us in home made bacon.

Not pike fishing ... again

After totally failing to catch anything at the end of last month,  it was decided that we should have a day spinning* on a stretch of the upper Avon.

Bubbles and I had exchanged a few messages about potential stretches of water and river levels over the past few days, and we eventually came to the conclusion that the river was far too high** for fishing.

Instead we decided to meet up at a coffee shop on the outskirts of Evesham and spend a couple of hours chatting over coffee and a bacon sandwich.  We had a splendid time, totally avoided any discussion about TB,*** and I came away with a rather splendid early birthday present ... a Barbour T-shirt.

I arrived home at about the same time as TP, and we lunched before I, once again, fell asleep on the sofa. I'm not yet recovered from this bug, and it doesn't take much to totally exhaust me.

So that was Sunday. We had a rather nice joint of beef for our Sunday dinner and unwrapped a couple of token Christmas gifts. The reason for this early celebration is that TP heads off tomorrow. He will spend Tuesday night with an aunt in Surrey, before catching a flight to Vietnam on 23rd December.

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* A fishing technique, rather than dressing like a prat and cycling without going anywhere!

** i.e. in flood

*** I'll leave you guessing, because I haven't published that Journal Entry!

I just couldn't be arsed to do anything

It has been the best part of a week since I last made an entry in the Journal, and coming up with a reason why not is actually quite challenging.   

I have had a lingering chest infection, but I can recall far worse colds than this. My symptoms have just been a scratchy throat and a dry cough. Nothing more than that, apart from fatigue* and a complete disinterest in doing anything other than sitting, or lying, or sleeping, on the sofa.

As a result I have very little to report for the past week, and the lazy days have blurred together in a Lemsip fuelled malaise.

I do recall a few lucid moments. 30% arrived home with a large bag of game birds at one point, and I spent an hour filleting the breasts off four partridge, a brace of pheasant and a brace of duck... I must think about knocking up a game terrine at some point.

TP returned from visiting his mother on Sunday, and spent a couple of nights with us, before heading off on his last work assignment of the year.

TP's chum, Charlie joined us for dinner on Monday and we had a pleasant evening catching up on each other's news and talking bollocks about motorcycles.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were complete washouts, and it took until Thursday before I started to feel like actually achieving something. 

Thursday's achievement was that I actually left the house and wandered down the road to catch up with Andy, the powder coater. I collected the wheelbarrow frame and it looks fantastic in its shiny canary yellow paint job. Andy refused to take any payment, so has now been promoted to the Honey for Free list.

On Friday I had sufficient energy to head out to the workshop and spend a couple of hours putting the wheelbarrow back together. Even if I say so myself, it looks fabulous ... I really hope she likes it.

And, so we finally get to today. House tidying and present wrapping were my contributions, before I headed up to the orchards and placed a pack of Fondabee candy on the crown board of each of my hives. They all seem to be fine, although we still have a few months before I can report successful overwintering.

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* Aggravated by sleep interrupted by coughing fits

Post Script: It seems that our honey makes a rather attractive Christmas gift, and sales have been brisk over the past week.  It was, therefore, necessary to bottle another batch on Thursday ... at least I think it was Thursday?

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.

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* 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.

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* 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.

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* 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.

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* 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!*

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* 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.

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* 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.

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* 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!