That's a fair old long weekend...
Here we are on Monday night, and it's one of those very special, very English Monday's - a bank holiday Monday. Bank Holidays are a revered day in the UK, because they're a free holiday (for most people) and who doesn't love a day off. However, they come at a price. It is almost the law that any given bank holiday in the UK must involve copious amounts of rain, so really you can't expect to do much with them. Decorating is usually the norm, or watching films / TV, eating good food, drinking too much (of anything within reach) or sitting in the car park at B&Q feeling fat and forty... ish. Max Farquar has it illustrated just about right....
Here: http://www.maxfarquar.com/2012/04/british-bank-holiday-blues/
Luckily for me, I never really experience the last one - I couldn't care less how old I am, and I'm cuddly, not fat, so that's all good. There will be a bit of decorating, but more on that in a moment, there was at least three quarters of a film but most importantly there's a slap up roasted lamb shank in a red wine sauce that is simply to die for.First, lets go back a little bit....
I see from my blog that the last time I bothered sharing anything was almost 10 days ago. I'm going to have to keep an eye on that, or I'll be slipping back into the world of stretch Armstrong and his "amazing empty blog of nothingness". Instead, let me try to recount some of the goings and comings that have happened in the meantime. April the 27th was a Friday. Actually a Friday just before a golf quarterly. Those of you that have heard about these will know that they are generally entertaining, if a little messy and always very tiring. This one was no different in all respects. Shep played two holes and went home because of his Spanish archer (El Bow) and the rest of us endured (and I'm honestly not making this up) 58mile per hour winds. How anyone can actually play golf in such conditions is beyond me, but we persevered and in the end everyone had an enjoyable day in stupid weather conditions. The evening was equally enjoyable with the afore mentioned kangaroo court in full swing and enough ale that no one felt left out, or even in the mood for any more for at least a couple of days.Sunday meant some light recover time, and then we had the in-laws for dinner. They're a bit chewy, but generally very digestible. (the old ones are the best - and don't you forget it)
Sure as eggs are eggs, Monday arrived exactly as predicted and the badman and I trudged ever onward through a whole load of nothing much in particular. Tuesday was a much sadder state of affairs. One of my friends lost his mother recently and Tuesday was the day of her funeral. I can't pretend to imagine how painful that situation must be for him, but it is clear from his behaviour that while he's devastated, he's putting on a brave face. The eulogy that he wrote was beautifully put and I'm sure his mum is rightly proud of his words. Mrs G and I came along and supported him, and I can only hope that our presence went a least a tiny way to making things a little less painful for him. Wednesday morning was a half days holiday and I helped Stan get some cable lengths sorted for his imminent installation of the "TV on the wall" which Mr Brown will be involved with on Friday. Thursday arrived, and with it a trip to the not so local office to meet up with the badman. As always this was a pleasure and we lightened each others mood somewhat I'm sure. We also came to the conclusion that the correct use of this current crop of spare time should be edumacation. As a result we've found about 26 hours worth (that's a little over three days to me and you) that ought to keep us out of trouble. I doubt it will, but it should. I managed to partake in a coup,e of beers with he WTC in the evening and cycle home before the rain kicked in again. We do seem to have been having rather a lot of the wet stuff of late. Still, it's good for the garden...and the aquifers.Then of course as a direct result of Thursday, Friday was a day of reading. Honestly, nothing of interest to report on the subject. There were words. I read them. Pah! Mr Brown got Stanlar's TV on the wall, and after some discussion he's now on the hunt for a new Blu-Ray player to get himself proper HD'd up as you might say.
On Saturday morning, I went with the Sniffer to get measured for a suit. He has a wedding coming up in a few months and I'm to be an usher - not the rapper - and not the one with the ice-creams at half time (although fairly similar I think). There was a fair amount of shenanigans involved when he (quite rightly) decided that a wool suit would not be the best of things to be wearing in July - even in England. The ladies that run the shop where a little disorganised but they coped in the end. I'm sure it's going to be a grand day out. Mrs G got a haircut and eye test. She's not best pleased with the need for reading glasses. In the evening, Mrs G and I went for a curry at a nearby locale with T&D from the forrest and "them two from up the road". T&D aren't really from the forest. T is a Churchdown lass and D is from up that Laandan, but he moved to the forest some years ago. Hiding out from the mob no doubt. "Them two from up the road" are old friends of Mrs G & T (lol - see what I did there) and they live - you'll never guess - just up the road. The curry was excellent, a good time was had and I felt very overfed even though I'd barely taken any on board. Sunday was of course the new Saturday, as there was to be a bank holiday. I spent a significant portion of the morning wrestling with a sofa bed. Mrs G had acquired one from a friend of hers and we'd planned to install it upstairs in what will be a spare room. It turns out that our staircase is possibly an inch too small, or the sofabed was an inch too big depending on your point of view. Either way, it wasn't going to fit, and after providing me with an unexpected workout on a Sunday ( I mean Saturday) morning, I was glad to see the back of it. It also meant that the general easing pushing and scraping have left the lower stairs redecorated, and the paint and brush will have to be forthcoming shortly. The lawn got mowed. The house got tidied. ....and then it was Monday / a bit like a Sunday. It rained. And then it rained some more. We got up late. I made some breakfast and the got some vegetables to go with, what turned out to be, three superb lamb shanks. I watched a good chunk of "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" with that tiny little Tom Cruise in it, and then Aunty S and the kids arrived for an afternoon cuppa. Always lovely to see them and there was chin wagging and giggling. I didn't see the rest of the movie, afterwards, so thats something to look forward to. I did regale Spanish niece with the story of Smaug, of which she was previously unaware. Steps have been taken to ensure she gets some edumacation on the subject, and the man from amazon should be dropping off a package for her within the week. And that is as they say, pretty much that. It's a cold dark Monday (feels like a Sunday) night and it's still raining. Oh, and finally, I keep seeing the Prometheus advert on TV and honestly, no matter what happens I will be going to the cinema on June the 1st...This post originally appeared here: Posterous
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