things I like to see in a garden

I have been hard at it today trimming the hedges not a easy task I have 2 at the front about 60 feet long and more at the back and yes my arms ache now, but below these are just some of the things I like to see in the garden





this is another type of Rhododendrom
















I don't know what this is we found it (but it's pretty)










now this is a snapdragon









if you can guess what this is you will get 10 points

now this is what I like to see in the garden








I am cooking Sunday dinner now so must bugger off, Roast beef, yorkshire puddings ,roast spuds, mashed spuds, brocolli, cauliflower,and carrots.

I will leave now with mouths watering

well

I never expected to see Grape vines grow this far north and they have been doing it so long.

Halfpenny green is about 3/4 of an hour drive from us and yes I did my normal and got lost, but we did get there in the end, I am always suprised that from where we live within 1/2 an hours drive you can be in such beautifull countryside and that is just about in any direction.


This is the place we went in they had a restaurant and a very good menu we had clotted cream teas but with coffee?
and it was freshly made the scones were piping hot.
That vine looks nice growing right across the front of the building








I am not a wine lover(diesel in a bottle)
but I wouldn't fancy any wine out of that press










and this is just one of what must be hundreds of acres of vines that they grow there they started doing it for their own consumption but it turned into a business.


We are on holiday for a couple of days now and I have to get down to some serious gardening,
that means I have to trim the hedges and my arms will ache for a week after, I am not getting rid of them they give us a lot of privacy.

Finaly after a week my partner has fully recovered and is back to her old self which is nice to know and we can get on with life.

oh my bush

well you get your dirty minds out of the gutter
this is one of my favorites
its an Azalia a type of Rhodadendrom





















The colours are so nice and as I am colour blind I see it different to you.
It will grow to about 6 feet we have had it since it was a twig.
Also I have had another "good" day at work( now this is getting worrying)

Tomorrow we will visit a vineyard,,,,,,,,, yes a vineyard in the west midlands.
I will have pictures.

and just when you think what else can go wrong

you see this

jus one of our cactus in flower

"I don't believe it"

I never thought I would say that,
but just when you think everything is going ok.
so I got up at 4.30am went to work had a really good day at work (unusual).

Rang Partner I am leaving at 4.00pm do you want anything?
yes she says go to the docters and get the presritciption(how the hell do they spell that) that I need , ok love I said.

So off I went after work and went to the doctors straight in no problems and over to the chemists, now as I was walking over to the chemists holding the prescriptsion(is that right) a bloody bird shit on it! well I didn't know, I noticed it just as I was giving it to the chemists assistant, bloody shit on my hand and all over the paper, I said I think I just got lucky!

Anyway she tootled off round the back all girly like and brought me back some wet kitchen roll, which was soaked in hot water and soap and some dry stuff to dry my hands on, then took it off me like I had the plague.
then wiped the prescription ( I "THINK" I got it that time) clean.

So off home I went, it was a nice evening tonight and the grass was long so I thought I might cut the Grass, so out came the mower and the strimmer and off I went around the back lawn, then I put my foot through one of the panes of glass in the greenhouse, and then strimmed one of the new bushes and the bark of of one of partners new plants.

and I thought being shit on by a bird was lucky.

washing

I wonder what the record is for leaving clean washing out to dry in the rain????

well I think our neighbour holds this record.

this has been there 3 days now.

if its still there tomorrow I will take another shot.



we don't get on, so I am not bothered
read the link below

http://www.brummieblogs.com/2004BrummieBlogs/BBJune2004.html#fence

she still wants our fence/hedge down and My partner cannot see her Grandaughter till we do it
bloody sick people.
its a long story read brummie blogs for all the gossip.

I have refrained from making any comment on this matter for a long time.
and the full story is on partners blog
Thursday 11th May http://www.brummieblogs.com/2006/BBMay2006.htm
I will build the Berlin Wall before give in on this one.

and

then it decided to piss down

moths

I worked it out, "I am" to slow customers and checkout operaters like a light bulb is to a moth.

So today we decided that enough light bulbs had gone in our living room (3 left out of 5) we should buy some more, so off we went down to B&Q to get some. partner went to get some
baby bio, I got the light bulbs and we needed a bag of compost, we got that last as it was the heaviest.

So to the till, I have to think now why does it always happen to me, 4 people in front of us partner carries the light stuff I have the bag of compost on my shoulder.

First customer had a problem so we waited, next 2 no problem, man in front of us was in the wrong queue, he was returning something.
The bag of compost was now getting heavy but it rested on my shoulder nicely.

The checkout operater, a young kid doing a Sunday job couldn't add up "even" with the till to help him and the bloke bringing the stuff back had to put his card in the slot and key in his pin.

The compost is getting heavier now, he didn't know his pin so out came his mobile phone and he had to call his better half to tell him it.

This bag now feels as if it weighs as much as I do now and I was wishing I had got a trolley.

So I plonked the bag on the counter and we paid for our 3 items and true to form he got our change wrong, it was like watching paint dry.

I think I should never go shopping again "never".

seeing as

I have been up since 4..00am I have plenty of time to do what I want today.

I don't know why I wake so early when I know I can lay in bed but it seems once up I get up.

I had a lot on my mind today the reason is my Partner has to go into hospital for some small medical procedure and I was thinking on that.

But now I have taken her and am now just waiting for the phone to ring to pick her up.

Today looks like it's going to be dull and wet but the sun keeps trying to peek out and it could change.

Nothing much has happened at work this week apart from having a massive bust up with the new boss and me virtualy telling him he can stick his/my job up his arse, but we have made friends and compromised and will be on my best behaviour for as long as I can.
At 55 years old I can do without all the corporate bullshit.
I will never get any higher than where I am now so I don't need it, but I am good at what I do and they need me as much as I need them so I am led to believe, so we will wait and see.

I suppose I could always go back to driving big trucks for a living.

I get to retire in 9 and1/2 years I guess it will pass pretty quick.


on a brighter note these are our tomatoe plants
(just a few of them which we have grown from seed) donated lettuce in front of them








and when we got our greenhouse last year (second hand) we got two grape vines with it, one died the other must have sufferd some shock, but "look",, now it will live it is throwing out new shoots.

I know

sometimes I may moan,
but
this morning the old light came on for petrol in the car I thought I better get some,so went to the garage at the end of the road, I mean I was there at 5.35 am and yes there was a queue.
so at the front was a teenager who couldn't speak,well not like you or I, but more like a ventrilouquist.
so it went like this.

first man in queue= than I hav 2 canths of reb bulll and a bothle of waher
tiller=what
can I hth 2 canth of red bill and a botthel of wather
tiller = what
can I have 2 canth of red bill and a bothhle ov wather

you know what teenagers are like,won't open the lips to speak like they will be letting out gods gift of life or something.

so off he went the tiller,to get the stuff came back with 2 cans of red bull and a bottle of coke a cola.

teenager= nooooooooooo not koke wther
ahh says tiller goes back,

now you know what its like I am getting late now and there is still one in front of me.

so he goes back picks up the water and try's to squeeze it through the hole in the wall where they pass all the cash, would it fit in no! eventually it was passed through.

so sad bugger I am I timed my self at the till that was 4 minutes, I am thinking now I am going to be late.

person in front of me= pump 7 £10 please and ,,,,,,,,,,,,, can have the Sun please (a newspaper)
I am allready thinking this guy is going to ask for his weekly grocerys.

but oh joy of joys he left.

them me.
pump 3 £10 please

tiller= what
me= look mate that is my car there its right in front of you I want to pay £10 and bugger off to work.
tiller= takes my £20 and slips the corner of a £10 just under the little gap,(well its a bloody good job I have finger nails) I looked at him whilst trying to pry my money back.

just a thought at this point ,,,, why is it that there are no people who run garages now who are english

got my money and left.

but the first one came back he was behind me now.

can I hth a rethiet plreeth.

I tell you I was in stiches all the way to work and I wasn't late

shall I have a moan

Why not!

What shall I moan about ?
oh for sake man get yourself together.

Well for one thing the government is whining about the crime stuff and not being too tough on criminals.

So no bloody problem, lets get the stocks back put em in there for a few days and lets throw stuff at em.

Tony Blair is losing touch, yer right.

Prescott wants to get his hands in the pants of another woman, he's human!

The home secretary was sacked he needed to be sacked.

I went to the pub tonight with Partner and it did'nt set on fire ( so no fun there then).

It looks like it's settling down a bit then doesn't it.

Apart from them kids on motorbikes up and down the hill at the back of us at 5.30 in the morning,( I am hoping the bikes will be crushed by the police)

So summer here we come kicking and screaming into 2006.

Oh we have 375 and a half seedlings growing in the garden and we will have trouble finding homes for them!

Its been a boring 2 days really I want something to happen.

Like please can I win the lottery.


ONLY JOKING I HAVE IT ALL.

its that time of year again

Well it had to come.
the department of transport has issued a new directive.

All people who have low IQ'S and or small penis's must now "By Law" show a white flag with a red cross on it at all times.

Didn't they do this about 4 years ago.

A Grand Day Out

Today I didn't go to work as normal I only normaly go in for about 3 hours anyway I thought I would have a lie in bed, so I got up at 6.00am instead of 4.30am.

So we got ready did a tiny bit of shopping at the local shops came back and set off for the Cotswolds, it's not that far from us about 50 miles depends who's driving I tend not to look at maps and just follow my nose a bit, but we tend to be going in the general direction and of course time is nothing it's a day out.

we set off at 10.00 and went down the M5 for a bit then headed for Evesham beautifull little place with the River Avon running through it.
Then carried on down the Fossway to Stow on The Wold, we had seen on the internet there was to be a Flea Market there, well by 12.00 we had got there and as usual I found a parking spot (I am lucky like that I find one anywhere) and went into the so called market, bloody hell you couldn't swing a cat in there it was no bigger than our living room, there can't have been more than 6 stalls so "that" took all of 5 minutes, so we went for a stroll around the town, bloody posh this place I said, the fish and chip shop said poisson un pomme frits, anyway we had some and left then headed back to good old Brum.

we thought we might pass a really good Garden Nursery on the way but no, we even went through Stratford on Avon but it was full, didn't see the one.

So we came back to Brum and went to our farvorite one, we took the camera and didn't see anything outstanding to take a picture of untill about 2 miles from home,
and here it is













we have picniced under that Oak Tree and watched the yachts before.
then realised we have everything we want and need right on our doorstep

tgi friday

you can never tell an accent while it is being written.
so today I will do one in my native tounge, West Yorkshire and oh yes, all of Yorkshire has different accents just depends where you come from.
My home town is Bradford and the accent is as different again as from someone from Leeds 8 miles away.

right av ad a bloody crap week at work too bloody much ta do an not enouff time ta do it, so this Friday ah finished uurly an buggereed off ome to see ar lass, it were grand gettin ome and bein greeted by a bloody big kiss. wot shall we do t'night she sed, tak away, or go owt, ah dint ave to think long, out ah sed we'l go owt.
so we buggered off downt road to a right nice pub int cuntryside were we went t'other nite, bloody good deel an all, 2 meals fu a tennerI adt gammon an ar lass ad't steak, plates as big as steerin weels, ah cleend mine up till tha cud see't patten, ah lass left er chips ah wa sfit't bustin aft'r.
An now it's bhanna piss down look at't sky ower top a't apple tree.













now I am sure you can understand that after all its not a foriegn language.
ah speek right proper me jus lik wot Queen dus.

sod work

yesterday and today I left early, Oh I did my 8 hours and the rest, I left at 3.30 got home and chilled out.

tonight I got home at 4.00 and I got changed and we went to the pub, a nice one not far from us but in the countryside.

again why do we do it (because we can)

anyway to those who might be the slightest bit interested pics of the Garden,

clematis dont ask which one

look at the apple blossom now

that tree just keeps comin at yer

today

I have had a lovely day I woke at 6.50am
(I did wake at 4.30am but that was some noisy neibours coming home from some leary night out)
got up did my ironing, went up to the shops we got more plants, came back finished off our new vegetable patch the ground is so hard and full of clay its takes a lot of breaking up.

(its coming on isn't it look at the bloom on the apple tree)




Everything is growing wonderfully we have even given tomatoe plants away, we have far too many, its the same with all the apples when they come we have just got to give them to family and neibours.

My next door neibour came to see us with gifts he gave us each a fleece jacket, we do each other favours, also my partner blew some eggs up but I said I wasn't going to talk about that.

I am totaly exhausted and not looking forward to going to work at all I need a holiday
soon.

So on that note I will leave this day and look forward (not) to the week ahead.

I do like something to smile about everyday and todays was the eggs blowing up but I did say I wasn't going to talk about that.

tonight

in fact right now I will be making my famous curry

"this is how its done"
click on link

http://www.brummieblogs.com/2006/infamous_curry_recipe.htm

and if you need some of the curry powder let me know I will send it to ya

My nap is broken

I have just been awakened after having my afternoon nap, I like to have one on a Saturday because then I don’t have to go to bed too early and can watch TV a little later.

Knock Knock on the door, I stagger up from my slumber eyes blinking thinking who the hell is this, only to find two smart smiling youths on my door step.

Hello they say are you a religious person? My eyes start to focus without my glasses on and I can make out some writing on their shirts, bloody church of Jesus Christ Scientists it says, still trying to work out what day it is, and me thinking they must be changing their tactics its not Sunday. I say NO I AM A BLOODY ATHIEST.

The young chap then said (in American accent) well how do you think we got here? (Well if he is a scientist why is he asking me)

Well I replied you think we came from Adam and Eve, I think we all crawled out of the water started climbing trees turned into monkeys and evolved from there.

I wished I had not been so sleepy, I would have given him a good run for his money,
Disturbing my Saturday afternoon nap and wanting me to talk about God.

There was a time they came on Sundays and the best answer is to say well what time do you have YOUR Sunday dinner and where do you live, well if I ever want to talk about God I will come then, to your house.

Now to clear a point up I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and if you want to believe in God then fair enough but don’t try and ram it down someone else’s throat.

I also do not believe in any form of organised religion.

These are made by man for man and have been a source of trouble for thousands of years and still are. Everyone wants to think that God is on their side.

The Bible is a book made by man and interpreted many ways it has been the cause of thousands upon thousands of people to die needlessly and the church is run by men who are only out to gain wealth, it’s a business.

For goodness sake the Church of England was made by a King who couldn’t have his own way with the Catholic Church, so he made his own.

Anyway rant over, is everyone having a good Day, well God bless you all.

and as the sun goes down

you get to see this







and the same bud from the apple tree is now like this



remember





I love watching things grow, there will be at least 5 apples from that bud
and the best thing is ,,,,,,,,ITS FRIDAY.

sometimes

Some really funny things happen you just don't know they are happening.

Tonight as we do every week we went for our evening drink at one or the other of our favorite pubs, I get home earlier than my Partner so I go home get changed and meet her thereI always have a pint of Stella waiting for her as she gets of the bus.

Its nice it breaks up the week and you know why we do it? because we can!

Well tonight was no exception I was there before her and sat outside because it was lovely and sunny, watching the world go by all the people going home in cars and buses, me sat drinking beer watching them.

I drink quicker than she does so I go in for my second pint, it was busy it normaly is but when the bar manager came to me and said yes Sir what can I get you? I answered Pint of Stella please and he rushed off I should have noticed but I just thought ignorant Bastard, anyway a young lady served me and I took my pint and sat outside again.

We were yakking away about the day's events when suddenly we heard a fire engine screaming down the road, thisd pub is at a cross roads, it turned right and the siren stopped we thought nothing of it.

Then another one came same thing well we just carried on yakking, then My Partner said there seems to be an awful lot of people stood outside tonight, I said well,,,,,, its a lovely evening, they want to be out here.

So we had nearly finished our drinks and a fireman came out of the pub! saying it's ok folks you can go back in now.
We looked at each other in diselief,,, nooooooooooooooo we said, got up walked round the corner and sure enough Two fire engines putting a fire out in the Pubs kitchen.

We had never noticed, two people so wrapped up with each other and the pub was on fire.

I am glad I got my pint when I did I would have had hated to wait!

We laughed all the way home.

what a bloody awful day

its always bad after you have been off work to go back to it and start again but I remember the sky last night just before dusk





this one faces west

this one faces east








both are taken at the same time but I touched one up can you tell which one

its my age

We have been having trouble with our broadband connection so we rang them up and found out it wasn't them.
So after a bit of bodging around we deduced it was the router which connects us to the Laptop.
in a word it was knackered so we got a new one, the same as before only this one is "tiny".
Now there was a time I would grasp all this computer stuff easily, but I think its my age.
Where the hell has all my concentration gone.

Anyway its up and running, 4 hours later.

I must say at this point what bloody great chaps they are at D-Link help desk to have the patience to talk to a dummy like me, "twice",and get us up and running again.

They must have been nudging each other saying things like "it's them again" you take it, no you take it.

It does say on the box easy to set up, but not for a dummy like me, I am a steel worker so lets just say each to their own eh!

Thank you D-Link, but next time I will wait for middle son to come home and he can do it.

HOLIDAYS?

On Friday we decided it would be a good idea to buy some slabs for the garden then at least I could lay them over the holiday, so I got my tape out and measured the distance I needed to cover.
7 meters something I got, but the slabs are sold in either 2feet square or big 3 feet by 2 feet ones I thought better get the 2 feet square ones (easier to carry) well I worked out I needed 12 of them to cover the length I needed to make a path to the green house so we didn’t get muddy,
So the conversation went like this.

ME,,,, I need 12 of them slabs
Partner,,,,, no you don’t need that many.
ME,,,,Yes I do I just measured it
Partner,,,, never! let me do it(so without a tape and using a broom handle) you don’t, you only need 8.
ME,,,, Yes but you just measured the big ones they are 3 feet long what is 3x 8
Partner,,,,24
ME,,,, So I need 12 of the 2 feet square ones it will cover the same distance.
Partner,,,, but I want the big ones.
ME,,, Have you ever lifted one.
Partner ,,, no
ME,,, Ok then lets go see how much they are.

Builders yard
ME,,, How much are them 3 x 2 slabs( now he knows us“ we have been before”)
Man at yard,,, I know how long your drive is and if I drop them at the end of the drive you wouldn’t want to carry them far would you.
ME,,, No
Man at yard,,, you would be better off with the 2 feet square ones.
ME ,,, Looks at partner “see I told you “we only need 12
Partner,,,When can we have them?
Man at yard,,, Saturday or Monday
Partner,,,, Oh Saturday please
Man at yard,,, I wasn’t giving you a choice it is either Saturday or Monday.
US,,, We would prefer Saturday
Man at Yard,,, well we are busy it will be one or the other.

At least we are getting our slabs ,,,, sometime,,,,,and she now owes me 50 pence because we had a bet on how many we would want.

Friday night we went out, now we don’t go out much, no really we have all the comforts we need at home, but we did make the effort and after what seemed like a lifetime waiting for the bloody bus thanked God (and I am an atheist) for getting off alive ( no point in taking the car I will be drinking and it’s murder to park) we got to Broad St still in one piece, the bus drivers here are all homicidal maniacs.

Well we went to the first place we had thought of going to it was packed and very noisy and they didn’t have a table which is just as well because I would not have enjoyed my meal with all the bloody noise.
So we decided to walk to the Chinese Quarter and have one there ( big place Birmingham) My partner who has lived here all her life showed the way we didn’t pass a bloody pub is what she did.
So any way we went to a nice restaurant and had a really nice meal yakked for about two hours drank beer and then made our way back for the bus.





this is where we went








Note to all women never wear high heels if you have to walk more than 2 steps.
She whined like a good un all the way back.

Another wait for a bus until some kind constable told us if you are waiting for a bus here you will have a long wait you will have to walk at least 2 bus stops because the buses are diverted, so anther bloody hike with beloved Partner whining and cringing at every step.

Got to the Bus stop and waited and WAITED AND WAITED watched all the revellers and cars bumping into each other beggars wanting handouts ( the best way to deal with them is say NO and look the other way) anyway I was so tired when we eventually got home I was in bed for
10 – 30 knackered.









Broad St









Next time we will pick somewhere closer to home is what we will do.

Saturday
We gardened, then the slabs turned up (yippee), and I chucked them down on the grass and said I will do it proper later, but at least we have a path now and can reach the greenhouse without getting muddy




nice view of slabs and my shirts on the line









Sunday
Bloody Knackered is what I am, all this high life and going out has took its toll.
I am am an old bastard so today I am doing,


NOTHING!

today

I have decided that it is to become Tit day it has suddenly got warm whilst we were at work the sun is shining, its nice and warm, and all the girls who went to work this morning wearing winter clothes the jumpers and big coats had to take them off to go home.

they were all over the place I didn't know which way to look I am suprised I didn't crash the car, the saying chapel hat pegs doesn't even come into it.

roll on summer I say.

oh and the best thing is ,,,,,, I am on HOLIDAY,,,,,,,,,,,,YAAAAAAYYY,,,,,, 4 bloody days off, great way to start the weekend I say.

talking about films

well we have lots of films, I think at last count over 400.
because I am sad all the films that start with THE will be listed with next word alphabeticly
the film I like best out of A are and I will only pick one.

Apoclalypse now
Ben Hur
Cape Fear
Dances With Wolves
East is East
The Full Monty
Gladiator
Hannibal
Independance Day
Jaws
The Longest Day
Matrix
Nothing to lose
Once Upon a Time In The west
Papillon
Rita Sue and Bob Too
Schindlers List
Thelma and Louise
Unchained
War of the Worlds
Young Guns
Zulu
that was the the best in my opinion of some of the video's
from the Dvd's
The Alamo
Braveheart
Cold Mountain
Dirty Harry
Falling Down
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
In the Heat of the night
Kingdom of Heaven
The Long Riders
Master and Commander
Nevada Smith
Open Range
The Patriot
Riddick
Saving Private Ryan
Tombstone
Unforgiven
Van Helsing
The Wild Bunch

There you are just a few of what we have
and I am still sometimes stuck for what to watch

A Whinge

Today I thought I would have a whinge, not that I normally do (liar), but then why not, I am old I am entitled.

I normally wake at about 4.30am to get to work for 6.00am. I don’t like to do this but I have to work and that is the time I have been told I have to start.

So I try to get everything done at night before the morning so I have as little to do as possible, so tonight I went for some Petrol or Gas or whatever it is you want to call it.

We have about 500 yards from us a gas or petrol station which is open 24 hours. Now to say they are slow at serving you is an understatement, all I want to do is get the Gas/Petrol, and bugger off. I have been there at 5.30 in the morning, there is always a queue. 2 bloody cars to serve and you have to wait, so bloody slow if I tossed a ball to my pet tortoise he would have brought it back before I got to the till. I have seen paint dry quicker.

Tonight was no exception. There was when I pulled into the place 3 cars. I thought great, no waiting, pulled straight to a pump, put in my gas/petrol, pulled out my cash
(cash mind you). There were three people in the queue in front of me.

Now who the bloody hell pays with a cheque nowadays? Well you bet my bloody luck, if there is someone, I will be behind them. So you get the picture, they are slow and the old dear in front of me is paying by cheque. I have the cash in my hand and all I want to do is go home.

So I wait AND WAIT AND WAIT. She can’t see, bless her (what the hell is she doing behind the wheel of a car) and struggles to sign the cheque. The teller is as slow as she is and he double checks her every spelling. By this time I am getting very agitated and the once crisp notes have turned to shredded bits of toilet paper and are falling to bits in my hand.
I have grown a beard and my life is slipping away, and I’m going to flat line any minute.

“I hope she doesn’t ask for anything else”, I think.
I hope I don’t need to go to the toilet. I wonder what God is doing today, could he make them go just a bit quicker. Suddenly my daydreaming is jolted by movement. She’s moving, she is going to leave the till. I am next, I AM NEXT. Nope, not my luck. She turns back to him, “Could I have a receipt please?”

My heart sank. I will go into a coma soon, the car will run out of road tax before I leave here, they will have changed the bloody currency before I get to the till.

Then it happens. I’m next. I give him my £30, say pump one thank you, and leave.

It took 5 bloody seconds.

I think its here

Spring that is.
the grass is growing
we will have blossom soon on the apple tree
and at last we can hang out our washing to dry and pretty soon that green house will bulging with all sorts of stuff

what do people belive in

a bit topical this one

but I believe that whatever you reap you will sow.

that organised religion breeds vilolence.

that being a christian does not mean you have to go church on a Sunday you just have to be a good person.

that some people are so involved with sport or watching it it is like a religion to them, its not nesessary, like religion.

I don't believe in sending cards to people like at Christmas or when on holiday.

I believe that if you want something then work hard towards your goal and you will get it.

I believe that some days I am a very good driver and then some days I am crap.

I believe in love to another human being.

I believe that if I have another can of lager I will be pissed

I also believe that I have just wrote a load of bollocks

oh well

The ride out or near death experiance

(The Mailbox building near Gas St Basin)








On Monday we decided the pair of us to go out on the bikes, good idea to get out and practice for our marathon biking holiday where we intend to cycle all the way down to London using the Grand Union Canal.

So having checked the bikes over we set off a nice easy couple of miles through the park and we are on the canal. It was nice day sunny with the odd shower thrown in, it is after all April.

A couple of miles down the tow path towards Birmingham City centre partner does her normal thing and catches hold of my arm and gets a free tow.

Does it feel much different she asks, well I said, yes it actually throws me off balance quite a bit, surely not says she.

Let me try pull you, so she comes up my right hand side, and as she passes me I catch hold of her arm, this throws her completely off balance, our handle bars clash, my front wheel turns sideways and we both go head first over the front of our bikes onto to the hard gravely tow path, its not wide a tow path about a metre at best and as I am passing through the air expecting this is going to hurt real bad. I still had hold of partners arm she was heading for the water so I pulled her back towards the tow path and on top of me.

With a thud we hit the ground and what seems like minutes we pick ourselves up,
Any injury’s, we check ourselves over, partner got off lightly with a graze on the palm of her hand both elbows grazed and bruised knees, I look at my self both knees grazed and bleeding, took the skin off my knuckle and a grazed right elbow.

We quickly look round “DID ANYONE SEE US” there was no-one about so aching we got on the bikes and carried on.

By the time we had reached the City Centre my hand wouldn’t stop bleeding, the blood trail must have been for miles.

(Edgebaston tunnel about 100 yards long)

Lets stop and have a coffee and maybe I can use the toilet to clean up I said, so we went off down Colmore Row to Starbucks we ordered coffee and I asked if I could use the toilet, “we don’t have one in this shop” was the answer, well do you have a first aid kit I could use then please, I asked, "Oh have you hurt yourself" the young assistant replied the blood was streaming from my hand and covered most of it.

Here she says use the sink and points me to the back of the counter where I clean up the blood from my hand elbow and knees, the first aid kit was brought out and a suitable plaster was found for my knuckle, I thanked them for helping me and left.

We drank our coffee on a bench in St Phillips square and laughed at what we had done vowing never again to act like children in what could have been very serious we should act our ages and not the shoe size.

On the way back home we stopped and had a burger outside one of the many canal side bars that are down there it was delicious and cycled back home.

All in all we had had a really good ride out and on checking our speedo’s we had done 20 miles.

I will wait till I stop aching before I go out again.

At night

around our house we have Bats, not big one's like fruit bats just little Bats.

sooooooooooo I built a Bat Box, so having got all the scrap pieces of wood out of the shed I set too and did it and there it is.

So whilst looking out of front window tonight the conversation went like this
"Me " I have just seen BAT, a big one

"partner"how big was it

"me" ohhhhh about the size of a pidgion

"partner" a bit pidgionish was it

"me" could have been.

so no Bats just yet then, but watch this space.

something is happening

to me, about a month ago I woke in the night with my heart pounding and the normal ryhthem of my heart was all over the place, I wasn't too worried I just thought silly old bugger, shouldn't have had that curry,I felt sick and eventualy went back to sleep.
7 days a go it happened again, again not too worried but I thought what the hell is happening to me.

Last Monday night the 10th it happened again, it was then I started to tie things up.

Now this is my opinion so even though I have been to the Doctor and he can't say what caused it,I think this is caused by stress, it creeps up on you like a preditor and then hits you BANG.

Stress is everywhere we all handle it different, it just so happens that again in my opinion I have 3 bosses who are crap at their jobs they might be good at what they do BUT as for man management they are crap, again in my opinion.

They only want to listen to you if it is something they want to hear if you say something they don't like then it's all bollocks, reasons for things going wrong are not listened to and I am personaly felt responsible for things beyond my control even if I use my own initiative I am scalded like a small boy for doing it even though it was in the best interests of the company for me to do it.

So I tied all the dates up and all the problems I have been having are related to meetings I have had with these three men.

So in my last meeting even though I protested that I was feeling very intimidated it was dismissed.

So what do I do leave, I have been there a long time, pension is involved here, I have 10 years left to do, I think I may have to leave, I have a lot of skills and maybe some new company would actually appreciate them, only time will tell.

But I know one thing they are not going to kill me!

I don't have many comments, but I would appreciate any on this one

Talk about

stating the bleeding obvious


<<<<<<<<----------












even Cadburys is at it










<<<<<----definatley contains lager

putting aside

The fact that its pissed down the last 2 days I have had a very nice 2 days holiday off work.

Today I got all the rubbish and rotten wood from the old shed and took it to the tip where all the big skips are and got rid of it and then went to the bloody great Garden Nursery close by and got a new pot for my favorite palm tree ( its out grown the old pot and is in serious need of a new home) .

We then went for a lovely drive round the countryside near us,(Birmingham is not all Industrial)
and came home and just chilled.
Well I fell asleep actually but I was chilled, nice to do that at 3 pm in the afternoon.

So now I am back to it.

I like holidays.

shed

I have fixed the shed today.
I have taken 2 days holiday today and tommorrow, this has had to happen the shed is over 25 years old and our now passed away Labrador Leo, bless him, used to pee on the side of it all the time and the one side was rotten.
this is what it used to be like, I have knocked down the bbq had to to get to the side of the shed and now it's all new, should last a few more years now.

I could have picked a better day to do it and I got pissed wet through doing it
all the inside was rotten as well had to change all that.

also as this is a Bike Blog my partner and I have decided that this year for just a week we will be off on the bike's and go down the Grand Union Canal, the whole way from Salford Junction where it starts which actually is not in Salford Manchester but under the Spaggetti Junction in Birmingham then travel down to London where it ends.
more on that one later.

post script

don't forget this weekend to knock the clock on one hour on Saturday night, for me it is good for the last few months my body has been running on summer time and look forward to waking at 5.30am instead of 4.30am.
A few things to look for will be
you will see the dustbinmen
birds will sing
it is light when you go to work and get home
you can sit outside the pub
the south east of england is short of water(so drink beer instead)
everything will start to grow(apart from my bank balance)
you can stop spending money on de-icer
yaaaaaaaaaa

its my free turn

Once a fortnight two of my work mates and myself go to the pub after work we have two pints only and then go home.

That means that everytime we go one of us gets a free drink, it's my turn this week and they try everything to make me forget, but, I am a yorkshireman they have more chance of me losing my free turn than they have of winning the lottery I am tighter than a Scotsman and have deeper pockets, so deep my loose change is around my ankles.

Like an Elephant I will never forget, it is forged in my brain like a diary of my whole life.

This Friday it's my turn and don't think I will ever forget it suckers.

Today we have done hump day, we have done half the week and not unusally nothing much has happened at work or home but I did explain to my new Boss I have Carte Blance to say or do anything I want at work. don't want to go into too much detail but I am too bloody old to care.

HMMMMMM

Where is spring??? come on anyone just tell me .

Its been too long since I blogged but there have been a lot of things going on, work has been just as busy as normal so no change there and we do have our new works manager, a young chap but then everyone is young to me.

He doesn't has the big S on his chest like I expected or wear his underpants on the outside of his trousers, but he is making lots of changes, some for the better some, I think, would be better left as they are.

But then he "IS" the boss now and will be obeyed, it's entertaining at least.
I have 2 days off work next week I have to fix our Shed the whole of one side of it is rotten so I am looking forward to the break of the boredom of work. If I do a good job I will print pics if not I will hide it with plants.

since I was last writing here I have had the flu and it has taken me a full month to get over it but I feel better now and am looking to the warm weather I have had the bykes out oiled and greased them and blown up the tyres just need some sun now and we will be off.
I will be buggered if I am going out in this weather.

nothing much happens in January

So on that note there is not a lot to say.
It really is a bloody awfull month short days long nights and cold, I feel sorry for the people of central Europe at this time bloody cold there, when you consider our weather in the UK to theirs we have it almost tropical.

At least we have been paid now and can look forward to the spring,
today we went to the garden centre and got some seeds so we can start to plant next month.

At the minute I am sat here looking at the days sun fading and sipping on a really good Irish Whiskey.

Give me summer.
Oh and can I win the lottery please.

daffodils

In January, well I don't know much, but could it be that I shoved a load of leaves on top of them in December and they got warm and forced through.
Oh well at least we know now it's not long before we get in the garden again and start to grow stuff.
I never did like January much I am always skint after Christmas.
Anyway seeing them has brightened my day
Sad old bugger I must be

painting

I would like you to see a view from our study window on a cold and frosty morning











well this is it my first effort for 15 years I enjoyed doing it and lets face it I can only get better.



So don't get confused which is the painting.

Got back to work this week and everything is the same so no change there,but we finaly have the house to ourselves now, middle son has gone back to University and we can reclaim our study.


PS. I have already booked the week before Christmas off for this year, nothing like planning ahead is there.

yaaaaa

after all the resolutions I promised myself,
I still smoke,
not been on the bike yet,
but dragged my sorry arse to work this morning,like millions of others,
and ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, did not work so hard,,,,,, YAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

I did all what was expected of me I didn't scive just did my job and didn't run around trying to sort out all the problems.

See I can do it.

So I got home not feeling quite as tired we had our meal and then watched TV one of those programs wich tell you how bad the food you eat is.

Well apparently the first six I do
Smoke
Drink
Eat chocolate
Take salt in food
Take aways
Sugar

Well I am sorry if the schrivelled up speciman of a Woman who presents the show is an example of what I should be, I am stopping as I am.

Been doing it now 40 years,
I may be over wieght, but at 6.2" and 15 stone 7lbs, I don't think so.
To do the stuff she wants you to you would drink water eat lettuce and other raw veg stuff,
I would rather be dead.

So do it my way, have a little of everything in moderation, then enjoy your life.
(is 8 cans a lot every night)

later Dudes.

The End

This year seems to have been going on forever now it’s almost done, just a few more hours and that’s it.

Well what have we done just about the same as the year before really.

I read a few bits from my blog from the previous year and you know what I was complaining about the same stuff this year as I was last, boring old bastard I am.

So now this is the time for change, I must do more exercise and get out on the bike,
I must stop smoking.
I must go on holiday this year (no big time decorating)
I must stop working so hard.

I did do a painting and am going to do another and when they are dry(just how long does oil paint take to dry) I will take pics and post them and you may laugh or whatever but it’s my work and I enjoy it.

So for now I would like to wish everyone a very happy New Year and all who may be going out get home safe, I personally have been on a few new years eve’s and got home absolutely smashed out of my head and spent the next day regretting every mouthful, so tonight we are stopping in having a nice takeaway from the local Chinese and relaxing.

Come on 2006 give your worst I can take it.

Maps

Last Friday we had the day off, which is just as well because we had been to a wedding reception the night before had a lovely time and stopped at a bed and breakfast for the night, a lovely place, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to explore Wales.
So by 9.00am we were off into the heart of Wales, Snowdonia is beautifull at this time of year.
Not long after we had set off a couple of hours maybe we found we were not far from the coast, 28 miles from Porthmadog I said, lets go to the seaside so we ended up at Criccieth there is a nice old castle and a couple of good pebble beaches.
So far so good we decided to get on our way back home, we had no map but me being a man thought it's not that big a place be back home in no time.
so ok I said lets follow the coast and swing a right to get us back to the Midlands, by the time I had reached Anglesey we were well north and Debs was well pissed off, We are only 30 miles from Manchester she said trying not to get hysterical, its ok I said I will run down the M6 some 70 miles from home is all we are.
Run down the M6 yes it would have been quicker, solid traffic nothing moving, of course the nice afternoon lunch we were both expecting was a sandwich in a motorway services, and the motorway was still jammed up.
Never again will I put my partner or myself through that, the bloody map is going in the car and stopping there.
We finaly arrived home at 5.30 pm and I had driven about 300 miles in the day.

A Crossroads

Or could it be that I should just remind myself of my place.
I am at work, a superviser,I have considerable knowledge of what goes on and I think and as far as I am aware my boss does too.(this place is a steel stock holders filled with tough black country men and steel)

We have not had a works manager at our place for some 4 years it has been left to me and 2 other supervisers to get on with the job.
then the other night my attention was brought to an advert in the local paper
operations manager required blah blah blah and all the rest, and they are looking for a Graduate to do the job.

My immediate reaction was what the fuck is going on.
So I saw my boss its quite clear to me now I will not get the job and having thought it over I really think I don't want it.

However a graduate?????? to come in here and tell us how to do this stuff.
I think this person may have to have a big S on his or her chest and start to wear his Y fronts or knickers on top of their trousers.

mad yorkshire man wins lottery

Yes I will not change a thing I will carry on going to work, and still do 10 hours a day, I will keep my old car till it can't pass it's MOT and carry on shopping at Netto.
Then I woke up!
Bloody hell fire,
gets in old car goes to work.
Is ok I like work,
like you would like a hole in the head,
any good things happen to you today Steve ,,, yes I trapped my hand and it hurt like hell, for a minute anyway.
jumped up and down a bit, swore and stuff you know.
However there are some good things, (thinks),,, (thinks again),, God this study is nice, warm and comfortable, hey I did this and my woman is here ,,,,, I have it all really.
And,,,, we have just done Hump Day,, rest of the week is a breeze.

A Quick One

I am tired, work has been a Bastard,goodnight.......

today

Today I became a child again, nothing wrong with that we went to various parks that are around us looking for conkers (horse chestnuts) not many on the floor but some on the trees, so started running and jumping as high as I could to reach a branch to yank it to get them down.
Sad effort really we ended up with about 10 they were big one's though,threw big sticks at them to persuade them down.
I bloody well enjoyed myself,
Fed the Canada geese at the pond I even went to the shop to buy bread so we could do it,they are that freindly they take it from your hand.
We got home gave the nuts to our squirrels they loved them and ran off to bury them somewhere.

pres-sure

The act of pressing.
The condition of being pressed.
The application of continuous force by one body on another that it is touching; compression.
Force applied uniformly over a surface, measured as force per unit of area.
Meteorology. Atmospheric pressure.
A compelling or constraining influence, such as a moral force, on the mind or will: pressure to conform; peer-group pressure.
Urgent claim or demand: under the pressure of business; doesn't work well under pressure.
An oppressive condition of physical, mental, social, or economic distress.

These are just some of the meanings
but the one in bold tells it all I don't work well under a lot of pressure, I tend to rebel and think FUCK IT do it yourself I have been here 10 hours I have a home to go to.

However look at it like this, most of us work to live, not work for a living, most of us don't give a toss so long as the old salary gets in the bank.

Lets let the ones who are living to work (you know them) take the stress.
I am there for 10 hours I will do what I can. then go home look at my good life my wonderfull partner ( and my study) and think how bloody lucky can one man be!

new tank

I have it no more leaks I hope but I would have prefered





this

Work has been a bastard today too much to do not enough time to do it.
still not to worry at least this one will not leak I think I was driving a bomb.

why is it that arseholes who have never handled steel at the sharp end always think they know better than someone who has been doing it for years, so why do I have to explain to them,
I think Work Sucks
you can tell I have not had a good day
hey I just noticed I just typed that line and hardly looked at the keys.
bloody hell

you may ask

well yes I do have a bike why don't I go to work on it,
and the petrol tank on the car is leaking, yes it bloody well is (for 3 years now)... and can only fill it 1/4 full,, which means stopping every 70 miles or so to top up, and then all these greedy barstards start to fill there tanks just so they won't be without petrol you have emptied the petrols stations you stupid buggers,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, my local one did 4 days supply in one day.
Now what are they going to do with it,,,,,,,,,,,all the cars are going round with the back bumper scraping on the bloody road, so much fuel in them. I hope they get a leak in the tank like mine.
well getting back on the subject, its 7 miles to my work and I would have to set off at 6.00 am to get there for 7.00am and its 50.50 hills and flat so that means the old bugger would have to peddle like mad(or push) to get there and back( this is why I like canals) so tomorrow I am having a new petrol tank fitted, then I can fill it up like all the other greedy bastards, except it would cost me £60 just to fill it and,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, oh bollocks get the bike out Steve.

ho hum

I would like to tell you all of the exciting things that have been going on, but there has been none, apart from I havn't checked the lottery tickets yet and well you never know.
But I doubt it.
What we have been doing is finishing off our new study by putting shelves in the cuboard, that done my partner is now filling them with all our paper work and stuff whilst I do this.
As its Sunday today we are having one of my roast dinners, I don't know if I have ever mentioned this but my partner is not the best person to let loose in the kitchen so I do it.
I started my Roast this morning at 7.30 am not cooking it! I take the beef and smother it in salt black pepper and basil then smear mustard all over it cover it in foil and leave it to sort of marinate, next top my now famous curry I like it like this the gravy is wonderfull using the juices from the meat.
one thing I do is get some Cod Fat from the butchers that is the great hunk of white fat that comes from the butchered animal in this case beef render it down to get the clear fat from it and I cook the roast potatoes in it they are just so bloody gorgeous done like this and also if you cook your yorkshire puddings with it it adds that special flavour you can only get when you cook at home.
God I'm hungry now so I am off to start the meal, roast beef mash and roast spuds carrots spring greens yorkshire puddings.

whaaaaaaaaaa

I have to back to work tomorrow,the slog we have had over the last week is over and now the house is ok with the paint brushes etc all put away.
just a thought, yesterday we went to a flower show and I thought it was good, well ok,
I must be getting really old.

decorating

I have been away,
I have been away doing this,
but now thank bloody God it is over, for the time being anyway. the Boys have given up their rooms and

now the house is ours we could do what we wanted.
this is what we wanted

and now we have our study

and now from teenager room to guest room

so at last everything is in one place and we can have people stay(well only for one night) don't want anyone getting too comfortable

and now I can sit in our study and blog to my hearts content