I met my second in command in town after work today. Brewdog do vegan pizza now, you know.
And it’s rather nice. As is the coffee stout.
I must admit that I feel somewhat ashamed to say that we’ve played the bus lottery this afternoon. And cheated.
An X1 arrived, so we pretended not to see it and waited for a 56 (which stops at our local).
I’m now in my local, having watched Liverpool beat Arsenal 4-3. There’s a band playing in the room next door. Roxy Musique. Which is a bit weird, since my uncle Ed went to school in Washington with Mr Ferry.
My uncle Ed was a great bloke; wish I’d taken time to get to know him better.
A couple of hours ago, while drilling a hole in the wall upstairs, with the window wide open, a wasp flew in and attacked me. Taking evasive action ( I jumped off the ladder and waved my arms about to fend off the creature), I narrowly escaped the monster (it was huge).
Clutching the nearest weapon (shoe), I quickly transformed from victim to hunter. But the beast was nowhere to be seen.
I resumed my drilling, then, while pushing cables through the wall, I heard buzzing. Looking down from the heights of my ladder, I saw the wasp in the clutches of a fearsome spider. My flailing had apparently knocked the wasp into a cobweb.
Which is why dust, spiders and webs should be left alone.
I’m writing this with my first Ubuntu phone, a BQ Aquaris 4.5. I’m not actually using Ubuntu though, since there’s no WordPress app for the phone. I switched the phone to Android when I bought the Meizu MX4 Ubuntu phone, a much better spec and a lot faster.
A few weeks ago, I switched to the Aquaris because it runs pretty fast with Android and, mainly, because I miss the applications that come as standard on Android or IOS. But I now miss the beauty of Ubuntu and the MX4.
So i’ve had to make a tough decision. Android or Ubuntu (IOS wasn’t an option because I’ve been there and wouldn’t go back). As gorgeous as it is, Ubuntu just doesn’t yet deliver what people need in a phone nowadays. It’s a joy to use, but the lack of apps is an issue.
Android it is then. The Aquaris will soon be binned, replaced by a newly ordered Meizu M3 mini. It’s a small phone (I wanted a 5″ pocket sized phone), but a good spec and silly price.
I went for another Meizu because they produce pretty capable phones and because I love my Ubuntu phone’s build. I may now sell the MX4 on eBay or keep it as a SIM-less device/spare.
I was so happy to come home to a mortgage statement this afternoon.
If I’d not had a second (divorce) mortgage, it’d all be paid off at the end of the month. But, still, it’ll all be gone very soon.
And then it’s party time!
Gordon’s chair in the garden. It hasn’t moved since he last sat in it a week ago. He was only here a couple of weeks, but it’s a little empty here since he left.
Changing the subject, I’m now home after watching the Liverpool-Barcelona game in the Tuns. My second in command was extremely happy with the 3-0 score, although I was mildly disappointed that no one was bitten.
We left with five minutes (plus lying down time) to go, but my significant other was feeling tired (early start) and hungry (she’s experimenting with vegetarianism, so can’t pick while at work).
I’m now, as can be seen above, sitting in the garden with a bottle of Beck’s (correct use of the apostrophe). While we were out, our beer was blessed by Jesus.
My second in command sometimes starts/finishes work late, when there’s a function in the hotel. It’s only once a week for her at most.
I thought I’d meet her from work so I walked down the hill to town. I’m now waiting in the Bridge Hotel. With a delicious pint of Jakehead. Might be a mistake.
Excellent value, though, at only £5.20 a pint.
Each month, I buy a travel card. It’s pretty cost effective and useful for deviations from my daily travel to the office. I usually try to buy one from a travel office in Gateshead or Newcastle because, for some reason, the cards purchased in Washington don’t work with Metro barriers.
Unfortunately, I’ve needed to resort to the Washington travel office this morning. Another reason to avoid this office is the eight o’clock opening time, which doesn’t fit with the timing of my bus to work. After buying a card, I need to wait a half hour for a bus.
Until today, that is. The opening times have changed; it’s now 8:30 on a weekday.
Which means that, to use the Washington travel centre, I need to wait a half hour for it to open, buy my card, then wait another half hour (since I’ll have missed a bus while in the office) for a bus to work.
That might not seem to be much of an inconvenience, but Washington bus station isn’t the nicest of places. I’m an advocate of public transport, but can’t comprehend opening hours that don’t cater for the working majority.