Monthly Archives: April 2017

Burka II

There’s a sticker on the side of the phone box at the top of the hill. It seems that it isn’t often used after all and is going to be removed. 

Phone virus

Earlier today, I received some text messages from numbers not known to me. 

My immediate fear was that my phone had somehow been affected by a virus. And then I read this on Twitter. 

Apparently, text messages are also randomly going to the wrong people. A lot of people seem to be affected. 

Ceiling (part III)

While there is no picture today (I didn’t wish to tread more dust outside the spare room), an early-ish finish from work allowed time to plaster another segment of ceiling. 

That’s now 60% of the ceiling done. Of course, a real plasterer could have finished the whole thing in half an hour. 

Second coat (part I)

Today has been, mostly, been spent plastering the newly joined ceiling. I’d managed a first full coat before Germany, but I was a little over ambitious and attempted the whole ceiling. 

I’m a slow plasterer and it’s a large ceiling, so a full coat of plaster in a single day was never going to be fun. It took me six hours and the result was rougher than I’d hoped for, but it was only intended to be a first coat to join the two ceilings together. 

So, today, I felt it wise to split the job into segments. With a better outcome. 


The picture’s fuzzy, but I’m quite happy with the second coat. That’s a quarter of the ceiling done, with part two tomorrow.

Yesterday was more pleasant, with a walk along the Tyne. 

Dachau

A few days ago, when in Munich, we decided to visit the Dachau concentration camp site. I’d regretted not going when last in Munich, 

Dachau, the town, is only a half hour from Munich by train, followed by a short bus ride to the outskirts of town and the site. 

It was quite a moving experience, it feels appropriate only to post a couple of pictures here. 


Stick

When I was a kid, it was important to have a stick. I must have gone through a forest of sticks during my childhood, although every now and again I’d come across one that was worthy of saving for another day. I can recall a couple of such sticks, their hiding places too. 

I lost my attachment to carrying pieces of wood a very long time ago. This was replaced with a predisposition to constructing things from timber. 

However, not all males evolve beyond the stick carrying stage of development. 

Burka

Standing at the bus stop at the top of the hill, I noticed a young couple in the phone box. It’s not often that anyone uses the public phone nowadays. In fact, it must be several years since I’ve seen anyone in it. 

They seemed to be a little aggitated, dialling a number, quickly hanging up, then making their way (with some haste) to the nearby bookmakers’ establishment. 

This process was repeated several times in just a few minutes. However, they’ve now been inside the bookie’s for a little while now. They’ve probably needed to exchange a banknote for some change for the phone.

Anyway, I noticed that the young lady was wearing a burka; unusual apparel in Gateshead. Particularly when worn with sportswear. 

And then I realised that it was a towel. Which, of course, is normal attire on the hill. She’d obviously washed her hair before remembering some urgent phone calls. 

Home

Whiensthephan. In the Head of Steam, after a pretty strange train journey from Peterborough. 

It was good to return home to have a traditional British beer. 

Whiskers

I’ve not had a shave in over a week. And I’m on a train which is waiting twenty something minutes before we leave York.
My face is quite itchy. 

We did manage a couple of bottles of Erdinger in the Draper’s Arms, Peterborough.

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