Usually, when socialising, I’m one of the youngest when in the company of gentlemen. This evening, though, I was the eldest. But, I should say, only by a couple and a bit years.
I’d not seen Bobby in years, or Mick in months. So the time passed pretty quickly.
And nice food interfered with the pace of conversation.
Too much catching up in just a few hours.
I came across this note in a Post Office window, in Sunderland, last weekend.
Quite shocking really. Last weekend also saw us attending zombie school for a second year. The actual event starts next weekend and we’ll probably be doing two or three nights. Lesson learned from last year, though, I won’t be doing two nights in a row. I couldn’t walk properly after two nights last year.
Speaking of zombies, while I dearly love Sam Smith pubs, I do recognise that they can attract a certain type of clientele. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, but it can put some people off. While in Preston a couple of days this week, I was seriously impressed by the work done on Ye Olde Blue Bell; it’s incredible how such a gorgeous building (and a Sam Smith’s pub) had been hiding behind the grotty render. I loved the old, dirty incarnation of the pub, but it’s now having the attention it deserves.
I’m currently watching Kelly’s Heroes, a film I first watched, in Sunderland, with mates, when I was around 14. So much time has passed since then; I have a grandchild of pretty much the age I was at the time, and a couple of that bunch of mates are no longer with us (Geoff Strong and Steve Aiken). Great memories.
Years have passed and I keep thinking … burning bridges lost for evermore.
A few weeks ago, one of the national newspapers ran an article on the cheapest and most expensive properties in the country. I was pretty sure that my old flat in Washington could be seen in one of the pictures (of the cheapest property in the UK), but the angle was strange and I couldn’t be certain.
There’s now a similar feature, restricted to the North. And my old flat’s definitely in the picture (the one at the top, on the left).
I still shiver when I recall my bedroom (the overhang, above the walkway). The lack of insulation, and the fact that the room was suspended in the (cold) air, meant that it was always freezing. Still, it was a nice place to cool off in the summer after a bike ride (which inevitably included carrying the bike up four flights of stairs when the lift was out of order).
The flats are really cheap, but there’s an horrendous monthly service charge. I was pretty happy in that flat though, and I do miss my uncomplicated time there.
This is probably my best, most useful, purchase ever.
I plan to buy more for other rooms in the house. This one was being trialled.
Another best purchase is my newest pair of glasses, my third pair in a couple of weeks. While my other new glasses are very nice, possibly even fashionable, I really love my new old 1930s gold rimmed specs. I may buy more.
Biscuits or whiskey? If I had to choose, I’d opt for the biscuits. Unless I could have both, of course.
My mother bought me a tin. A bottle of JD wouldn’t quite fit, so I filled it with biscuits.
Strangely, though, there is a link between biscuits and whiskey.
Or whisky. But that’s ok because America doesn’t understand the difference either. Maybe even the UK too.
… and on the dole, you’ll get a pint in The Metropole. Someone told me about that little rhyme soon after I moved to Gateshead; in The Traveller’s Rest I believe. The Metropole had a lot of history, including some nice (but battered) old Edwardian panelling.
The pub closed a few months ago, having being purchased by a chain. It’s now re-opened and it’s pretty much been gutted. The lovely old bar has gone and the ceiling lowered (extremely). But it’s better to have a modernised pub than no pub at all. And it’s now attracting a new, cleaner clientele.
While most of the panelling has been replaced, a tiny bit remains.
I’m probably the last person on earth to recognise that Nick Cotton’s ex is actually Mrs Doyle.
Currently watching the Father Ted Christmas special.
Fast delivery, arriving just before we set off for Peterborough, meant that I’d no time to appreciate my new purchase.
Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to locate my prescription, so I’m going to need an eye test.
My experiment with modern glasses frames hasn’t been much of a success. Well, they’re probably more acceptable for work, but I don’t find them very comfortable.
And so ….
