Week 22 - Glabrous Gardening

[The Doctor]

It is a horrid feeling indeed, but keep at it.

-Ralph

[Fortmax2020]

It is indeed. I am happy enough in my current job but likewise am stuck in a very defined role. Any time I have tried to push beyond it I meet a lot of resistance (not in a negative way though) hence my applying for a new job.

[Cullen]

Well done Ralph! I only just read this minute that you had an interview yesterday so I sent my channelling back in time. I scrolled down and you've got the job so it must have worked.

[Deleted]

A couple of weeks ago somebody who was in my class at high school sent me an invite through Facebook to attend a gig at a club in Leicester where he was the lead singer of a local band. I went to that gig last night and I enjoyed it. Not only because it was the first time I had seen him in about seventeen years but also because his band had an interesting take on well known songs. The band specialised in heavy rock songs and, when they did finally come on very late in the night (after several other forgettable heavy rock bands) they surprised me. They didn't cover known heavy rocks songs but rather pop and easy listening songs but in a heavy rock style! We got thumping versions of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On, Abba's SOS and others such as House of the Rising Sun, 99 Red Balloons and I Think We're Alone Now. The band were clearly the highlight of the night and worth waiting for.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Go Ralph!

Just got back from a few days in the Lake District with various family members. Nice break plus tasty food and drink.

Martin

[Philip Ayres]

Struggling a bit. CMT's doing odd things at the mo, lots of achey pains, especially at night whi h is odd in Summer.

Busy week to come: Liz was teaching today, has a student visit to do in Bridgewater on Tuesday and a course to run in Exeter on Thursday. So we've got to work out how to get J too and from the child minder and for me to have enough energy to look after him at either end of the day. SpeechTherapist visits Friday, and we have a friend from London coming to stay next weekend.

[Hero]

Hope things look up for you Phil.

Been doing some screentests for a short indy film with the working title 'Brain Freeze'. I'm going to be a corrupt bartender... As well as the on-screen role I'm having a lot of input into the camerawork too.

Also got a Hollywood assignment I'm finishing up as well as a written evaluation for my 'geek' film Fitting IN which did really well at the Sideways Exhibition screening 2 weeks ago. I have around 7,000 words in total with both peices but obviously doing them one at a time.

[The Doctor]

Folks are away on a day trip so I have the unusual novelty of complete privacy (I really do prefer living on my own). Lovely day, so after lunch I think I shall park myself in the garden, do some reading and chill with the dog.

-Ralph

[Deleted]

It's a nice day down here as well and I think I might go out somewhere this afternoon - maybe take a quick cycle around the village.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

I've been lazily reading for most of week 22 (Plato, Aristotle and Ian Fleming's 'OHMSS') so today after church I spent most of the day gardening. In the Lake District I had the charming novelty of waking each morning to the song of a swallow on next-door's roof, and seeing them wheeling and swooping whenever I looked up. I have been consoled on my return to Cardiff by the fact that after a year of ignoring it completely, the birds have at last noticed my hanging bird-feeders and are at it with a vengeance - in particular, a male house sparrow and a greenfinch, who are usually accompanied by a pair of wood pigeons who scour the ground below for seeds dropped by their diminutive chums.

Blackbirds still going in and out of the dense tree in the back garden. Fingers crossed for chicks.

Anyone here enjoying wildlife in your garden, please consider contributing to the RSPB's summer survey to see what's doing well and what isn't.

Martin

[legios]

Good grief it is hot......

I've been outside for more of the day than I had originally planned. Given it was such a lovely morning I took a wander up the canal towards Bonnybridge (about an hour each way), planning to check in with the swan's on the nest on the way to see how the youngsters were doing. But when I got there they were not on the nest. But not to worry - they weren't far away, cruising sedately on the canal as if to proudly show off their youngsters to the world. My they grow up fast. A couple of weeks ago they were indistinct grey balls off fluff. Now they are fully developed swan shapes, if swan shapes apparently made of grey cotton wool. Lovely things to see, and a great way to start the day.

After having a nice curry for lunch - always good on a hot day- I too have ended up in the garden doing some pruning of my ivy, which once again is demonstrating a drive toward world domination, some weeding and running a broom over the front path. Unfortunately I ended up snapping the spout off the watering can though, so a further walk into town was necessitated to purchase another.

Very nice way to spend a Sunday all told though. Now I shall have to ponder what to rustle up for my tea - I think raiding the fridge for a cold meal is likely called for...

Karl

[The Doctor]

Sparky the dog was very naughty and did not obey me all afternoon.

-Ralph

[Grand Moff Muffin]

After a hard afternoon of gardening I flopped down in an armchair, put on the telly and began to watch 'Stealth' on Channel 5. It pained me. I had to stop. I began to watch 'Night in the Museum' on Channel 4. It also pained me, though not as much. I know that if I abandon it and begin to watch 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines' on Channel 5, which I have seen before, it will also pain me, but less than either of the aforementioned, especially as I have had two glasses of wine. I'm gonna do it.

Edit: The alternative would be 'Snakes on a Plane' on Film Four, which sounds worse still.

Tomorrow I remember the existence of DVDs and books.

Martin

[legios]

I have only seen one of those films. ('Stealth' for the record). It sounds though that you are working your way back from the extremes towards something that is bearable.... Which is always a good thing.

I treated myself to some vintage Doctor Who this evening. There is nothing like watching William Hartnell inadvertantly giving Nero the idea to burn Rome to the ground as an accompaniement to dinner .

Karl

[Philip Ayres]

Liz saw Museum the other week and said it got better as it went on.

[Philip Ayres]

May 30, 2009 17:21:48 GMT Philip Ayres said:

Struggling a bit. CMT's doing odd things at the mo, lots of achey pains, especially at night whi h is odd in Summer.

Busy week to come: Liz was teaching today, has a student visit to do in Bridgewater on Tuesday and a course to run in Exeter on Thursday. So we've got to work out how to get J too and from the child minder and for me to have enough energy to look after him at either end of the day. SpeechTherapist visits Friday, and we have a friend from London coming to stay next weekend.

So.... how badly did last night go ? Very.

Jonathan spent an hour and a half getting off. He then woke up later and needed to be bought into my bed, which meant I had a bad night and felt awful this morning. I went to church today, but got brought home before the service started as I was feeling so bad and went back to bed.

Not a great day.

[The Doctor]

Let us hope for a better day tomorrow for you.

-Ralph

[Fortmax2020]

Hope tomorrow is a better day for you Phil!

Got invited round for a BBQ with some friends after church today which was a nice surprise and eagerly taken up. Somehow I ended up doing all the cooking though... Don't seem to have poisoned anyone! And there was yet more gorgeous sun all day.

Went to see Angels and Demons with a friend this evening and was enjoyable tosh. Clearly never stellar but a pleasent way to spend an evening.

[legios]

Owch, Phil. Sorry to hear that you aren't doing so well. Hopefully you won't be so bad tomorrow.

Karl

[Deleted]

Hope the start of the new week starts well for you Phil.

[Andy Turnbull]

Yeah that doesn't sound like a good way to end the week. I hope this week is better for you.

Andy

[Deleted]

I had to laugh at work today. One of the people who voted against the union back in February was complaining throughout the day about the massive amount of work he had. I have no sympathy for him. In the union ballot he was given two choices - vote for the union to stick up for the workers or vote for the gaffers to stab everybody in the back. He voted for the latter and within two weeks of the results of the union ballot the gaffers made several people redundant and made several departments try and do ten hours work within their eight hour shift. This bloke is only getting what he asked for.

[Deleted]

I nipped into my local Poundland today after work hoping to pick up a cheap tacky transforming robot from there but didn't. They only had two different two-pack Medabots (one of which Ralph has already featured on Stardub) and also a toy that looks like a yellow version of Animated Prime. They also had a three-pack that looked like miniature Terrorcon rip-offs. These at least had the name Cybertron written on the plastic prison they were encased in.

[The Doctor]

They are knock-offs of legends figures. They do appear to be extremely fragile!

-Ralph