where art collides philosoperontap

At 9.32am yesterday a fox came into the garden. Came through the beech hedge from next door, around the back of the shed, back between the shed and the greenhouse then around the back of the raised beds and through a hole in the bottom of the fence to the other next door.

I wasn’t in the shed at the time. And even had I been there I probs wouldn’t have noticed the fox. My desk faces in the wrong direction. Might have done. The fox may not have come had I been in the shed. Cunning.

Then two nights ago we had a hedgehog on the back lawn. Keep meaning to build a hedgehog house. It has been a long term item on my jobs list. Perhaps 2025 is the year of the hedgehog house.

Simple bacon and egg brekkie with a slice of toasted sourdough. I quite like the simple life. Some might not consider that breakfast to be a simple on. Porridge, Tref my son, that’s simple. Well I am not a porridge fan. I do eat THG’s very fine gran o’la with yo’ gurt and berries which is similar and perhaps slightly posher. Not today though, like I said.

Yet to cook said breakfast. Have settled onto a sofa in the snug. Too cosy man. On another sofa the talented THG is knitting a patchwork blanket. Fits in a row here and there when she can. We will be alright when the winter is at its worst. Oh that’ll be now. We have other blankets.

Makes me realise how different our lives are now compared to times gone by. Even when I was a kid, pre central heating days, you had to force yourself out from under the blankets. When you lived in a small farmhouse in Wales in the eighteenth century it would have been a tough one. They bred em hard in them days. 

I only mention it because that’s where I am at with the family tree research. THG’s side goes back a lot further – someone else has done the work. May get around to checking it someday. V time consuming. We are back to 1580 on her mum’s side, the Fletchers. Scotland.

I’ve been leaving the heating on in the shed so it is warm as soon as I get there. Otherwise it takes half an hour or so to get up to temperature and I’m sat there in a jumper with freezing cold hands. Ish. Only do this in the depths of winter.

It’s a big contrast to the height of summer where the shed doors are left wide open all day and I allow nature to enter into the picture. I have to shut the doors when going into the house for a cuppa or similar in case nature decides to go inside the shed. Had a bird do that in the past.

Anyway gotta go. There is bacon to cook.

Off to the gym this morning, as opposed to the pool which I might do this afternoon. Worralife. In an ideal world I’d do the gym first then straight into the pool but the timetabling doesn’t work for that. Meeting a pal at the gym but swimming is a solitary activity. Annoys the heck out of me when two people clog up a lane chatting to each other instead of focussing on ploughing up and down.

Should also make some more progress with apple picking and perhaps the ivy behind the potting shed. Will need to get the ten foot step ladder to continue progress with the apples. Also need more crates for storage even though we only want to keep the majority of  them until the cider making session in October.

THG and I agreed the bare bones of a plan yesterday. We are going to move the water butt that is blocking access to the back of the potting shed. Just around the corner to the “lawn side”. Will get Phil to move the drainpipe when he comes to sort out the roofing felt.

There is more. The patch of lawn in front of the kitchen, next to the patio is going to become the kitchen garden. Gets the most sun out of anywhere in the garden so we are expecting lots of veg in the future.

Also I will clear some space around the outside of the granite worktop of the barbecue to put a couple of bar stools. There will also be a bar stool in front of the bbq itself for when I am there doing blokey stuff. This arrangement will be perfect for mates wanting to keep the pitmaster company during grilling sessions. Ideally would identify some all year round outdoors bar stools but will probs have to settle for ones I take inside when not in use. Unless anyone can point me in the right direction.

Not written half these jobs down yet. If not written down they are far less likely to be done.

The conservatory doors are open. There is very much a freshness to the morning. Gearing up for autumn. Yesterday I noticed one or two trees around the pool car park starting to change colour. Feels ok. We can’t have summer all year round. Life is good whatever the season.

At 3:07 this morning two cats wandered into the front drive. They looked very similar although the picture was greyscale so that could be misleading. I thought at first they might be foxes but on closer examination decided they were feline.

The milkman came at 04:12. Gonna cancel Friday’s delivery as we already have a few pints in the fridge.

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Out and about I saw a yoof on a scooter. Thought to meself you see these electric scooters everywhere these days. Then I realised the lad occasionally put his left foot on the floor. Blow me down it was an old fashioned leg powered scooter. Don’t see many of them around. Really not sure how many scooters I see anyway. Certainly not in Lincoln. More a big city thing perhaps. Could be wrong. It isn’t particularly important.

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35 mins swim this aft. Only three of us in my lane dwindling over twenty minutes to just me for the last fifteen. By the time the bell went I was the only one in the pool. Next week we will be back to a reduced afternoon lane swimming timetable as the schools are back and they seem to want to prioritise teaching kids to swim over my wants and desires 🙂I might squeeze in the occasional early swim. When I say early if you get in the pool by say eight fifteen it does start to empty out as the proletariat heads off to the treadmills.

Bettany Hughes was entertaining enough but not so much that I felt I wanted to spend twenty five quid on her seven Wonders book. I did however blow a wodge on a variety of books in the Oxfam bookshop including the Saunders Lewis comedy play Amlyn ac Amig first broadcast on Christmas Day nineteen thirty nine and subsequently published in nineteen forty. It cost two and six when new but Oxfam were asking a fiver. I didn’t have two and six on me anyway.

Took in a couple more gigs after Bettany. A live recording of the Radio 4 show Sliced Bread where they discussed the relative merits of in-ear noise reduction gizmos and then, after lunch the Poetry Pharmacy with special Guest Tim Rice.

Chucked it down on and off all day but there is plenty of cover at the Hay Festival and didn’t really have to call on the services of my coat.

Our jaunt to the Hay on Wye literary festival has been a success. All we need to do now is visit the Old Cinema Bookshop and the stall in the square selling sheepskins for fifteen notes. The Old Cinema is a big bookshop apaz. I am particularly interested in historical books about West Wales. Hay on Wye isn’t really the best place to get that kind of material and I sense that one day we will need to arrange a visit to the Antiquarian Bookshop in Caerfyrddin.

We also need to hand some stuff over to Rhys and Eirian wot we brought down in the car. Water bottles and tees left over from the festival.

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On da way home stopped at Hopwood Park services for a sandwich and for THG to take over the driving. Frees me up to do stuff. Had a bit of a snooze. Then checked the cctv and spotted a couple of muntjac deer meandering around the back garden at around dawn. Saw where they came in from next door but didn’t see them leave. Not seen deer there before. Foxes yes.

The holiday spirit very much continues. I have a few days to prepare for one night in Manchester and then another eleven on the Isle of Man. TT Week.

Another bright start to the day. Thought I heard some movement in the porch early on but it isn’t a day the milkman comes and nothing appeared on the cameras. Could have been a poltergeist I guess. Did see a cat in the wee small hours. Set off the light in the front. We often get a cat roaming the garden and sometimes a fox. 

It is early but THG has already been out for an inspection. Checking the progress of the stock. Plants don’t grow on their own yanow 🙂 Now chillaxing after breakfast pending the commencement of today’s proceedings. 

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Am watching Great Coastal Journeys with former Tory MP Michael Portillo on the telly. It is on mute because I find his programmes so superficial they aren’t worth watching. So I’m not really watching it but it is the programme before the snooker is on and watching the snooker is something that THG and I do together 🙂 Having it on mute is my way of noticing when the sport starts.

It feels a bit strange having the snooker on TV when it is very much light out. As a game played in darkened halls, snooker should really be a winter activity. I’m rubbish at snooker meself. My youth wasn’t misspent enough.

I typically have the snooker on as wallpaper as opposed to something I focus on although if it starts to get exciting I’ll put my book down. Yes it can be exciting.

Milkman came at four thirty four this morning. We also had a visiting fox at around twenty one minutes past two. Both are regulars. The milk is now in the fridge. No idea where the fox is. In its den probs.

I woke up this morning having solved the meaning of life. Well at least the what shall Tref have for Christmas/birthday aspect of it. I’ve been after a model sailing ship for the shed for a while. It is the last accessory I ‘need’ to finish off the decor and will sit on the spare/project desk. Now I’m going to redouble my efforts.

The other idea is to get a decent log splitter. @Steve Jones has one and I have a lot of logs that need doing. Steve lives a long way from me though so I’m going to look into getting my own. Industrial job. Would only use it every once in a blue moon but I don’t know how people manage without one. Not sure THG totes approves of the idea 🙂

Popped to the docs surgery to get jabbed for my January trip. There was a sign on the door saying ‘please use the back door’. Walked all the way around the building but no back door open. Back at the main entrance lo and behold the front door opens as normal!! Didn’t do me any harm I guess. Mentioned it to the receptionist.  “Oh that was from Saturday, I’ll take it down”. Oh.

Next up a member of staff calls out the next patient’s name “Olly Adenbayie”. The only bloke it could possibly be is sat there oblivious to it all. Then realisation dawned. He mentioned his name at the desk but it didn’t really sound very similar to the one called out 😀. Understandable mix up I’d say.

The things you observe eh? Everyday goings on. It’s like yesterday. Enroute back from dropping Joe off at the station, I noticed that the multi storey car park downtown was full. Barriers across the entrance preventing any more cars getting in. Christmas shopping in full flow. 

I really can’t understand this. At all. In the nineteen seventies when I was a kid ok you had to go into town for this sort of activity. I have been into town when it is busy. You can’t walk in a straight line because someone continuously gets in your way. Wossthatallabout! Not my bag man.

Apparently people go to cafes with their partner/spouse when they are downtown. All part of the shopping experience. This is where you queue for twenty minutes to buy two lattes, a toasted teacake and a millionaire’s shortbread because there is only one person on the till. Then if you are lucky you find a table and then wave at a member of staff to come and clear the previous customer’s crap away. Even ordering through the QR code doesn’t particularly speed things up as it is the same person trying to serve the queue.

So I can’t understand the going to town to do a bit of shopping thing. THG likes it! It is not something we do as a couple. In fact we are totally incompatible when it comes to shopping.