Tuesday 24 March 2020
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Strange
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Strange: Events are moving so fast that a blog I started to write yesterday is out of date but I leave it here for you to see: 'Strange times. ...
Strange
Events are moving so fast that a blog I started to write yesterday is out of date but I leave it here for you to see:
'Strange times. Shops with no karzi paper, empty isles that should be full of pasta and rice, working from home, gigs cancelled, sports cancelled, empty streets and now pubs, clubs, theatres etc told to close. Strange times indeed.
Pleased that Alec & Laura are home safe even though of course the last few months of their world tour have been completely buggered up. Alec & I took Ida for a walk this morning and he remarked that only a couple of weeks ago he was the only one that wouldn't have been at home for Mothers Day and now he's the only one who is! We were going to have a family dinner here but thought better of it, just in case. Laura as a qualified teacher will be looking after key workers children for the foreseeable and popped in yesterday to more or less say goodbye for the next couple of months as she will be at risk of catching the virus and doesn't want to pass it on. Gary says Hilton Hotels are losing billions, with only one person staying at the Hilton on Lake Como last week its hardly surprising. I stayed in Lincoln earlier this week in the Doubletrees Hotel. Very new, multi story.....empty hotel! There was only seven people in the bar and no one at all in the restaurant.
In an unpreceded move the Government have said they'll pay 80% of peoples wages who can't work. Not sure how long it'll be before I get an extended un paid holiday so this is good news. There will be the detractors on FaceBook of course, there always is. But then you know my opinion of any politics on FB. It just doesn't belong there. Everyone is entitled to believe in whatever they want politically or otherwise but I don't need to know their opinion! FaceBook for me will always be the social side of social media and nothing more, as much as I really enjoy FB I've nearly left it a couple of times recently because of all the crap that's on it.
Maybe they should have closed schools & pubs etc earlier but would any other party have done any better under these circumstances? I very much doubt it.'
Now today 23rd March 2020 the Prime Minister has put Britain on lockdown. I've had to re-read that sentence as I can't quite believe what I've written!
Britain is all but on a war footing, it isn't nice and I'm worried but I know we will get through it. Mostly worried for my Love Tara who has health complications that aren't good and worried for my dear In Laws who despite being old and venerable are daft as brushes and don't get 'staying in' or 'isolation.' It nearly killed me ( and I nearly killed them!) in trying to explain WhatsApp to them. Ella is trying really hard to get it and it shows, she's doing brilliantly.....However my Father in law isn't interested. What can you do old fruit?
Dark days ahead? Wish I knew, hope not. Hoping very much 3 weeks in lockdown will see it off so restrictions can be lifted to a degree. We have so many celebration this year , leave aside the gigs that have been cancelled there's Ella's 80th Birthday, Julian's 77th Birthday, Laura's 30th Birthday, Tim's 85th Birthday ( :) ) . New Forest Folk Fest, Glasto, our holiday escape to the Cotswolds. Nothing has ever turned life upside down as this. I hate it and aside staying in there's bugger all I can do to help. Even if volunteers are requested to do things how can I if I bring home a potential virus to Tara! As a Dad you always look to keep everyone safe, hey, the boys don't need an old git like me but that doesn't matter,. I am there for them, as is Tara. Always. No questions. Always. But I can't protect anyone and I think that bothers me more than anything.
Our first night on lockdown was bit of a laugh tbh, played a game, had a drink. Blimey it was a good night! Moments after the PM spoke I felt compelled to send a quick WhatsApp to our loved ones. I print it here:
'Unfortunately we are all involved in something that will go down in the history books. It will get better and we will have our family get togethers soon again. Keep safe. keep in! Love you all!!'
Never have a sent a more heart felt message to those I love. Funnily enough it then started a very quick fire bit of banter!
I can only hope things don't get too much worse. We are all warm, got enough food and drink, plenty of games to play and our dear Ida to walk for exercise. Keep safe folks!
'Strange times. Shops with no karzi paper, empty isles that should be full of pasta and rice, working from home, gigs cancelled, sports cancelled, empty streets and now pubs, clubs, theatres etc told to close. Strange times indeed.
Pleased that Alec & Laura are home safe even though of course the last few months of their world tour have been completely buggered up. Alec & I took Ida for a walk this morning and he remarked that only a couple of weeks ago he was the only one that wouldn't have been at home for Mothers Day and now he's the only one who is! We were going to have a family dinner here but thought better of it, just in case. Laura as a qualified teacher will be looking after key workers children for the foreseeable and popped in yesterday to more or less say goodbye for the next couple of months as she will be at risk of catching the virus and doesn't want to pass it on. Gary says Hilton Hotels are losing billions, with only one person staying at the Hilton on Lake Como last week its hardly surprising. I stayed in Lincoln earlier this week in the Doubletrees Hotel. Very new, multi story.....empty hotel! There was only seven people in the bar and no one at all in the restaurant.
In an unpreceded move the Government have said they'll pay 80% of peoples wages who can't work. Not sure how long it'll be before I get an extended un paid holiday so this is good news. There will be the detractors on FaceBook of course, there always is. But then you know my opinion of any politics on FB. It just doesn't belong there. Everyone is entitled to believe in whatever they want politically or otherwise but I don't need to know their opinion! FaceBook for me will always be the social side of social media and nothing more, as much as I really enjoy FB I've nearly left it a couple of times recently because of all the crap that's on it.
Maybe they should have closed schools & pubs etc earlier but would any other party have done any better under these circumstances? I very much doubt it.'
Now today 23rd March 2020 the Prime Minister has put Britain on lockdown. I've had to re-read that sentence as I can't quite believe what I've written!
Britain is all but on a war footing, it isn't nice and I'm worried but I know we will get through it. Mostly worried for my Love Tara who has health complications that aren't good and worried for my dear In Laws who despite being old and venerable are daft as brushes and don't get 'staying in' or 'isolation.' It nearly killed me ( and I nearly killed them!) in trying to explain WhatsApp to them. Ella is trying really hard to get it and it shows, she's doing brilliantly.....However my Father in law isn't interested. What can you do old fruit?
Dark days ahead? Wish I knew, hope not. Hoping very much 3 weeks in lockdown will see it off so restrictions can be lifted to a degree. We have so many celebration this year , leave aside the gigs that have been cancelled there's Ella's 80th Birthday, Julian's 77th Birthday, Laura's 30th Birthday, Tim's 85th Birthday ( :) ) . New Forest Folk Fest, Glasto, our holiday escape to the Cotswolds. Nothing has ever turned life upside down as this. I hate it and aside staying in there's bugger all I can do to help. Even if volunteers are requested to do things how can I if I bring home a potential virus to Tara! As a Dad you always look to keep everyone safe, hey, the boys don't need an old git like me but that doesn't matter,. I am there for them, as is Tara. Always. No questions. Always. But I can't protect anyone and I think that bothers me more than anything.
Our first night on lockdown was bit of a laugh tbh, played a game, had a drink. Blimey it was a good night! Moments after the PM spoke I felt compelled to send a quick WhatsApp to our loved ones. I print it here:
'Unfortunately we are all involved in something that will go down in the history books. It will get better and we will have our family get togethers soon again. Keep safe. keep in! Love you all!!'
Never have a sent a more heart felt message to those I love. Funnily enough it then started a very quick fire bit of banter!
I can only hope things don't get too much worse. We are all warm, got enough food and drink, plenty of games to play and our dear Ida to walk for exercise. Keep safe folks!
Monday 9 March 2020
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Sea
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Sea: I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky; I left my shoes and socks there - I wonder if they're dry?...
Sea
I must go down to the sea again,
to the lonely sea and the sky;
I left my shoes and socks there -
I wonder if they're dry?
So wrote the great Spike Milligan who lived in Rye only a few miles from where we are staying with our special chums Stan, Kas & Dan. Ida and I did go down to the sea today for a walk which turned out to be about four and a half miles. We headed off in the direction of the power station, a real blot on the landscape in my opinion but some of the locals think differently. The power station does guided tours which I'd like to go on but haven't organised yet, anyway, we trudged in that general direction and past various bits of flotsam and jetsam including a cormorant that had I'd imagine become a victim of nature and a bloody great fish. No idea what type it was as it was in quite a decayed state but the pile of chips you'd need for it!to the lonely sea and the sky;
I left my shoes and socks there -
I wonder if they're dry?
Turned back after a while and walked towards Greatstone Life Boat Station intent on having a pint at The Jolly Fisherman. Not so jolly when we got there as it was shut! However it was a very pleasant walk.
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Castle
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Castle: A trip over to Walmer Castle today proved to be very interesting. About 27 miles from Greatstone self & Kas set off about midday. Neith...
Castle
A trip over to Walmer Castle today proved to be very interesting. About 27 miles from Greatstone self & Kas set off about midday. Neither Stan nor Tara were particular about going and as dogs aren't allowed in it was convenient to leave Ida with them today. The original castle dates back to Henry VIII as a coastal defence for the South coast, Deal Castle a few miles away is similar. Walmer is the home of the Lord Wardens of the Cinque Ports. This office has been held by such luminaries as the 1st Duke of Wellington (in fact he died here), William Pitt the Younger, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Robert Menzies and the Queen Mother. Beautiful gardens but all a bit waterlogged today so we didn't really explore them.
The guides in these historic buildings are always interesting to talk to, if in this case alittle difficult to get away from, I got told the same thing twice by one who appeared in another room after we'd left him! Beautiful views from the battlements over towards the Goodwin Sands and some very impressive cannon as well though I'm not sure whether they are original to the castle, they only fired in anger at Englishmen! Just after the end of the English Civil War there was a resurgence of support for the King and both Walmer & Deal declared for the Royalists. However after putting down Royalist insurgency at Maidstone a Parliamentary force led by Colonel Nathaniel Rich invested the castle which surrendered after a month.
Had a very nice cream tea with very fresh scones. They also catered for Kas with vegan scones but no vegan cream. The castle was closing up then so our visit ended, one to re visit I think.
The guides in these historic buildings are always interesting to talk to, if in this case alittle difficult to get away from, I got told the same thing twice by one who appeared in another room after we'd left him! Beautiful views from the battlements over towards the Goodwin Sands and some very impressive cannon as well though I'm not sure whether they are original to the castle, they only fired in anger at Englishmen! Just after the end of the English Civil War there was a resurgence of support for the King and both Walmer & Deal declared for the Royalists. However after putting down Royalist insurgency at Maidstone a Parliamentary force led by Colonel Nathaniel Rich invested the castle which surrendered after a month.
Had a very nice cream tea with very fresh scones. They also catered for Kas with vegan scones but no vegan cream. The castle was closing up then so our visit ended, one to re visit I think.
Saturday 7 March 2020
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Bracing
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Bracing: A very pleasant bracing walk for Ida & I along the beach today. Four and a half miles there and back walking on both beach and dunes. I...
Bracing
A very pleasant bracing walk for Ida & I along the beach today. Four and a half miles there and back walking on both beach and dunes.
Ida hates the water so we didn't go very near the sea, she preferred the sniffs of the sand dunes and shingle away from the water. A few other hardy dog walkers out, we met a Border Terrier pup called Henry and a black Cocker who, despite his owners shouts got Cocker Spaniel selective hearing and came bounding over.
Great to see Ida open the throttles and go belting along the beach. Tried to get her to retrieve a tennis ball I'd taken with us but she went off this after skidding to a halt to get the ball and kicking up loads of sand that made her cough & splutter!
We walked on past the life boat station and on as far as the road that leads to New Romney then returned. An interesting piece of World War Two history just off shore, the remains of part of a Mulberry floating harbour that was towed over to Normandy just after D Day in June 1944. Called a Phoenix Cassion it was going to be a mobile break water. It was supposed to be re floated and towed across the Channel but it proved impossible to re float so remained where it is, whether this was a problem with this huge bit of concrete I don't know but there are six in total off the British coast at various points along the south coast. It became a listed building in 2014 and no one can as much as moor a boat on it, and quite right too. Its a great tangible link with Operation Overload that changed the course of world history.
Ida hates the water so we didn't go very near the sea, she preferred the sniffs of the sand dunes and shingle away from the water. A few other hardy dog walkers out, we met a Border Terrier pup called Henry and a black Cocker who, despite his owners shouts got Cocker Spaniel selective hearing and came bounding over.
Great to see Ida open the throttles and go belting along the beach. Tried to get her to retrieve a tennis ball I'd taken with us but she went off this after skidding to a halt to get the ball and kicking up loads of sand that made her cough & splutter!
We walked on past the life boat station and on as far as the road that leads to New Romney then returned. An interesting piece of World War Two history just off shore, the remains of part of a Mulberry floating harbour that was towed over to Normandy just after D Day in June 1944. Called a Phoenix Cassion it was going to be a mobile break water. It was supposed to be re floated and towed across the Channel but it proved impossible to re float so remained where it is, whether this was a problem with this huge bit of concrete I don't know but there are six in total off the British coast at various points along the south coast. It became a listed building in 2014 and no one can as much as moor a boat on it, and quite right too. Its a great tangible link with Operation Overload that changed the course of world history.
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| Remains of a Dog Fish I think. |
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| The Phoenix Cassion part of the Mulberry Harbour of D Day fame. |
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