Still dancing after all these years

Good Watching

Lately Netflix is a waste of money, same for Amazon Prime and BBC iPlayer. The availability of titles that interest me is sparse to totally lacking; so I decided to post a wish list as guidance. A sensible idea as I have peculiar tastes.

Current viewing list - needs checking because I probably have seen some of these already

Ladies no. 1 Detective Agency*
Tunes of Glory*
 The Vicar of Dibley
Car Wash*
Cider with Rosie
Bull - tv series *
The Queen’s Sister
Hyde Park on Hudson
Rocketman
1917

Compatible titles are always a welcome suggestion.

PPI refund

Today, with only a few hours left on the clock before the final closing deadline, I completed and submitted my refund request for PPI. I used the MSE automated online tool, Resolver. And now I just wait for the bank to reply.

We shall see what happens next. 

Note: the bastards refused the claim. I contested it and they kept refusing. Bastard banks win again.

A old Christmas memory

I’m not sure how the conversation turned to Christmas on a hot July day, perhaps it was because we were laughing at the cat’s taking possession of a cardboard shipping box. But I suddenly remembered a long ago Christmas when Adam was probably around 5 or 6 and Andrew just turned 3. We lived in Brooklyn, with the Phillips’ right upstairs above us in the huge old 3 family house. We were broke that year, not sure why but it was suddenly Christmas and what were we going to do about presents for the kids. We had enough money for food to make a bountiful, wonderful dinner. And we had enough money to buy each kid a reasonable, desirable gift. (Obviously this was a different sort of definition of “broke”.) What we didn’t have was the usual funds to allow the annual insane potlach of gifts to flood the floor around the Christmas tree. Well, so 1 gift it was. Christmas Eve we wrapped the gifts with shiny paper and ribbons. But the sight of 2 little boxes under the tree left us teary and apprehensive. The kids were going to be miserable and worst of all, the sacred Christmas morning photos would look like charity shop specials.

Then I had a sudden inspiration! We could wrap up empty boxes to look like gifts and put them as props under the tree for gorgeous photos. No one would ever know! So down to the basement we went to gather up empty boxes. Tom went out and grabbed a few more large boxes from the last minute open late local shops. By the time we were finished there was a wild cornucopia of brightly wrapped and beribboned gift boxes under the tree. Test photos looked sensational. 

So Christmas morning kids wake up, excited joy at first boxes they were given to open while Tom filmed. Then cameras off and we tried to persuade them to have breakfast. I remember trying to explain, to reason, but they grabbed for more boxes and tore off the paper to find ....empty boxes. 

They went wild .......with greed! They were tearing off the gift wrap and exchanging and bargaining who got which boxes. They LOVED the boxes. They were the greatest, neatest gift of all time. Forget breakfast, forget the toys we’d bought. They had BOXES!

The girls, Tavi and Kirsten came down the stairs then to see what the boys got and show off some of theirs. As they reached the dining room with the tree and the boxes, the, boys announced, “We got boxes!” There was a moment of silence and then the girls turned and pounded upstairs shouting to Dea, “ They got boxes! No fair, they got boxes!” 

It was insane, they all went nuts over a pile of empty cardboard boxes they could turn into anything their imagination allowed. And that was the gift of the Magi.

Halloween

First Strawberry

Finally the rain stopped and it was summer finally. Not sure what happened to Spring but that's gone and finished. Taking advantage of the bit of mild sunny weather, Alan went out to weed and generally lightly work at the garden. And there it was, after weeks of flowers blown away by rain and wind, something had survived and produced a strawberry! Hooray! The taste was amazingly sweet and delicately perfumed. Thanks go to Asti for planting them.

The Great Mouse Clean Out

Ok, so not so great; more like little, quickie, starter clean out of the cupboard in question.

For some time now, our cat Rosie, has taken to prowling in front of one of the kitchen lower cupboards. She’d spread out in front of it, pace about and scratch at the door, sniff along the open edge of the door, and try to leap inside whenever I opened the cupboard door. Cats behave in that determined way when they are sure there’s a mouse inside and they intend to get it.

Alan insisted I was mistaken. I wasn’t. Tonight proved it. I decided the messy pile of sauce packets and bags of various kinds of sugars I stored on the top shelf needed organising in a large neat Tupperware box I had sitting unused in the utility closet.

So, I got out the storage box and went to pull out and organise the pile of small bags and packets in the cupboard. Immediately, I had pearl barley trickling over my hand from a new packet just bought last week. I looked closely - 3 nice jagged gnawed holes. Mice. More packets pulled out, more gnawed holes found. More bags tossed into the bin.

It’s all cleared out now. All the suspect packages in the bin. The shelf and surroundings all washed down with bleach. The few trustworthy intact packages wiped down and organised in the large protective box. Evidence organised and left for Alan to view. All finished except for profoundly thanking the cat and putting a mouse trap in the back of the cupboard. And calling the maintenance service to come seal the tiny opening in the wall.

Life is such fun.

How does your garden grow?

Moving right along, the garden Asti planted for us is blooming like crazy. The herbs are already being used and the strawberries are almost ready to pick. 

Vacuum cleaner pt 2

So, I ordered a new vacuum cleaner and amazingly it arrived today - overnight delivery. Alan assembled it and it works ok so we’re back in business. It’s no Dyson tho and I feel the lack of quality fiercely. But it was a sensible, thrifty choice and will do the job. Alan agrees that when our finances are back in healthier shape we should replace this one with the Dyson I really want; so it works out in the end.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another

Halfway thru the weekly clean, Rosie our housekeeper announced that the vacuum cleaner had stopped working. No, not a fuse, didn’t blow a circuit, nothing we could reset to work again. It was just dead, Jim. Thoroughly and completely dead. So on top of my dead pc, I now have a dead vacuum cleaner. This one I had to replace immediately, no workarounds, no used handovers from family or friends. I picked out a cheap one that met our requirements, imposed hard discipline on myself - no Dyson! It arrives Monday; if the gods are kind and the benefit I applied for is approved and fast it will all be over painlessly. If not, I’ll just pay it out for a few months.

Meanwhile, the sun is shining and my garden is growing. Life ain’t so bad.

Three curses of increasing severity

May you live in interesting times
May you come to the attention of those in authority (May the government be aware of you).
May you find what you are looking for. (May your wishes be granted).

Diet update

So after almost 6 successful weeks on my diet, I fell off the rails today. But, it’s not all doom and gloom. I’ll be right back on it tomorrow, actually I’m back on it already. So not a disaster. And - I didn’t fall off by eating chocolate, or a rich heavy cream sauce, etc. It was like slicing a banana into my cereal and putting 3 weetabix in my bowl instead of 2. Then I was suddenly so hungry at lunch I had a huge kosher frank on a bagel. Real food, for the most part healthy food, and I was really really hungry.
Lesson learned.
Back on schedule
Oh yes, I’ve lost 14 kilos so far.
Marvellous

Hospital, diet, hospital, hospital

On Feb 19 I was taken to Charing Cross Hospital A&E by ambulance. I was admitted and stayed there 10 days. I’m told I had a massive kidney infection and a interesting list of various other problems. In the 2 weeks prior I had 2 serious falls, one in the bathroom, the other in the living room. I don’t recall ever having a major fall before, certainly never one I couldn’t get up from.

In any case, on the 19th I ended up propped against the edge of the guest sofa in Alan’s study, not able to get to my feet but not willing to slide onto the floor. The ambulance crew ended all questions by taking me to A&E.

At some point during my time in hospital, the food and drink on offer there being completely disgusting, and no diatrician or nutritionist available, I gave up and just drank cold water and orange juice until I was released. Great way to start a diet. I decided I would continue a sensible diet, with a goal of losing 2 lbs a week until I didn’t want to lose any more weight.

36 days later it’s still working, I’m getting stronger, and I’m down 17 kilos.

Merry Christmas 2018

A reasonably happy Christmas season this year. I'm wasting time writing this entry/taking a break from pre-party cleaning. At 6pm tonight our holiday season peaks with a Nibbles & Drinks party here for a few friends.

The year draws to a close with good news from all 3 of my children: Andrew & Joanna have bought their first house in Alexandria, VA and are well settled in. They are both working, Andrew for the EPA and Joanna is teaching. Adam and Geri bought their first house near Tampa, Florida. Adam is still working for the bank in NYC and commuting to Florida and Geri has her hands full with the 3 kids. Asti is working on a Munich, Germany based project and commuting periodically back to her home base in Basel, Switzerland. Her husband Jeurn's ship is stuck in Port Moresby at the moment for repairs. I'm incredibly happy things are looking up fr all of them.

Back in London, we had great eating this year with Wild Pheasant with Moroccan Spices for Christmas Eve dinner and our annual, highly anticipated chateaubriand roast dinner on Christmas day. See photo below:

Tonight at 6pm the party madness starts here. I'm off to get things ready now.

Wishing peace and joy and the blessings of the season to you all.

Some things Never Change

Clipped from Private Eye magazine.

Alan Lenton Stops UK Record Breaking Heatwave

Today, in defiance of UK Weather Service warnings and advice, Alan went for a walk at 17:00 in the 30+C heat. He wore a light short sleeved shirt, cut off jean shorts and sandals and took no protection like an umbrella. Within 5 minutes of his leaving the house, the skies darkened and shortly thereafter a low rumbling preceded a sudden massive downpour.

Long Overdue New Denomination Euro Note

Bob Whalen (to the tune of The Boxer)

(Cue up The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkle in the background)

At one time, just before he left for Tehran, The Boxer was Bob's favorite song and he seemed to play it constantly. I suspect it remained the theme for his life ever after.

Bob - Robert - Whalen was my late ex-husband Tom Byro's best friend. They lived nearby in Cupsaw Lake, NJ and were in Lakeland HS together. They remained best friends until Bob's untimely early death.

Back in 1969 when we all shared a huge apartment in uptown Manhattan, Bob worked for Bell Telephone. He played The Boxer every day in his room. Id ask him why, why always this one song, and he'd only say it was his life. Ma Bell was about to be ripped apart by the regulators and Bob was trying to decide stay and see what he'd be offered or jump at the exotic offer to move to Tehran, Iran and work on the Shah's project to bring state of the art phone service to Iran. The Tehran project offered huge salaries, paid travel including visits home and holidays, and the chance to live in an exotic cultural part of the world wide flowering technical upsurge. He packed his bag for Tehran, asked us to keep an eye on his girlfriend Jeanne and help her if she needed anything, and off he went. Bob loved Tehran. He said it was like NYC's Greenwich Village but cleaner and cooler. The girls were prettier, the music hotter. It was a coffee house culture, a night culture, and he loved it. Not a hint then of what was to come and what would be lost.

I remember so much but there's so much more I've forgotten, esp small details and time lines. Bob was supposed to visit the Isle of Wight Festival for his first vacation from Tehran. He bought a VW camper van and set out to drive there. The expected mad adventures ensured ending with his missing the festival and being asked to leave the UK. He sold the VW and flew home to NJ.

Bob Whalen with his reed thin flower power body and bright red hair in a massive afro. He and Jacko came to our wedding. He declined to be best man since he didn't approve of marriage, or marriage to me, or god knows why so Jacko was best man. Ironically, Tom was best man for Bob's wedding many years later.

Thus ends the lesson. I happened to listen to The Boxer this morning and it made me think of Bob. Rest in Peace, old friend.

Can’t a Lady Have Some Privacy in Bed?

I’ll Hold This End Down For You