Location : Blogging in bed. I'm with Michelle on this, as regarding it as one of the most decadent things you can do. The last time I blogged in bed was in my gorgeous little cottage off Cedar Lodge.
Time : 1700 Awake after my first night duty
Listening to : Radio 4
Sustenance : Just presented with a bacon & egg butty & a cup of tea.
I've been avoiding posting because I've missed so much, so the format of what I've done lately will have to be brief otherwise I'll never get around to it.
In reverse order ...
Thursday 20 Oct : Bob, Colin, Andy & I celebrate the Governor's birthday with a meal at a tapas bar.
We had a whip round & chose vouchers for a dive shop, which he was annoyed about because he said we had spent too much money. I know vouchers sounds unimaginative but as he's an experienced diver I couldn't begin to think what he wouldn't already have. We then foiled his plan to secretly pay for the meal by stuffing the money in his jacket pocket whilst he colluded with the waiter. 'Ba5tards' was what he shouted after feeling the money in his pocket whilst we all beat a hasty retreat into the night. At work we barely get a chance to speak properly to one another and so it was much appreciated to be able to take our time over a meal & tell a few war stories. A lovely evening & a great way to show our respect to a top boss.
Tue 18th Oct : Team do at TGi Fridays : Reason ? To celebrate the end of 4 early shifts.
Evenings out after the 4th early turn are characterised by initial high spirits, quickly becoming inebriated, then an overwhelming & desperate desire for sleep. Even the usually hard-drinking Dom fell asleep with his face in his ribs, whilst Ryan gleefully took advantage of a free meal. We left the hardened drinkers to it & were en route home by 9pm.
Monday 17th Oct : Girls night out at the cinema to see Pride & Prejudice with Trudy, Weeny & Cocky.
Weeny comes to mine, which gives us the chance, during the journey to Cocky's to catch up one her new job as a Scenes of Crime Officer. She gleefully informs me that she has taken her first blood swab that day & that she feels a charlatan at her new station being introduced in her new role. I look forward to the time when she turns up at my nick to 'do a scene'. The rest of us start at Cocky's so that the girls (7 months old now) & the latest work on the house can be oohed & aahed at. Cocky's front room is now decorated, which means the house is almost there. It is gorgeous. We had an excellent evening & it was a wonderful film, not even spoiled by Weeny muttering '...such an ugly dog' every time Keira Knightley smiled. We left feeling buoyed by the film & promising to obey men & curtsey when they entered the room. Right.
Friday 14th Oct : The South Coast
A shopping trip to the beautiful little marina-based development in Port Solent, which was a little too quiet. Followed by a trip to the mecca of all things in candledom - The Range, in Southampton. Michelle you would love this place. I came away with £849 worth of candles, plants & spring bulbs. I spent the following 2 days happily pottering in bulb fibre, pots, broken crocks & plant labels. I find planting spring bulbs wonderfully satisfying & the lack of garden at the flat doesn't put me off planning my potted Spring display. Hopefully, in Spring, there will be photos of narcissus, crocus & tulips. I chose a narcissus called 'Winston Churchill'. Hope they do him justice. I'm still on the look-out for my favourite Spring bulbs - snowdrops. Murray's Spring photos inspired me to make my little patch of town morebeautifull to look at.
Thursday 13th Oct : Spirit of the Horse : Ham Common, Richmond
'Wait til you see the beginning - you'll be transported' was how I lured an unsuspecting Milky into accompanying me to the grandiosely-titled event. I went a couple of years ago with Trudes & The Lovely Ang & was blown away by the opening.
It featured a magnificent grey Arab stallion, with ornate wings attached (sounds ludicrous I know, but I promise it was beautiful) The horse could only be seen in silhouette as he was behind a white silk screen & just for a few, magical seconds you really believed you were looking at the outline of a flying horse.
I had wittered on about the beginning during the whole journey to get there & as we hurriedly took our 'priority' seats, the lights dimmed. I clutched his arm in anticipation. The curtain dropped to a scene from Victorian England, ladies promenaded with parasols aloft, whilst gentlemen doffed their caps. When the horses finally did arrive, all they did was high-step round the outside of the ring in horribly contrived, artificial manner.
I hardly dared look at Milky but when I did he was smiling. Admittedly, he was smiling at my toe-curling discomfort, I just hoped things would get better. Fortunately, they did & by the time the Cossacks had done their stuff, we were both entranced. As one athletic soul hung from the side of his galloping steed by one foot, his head & shoulders bouncing from the sand surface of the arena, I excitedly shouted 'I can do that' thinking of some of my hairier moments with Hannah. Unfortunately, I was not able to recover from that position as he did to shouts of adoration from the audience.
Monday 3rd Oct : Return trip to the Black Mountains.
9 of us reconvened to pay our respects to South Wales on the 3rd October. 18 miles of 'little bit up, little bit down' was hugely rewarding & we treated ourselves to an evening of drunken Pictionary as a reward. Stuart's 'sinister flamingo' (parrot) proved that Pictionary is best when none of the contestants can draw. Did my spring of hill-walking training help me to keep up with my fitter colleagues ? Yes & no. Everyone still beat me to the top of the hills, but at least this time I kept walking up the hills. Slower than everyone else I grant you, but I still. kept. going.
5th October : Libra : Happy Birthday to Mummeh
Mummeh is in the process of moving & spends many an evening dislodging kitties from wonderful hidey holes to pack things into. As things stand the 28th looks like a moving date.
See you soon for our traditional family day of 'moving house'.
In other news, Justine (of Malcolm & Justine in Rutland renown) gave birth to baby Brook on the 3rd October. Despite being only a week overdue, she texted that she felt like performing seal & only wanted 'to go off & squat under a bush & have it' to avoid all the 'Have you had the baby ?' texts.
It gives me great pleasure to report that the person who has been harassing me at work has had a double dose of reality. A failure in a promotion exam has been followed up by an ignominious shift from a high-profile hands-on role to one which is glorified paper-shuffling. Sweet, sweet justice.
On the feeder front, I received a supportive e-mail from my landlord to the effect that he had told the Chairman of Interfering In Other People's Lives that he didn't agree that my feeders were attracting squirrels. He also told him to address any further concerns with me in person & to refrain from ringing me early in the morning on my home number. I was very pleased to receive my landlord's support & things have been quiet recently. Probably too quiet. The feeders to the side of the premises remain. I very much miss the ones on the front of the flat & I am no longer accompanied at breakfast time by colourful airborne guests.
TV Licence - No update, haven't posted my letter yet, primarily because MTM has been too lazy to write it. Nothing received from Michelle Tunstall & the mafia since their last missive.
So I'm doing nights again now - 1 down, 6 to go.
I promise to keep you updated with the stories of the night-time halfwits.
Two incidents vie for supremacy last night. The first concerns a disabled lady who determined to stop her wheelchair in front of a double-decker bus. Rachel & Sam were dispatched to persuade her otherwise. She took a violent dislike to Rachel & we didn't laugh much at all, witnessing, via CCTV, Rachel being dragged through traffic by the very determined lady. Rachel had taken a firm grip of the wheelchair, with the intention of pushing it & the occupant to safety. Rachel didn't find out until she was unceremoniously pulled behind the chair that it was electric. Rachel's request to Sam for 'some help please' was met by Sam laughing over the radio.
The second incident concerns 2 chav kids who decided to avail themselves of 2 bundles of day-old newspapers from outside a newsagents. After separating the bundles & helping themselves to the freebies, they left the papers to blow round, polluting the local area. Whilst Dom & Mark went to find the miscreants, a young fox found the papers. The wind was whipping them into delightful playthings & as fast as he pounced on & 'killed' one paper, another one skittered into life. By the time Dom & Mark returned with the litter-louts to make them tidy up their handiwork, the street resembled the aftermath of an origami convention. I'm sure they wondered how the papers ended up strewn far & wide, as the fox, watched by us on cctv, had made good his escape before their return. Easily the most delightful image in anotherwise frantic first night duty.
Messages
Bloo - 2nd place in the table ? It can't last can it ?
MTM - Apologies I haven't replied yet, it sounds a superb idea, I'm definitely up for it, I love that kind of music, can I bring 2 guests ?
The Lovely Ang - Any idea of a falconry date yet ? There is a Dermologica in VK, fancy a post-Christmas facial ?
Bill - E-mail sent to your work about 10 days ago, hope the move went well ?
Michelle - No reply to mine yet, what can you possibly be doing with your time, now the netball season has ended ?
Have to stop typing now - numb bum.
Cx
