World cup '06: Please drink any beer except Riceweiser...I fank yew.

Where on earth does the time go to? I am convinced there were still 50 odd days to go 'til the fussball frenzy. But no, just nine days to go and they're off...especially those diving bastards whom referees seem to miss unless said player is wearing an England shirt. That statement is being repeated in 30 different languages: insert team of choice.
However, my original rhetorical question was about time.Einstein's theory of time speeding up as old bugger genes kick in must apply to this question.As a young boy, summers were long, hot and sunny with nary a cloud to be seen.Six weeks pre-decimal appeared to last twice as long. I only took the christmas tree down a week ago and it is now June!! I have already heard several references to 'The longest day' on the radio...Stop it you bastards!
Tomorrow we can all cast a clout...sun tan creams, shorts and sandals; drowsy buzzing insects; the sound of a distant droning aircraft and a mower in the far distance.Iced tea until the sun hits the yardarm before G&T's or a cold beer; BIG novels and Oooh!That sun lotion is a tad cold on the skin...turn over and toast the other side. Dog panting in the shade looking hopefully at her ball...too hot to move.It's only 2 o'clock...hours to go yet.
Who am I kidding ...I'll be at work roasting in a bloody traffic jam or hot office dealing with crap.But you never know, it could happen and there is usually a mgic weekend which matches the above.
I must away as a beer has my name on it.
TTFN.

Chippie.

Finished work for the day and rushed home via the local chippie.Sometimes you just want food to be simple: Fish, chips and mushy peas with a sprinkling of salt and vinegar.Delicious. In Grimsby picking a good chippie is difficult because there are just so many.There are some I avoid like the plague because the food is awful.There are a couple of regulars I go to but, try asking anyone around here where the best chippie is and the arguments will run all night.In London most chippies sold cod and chips but I preferred haddock. I move to Grimsby and within months I had a craving for cod.Most Grimbarians avoid cod, knowing what cod live on as a result of the fishing industry.So I had little choice but to stick with haddock.The other surprise was that of chips cooked in beef fat. I was used to vegetable oils and the taste was at first strange but soon very tasty.BSE put paid to that and most places now use vegetable oils around here. I do miss pie and mash....Manzies on Holloway Road or a trip over to the East End where you had the choice of pie and mash;bagels or hot salt beef sandwiches; the various curry houses around Brick Lane.Spoilt for choice!

To round off a busy day at work tonight is the 'Difficult' quiz at the local.Exercising my brain and my tastebuds and scratching our collective heads at a variety of evermore esoteric and arcane questions. But it gets me out of the house and I can continue to avoid big brother.
TTFN.

Confession...

Oh God...confession time.
During my time off I've become engrossed in Big Brother.Strip me,beat me with a large stick and cover me in baked beans...that was yesterday's episode.
I should hang my head in shame but the inmates are so appalling I have been glued.













Enough is being said about BB in the media and elsewhere so I shan't add to anyone's woes by commenting further on it.Can I be admitted to the Priory for treatment now please.
Today I shall attempt to keep myself busy away from the T.V. and do meaningful activities that doesn't involve manual labour ( brother of Jose ) as I rest my shoulder.No.1 son needs a new lead for his guitar which I shall go and buy alone.If he comes along with me the shopping list will increase...I can also fantasise over the mandolins. I have always wanted to learn to play the mandolin and perhaps this is the year when I take the opportunity to do so. The appeal lies in the sound as well as the look of the instrument ( yes, I do like Blue Grass ). The cheapest mandolin locally is £60-00 approx. from the local music shop. I may peruse ebay when I have some extra cash and add it to my wish list.
TTFN.

Blogslide...

Ou a-t-il disparu?



I'm recuperating with the aid of shedloads of painkillers and managing to survive daytime TV, mainly by avoiding it and doing other more useful things.Music,reading, su doku and a gentle walk with the mutt.I've noticed my blog has 'slipped', the links,etc...have slid to the bottom.I'm not sure why and I thought I had fixed it twice only to see it go again.
Otherwise another day of the four seasons: cold,wind,sun,rain repeat at random.The sun shone this lunchtime as I walked the dog and lots of people out and about.Mrs.Catto reported the fun and games I missed as a truck backed into a lampost. We have a lot of large trucks along our road but they tend to be ok.It's the racers who cause the problems and not all of them are boys. Some of them are middle-aged twats who watch too much F1 and Top Gear.Never mind, the price of petrol will put racing beyond most of us except the very rich and twockers.Unfortunately, increased petrol prices will impact on every other part of our lives including transport.Oil Nothing like cheerful news,maybe I should sign up for one of those American survivalist groups.I can train the dog to catch rabbits, wildfowl and sniff out tins of beans.There are alternatives so perhaps the human race won't lose all of the goodies we currently fritter away. A return to horse power, bicycles and labour intensive farming...however Malthus had a few words to say about this, albeit in an 18th century context. All food for thought...

Poorly...

Bear with me, I have frozen shoulder and neck and the past week of painkillers,etc..haven't yet dealt with it.I put it down to posture whilst driving, using the P.C.,damp weather and the assault by several ninja warriors who dropped in for tea one day.They objected to the cut of their cucumber sandwiches and the major social faux pas...no fig rolls.

















Poor humour aside and letting the mask of stoicism slip for a moment...It's frigging painful!Still, more ibuprofen gel and paracetamol should do the trick.So a short entry today as I am off to wrap up warm and feel sorry for myself.
TTFN.

My Sweet Lordi...

Eurovision...the Finns done good. Cod metal music and the satanist tag livened up the proceedings a treat.It certainly frightened the euroburghers who organise the show and at least the prize did not go to all the plastic wannabe's...it went to the latex monsters instead.There is a golden opportunity for a kids programme for Lordi.
I liked the cheeky Lithuanian entry...will it be on the 'terraces' for the world cup? I guess it can be adapted for the Anglo-saxon vernacular...if any real fans make it as opposed to corporate guests.
I have been following the eurovision for the past few years and it never fails to raise a smile.It is taken so seriously in most countries in Europe but I love the hamminess of the whole proceedings.With nibbles and beer/wine just settle in for a good nights viewing of hackneyed dancing,earnest and enthusiastic singing and large dollops of incomprehension along the way. Lovely!
Once again, God bless you Lordi...has anyone told them that satan doesn't exist?It became attached to Christianity via Judaism and the duallist beliefs of the Zoroastrians as well some of the other eastern religions which vied for religious dominance.The dressing up:Nothing like a bit of old hokem and the 'kids' love it.
TTFN.

Time for Play...

Wahey!
Seven days of toil and finally a weekend off.On call last night so no alcohol and I was up with the lark this morning to walk the mutley.Pouring down with rain so plenty of puddles for her to splash thro' and ducks to chase. Slower than the pigeons but luckily she can't catch them.I keep her well away from the wildlife but she has an inbuilt radar for wildfowl; a combination of spaniel and labrador.
Talking of dogs,I recently read an article about a woman who claims her Labrador was possessed and required an exorcism to rid it of the spirit of an eighteenth century highway man...and his horse! I try to maintain an open but sceptical mind but...his horse!!I wonder how much the woman was charged for this service. I do have an interest in the paranormal, notwithstanding the ham acting of Acorah and some others.It annoys me that someone can have a gift but to please the crowd, increase audience figures, etc...hams it up or fakes it.Just be honest.."Yes, I'm in touch with the spirit world but I haven't had a message for the last week.The lines are down...it's been privatised, they're downsizing and the ghosts are employed in India".
Also, why do people in past lives always state they were royalty.An Egyptian princess or Liz the first...what about peasants,lepers, the general hoi polloi.
"It's cloudy...the mists are opening...I can hear street sounds and...Fuck!What is that smell? Oh, it's me...I'm a crippled beggar...Christ!They've emptied a chamber pot on my head. Garde de fucking lieu indeed".
Hardly Hollywood and not so attractive.Spirit guides do seem to be 'Red Indians'or African mystics. What about Bert the window cleaner from Bognor Regis...isn't he mystical enough.I'm sure he was in touch with the spirit of the earth when he worked his allotment....especially after several pints of mild.
I would like to believe and I have on one occasion seen a ghost which frightened the bejasus out of me, which I will save for another post.There are more things in heaven and earth than is so far explained by science. I was brought up as a Catholic and I do believe there is an afterlife...what it is I haven't a clue.Suffice to say we are probably in for a bloody great surprise when we reach there.It could be a supermarket...stuck in the frozen foods aisle for eternity or, we are all reincarnated.Bags I'm a pampered cat with a friendly cat lady.Animal rights activists come back as beagles 'cough' or as foxhounds.Well the Almighty might want a cheap laugh.Tony Blair comes back as a poodle; Margaret Thatcher as a Mynah bird;Elvis Presley has come back and is in a burger near you now.Karma innit?
TTFN.

Blog...

I'm sure it's spring.














I was chatting with a work colleague about blogs and she said "Where do they get the time from to sit and write a blog.They must be sad people with not enough to do".
I tried to compose a suitable reply along the lines of 'time management,electronic communication,new boundaries and horizons, 21st century blah,blah,etc.Instead I smiled and said 'It's a brave new world out there'.I haven't told anyone at work that I blog and the last few days this comment set me thinking.
It is a new world,brave or otherwise and the boundaries have been redrawn and will continue to move as technology and ingenuity moves forward.Having conversations,friendships via the net,using blogs to form opinions,to form alliances with like minded people, to communicate around the world.This was the stuff of sci-fi novels and is now reality,so much so that many take it for granted.
Admittedly, a blog about everyday life is hardly challenging but, I believe the majority of bloggers go for a balance in their lives of which blogging is but a small part.
As for work...my job precludes me saying too much on a blog about what I do because of confidentiality.Although I can make general comments about the NHS and health matters.I can't imagine the Apache going out on a raiding mission with ten braves and twenty five chiefs, only after they've done the paperwork and had three meetings.
"You have not met your target for scalps this month so no more firewater.Yes,you do have to give those horses to the Navajo...they have three stars and you aughh!...flaming arrows.."
Blogs are an extension of the need to communicate, for some a desire to write and see the 'published' results,for many a chance to be creative and for some,ego!So not a sign of being a sad person although sad people can have their blogs.
Blogs also broaden one's horizons with snapshot of peoples lives,whether real or imagined. I can be a 6ft 4 toned athlete rescuing treasures from the jungles of Borneo or I can be a bespectacled mild mannered librarian with an interest in paperclips...Yes, I am both!But reality can be stretched and the imagination let loose.
I must away....treasures to rescue.TTFN.

Vanguard...

I have, for many years now wanted to sell up and tour the world by camper van,just like this one.













Several things stop me doing this: fear tops the list followed by home comforts.The fear of climbing off the treadmill (mortgage, security, pension, security, son's education, security,etc...)and taking the plunge into a great adventure or potential disaster i.e.Broken down in the wilds of Albania. I have jokingly suggested to Mrs.Catto that we join the crusties in the west of Ireland and make a living selling didgereedoo's...she replied "Didgereedon't".
But the appeal is still there, a little spark flickering away deep within and no, it's not the madras from yesterday.I read recently about enterprising England fans buying old vans for transport and accommodation for the world cup this summer.Can you imagine that; England win in the final...drink, more drink, missing days as a result of celebration and, you wake up with a hangover in India having driven over there.If England win the world cup the celebrations will go on for a week.But come July there could be lots of unwanted old vans waiting for new owners...I'm sure those helplines in India need a voice coach in cockney, received pronunciation,scouse,etc...Is there a market for didgereedon'ts in India?

Techno Techno...

Success!I'm home 20 minutes and my first attempt to install the router with some good advice from an NTL engineer...both P.C's are on the net.
I'm quite surprised but the advice was commonsense and for me it was a case of wood;trees;can't see...I am now a happy bunny.
It is funny though, now I have done this I am now considering upgrading the printer to an all singing, all dancing printer/scanner/copier via wireless connections.The search for eternal perfection albeit in the material sense.Maybe the technology bug has it's grip upon me.
Apart from that exciting interlude I have been mostly working today and being as it is midway through May the weather is of course wet and murky.




















The sun has deserted us and we are reminded that it is spring..."Ne'er cast a clout 'til May be out". In other words ,keep yer vest on until June and enjoy this soft day.So I have 'Listen again' 6 Radio and Bruce Dickinson's Rock show on as I stay indoors in the warm. Excellent music in the main although I fast forwarded the shite music bon jovi track.We were discussing music at work today and there is a broad spectrum of musical likes and dislikes.As I have mentioned in an earlier post I do like a broad range of music...it does not include bon jovi.Thinking about it I do like the range of radio stations accessible via the net, right across the world.For U.K. radio on the net and DAB I've just discovered Chill radio which I occasionally listen to, as well as BBC radio 3 and 4. But I like to pick and choose which the Listen again facility helps make possible. For the folkies out there I can most heartily recommend the following radio programme Folkwaves on Monday evenings between 7 and 9 p.m. Click on the link and go to listen again on Radio Derbyshire for 'Folkwaves'...cracking show with an excellent selection of music. That's my public service bit done...I'll be off.
TTFN.

Techno...

No, not the '90's music we all loathe love but my efforts to attach a router to the modem and P.C. so I can link in my son's P.C. to the net. Several attempts later, no joy.Phone calls to a number of nice helpful Indian gentlemen and still no nearer completion.However,an engineer from ntl has e-mailed some advice and I will give it a go after work on Monday.I will not attempt it today because I want to arrive at work in a relatively good mood.As you might guess, I am not very technically minded.
Looking through the media over the past few days and their take on the 'Red Dust' that's settled over eastern England.They have identified Birch pollen as the culprit; late spring,wind currents,etc...It has played havoc with my hay fever and so many people I have met have also had their allergy exacerbated or developed symptoms.I use the usual medications and rely upon Hops in my beer to deal with hayfever."Does it work?" I hear you cry...I don't know but I do feel better for it.
















The usual panoply of experts and media bods cite this as evidence of global warming but I don't know.I should be concerned because Grimsby could end up being a sunken town one day.I could bury my head in the sand and ignore it all,but that sand could be under water.Kevin Costner's 'Waterworld' may well be our future...somehow I doubt it.
Technology again,it gives us wonderful things but the sting in the tail is the associated destruction as a result of our misuse of it.
TTFN...My lentils are boiling over,I'll get me sandals on and see to them.

Barton.

My son has been sick for the past week with a cold but today he looked a tad perkier.He suggested a trip up to the Humber bridge to walk the mutt and get some fresh air.













He was the official photographer so we sorted out supplies for this major expedition;water and bowl for dog,water for ourselves,and decided on chips for lunch after the walk.
Sunshine,fresh air and friendly people as we walked a few miles and the dog ran several more off the lead.Lots of butterflies,mainly small whites and one small tortoiseshell.Lots of buzzing insects and some geese plus one magpie.There were some small white birds out on the waters edge and we could see one chap photographing them.We decided to not disturb him given we had a daft dog in tow.
All in all a lovely few hours well spent and hopefully the sun,air and exercise has made an improvement in my son's health.His 40 a day cough may now go more quickly.
We made it back in time as the rain bucketed down when we reached home.














Oh, and the chips went down a treat as well with Dandelion and Burdock, the '97 I think it was.

Housework...

A day off work and I spent this morning hard at work.Shopping,dog walking,hoovering,cooked brekkie for Mrs.Catto,washing up and clearing rubbish...all in 3 hours.HousewivesHouse and domestic operatives are well worth the £80K a year that insurance companies value them at.However I am a smug bunny with the feeling that I have achieved something,albeit temporarily until I next have to do the same.Maybe I should shave the dog and that's 90% of the hair,dust,etc...dealt with.
Last night I was out on some visits with a colleague and a large detour was called for because of an accident on the main road.A great drive at dusk identifying various old chuches,owls and other assorted wildlife.What surprised us was the number of owls we spotted and how silently they move.A beautiful sight in the sinking sun and deep shadows:mainly tawny and barn owls plus a huge amount of rabbits necessitating we drive slowly.That's my excuse for taking a leisurely return to the office.One small church which is worth a look in the future.The structure was well off the road and appeared quite simple in design,possibly an old family chapel?
This weekend there are several old Lincolnshire Wolds churches which are normally closed and are open to the public. The 'Rambler's Church' at Walesby is one example. I am working but I guess there'll be other opportunities.Now the good weather is here I can plan a few days out to explore some of these old churches,pubs and walks for the hound and myself.
TTFN.

Training....whoo whoo!

After doing some real work this morning I had to attend a two hour training session in 'The Big Smoke'.Two hours using the net to learn how to do literature searches; because nurses aren't real unless their latent desire to research everything isn't allowed freedom.So I settled in and...the server was down; could not connect me;the wind was blowing from the north and the P.C. was not appropriately feng shui'ed.It is remarkable that whenever I.T. training over the past year is called for,something goes wrong.Still, the drive home was pleasant,sun shiney and bright(ish)and not too many numbskulls on the roads Big Jezza
I learnt some I.T. skills in Uni many years ago on the old AppleMacs (crikey,those cheeky buggers conjoining apple and McCartney just to wind Paul up).I then promptly avoided computers for several years and forgot everything.But accessing research,databases and journals...well,I remembered some of that and I have relearned much of it over the past few years during other courses.But I have to do an 'Evidence Based Practice' course.Brushing up my skills will come in useful and I get to see parts of Lincolnshire like Sleaford,Spilsby,Lincoln and the land in the mists of time...Grantham.It might even improve my blogging skills and enable me to add all sorts of glittery,twinkley things to the blog.I'm still at the blog toddling stage although I must not confuse the anal and thumb sucking stages.
Otherwise I arrived home completely knackered and fit only to watch repeats of Time Team (Guess the year by Tony Robinson's hairstyle).Soothing for my mind and soul:If they can do all that in three days then all must be well with the world.The reality is that several takes of the same scene and many hours of tape,editing and audiovisual jiggery pokery gives us the show.We are promised another live dig this year and some more specials...so I am a happy anticipatory bunny.
TTFN.

Cats....

Gratuitous picture of Tigger, the talkative cat of the three who occupy the house.A rescue cat from Cats Protection she is incredibly affectionate.But she can and does mew for England.Generally this is not a problem but first thing in the morning,especially when one is barely awake and in need of caffeine....She is also noisy when she sleeps, grumbling,snoring and growling to herself.I've had cats for many years and Tigger is unique.For a cat who loves her sleep she can move like a hot knife through Lurpak when food or prey is around.I have alluded to the lack of wildlife in our back garden in an earlier post.Despite fitting bells to their collars and a tall bird table,the buggers still manage to kill birds.Usually pigeons and sparrows, but I have since found Mog sheltering on the bird table from the rain.I have this recurring image of an incredibly rare bird landing on our bird table,the world's press gathered and a photo on the front pages of the nationals of Tigger with the bird in her gob...mewing in triumph.The third cat is Molly; a dark brown shorthair who is generally found asleep on our bed well away from the other two.We know summer has truly arrived because she disappears for 2-3 days at a time and tends to sleep out.
She is bullied by the other two and Tigger especially dislikes her.
Mog is the boy;smarter than the other two and believes he rules the territory.He and the dog worked out between them how to open one particular door which keeps them out of the main house.It took us a while to work out how they did it and,more importantly which cat was aiding and abetting the dog.Being woken up at 4 a.m. on a cold winters morning by three cats and an excitable dog was not amusing.It has taken a while but they generally get on together, down to one or two scraps per week.
All is quiet as they are asleep now...what a life;pampered.
TTFN.

Tap the ball...

Apart from the obvious big games this weekend,there was one game played today.
The inaugural match between the 'Tap & Spile' and the 'Old Tap & Spile' at the YMCA.
Surprisingly, the youngsters won on penalties despite the oldies fielding between 13 and 17 players for much of the game.Pints and ibuprofen all round after the game with lashings of ginger beer deepheat. A good game and thoroughly entertaining, with our own 'Nipper' sniffing around for a cup.A few aching limbs tomorrow morning....
You'll have to excuse the photo quality as it is from a camera phone.Guess who forgot the digicam...Our plans to bring the buckets of vodka and magic mushrooms sponges was scuppered as the YMCA do not allow alcohol.The devil has all the finest drinks!He's doing well for a non-existent mythical being.Talking of alcohol...I happened to look up in Wikipedia how to make the perfect Martini,as you do;Thanks to Chez Milady .I have not had a cocktail for years and I can't remember when I last had a proper martini.
5:1 ratio of gin to dry white vermouth in a shaker with ice and then garnished with an olive or twist of lemon. I am tempted to try this out over the next week or so just to remind myself what a martini truly tastes like.The blue Bombay Gin looks nice but chezmilady recommends Tanqueray in her preferences and she sounds like a true connoisseur. But it was fascinating reading up the history and mythology of the Martini, James Bond included.
With the perfect martini and Seany's bread,what a combination.Anyone make homemade jam?
TTFN.

Gardening....

30 seconds Mr.Bunny....with three cats and a daft dog that is the time you would have to survive.About 25 seconds for the astonishment to pass and 5 seconds of confusion as they battle each other to get you.Sadly,no wonder there is no other wildlife in our garden.










At last, I have managed to finally cut the lawn grassy bits of the garden.The mower faltered several times and cut out twice.The strimmer did not even get a look in and I had to cut much of it by hand using handshears.Blisters and backache!But the grass is now short enough to regain control of the garden.Weeding next but I shall leave that to next week because it looks like rain...on my days off.An excuse, if any was needed to head to the pub.
Today could settle things for Spurs and Grimsby Town.For Spurs it could be fourth place and European football,no longer having to wait for a war to get into Europe.It does,unfortunately,depend upon Arsenal (come on Wigan and Barcelona!!) which as any Spurs fan knows sticks in the craw somewhat. For Town,third place means automatic promotion out of the fourthLeague Two division by winning today and Orient to lose.So some footy excitement today as I chew my fingernails to bits.

Looking back at that rabbit picture, I could do with a few to keep the grass down.The garden would be tidy and following Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallfuckmethatsamouthful,we could have bunnyburgers.As a young boy my dad said he would bring a rabbit home one day.We were excited, a bunny to pet and fuss over.We marked out the spot for the run and set about building a hutch.Yep,you're ahead of me...the butchers, wrapped package and excited kids awaiting dad only to descend into tears and tantrums.I haven't knowingly eaten rabbit since...although some dodgy burger vans might have served up doner katbab.
I'm orf to finish some chores and then to the pub.
TTFN.

Election...

I exercised my democratic right to vote for the least useless and hopefully least mendacious candidate today.Having walked the mutt into the voting booth I can safely predict that the turnout truly was 'One man and his dog'.The voting clerks woke up sprung into action as we enlivened proceedings for 5 minutes, but she just could not grip the pencil in her paw.I named the candidates in turn:
Labour candidate - A slight whine.
Green candidate - Wag of tail.
Tory candidate - Pissed on the floor.
Thank god there was no BNP candidate......

So I guess we all now wait with barely concealed excitement for the results. Paint still drying...
Aside from that interlude I spent today at work suffering the effects of too much ale from last night. Plenty of water and a magnificent bacon roll from the works canteen did wonders for me.I moved into second gear as I ploughed on with my work.My hand barely shook as the nurse passed me the scalpel...
But a wonderfully sunny day which I hope presages the same for the weekend.I have the weekend off and I shall maintain a sunny optimism in the face of meteorological gloom.Pah!I laugh at your satellites,computer progammes and other instruments of the devil.I place my faith in seaweed and feline cleansing behaviour.Especially when their paws are sellotaped away from their ears.I have also consulted the runes, or I would have done but a broken metatarsel put them out of action.
Anyway, a cup of tea has my name on it so TTFN.

Pubs...

My first 'local' as a whippersnapper young man.
The Three Compasses is still there and going strong.I wonder if it still lets in sixteen year olds for their first pub beers.Probably not as allowing 16 year olds in a 'proper' local pub to drink sensibly amongst older pubgoers who would soon put the youngster right is politically incorrect.Instead, they can drink very strong ciders and lagers at the age of 13 0r 14 with a gang of other equally bored youths in the local park or bus shelter prior to a bout of wanton vandalism.
I can't remember my first beer; it was a bitter but I have no idea which brewery.The pub at that time was a rough old boozer,friendly and a real working man's pub.I eventually moved onto exploring other pubs with mates of mine who looked old enough to be served.Mostly around Crouch End, Muswell Hill and Finsbury Park with at least one weekly excursion to the West End for the clubs.
Courtesy of our 'Old Boy's' football club I was introduced to real ale and I enjoyed Abbot's and Wadwoth's 6x.Mind you, that was alternated with pints of snakebite and black.The folly and indestructibility of youth...I've long ago lost count of the beers I've drunk and the pubs I have drunk in.Certainly a lot of them around North London.I am hoping to pop back in the summer and revisit one or two, as well as catch up with some mates whom I've not seen for many years.
TTFN.

Vacance de Banque...

Hooray! Another bank holiday and I am off today. I leap out of bed, pull open the curtains and I am dazzled by the rain. Mayday has all sorts of connotations; a day for the workers,Beltane with it's maypoles,etc...But so soon after Easter and another bank holiday at the end of May.We should cancel the Whitsun bank holiday and move it to the end of June. We could call it national barbeque day and there may even be a chance of sunshine.Mind you, I've not seen any Morris dancers running around today...the day is not yet over.Confession time, I was very briefly a morris dancer back in the eighties.I practiced for a few months but discovered my fellow participants were all freemasons and had some extreme right-wing views which I disagreed with.
So a whole day to play with and I ended up shopping for my son (new hiking boots) and a quick browse around the shops with Mrs.Catto. Refreshment at the pub was required and a chat with some friends planning tonights visit to the pub.Dog walked and before I know it the day has gone.Time speeds up the older one gets...Einstein must have a theory about it.
I'm off to enjoy what's left of today.
TTFN.