Arcticterntalk.org
The blog of a travelling psychiatrist and football lover. Who happens to be a halfway decent photographer. Takes a cynical view of the world
Archive for the month “June, 2011”
Strike Day in UK
Well having read all the stories from Mexico, it all seems very banale here.
Monday I had an early morning start to drive to Newcastle again, a mere 350 miles, but met another doctor for a lovely lunch at Jesmond Dene hotel. The sort of posh place with napkins and waiters had bow ties even at lunch. He was telling me all sorts of stories about in the wars how the folks round here were building ships for two sides (China was one side……..cannot rememeber the other).
Then stayed overnight in Beadnell near Seahouses. I need to live here. Not now as I am too young but when I am very old and very grey ( sadly I have more grey hair than when you left). It was a long drive home the next day. Weather is still kind of nice but with thunderstorms when you least expect them. Yesterday the air traffic control tower at Gatwick was hit by lightening and for some reasons trains were also delayed because of lightening.
Wednesday was a nice day. A day I had planned for 6 months. A day at Arundel watching the cricket. Charles could not come as he had his work at Henley to attend to. Great day in the sunshine. It struck me that I was one of the youngest people there. Maybe another aged over 70 age limit applied? Got some good photos and without being boastful they were significantly better than the single photo that appeared in the Times this morning.
Brentford are back in training and have signed another player, the Swindon captain. So who knows whats in store for us this year.
Today though in the UK is Strike day. Most schools are shut and Immigration folks are on strike, the latter I have no issue with but teachers, I think it is appalling. We are all having to take pension cuts and most of us realise that we are all getting older as a socity and living longer. So pensions must reflect that. There is also the issue that Burlington school routinely refuse leave of absence for children. So for example Elena was refused official permission to have half a day off on her grandmothers 70th birthday to attend a ballet……… But seemingly this fulsome attention to education vanishes when the need to go on strike arises. there is also talk that the strikes may continue all year. Because I was a governor ( until i realised that there was no way to make any changes to anything and the whole thing is not unlike a gentlemans club ) I am CRB checked. And could if needed and asked go in and teach a class for a day. They would have interesting lessons. For example Maths would be the mathmatics of a football club.
This afternoon I am off to Scotland till tomorrow evening so hoping airports are as much fun as always.
almost forgot. Driving back from cricket at Arundel yesterday, the A3 going south from near enough the M25 to almost guildford was solid. Why? there were 3-4 skewbald ponies running down the road! No idea where they came from or how they might be caught………
Hedgepig is fine but smelly. Mistress of the house is having nasty thoughts that are almost audible. Houdini hamster is fine and continues to be far more active and enjoying his new roomate. could they live together?
A strange sunday
Well not all stange. Saturday we had the pleasure of the Burlington school fete, which lacked some of the side shows of previous years, in fact lacked all of them. Then headed down to see Sarah for dinner. We were met by Alice demanding that I came upstairs to see her tidy bedroom and show me the baby hamster ( that looked more like a petrified shrew). Alice was on form and not happy to be sent to bed at about 9 pm. Wine and champagne was consumded to celebrate Sarah having this literary agent represent her. We stayed down at that Fareham hotel as too old to drive back late.
Today we got back around 1pm and was happily sitting in the garden. Temperature around 30 today at least. Suddenly saw a small white dog trotting at the top of the garden, a sort of cross between a poddle and a king charles spaniel. Nice dog. Clearly thirsty. Collar but no details. So elena and I spent 2 hours trudging the local streets to see if we could find anyone looking for their dog. Knocked at a few doors that the dog seemed interested in but no joy. So in the end the Merton dog warden came, scanned the nek and a chip was there and took the dog to hopefully find its owner. Funny old day.
am driving again to Newcastle early monday morning, another 350 miles……….joy.
The whole week. Where has it gone?
Seems to have just dissapeared this week. Drove to Newcastle last sunday night, not what I want to do every sunday night, a mere 350 miles. Monday turned out well as my meeting finished early and I made a quick dash up to Seahouses to get a boat over to the Farne Islands. I had this vision that on a weekday in june the place would be deserted. Wrong. Thousands of people there. There seemed also to be an age limit. No one under 70 was alllowed. Anyway lots and lots of Puffins, being chased by Kittiwakes as they headed back down into their burrows with sand eels. Lots of good photographs. The arctic terns though were being specially evil. I have never seen them so angry and peckety. Heads were being attacked all the time. A fair few seals too, most;y grey atlantic seals. I stayed in a small hotel in Beadnell which overlooked the dea. After an early dinner I had a walk through some fields, where the cows and bull took a too healthy interest in my presence, down to the harbour.
Thursday night Elena and her school choir were singing on the stage in Kingston at the Rose theatre. They all sang a special musical composed for the festival called the Soulbird, named after a book. It was lovely. The musicians all gave their time for free and one of them in turns out is the musical director of Billy Elliot in the West end.
Weather here has continued to be rubbish with rain most or even all days. We got 2 lots of olympic tickets for hockey and equestrian. So not brilliant but not awful either.
Animals are all fine, although we had a comedy moment yesterday. A wicked nasty hateful cat called Monty ( an eveil looking tabby garfield type) has always chased our little black cat shadow ( shadow is the runt if you dont know this already). Today Monty chased Shadow to the edge of the house, then turned around and Shadow chased her to the top and then Monty chased her back to the house. Like a tom and Jerry cartoon!! mind you we came down this morning to find the cat flap torn off the patio window and wrecked, so maybe Monty got revenge in the night………
Brentford have now signed two new players. A German defender and a guy from Man city.
Hedgepig has a new wheel. He continues to be a reversing sort of hedgehog but all the children that come to the house love him.
Elena had made a new friend in her class, a girl called Caitlin, who is one of seven children……….can you imagine………………seven……
Not got plans really for my birthday next weekend but Charles is coming over on the sunday. We might go cricket.
so nothing as exciting as Mexico……..but no hurricanes nor crocs either.
Sunday
Went to the rescue greyhounds centre this morning with Elena and we took Glen to Painshill for a walk. There was talk about him being difficult and not getting on with other dogs, but in fact he was the sweetest greyhound. A real hound too. Sniffing as he walked. He had an interesting meeting with a large hissing swan but was not bothered by it. Usual downpour of rain after lunch followed by sunshine like Spain.
Had to have a haircut by public demand today which followed my weekly shave also by public demand. At this rate I will have to start having baths as well. Had a fathers day email from Mexico which was cute!
Tonight, in fact in less than an hour I am driving to Newcastle hopefuly getting there before midnight. My tour of the UK continues with drive back to Derby and eventually home wednesday evening. By then my newly resprayed car will have done more than 210,000 miles.
almost forgot. My only crime today was to frighten the paper boy. He frightens me, he is German and aged maybe 13 and weight more than me. Anyway for some reason the newsagent now puts all the papers for our road and others outside our front door on a sunday. I helped myself this morning before said Herr Paper boy arrived. When he did i opened the door and he was there and jumped back like Tom and Jerry cartoon. He may get a part in the new Addams Family movie without much make up! No hedgehog news, no sign of him today, hope he is still there. Where can I find more of those crunchy beetles he likes?
Clean animals alert!!!!!
Hedgepig and houdini have been cleaned out and the smell around motspur park has gone!!!!! we may have found suspects!!!! Another tooth came out today, my 12th one!!!! Hedgepig is a lot more social and lets me hand feed him without huffing and puffing. We are planning to get Hedgepig a new wheel. Hope alls well in Mexico maybe you could find out something to do with the aztecs?????? Maybe go to the town centre and get some pics of the Templo Mayor??????????
From Elena
A Saturday in Motspur Park
Weather continues to be rubbish. Just had a rainstorm of biblical proportions and now its sunny. Hedgepig has been resting since his exertions visiting the school yesterday. I forgot to mention that he seems a very reversing sort of hedgehog!
Hedgehog News
Has been great to read your news and Sarah showed me some photos of the apartment. Looks lovely, better than your room here which Sarah unkindly called Newgate Prison! but then she has not seen the lovely blue walls.
all is well. I left a number of comments but none seem to have been uploaded and seem to have been left with the moderator, who either is very slow, or does not like my news.
Hedgepig is fine. He snaffled a beetle yesterday with a lovely crunching sound and I suspect Yasmin would like to have him as chief cockroach eater in spain. Today he had an outing to Elena’s school and in fact was more of interest to the teachers! Houdini we all think is also happier having a friend in the room.
Weather has been horrid since you left and we spent all day at cricket in the rain thursday under umbrellas. The highlights of the day included seeing Rays face when they wanted 32£ for four lots of burger and chips, A guy dressed as Superman phoning for a cab to the travelodge and a man dressed as a banana, whom the children would not leave alone as they thought he was a childrens entertainer!! Where do I get Beetles for Hedgepig from? we are going to get him a new wheel soon.There has also been a horrible smell pervading Motspur Park most of the last week. Suspects included manure, drains but sadly the old lady next door was also mentioned as a possible perpetrator.
Still no idea what olympic tickets we have got, but the Brentford fixtures came out today! Not bad either. Home boxing day and new years eve for a change.
anyway its late here………….looking forward to the next instalment from you!!
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A Great Place
The rants and warblings of an active and some would say disturbed mind. A Brentford Fc supporter and a psychiatrist and photographer. Welcome to my musings and rants.
chris1957
Arcticterntalk.org 