Friday, September 30, 2005

Oh dear!

Didn't play fiddle last night. Read new Terry Pratchett instead. Only about half of it but enough to rag and tatter my recent plan to get to bed before 1.30ish and get up nice and early (well, 8.30ish) in the morning). bother. but good fun.
Must do better!
Must go to work.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

The good side

A while ago it was the roadworks breeding season, little road works popping up all over the place, vanishing after a day or two or in some cases growing into full scale three way monsters with big yellow growling machines and traffic lights. Creating trafic jams in unnacustomed places and causing traffic to veer down routes it wouldn't normally travel. Cursed be they.
On the other hand, I've found myself stopped outside a tiny pretty cottage I never noticed before and seen bits of garden and woodland that usually blur past. I've watched birds doing bird things I shouldn't be watching while driving and I've had time to clean my glasses and take gaviscon for my heartburn before panting into work. then the road works go away and suddenly theere's a nice smooth quiet road with no bumps.
Not a bad trade.
And then take traffic. It happens I like driving...it gives me a certain fairly quiet enjoyment...you know, smooth gear changes and turns and an occasional bit of oomph, the countryside or the town gliding by. Changing views and skies. and sometimes a bit of well, co-operation, mutual understanding/agreement with other motorists. Stopped at a junction to turn left today, next to a man turning right and as we checked out each other's side of the road we just smiled and nodded. nothing dramatic. another time, some eight or ten people let each other into a stream of traffic in turn, first one way and then the other. Meshing nicely, no fuss and less stress.
Point is I supose, those are people in those other cars. They may be axe wielding nuts just bursting to rage at you or they might just be wondering if they left the cat out or whether their eldest will come home this weekend. They might be calculating their tax bill or planning their next flower bed. they might, God forbid forget to let you out at the roundabout but they might just have let three other people in at the last one. and after all, you too have eyes.
You can in fact avoid hitting other cars with yours and if they forget to check you out you can check them out. You have the power to reduce your stress and theirs by not getting into a paddy over small mistakes. Also the stress of your spouse and family and friends in the car with you. And it means you can be in charge of the situation (what situation was that? Oh yes, somebody 'cut you up'. What an appalling expression) which means you are not a cog in the machinery but a co-operating, perhaps even pleasant, adult person.
Yes, I did cut someone up yesterday. Sorry.
The language says something about us drivers. "He cut me up", we say indignantly. What? are we bleeding? Is even our car broken? No. not at all. just momentarily inconvenienced by having to brake a bit extra. "Shouldn't be on the road if they can't drive properly". Why? Can't you handle the, well I was going to say the unexpected but it isn't really unexpected is it? People make these little slips all the time and that's a mainstay of comedy aimed at drivers.
I have to say it's occasionally fun to let rip at some other driver from behind the safety of my own windscreen. Especially if I'm in a filthy mood anyway. Then I feel better and remember they may have had a filthy mood of their own. Or I feel worse because nobody noticed I was totally and inarguably IN THE RIGHT. wasn't I.
Ok, that's it for tonight. for the moment anyway. I have to go and play a fiddle.

Tosca in the washing basket.

She likes it there. Also she likes plastic bags.

where to start

I spent so long getting this set up last night I really couldn't think what I wanted to do with it. Or say. Got lost.
Well today's a new day. (night)
I've just sent Barney to bed with his cup of tea. we are both amused by the fact that every night I take him a cup of tea and he falls asleep over his book and wakes up later with a cold cup of tea. In the morning he brings me a cup of tea before going to work and later I wake up to a cold cup of tea.
He does complain that I stay up too late. I don't complain that he gets up too early...but it wouldn't wash really would it! I'm the one that never gets anything done (except pages of stuff on the computer and photos and music in the middle of the night). And the washing up and the cats and dog and all that last thing stuff. But he's the one that gets the grass cut and makes furniture for his sister's garden. and thank heavens, looks after the visiting grand daughter from 6 in the morning until I surface. He's a good egg all in all.
Some time soon, I'll look into the pictures thing. It's sheer laziness not having one...and I sort of feel it ought to be a new one rather than some old image dug out of somewhere. Vanity and all that. I might try and post one of tosca tonight... quite a nice pic I've played around with.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

things I just found out

Well one thing anyway, If I turn my phone off it will still obediently alarm me.
Oh, and how to set up a blog of course.