Rock Chick's got a voice

 One of the most pleasurable experiences I've had was last night when my step-daughter while under the influence of some grape juice began to put the world to rights. Because she was putting both myself and Sparkling Eyes under questioning, asking us whether we voted Brexit, then she told us how life is so difficult for women. And then she went on to say we were the Baby Boomers, or rather the Boomers. Whilst she was with it, hip and a Millennium. I'm not entirely sure what the definition is of a Millennium but she was one of them. She used all the social media platforms, but only to view and hardly ever to post items on them. She described them as a "mask" by which people hide their true persona and then become something else. Something not very nice. She wanted her children to have a better life. For Princess J who is actually not very Princess like and more of a Miss Minecraft knight. She told us how the world was so, so unfair and unjust for women who were expected often to sit in the house, were made to take second place. All the time she explained this, I recognised this Rock Chick wears the trousers, she's got a voice. A wonderful loud voice and I hope she uses it a lot more. Speaks out and takes on the biggots and shows she's one tough cookie. Which means this out of touch not with it Boomer had better know his place. I was indeed very proud and happy she could be so vocal and so much fun. I know now calling her husband Dangerous Sports Lad had a reason behind it. Mind he's not so much into the dangerous stuff now and is a very responsible Daddy.

Trees, a bee sting and the road back

So there stand at the end of the garden 4 sets of conifer trees, they could be llyandi, but I'm not entirely sure.  For the past several months I've had a go at cutting them down, unfortunately they also stretch over two other gardens and about 8 or 9 telephone lines. There are still strategically difficult branches which need cutting but may fall on a phone line or two. What do I do? I'm as the Scottish will tell you scunnered with them. I've had enough right up to my eyeballs but know the job needs to be attempted again. 

The problem is I need someone to help me. I've figured out its a matter of tying a rope to the overhanging branches and having a second person pull the rope so as the branch is cut and falls it moves to one side of the phone lines.  Alternative I'll need a neighbourhood counsellor as they come crashing down on the lines and the locals find they have no phone or internet services because they've been effectively cut off. Surely people can do without communication for a day. These providers are pretty quick to get them fixed. I know from experience as two lines have already been affected.

Only a couple of days ago I was helping baby sit my grandson. He's 3 years old and is infatuated with cars. He's also got a thing about being as messy as possible, running about without any clothes on and watching non stop cartoons. Which are actually quite funny, like Misha and the Bear, if you need a good laugh at the world watch it. This should be recommended viewing for all adults with a blue disposition, I laughed and laughed and laughed. However, as my wife Sparkling Eyes will tell you, a sense of humour can be a personal and even different thing. In the meantime if she wants to laugh she just watches me and within a few moments will be rolled up. She saw me take in the washing the other evening and while doing it I was stung by a bee. My reaction she found humorous but only confessed this after a glass of wine. Well it's good to be entertainment for one's loved ones.

 I will have to think about returning to London again. Even if it's for a short while. Mum is 80 and she is now afraid of cutting the grass incase she gets a nose bleed. It's the medication she's on. The last one took 30 minutes to stop and she doesn't want to overdo it. It is a funny thing but the saying absence makes the heart grow fonder is very true. I realise this now having barely seen her over the last couple of years when normally I wouldn't be able to get away from her. The government has now put in charge of Health a banker who likes to make money. Of course this will mean the entire country will learn lessons he will impose on us through his own ineptitude. But such is the road back. In this case it's probably a very windy one with some cliff edges to negotiate, a map and infrared goggles to help see at night would be a good thing.

Yep in London and working

 So here I am back in London for a week, maybe a little more. I head into the office to work, there are three sets of desks which combined could hold about 25 people. But they were never filled anyway. Now it's just me, nobody else. It's quiet. I pop onto twitter intermittently and hope no staff from other teams walk behind me on the way to the toilets. Hell, part of me doesn't give a shite. I miss my beautiful wife and I really don't know why I am here. Except my job is here and my mother is here and she's like a baby needing attention, needing things done because nobody else does it. No one else in the family seems to help. She's now 80 years old.

Over Xmas she'd broken her hip falling on a pavement curb. I'm sure I told her about that particular pavement because the curb was higher than normal. I'd tripped myself. She fractured her pelvis and then spent near on 6 weeks in hospital. She also caught the COVID while in hospital, but got over it like it was a snivel and was nothing. I got half her genes so with a little luck if it comes my way I to might sail through it. Whereas my wife thinks the whole thing is a conspiracy of sorts. The COVID isn't killing as many people as you think she would argue. I managed to kind of get over the hurdle of having a wife who disagrees with me. But it's good she does because it wouldn't be so much fun. I never say I told you so, because it would be met with an onslaught. But I love it and love her. Mentally it took a bit of effort to get over being called a Boris cock sucker for believing the Tories. The COVID however is not about the Tories only, it is real and is a pandemic. We are just extremely lucky the death count and virulence isn't higher. It's not an Ebola, but if it were the whole country would be in deep shit. 

Again I'll say it a thousand times, the COVID has been a great opportunity to spend so much time with my beautiful wife Sparkling Eyes. It has deepened my affection so much more. She reminds me it took me long enough to get married and realise she was the best thing ever. It's true. About 25 years if all be told. It's kind of sad we're only going to be on our third anniversary in October, but in reality it's probably our 28th anniversary. Time does fly by so quickly.

When I'm at work I try and take notes of all the things I do. Not just as a justification to show I am working but to somehow memorise them. It don't particularly help my memory but then the problem with work is it's like running up a slippery hill. You never feel you are on top of it. Quite often I forget things and I've come to the conclusion it's because I'm distracted. Whether it be a phone call, an email or something else. An interruption stops my train of thought. I'm a quality person not a quantity person. I like to do my best and when a job is completed hope it doesn't rear it's ugly head again. There are way too many employees who think they must just shift boxes. And they're the ones who make mistakes, bad decisions and their work raises like shit to the surface again. Shit is the very operative word. If I were a ruthless bastard and had more power, these persons would be sacked. But I don't have more power and have learned to quell my thoughts. For making a decision on a reactionary basis is never a good thing to do. Always sit and think about it.

I can't wait to get out of London and be in Scotland again. With my wife and my real family. It will happen shortly. Grandchildren are like beautiful little sparkles and bundles of absolute joy.

A brief return to London

The lockdown period is nearly at a prescribed end. However, before it does end I find myself just about to head down from Scotland to London. I haven't missed London as much as I've enjoyed the love of my beautiful wife Sparkling Eyes. To have a near year of waking up with her, getting drunk and enjoying the TV in her company has been wonderful. There's been the odd disagreement but it's OK to disagree, its how you disagree with someone you love which matters. It's about caring for each other and having fun. Having seen move of the grandchildren I've  learnt a lot more about them. Their two little personalities really have shined out and they are so different from each other, Princess J has just turned 8 and she is as energetic as the day she was born, she wants to be doing things all the time. Whereas little Car Boy who loves cars is much slower in his growing up. He takes it easy, likes to sit down and have cuddles, likes to sing the wheels on the bus go round and round and of course he always likes playing with his Cars. I love them as well. In Short it has been fantastic.

Except for the rain. It's like the country has had nothing but rain right up to late May. It's been a difficult time trying to grow seeds then putting the plants out only for them to die or be eaten by mice or slugs. The struggling life of an allotmentier goes on. 

So I'll be off tonight to London and to see how Ma is. She's 80 now and has the frailties of an old 80 year old. I also now tell her I love her after phone conversations, just resigned she will not ever understand how growing up with her as a mother was problematic to say the least. Not everyone is suited to motherhood and there is no test to see who is and who isn't. A little like voting and understanding politics.