Round again, it's Friday

Can't believe I've been so neglectful of keeping my blog up to date, perhaps the novelty is wearing off, perhaps I've run out of photos to put up and bore you with.

However we are now D day -3, that is departure date, bound for the Scillies. yup we leave at around 3 am Monday morning, in order to get the south-going tide at Ramsey island. We will probably be an hour early, but if we leave here any later than three we'll miss the tide and be stuck until 7am. Since the usual knock-ons apply that would make us late for the tidal gates at Pembroke and then we would not arrive in the Scillies until after dark on Tuesday evening. So early it is, as far as I am concerned. jacki thinks otherwise, but unless she can prove me wrong, I'm sticking by it. 3am it is.

Juliet is starting to annoy me. There, I've said it. OK I like her a whole lot but she is'nt quite as easy going as me, and she tends to overanalyse everything, which is not good for her, because she then argues herself into a corner, says the wrong thing and then wonders why, for instance, that the digger man has'nt turned up to do the job he promised, a month ago.

On the other hand she finds it difficult to say 'No' to things. It's just a question of degrees. Since I'm going to be away for a week or so, I'm sure that will help, and we'll see when we get back.

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I've been busy............................

........... so I've not really had time to play with blog. It's Wednesday already, but i really have very little to say at this moment in time. The Juliet thing is well, doing it's thing. Work seems to have got a little hyper over the last week, almost as if people know I'm off on hols and want to add a little bit of angst into my life just when I need it least.

Speaking of hols we are 'GO' for the Scillies, probaly next Monday [ish]. Chris has to mend the engine, which does'nt worry me quite as much as it would a non sailor. The only time I would worry is if there was no wind and we were stuck out there. With sails and a breeze you can do most things.......

The luscious Wenda has now returned from lunch and so I will have to go out and look at a site with her.........

Until later when I will come back to update things I will leave you with another photo. This is a scan of a print which was the fortunate result of a camera jam and double exposure.... Islands in the sky.




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Friday on my mind

Yep, it's come around again, the best day of the [working] week, the day that if you have planned your workload or schedule right, you can start to unwind and be totally horizontal in a mental way by tomorrow morning.

Unless you have to work, that is. It's fine I suppose if you work every Saturday or even over the weekend, as long as you get a couple of days in the week. If you surf this can be a bonus as the waves are relatively empty in the mid week compared to the w/e. The downside is that everyone else is working when you are not and vice/versa. So you dont get quite as good a social life as everyone else.

This used to bother me, but quite honestly, as I get older I'm not so sure. Same with evening work. Now I'm not advocating working all night, no way, but hey 4 hours am until say 1100 and then another 4 from 6 till 10'ish pm would suit me fine, given the dearth of interesting stuff on the TV these days you would'nt miss much...and it would release all those lovely daylight hours to do what you want, like filing tax returns, doing the housework.

how many jobs could be undertaken like that, at any old hours? Flexi time is king, now lets just get out there and use it properly


photo for today, a reminder of last march:

back to the lost coast

Having thought a little about what this Blog is about I have come to the conclusion that it is about the inane ramblings of a person going through a midlife crisis. So far so obvious, since I more or less said so in my profile. The blog has become a little bit of a diary, indicating how little of import has happened in my life over the last fortnight. Then it was a photo album sort of thing. that's OK, I like putting my photos up for comment, if only I could get a comment! OK I got one, complementary at that, but some feedback would be nice. But of course any negative vibes would make me upset, so I can't win there either.

Juliet called me a typical Gemini dual personality, a mess of contradictions. Now I don't ascribe to the all this astrological guff as practiced by those newspaper/radio/tv 'Mystic sMeg' types, but I do believe that the period of the year you are born in does develop your character. An example of this is school age. In Wales the school year runs Sept through August so those born in September find themselves almost a full year older than those in the same clas, born the following year. And a year is a long time when you are 4. So they are generally top of the pecking order and those born 9 months or more later are a little more 'put-upon'. This can affect your development for life. Well, that's my theory anyway,. I don't care what anyone else thinks. But I am a mess of contradictions so I suppose I conform to the geminian stereotype.

Back to my ramblings. I started this out as the lost coast and asked whether it was a real place or a state of mind, well I suppose it's both really. See more contradictions or at the very least a dithering. So here's a photo with the question:

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Is this the lost coast?


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what's up doc?

Monday, at work, feeling a little perplexed. Why? well I've had this problem with my shoulders for a few months. jeez who am I kidding, Ive had this problem since last January and apart from a large dose of hydrocortisone injected into each shoulder joint to try and alleviate the pain, the situation has yet to resolve itself. I'm doing chiropracty once a week and the excersises and I'm unsure as to whether it is actually doing any good. To be honest I think having wild sex with Juliet is achieving more, but I digress.

So when I got a letter the other week telling me that I'd won the lottery, for a scan, rather than the monetary one, I dont even do that. [which is silly realy because, like most others, I fantasise about what I would do if I won the lottery] Anyway, back to the point... I noticed that it was for a pelvic/renal scan, rather than my shoulders. I checked, and it was. So I turned up, stripped off, got scanned and was informed that i had the begining of gall-stones, which kinda surprised me, since a] I had no pain/problems in that area, b] I really, really wanted my &^%$£ shoulders seeing to please!!

So here I am, no further along with sorting out the pain that my shoulders are endengering but at least I now know that, in time another bout of excruciating pain is heading my way unless I can sort it.

Juliet has decided that acupuncture would help block the pain receptors and get me going again. I'm still waiting for NHS physio to tell me I can start. Personally, I am at the point where sacrificing my first born to the mad god of the underworld is starting to look like a desirable option except that you can never be sure that mad gods of the underworld will keep their side of the bargain, and I dont have a first born anyway.

Off to J's this pm to do things that lovers do - helping her put up some shelves, walk the dogs, cut the grass, and if we still have time maybe a little wild monkey sex.

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late Friday/early saturday

Just found out that Juliette hates being called Juliette with 2 'T's .
From now on it will be Juliet, and no, I'm not going to edit all my
earlier posts to reflect this. The one thing I am not is
anal-retentive. So there.

a little bit of politics.... always good on a Friday afternoon

Once, I read an article in which a scenario was set up in which our hero was shackled in a cell with no windows and a padlocked iron-clad door. Water was rising from an opening in the wall and he was in danger of drowning.

Several distinguished writers and novelists were invited to put forward a 'final chapter' in which our hero got out of his sticky situation, in the same way as our heroes of the fifties did.

Long convoluted missives were submitted detailing just how our hero, evaded a ghastly death, but the winner was the shortest there, in one short sentence:

"And with a bound he was free!"

I have a distinct feeling that that is exactly what I have just witnessed after the publication of the Butler Report.

What I find most galling is that the Tories are an even worse option than this present lot, who are, lets face it 'Tory Lite'. Not that I much faith in the 'old labour' who were just social capitalists instead of patrichan capitalists.

Oh well if they are both equally useless then it may be that the LibDems get a share of power and push for PR in the country, then more people are likely to vote 'cos they know that their vote will actually count towards the final reckoning. I hope.


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something...................

I wondered what I could use as a title for today's missive. Friday [which it is] seemed to be a little impersonal, although accurate. Then I thought I'd just put up the date [16th July 2004] because it does'nt appear on the page when published. But I've just put it in the text, so why bother going back to do it. a dilemma then.

It's not helped by the fact that I've had a pretty uneventful couple of days with relatively little of import happening [well nothing I want to impart here ;) ].

So the only real news is that Jacki and Rhiannon came round for supper the other night, but we ended going out instead. J& R have headed back to Macc. but it was more or less decided that I'd be heading off to the Scillies with them and Chris. So there's one decision more-or-less made. Juliette does'nt mind [or at least she says she does'nt] because she will have the builders in and will be busy with them anyway.

I made it up to her by promising to take her off to Lindisfarne in September/October for some 'weather'. Juliette does'nt do cold very well, unless she is well swaddled but she says she likes 'weather', as long as there is an open fire and hot chocolate with Jamesons at the end of it.

Well considering I had nothing much to report, I appear to have produced something, but I still have'nt a title, Oh well something will do.

Musings on sharks vs surfers

The death of a surfer from a shark attack in SW Australia has sobered up the surf community worldwide, but especially in the those areas where good surf and warm waters coincide. Which is strange really as Great White Sharks [hereafter called GWS or whitey] tend to follow their prey items, seals in the main. These prefer the colder waters and so therefore does whitey - so such an extent that it has developed a way of controlling it's internal temperatures. Yes folks Whitey is warm blooded [sorta]. So really it's those surfers who frquent spots with lukewarm temperatures, seals and deep water who need to lookout.... err, like the UK.

However we don't have GWS here so we are ok, and neither do we have reefsharks or especially bull sharks, which are responsible, it's thought, for the majority of shark attacks.

No all we have is crap weather, poor surf and occasionally weaver fish which although painful to tread on, at least leave you whole.


piccie of the day... to stay on the surfing theme:




green crystal squeeker




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Storm front

Trawling through my photos late last night and I found this one from late last year:





It just parked itself there and roiled around for an hour or so like something from a Hollywood movie, and then just sort of faded away.

Not much to say today, too early in the day, and I have to go out shortly.

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Monday night, late

OK a Juliette update. Had along talk after having supper with her mum and we came to the conclusion that yes we could rub along quite happily, leading our own lives and getting it together when we wanted to. Sort of having your cake and eating it I suppose.

It's good, mainly because I'm generally happy with my lot as it is, and don't really want to have major changes, thank you. Oh, take no notice of my mutterings of discontent, it's just the way local government works.

As I said earlier, the main problem in my life at the moment is where to go to on holiday.... so life isnt that problematic is it?

Monday..

another day, another dollar.

Have'nt put up a photo for a couple of days so instead of a long diatribe from me you're just getting the photo:




early spring silver.


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I'm really done for now

Regatta done and dusted and now back home with my shoulders starting to ache pretty bad, so it's a nice hot bath for me before summer and an early night. TV is slightly better now that Bimbledon and the European overpayed-wankers cup is over - but not by much. Dare say I'll watch a bit and then oh joy of joys it's back to work tomorrow.

been invited down to the Scillies with Chris and Jacki early August. Problem is I also want to go to the US in Sept/Oct and cant get the time for both. Hmmmm what a life, when my main areas of concern are where to go on holiday.....

Saturday

Im Knackered.... ran the super-nova chapionships today and we were short arghh...... but we managed ok.... but I'm knackered

No photo today but a few thoughts on surfboards:


Having made a couple of boards over the years, I am still amazed that design can still throw up some real oddities. we've come across them all over the years : remember the Stinger? W.A.V.E. hollow board, dial a tail... some worked others were just something that where a few moments looking at the thing, you just knew the guy was out to make a few bucks off the gullible or the termianly fashion adicted.

As a scientist I was taught that unless it could be measured, assessed and duplicated... you just did not make claims or attest proof. I still laugh at all those womens health care ads we get... outright lies. But I digress.

When you consider a surfboard, in it's natural element, doing it's thing, then that surfboard is the only measurable parameter in the whole equation, everything else is essentially an unmeasured [or unmeasurable] variable, which nullifies any claims for that board beyond the empirical. Move a fin a few millimeters and even that constant has gone.

So what's my point, you say.

It's this very fact that designing a 'perfect' board is like catching smoke, is what gives me hope that big business will never put the shaper/glasser out of a job.

Crafting surfboards is like hand building a car, house or table, it's fit for it's job and a thing of beauty because the maker has put a little bit of himself into ever one he finishes.


Remember a board is for life, not just the summer

I might come back and expand on this tomorrow, but then again, maybe not.

end of the week

The expected storm and high winds did'nt happen, at least around here, so tomorrows regatta will likely go ahead with north winds and flat seas, which is good since I'm likely to be driving a RIB and my shoulders can only put up with so much.

The comely Sarah might just be with me. If so it will be nice, she brings out the sarky dirty old man in me. As long as she stays of the subject of L and me. Fat chance. I suspect that it will be the only topic of conversation out there.

So, since that effectively ties up my w/e I'm going to take this pm off to do those humdrum things that sometimes have to be done, such as carting 1/2ton of planked cherry and chestnut from my soon to be vacated garage over to the workshop.

I'll frely admit that this wood will become part of my stock when I finally have had enough of this job, and I decide to opt out and become a carpenter or such like. We will see.

Juliette turned up last night, for a cuppa and a chat. we seemed to be ok round one another, although there still seems to be a lot of manouvering and 'not-getting-anywhere-fast' taking place. Let it take it's course sems to be the safest option at the moment.


Again no pic today, so far. maybe later

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Thursday.............

......... one of those non-days don't you think. It's closer to the weekend than Wednesday, so you should be in a more positive state of mind. But it's also further from Monday, which means that the angst and discontent levels are probably peaking around about now. It's also, very often, the dreaded *deadline* day when all those promises you made to your boss/partner/customer cme crashing down on you like a demented flock of geese.

So no, I don't do deadlines any more, apart from those over which I have no control whatsoever, because the law obliges me to stick with them. In that case I do the job, pay the bill, tax the car well within the period, and then deadlines no longer exist. simple. yeah right.

Update on the Juliette thing:

there is no real update, have'nt heard from her. caved in this am and left a message on her phone, but that's all.........


Neither have I photo for you all [anyone there? speak to me] Well I have but I can't really be bothered to search it out right now, so I'll leave it till another time.

It's Thursday, after all.

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further musings

On late again. just found a comment from Singlefin aka Grizz aka Tom. I wonder if anyone else reads this blog, apart from Grizz. If you do, leave a message, otherwise it's a bit message in a bottle.

Listening to John Martyn's Bless the Weather on the stereo. Just love it:

Bless the weather that brought you to me
Curse the storm that takes you away

I really am into JM more mellow maudlin songs. I guess it's that streak of Celtic melancholy/misery that runs through many of us on this north-western edge of Europe. Of course I'm not always into this introspective stuff, there are other artists that appeal. except for Rap, which I loathe with a passion. Which is strange, because I usually try to be open to new things.

It's gone 2300hrs and I'm wondering whether to put a photo up, or would that be over doing it. oh go on then. since we are all starved of surf at the moment how about this from earlier this year:




The corner - overhead, and then some

back tomorrow

Daily Photo

Well I did say that this site was begining to take on the aspect of a photo album, so why not a daily pic?



This time it is assuredly not a 'Lost Coast' picure, the bit of water in front of you is packed with pleasure boats during the summer. However once winter sets in the place is empty, but I do recall this end of the beach being quiet the whole summer long. Incidentally the photo was taken on a bright February day. Shot on colour film with a Minolta G. Scanned and then photoshopped to b@w with enhanced contrast to get that grainy look. Quite accidental actually, I did'nt really know what I was doing. But it worked. Sorta.


So, back to reality.

Well Juliette made supper, and it was'nt bad. Not when you consider that all the ingredients came from a tin, or rather a series of tins and/or packets. We gave the noodles to the parrot [I did'nt mention that she had a parrot, did I? Well she does]

Walked the dogs and it was getting late so as I was about to leave she launched into a 'why I hate men' sort of rant, which quite took me aback. Still it was'nt the sort of rant that would make me think 'OhOh, get me outta here' more a sort of berating herself for getting into bed with a few no-hoper types over the last x years. So I told her I was in no hurry and if she needed time to find herself then that fine, cos I also had a life to lead, and 'I'll see you, whenever. Bye' and off I went.

Still like her tho, but I reckon that it's best left as a friendship, at least for now.

Hmmm. more musings. later.


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OK lunch is done

Back in the office, having had a not-so-wonderful lunch of scraps and leftovers at home. At least the sunshade is working, the temperature in the conservatory is a more equable 70 today, although what it will be by tonight is anyones guess. Not that I'll be there.

Juliette has decided to cook supper. Hmmm. This is a person whose idea of a balanced meal is a pot-noodle, followed by a pot of cream and a merangue [did I spell that right?]

So I'll go over early, and make sure I'm home at a decent hour. Unless......... she's made up her mind about me. Which will be more than I will have done, about her.

It's daft at this age, all this manouvering about one-another. It was so simple when young: I've got this thing about you. I think you've got this thing about me. Do you want to do something? [thanks Buffy] Oh well it keeps me occupied whilst I'm *grounded*.

Speaking of Buffy I will have to cough up and admit it. I love Buffy. The programme that is. Although I do find SMG rather comely. My favourite tho is Amber Benson who played Tara - the blond lesbian witch. Nice to look at, nice to listen to. Mmmm.

I know that this is beginning to look like an album of my photos, and I suppose it is to some extent, but hey, I like to share.




my lost coast?

Monday Monday, tra la, do bi do wa

Ahh, Monday morning, don't you just love it.

Bright and breezy here so up early and off to work.....spent far too long browsing and not working, but hey! it was early and there was no-one around.

Hopefully later on this week we'll see some surf and maybe, just maybe I'll be fit enough to try the surfmat out. Still crocked and beginning to think that it might be a better idea to give up surfing for the rest of the year and concentrate on sorting my shoulders. I am also thinking of putting off my next big holiday, due this September, until next year and trying to save up as much as possible thus making it even better! We'll see.

I was sorting out various photos that I had uploaded and found this one, it's a scan rather than a digital image, but I like it:



"leave only........."

OK lunchtime approaches and so I think I'll update a little later.

Oh yeah the header - a well known vocal group of the 60's?

quiet day

Sunday, a quiet day. John Martyn's 'Small hours ' on the stereo. Supposed to have gone rowing but still achy from the other night and my shoulders are playing up.
Still I finished of the sun awning for the glass roof and put it up. Looks good[ish]. It will probably rain for the rest of the summer now.
Still can't go surfing. Blasted shoulder. Should get started on that prone-board. Maybe this week.
Ok time for a coffee and a quich run through the photos.

*Artistic* shot of the celtic longboats on the beach...but not alas on the lost coast



see ya later

It's very late

Sunday am somewhere between midnight and halfpast. Just got back from Juliette's 15miles and 20 minutes away, buried in the countryside. Tired, but not ready for bed.
Hmmm, somehow or other I appear to have got me a new g/f. I'm a bit bemused, since it appeared to have snuck up on me.
Usually I have to have a girl/lady/woman standing in front of me with a large neon sign saying 'shag me now' before the penny drops. Not that she's not nice, far from it. But she is a little strange. Otherworldly. eccentric? maybe.
It's just that I've known her for years and now all of a sudden this. I dunno. I'll sleep on it and report back tomorrow........

It's late

It's late [ish] and I'm just noodling around waiting for a documentary on John Martyn to start on BBC2.
So I was just thinking about the Lost Coast and whether it is a place in our minds or does it really exist. The answer is Yes! All of us beach lovers have our perfect beach as well as beaches we would only be seen dead on - Benidorm, anyone? And there is such a place, in Northern California, alongside the famous Hwy 1. The place was impossible to build a road through so they swung inland to join 101 and 'lost' that bit of coast. I'll write some more on it when I'm in the mood. But for now:



is this the Lost Coast?

F8&%^* customisation

In an attempt to get everything *just so* I've been tinkering with the settings and such like. But, talk about complicated. Enter this, print that, have a look, no change. I must have logged on and off several times in the last half hour. Never mind. Need to see if I can get a photo up next. I'll probaly do that from home. I dont think the ratepayers would appreciate my using their time to play around here. Heh, who cares. Oh another snippet passed on to me by my late dad:

'if you are out at sea in a boat, you can't park up and walk home'

That's for you Grizz.

update!

Still getting the hang of this. Remember I'm from a generation for whom buying a basic 4 function calculator cost the earth, if you could find one. My first was a Texas instruments which cost £26 [about £200 at todays prices] It cost more because *wow* it had a % button on it. Before that we used slide rules. Anyway as I said, still getting the hang of this particular site... where's the *italics* button, or the *bold* for that matter, or will I have to keep pressing * whenever I want to emphasize anything *sigh*

Oh there they are.

Ok need to start customising this here place with a few links and what have you...... now where do I go to do that....

Another contributor an e-mate of mine has little additions as to his state of mind whilst posting. I want to do that too *pout* but can I find a way to place forms to that? well, not yet... but I will. Until later chaps and chapessesss.

well here we are

So this is all new to me. I suppose it's a bit like a diary. I've always been useless at keeping diaries, taking notes etc so why should this be any different. It may be that it's a Friday afternoon in the office and although I have a mountain of work to deal with, I know it's not going to happen today. Or next Monday either for that matter. So what. I'm at the at time of life where ambition is no longer relevant. Just the money that comes with the job. It's not that I hate my job you understand. But I'd rather be on a beach. beachcombing. or surfing. or just sitting there all introspective and looking at the sea. brooding. being a poet. or something. Hell I'm 49 and still a juvenile.

Ok mantra for today... and the rest of my life methinks:

*Take the money, spend the money, enjoy the money*