Catching up again...
Well, it's been interesting. And busy, but that goes without saying. Let's see...
... [HIATUS]...
Aaaand forty hours later I'm trying again...
If I can actually remember what happened.
First, the kingfisher haunting the moat of the Bishop's Palace at Wells, taken by Ken when he and Kai went there at the beginning of the year.
Adorable little birb...
Sorted out the problem at the bank, though it took about an hour and a half, as their network kept going down. Oh joy.
K&K went to Radstock on the Sat, walked a little way along the cycle path. I spent much of the day getting washing done (bedding. Ugh. Nightmare to dry in the winter...)
Sunday was the usual shopping and Golden Voyage of Sinbad, which was great fun.
Monday I had a dr's appt: she recommended I start taking co-codamol to control the pain so I can get the exercises done that should - eventually - help solve the problems, though with arthritis developing in my lower spine I don't hold out much hope. However, it is nice to be completely pain free for a few hours. (I'm only taking two first thing for three days, then stopping for five, as the warning on the box says no more than three days due to the danger of addiction. Seems to be working out OK so far.)
Got there early, so had a look in charity shops, and found the complete Hyperdrive. We've been watching an ep a night: it's... uneven, very very drolly funny in places, awkward in others, and thoroughly cringe-worthy in a few. Very strange, but... we kind of like it. And Miranda Hart is adorable in it.
On Monday pm Kai and I played our first game of chess! Great fun! And Kai won! It was pretty hard fought though, and I only had Megatron and a handful of pawns left on the board, while Kai was down to OP and a Bumblebee... Need a rematch, but haven't found time yet.
On Tues we went to see Rogue One...
Well, ignore what I said before, we absolutely loved it. Fantastic. Brimming over with the reckless enthusiasm and derring-do of the first (New Hope) film, stunningly good SFX and cinematography, endearing characters and a thoroughly satisfying plot. Fabulous!
Kai had an appt on Wed: while in town I went in search of glitterdust at Craft and More and enamel paints from Antics, as we planned to actually, finally make a start on the model kits we got Yule 2015. Which we did yesterday. I decided my first Vulcan (Hawkins Bazaar had a half price sale on so I picked up another for £14.99 instead of £30, although you could say I got another £1.70 off as that day the ticket machine on the bus home wasn't working and the driver was letting everyone ride for free. Yes, the subtitle for this blog is Surreal Я Us for a reason. More in a bit when I tell you what happened today!) is going to be a Transformer - matte black with drifts of stars, and the pilots are now electric blue with glitter (holograms, you see...) It will hang from the ceiling later. The second one I'll paint in the proper colours. I think. Might change my mind...
Anyway, it's started well, though Kai's ISS is going to take ages. There are 50 steps to complete it! (Vulcan only has 15.) I may very well give him a hand along the way.
Today we went to Weston. Just because the weather was glorious and Kai is back at Uni next Mon.
Anti-trump protest on Bristol Bridge. There were quite a few of these in Bristol today...
The whole day was one of those where you wonder if you've fallen into a parallel reality where everything goes completely right. We got to the bus-stop as the X39 pulled up at the next stop back, so had to wait all of 20 seconds before it reached us: got off at the bus station and straight onto the X1A to Weston: got off at Tesco - plan today was to explore the charity shops rather than walk the beach - and the first thing Kai saw was a beautiful little carriage clock in the RSPCA window. He glanced at me and said "I'm having that!", went in and bought it. It's a really good one too, bevelled glass and proper mechanical bits inside (do forgive the technical jargon!) and only cost £4. He's delighted!
Then around the corner in Weston Hospicecare I found exactly the gilet I've been looking for for the bike (OK, the colour is deep burgundy rather than teal, but it looks fine), priced at £10 but on the half price rail, so got it for £5. (And when I got home found it was a brand new M&S Classic range, originally £35.) And Kai found a lovely little long Indian wooden box for his earrings (he's already getting quite a collection!) which he is very pleased with.
And the finds continued! I needed a pair of proper thermal gloves (reason why in a moment) and in the British Heart Foundation shop found the exact pair I needed (Thinsulate fingerless with a bit that folds over to keep the fingers warm. Fingerless mittens?) Very warm and comfy. Bright fuschia pink, alas, but no-one's going to see them. And perhaps I can dye them! For £1.99 I wasn't going to complain. Last of all was a Tesco DVD player (mine packed up ages ago) - brand new and unused, result of a house clearance - and half the marked price of £5! At £2.50 I decided even if it didn't work I'd not lost much so bought it. Checked it when I got home and it plays perfectly...
And the day and the beach were beautiful...
Aaaand the luck continued for the trip back, straight on the bus, fabulous sunset, got off the X1A and straight onto the 178 at Bristol bus station to get us home. Chicken Kievs and chips for dinner, then out into the freezing garden with the telescope!
Hence my need for good gloves. The parka I picked up from Sains a year ago is wonderfully warm, and the thermal socks from Go Outdoors perfect for the occasion, and now my hands are warm too. This was the third time we've taken the scope out: first was just after New Year to see how it functioned: took a look at the gibbous moon and the crescent of Venus, fantastic sights! And over the last two nights (which were finally clear, though bloody cold!) we've seen the Orion Nebula, taken a good look at the Pleiades, and glimpsed the hazy smudge of the Andromeda galaxy, although it's not best positioned for good viewing yet. We'll check later. (We are handicapped by being in the city: the night sky is never overly dark. We're not doing badly though, and Kai is loving it.)
So all in all it's been a very interesting week, and a damn near perfect Friday. Kai's new meds seem to making a difference too, as he's noticeably more cheerful and positive and our conversation on the way home involved a lot of discussion of writing - and how to move a solar system using a massive solar sail...
Labels: astronomy, British comedy, busyness, films, luck, medical matters, shopping, Weston-super-Mare
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Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor
pontificated this at 12:37 am
3 Comments:
What a fabulous lot of lucky finds! Glad the telescope is working out well. I wasn't previously aware of Hyperdrive but if it's got Miranda in it, then I want to see it! I shall have to look out for it.
Ohhh, I've just followed through on your IMDB link and seen it's also got Paterson Joseph in it. I'm definitely getting it!
Ah yes, the Marquis de Carabas. His role is small but very significant in Hyperdrive. I think you'll like it.
In places, anyway...
Hee - not to let the grass grow or anything - I've just bought a copy on ebay for £2.99 inc postage. I'll let you know what I think :)
Sue - from work, hence being anonymous.