Around here we like life on an even keel; things going along smoothly. Yes, of course there is the occasional annoyance, like broken washing machines or pond pumps, but they are seldom catastrophic or disasters and are generally easily fixed or bypassed.
What surprises me is that this seems to be totally contrary to the way many of our friends and acquaintances operate. They seem to be unable to ride along smoothly, bobbing along on the waves of irritation. They seem to have to stagger continually from one crisis to the next — often several at a time — with even the smallest setback being an end-of-world catastrophe and needing others to help dig them out of the midden.
I can’t understand how people can operate like this. It would do my head in and seems to be so mentally destructive. It must be either a way of life of their choosing or an ingrained manifestation of adolescent angst which they cannot shake off.
Now, OK, I’ll admit we don’t indulge in many of the activities which are more liable to provide unforeseen (even foreseen) disasters. We don’t have kids, or kids-kids, so we don’t have to cope with illness, accident, the vagaries of schools, lost boy/girl-friends etc. etc. We don’t own a car (in fact neither of us can drive).** We own our house and don’t move every 3 years. We don’t spend all our leisure time flying round the world in search of sun, sand etc.
[** Not having kids and not driving are probably the two greenest things we’ve ever done, or ever can do, in our lives.]
We decided years ago that these were things we didn’t need to do, so we wouldn’t. I calculated many years ago that using a taxi when we need one, although it feels expensive, is actually cheaper than having a car, and so much less stressful — it hardly ever stops us being where we need to be; and for longer journeys we enjoy trains. Our house is adequate for the needs of the two of us, albeit not in the very best of areas, and we’re not ones for wanting to boil like lobsters in sunnier climes.
That doesn’t mean we don’t do things and don’t get to the places we need/want to, though it does mean we need to plan ahead a bit more, thus foregoing a certain amount of spontaneity. We try to think ahead and make considered, rational decisions: plan twice, act once.
Of course things go wrong. And when they do, well that’s life. You pick up, shrug your shoulders, work out how best to fix the problem and move on. It is neither a drama nor a crisis.
As an example, a couple of weeks ago we were both due, the same afternoon, to go to the dentist for our bi-annual check-ups and abuse by the hygienist. Our dentist is 7-8 miles away and we keep going to him because he is so excellent, despite that it needs a taxi. In fact on this occasion a friend had promised to run us over there in return for petrol money, coffee and cake — fair enough. But at the appointed time said friend didn’t appear; and mobile phone contact failed.
Having reached past the appointed hour, even for Plan B, we rang the dentist and explained nicely what had happened and rebooked the appointments. If the dentist decided to charge us for late cancellation, as we expected and knew he should, well such is life; it happens occasionally. In the event they haven’t charged us. It turns out said friend was ill for a couple of days and hadn’t been able to top up his phone; hence the lack of contact. Yes it was inconvenient and it might have cost us money, but it wasn’t a grand tragedy. We carried on and enjoyed a bonus free afternoon!
Basically it is as Noreen says: we don’t do panic, excitement, drama or surprise; we just roll along letting things largely wash over us; taking everything in our stride. It all seems to be common sense — but then as we know there is no such thing!
I’ve had to learn to do this; I don’t know how I did it, but it has certainly helped me a lot over the years. I couldn’t have done project management at the level I did without it.
OK, our approach is not always benign. For instance we don’t always put the effort we maybe should into having things repaired, but resort to throwing money at the problem and buying a new one — although that is always a considered decision. We’re lucky that (at the moment) we can afford to. And of course it’s all doing our bit to keep the economy going. It is all part of keeping things ticking along gently and evenly so we don’t, for example, spend three weeks without a washing machine while someone fails to source replacement parts. Yes, it’s a trade-off between a peaceful existence and being green — slightly less green, maybe slightly better karma and certainly lower blood pressure? We could, I’m sure do better …
But having said that I just do not understand how people can exist on a continual roller-coaster of drama, panic, crisis and catastrophe.
It’s probably good that we’re not all alike.
Category Archives: ramblings
Wearying up to the Weekend
I’m tired. I want to sit and fall asleep but if I do I won’t get any dinner, because the time is approaching.
The week started off quietly, but the last couple of days have been surprisingly heavy.
Yesterday morning Noreen and I had our first introduction to yoga breathing, and some simple yoga. That’s quite tiring because I’m not very flexible (I never was) and not at all fit (entirely self-inflicted). You are also having to concentrate like mad on what you’re being told to do!
After a quick dash home and some lunch it was off to the optician for my annual eye test. Which is fine, although as I’m diabetic I always get my optician to do a retinopathy scan (basically photograph the back of my eyes). This involves drops in the eyes to dilate the pupils and leaves you unable to focus for several hours. Disorientating to say the least and, as yesterday, it sometimes makes you feel a bit queasy and in need of a lie down. So that too is quite tiring. In fact I often sleep for an hour or so when I get home and my eyes recover.
(Yes, as a diabetic you do get a routine annual NHS retinopathy scan, but I like my optician to do it as well — if only because I get to see the pictures!)
In case anyone is wondering, which is what your retina looks like through a camera lens (this is my right eye yesterday).
Today I have spent the whole day in a training session (on healthcare commissioning, since you ask). On a warm day; in an inside conference room with 15 other people and no control over the aircon. Luckily it was actually interesting, so I didn’t fall asleep despite the temptation!
But brilliant — along the way today I managed to get a couple of things cancelled next week. So I get a free day. Well that’s the current theory, anyway. Better book a day out so we have to get up early!
Arrggghhhh!!!!! But tomorrow it is up early again as it is supermarket day (we normally go on a Friday) and the only sensible time to go is early morning before it gets too busy. Roll up to the supermarket and look to see if there are any good reductions on the meat counter. Then off for coffee and breakfast before tackling the bulk of the job. Hopefully home by mid-morning.
Maybe I get a lay-in on Sunday? Well here’s hoping anyway.
Retirement is such hard work! How do we ever find the time and energy to go to work? Beats me!
Coming up in June
Some interesting events an anniversaries in the month ahead.
1 to 30 June
National Microchip Month. Is your pet microchipped? By 2016 all dogs will be required by law to be microchipped. And it is well worth having any animal microchipped — we have found the owner of one cat, and had one of our cats found and been contacted purely because they were chipped. It is an easy, cheap process and doesn’t distress the animal. Any vet should be able to do it and your pet’s details are then on a national register. There’s a lot more information at www.petlog.org.uk/national-microchipping-month.
1 June
Asparafest 2014. Held at Ashdown Farm, Evesham this is Worcestershire’s asparagus themed music and food festival and all part of the British Asparagus Festival. Full details at www.asparafest.co.uk.
6 June
D Day Landings. The 70th anniversary of the 1944 D Day Landings which were the beginning of the end of WWII.
13 June
First V1 attack on England was on this day in 1944, just a week after D-Day.
14 & 15 June
Open Garden Squares Weekend. Around 200 gardens across London take part in Open Garden Squares Weekend each year. There is a real variety — from the traditional private squares to contemporary roof gardens, not to mention skips, prisons, museums, schools and allotments. Feed your curiosity in this magical two-day event. More information at www.opensquares.org.
14 June
Trooping the Colour. The annual parade on London’s Horseguards when the Queen inspects her troops. British military pageantry at it’s most splendid.
14 June
World Gin Day is a celebration of all things gin, giving us a legitimate excuse (not that we need one) to try all of the exceptional gins that are currently on the market.
20 to 22 June
Evesham National Morris Weekend. Morris sides from around the country come together in a national festival to dance the end of the asparagus season. Lots more information at www.nationalmorrisweekend.co.uk.
20 June
On this day in 1214 the University of Oxford received its charter.
21 June
Summer Solstice. The longest day in the northern hemisphere.
21 June
National Flash Fiction Day. Flash fiction is a really short story — basically, it contains everything you would write in an ordinary short story, but it’s much more condensed, often to just a handful of words. And Flash Fiction Day aims to celebrate all that’s good in this art form. There’s lots more information at https://nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/.
22 June
The first even cricket match was played at Lord’s Cricket Ground — the current one, that is, because Mr Lord had two previous nearby grounds both of which had to move because of property development. So it was third time lucky!
23 June
This day in 1314 witnessed the Battle of Bannockburn when the Scots decisively routed the English.
24 June
St John’s Day; Midsummers Day. This is the day on which many religions, from Christians to pagans, celebrate mid-summer.
28 June
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo on this day in 1914, and act which precipitated World War I. The event is marked in the opening chapter of Anthony Powell’s novel The Kindly Ones.
Auction Delights
Yet another selection of the weird and wonderful from the catalogue of our local auction house. Nothing really outrageous this time; no mounted walrus heads; cranberry glass figurines of Hitler; stuffed guinea pigs. Just a collection of oddities put together and called a lot.
A still life of a loaf of brad (sic) with cheese and a bottle of beer, oil on canvas, gilt frame
A Dunhill cigar cutter, a Dunhill white metal lighter and a small erotic carving
3 miniature books, a small collection of miniature porcelain gnomes, and a silver-mounted perfume flask
A spring-loaded bone-handled corkscrew inscribed ‘BK&C’, a pair of old field glasses, a boxed pair of Nikon binoculars, a pair of opera glasses, magnifying glasses, and an unusual small candle holder, being held up by a frog on top of a tortoise
A late Victorian ornate silver bachelor milk jug and sugar basin, Birmingham 1896
How do you sex a milk jug, let alone determine its marital status?
A large quantity of miniature souvenir cheese dishes with covers including Margate, Ipswich, Alfriston, Bath, Lincoln, etc.
A White Star Line plate, a quantity of Wedgwood Bournvita cups, plates and coffee pot, a small quantity of commemorative ware including the coronation of 1937 George VI, a small quantity of souvenir ware including Walton-on-the-Naze and Northampton, a Victorian bisque nodding mandarin, a bisque figurine of a girl, etc.
Seven Wade Nat-West piggy banks including two Fathers, a Mother, Baby and three different children.
Clearly a very modern family indeed.
A good quantity of tribal art including masks, crocodile figurine, backbone necklace, carved hardwood bellows, pipes, African wall mask styled as an elephant and decorated with feathers, plus other interesting objects.
A boxed set of six Babycham glasses, a Wedgwood green jasperware box, a Wade dish entitled Wagon Train, a Belleek heart-shaped trinket box and cover, three boxed key rings, four Time-for-Tea boxed miniature collectable teapots, a horn, a figurine of an angel with Jesus, a figurine of a lady, a set of knife rests, three blackbird pie funnels, a quantity of small animal figurines including a Goebels rabbit, a Russian blue and white alligator, and other blue and white Russian figurines including two children on a wolf, a potter, eskimo, ladies, etc., a small quantity of thimbles, a quantity of souvenir ware including a clog advertising Guildford and a pig advertising Hove, a Coalport figurine of an owl and another of a snail, an Avon black cat perfume bottle, a Portmeirion white glazed jug, a Herend dish decorated with flowers, a Russian ceramic bear, a white glazed Naples figurine of a cherub playing a flute, three David Winter cottages, and other collectable items.
… interesting items including Victorian Frister & Rossman sewing machine, a leather briefcase, a Bush radio, Smiths mantel clock, three Oriental embroidered pictures of birds, Old Foley jar and cover, a large wash jug decorated with roses, copper jug and cover, three silver plated jugs, plus other interesting china items including wall plates, jugs, etc.
A quantity of fishing equipment incl. seat, nets, rucksack and fishing rods in a blue carry-all container and a pair of curtains
Two boxes of interesting artefacts incl. an old Oriental metal bell decorated with dragons and masks, a Dinky toy Ensign glass airliner model plane, old brass animal collar, a pair of heavy metal ankle bracelets, old metal pipe, replica pistol, snake candlestick, heavy Oriental brass vase, two heavy metal African figures, a pewter tankard, and a large metal tankard
Two Tanzanian Nyamwezi water divining wooden staffs of figural form, male and female
A huge collection of 75rpm (sic) and LP records
and again …
A collection of LPs, 45s and 75s, (sic) some of which date back to the 60s
A quantity of camping equipment incl. tents, stoves, kettles, plates, in a metal trunk C219CMC 1944, belt, pen, musical dog figure ‘The Last Shout’, a boxed brake lights, a military box, an old BBC Bakelite broadcasting item no. 2 model with adapters for aerial, earth and phone, an old leather suitcase and a trunk containing a leather case, torches, a quantity of Practical Engineering magazines, and various Machinery magazines, a pair of leather driving gloves, etc.
Three cartons of assorted National hats from around the world
and again …
A collection of national hats from around the world … including SE Asian straw hats and a Native American headdress
Oddity of the Week: Legal Tender
Now here’s an oddity which I found out by chance the other day …
Bank of England sterling banknotes are the only paper money which is legal tender in England and Wales. No banknotes are legal tender in Scotland or Northern Ireland! (Bank of England coinage is legal tender throughout the UK.)
The following quotes come from the Wikipedia article on Banknotes of the Pound Sterling which, for those in doubt, is well referenced.
The Bank of England [acts] as a central bank in that it has a monopoly on issuing banknotes in England and Wales, and regulates the issues of banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland …
… some of the monopoly provisions of the Bank Charter Act [of 1844] only applied to England and Wales. The Bank Notes (Scotland) Act was passed [in 1845], and to this day, three retail banks retain the right to issue their own sterling banknotes in Scotland, and four in Northern Ireland …
English banknotes … The majority of sterling notes are printed by the Bank of England. These are legal tender in England and Wales, and are always accepted by traders throughout the UK …
Scottish banknotes … are the recognised currency in Scotland, but are not legal tender. They are always accepted by traders in Scotland, and are usually accepted in other parts of the United Kingdom. However, some outside Scotland are unfamiliar with the notes and they are sometimes refused. Institutions such as clearing banks, building societies and the Post Office will readily accept Scottish bank notes.
The situation in Northern Ireland is exactly as in Scotland except that Northern Ireland banknotes are seldom seen outside the province.
And here now is the interesting part …
The concept of “legal tender” is a narrow technical definition that refers to the settlement of debt, and it has little practical meaning in everyday transactions such as buying goods in shops (but does apply, for example, to the settling of a restaurant bill, where the food has been eaten prior to demand for payment and so a debt exists). Essentially, any two parties can agree to any item of value as a medium for exchange when making a purchase (in that sense, all money is ultimately an extended form of barter). If a debt exists that is legally enforceable and the debtor party offers to pay with some item that is not “legal tender,” the creditor may refuse such payment and declare that the debtor is in default of payment; if the debtor offers payment in legal tender, the creditor is required to accept it or else the creditor is in breach of contract. Thus, if in England party A owes party B 1,000 pounds sterling and offers to pay in Northern Ireland banknotes, party B may refuse and sue party A for non-payment; if party A provides Bank of England notes, party B must acknowledge the debt as legally paid even if party B would prefer some other form of payment.
Banknotes do not have to be classed as legal tender to be acceptable for trade; millions of retail transactions are carried out each day in the UK using cheques, bitcoin, or debit or credit cards, none of which is a payment using legal tender … Acceptability as a means of payment is essentially a matter for agreement between the parties involved.
Bank of England notes are the only banknotes that are legal tender in England and Wales. Scottish and Northern Ireland banknotes are not legal tender anywhere … The fact that these banknotes are not legal tender in the UK does not however mean that they are illegal under English law, and creditors and traders may accept them if they so choose …
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, no banknotes, not even ones issued in those countries, are legal tender. They have a similar legal standing to cheques or debit cards, in that their acceptability as a means of payment is essentially a matter for agreement between the parties involved, although Scots law requires any reasonable offer for settlement of a debt to be accepted.
Until 1988, the Bank of England issued one pound notes, and these notes did have legal tender status in Scotland and Northern Ireland while they existed. The Currency and Bank Notes Act 1954 defined Bank of England notes of less than £5 in value as legal tender in Scotland. Since the English £1 note was removed from circulation in 1988, this leaves a legal curiosity in Scots law whereby there is no paper legal tender in Scotland.
And here’s a further curiosity …
Bank notes are no longer redeemable in gold and the Bank of England will only redeem sterling banknotes for more sterling banknotes or coins. The contemporary sterling is a fiat currency which is backed only by securities; in essence IOUs from the Treasury … Some economists term this “currency by trust”, as sterling relies on the faith of the user rather than any physical specie.
In other words all money is worthless; it is all either physical tokens (banknotes, coins) or electronic bits in a computer system and it is all government IOUs. But it was the definition of “legal tender” and the lack of banknotes as legal tender in Scotland and Northern Ireland which piqued my interest.
Tasse de Dégustation
A couple of months ago I acquired from a friend four tastevin (or tasse de dégustation, tasse du vin, wine cups, depending on your predilection). My friend had bought them in northern France and cleaned them up before passing them on to me in exchange for a few drinking tokens.
They are all of the same standard design with bowls 75mm in diameter and have the crest of Bouchard Aîné & Fils, a recognised Beaune wine house. All appear to be white metal plating over a yellow metal base, the latter showing through where the white plating is rubbed. The base metal is therefore likely to be brass (or possibly some form of pewter).One of the four is clearly silver plated as it has a small stamp “METAL ARGENTE” (the French indication of silver plate) on the bowl near the handle. Two are stamped just “METAL”. The fourth has a tiny (2mm) square maker’s mark of M and P with what appears to be an upward pointing arrow between the letters — I have not been able to satisfactorily identify this maker. As far as I can see there are no other marks. The two “METAL” ones have a very slightly greyer/duller lustre than the other two, which makes me suspect they are maybe tin plated, the brighter two both being silver — but that is pure speculation on my part.
This fourth, with the maker’s mark, is noticeably the most worn, with more yellow metal showing through, so it looks as if it may have been someone’s favourite. The stamping of the crest is also of a slightly better quality, so this one could be older.
Looking further at the wear on the handle of this one with a maker’s mark, two further things become apparent: (a) there is a slight wear mark where the tasse would have been worn on string/ribbon round a sommelier’s neck (in fact all four have this) and (b) the wear on the crest suggests that the sommelier was right handed.
Nonetheless I doubt any of them is of any significant age.
I have no expectation that they are of any useful monetary value but nonetheless I’m interested to work out their provenance. I have written to Bouchard Aîné & Fils asking if they can date them or provide other information, but I have so far not received a reply.
If anyone can shed further light on them, then I would love to hear from you.
Meanwhile they are nice little things to have!
Laptop to Go
I may have spent a chunk of my working life project managing logistics projects, but global logistics still boggle my mind.
Recently I bought a new laptop. For various reasons, one being I wanted a slightly non-standard hardware configuration, I ordered direct from the manufacturer. In doing so I knew that the machine would be shipped direct to me from China, because like most things these days that’s where they’re manufactured.
When it was eventually despatched it was trusted to the care of UPS, and slightly to my astonishment (especially given the relative lack of protective packaging) it actually arrived in one piece. Thanks to the wonders of trackable packages I was able to watch the somewhat byzantine route the laptop took to get to me. It went like this (all times are local time):
| Thursday (day 1); late evening | Ready for collection from Hefei, China |
| Wednesday; evening | Collected by UPS (And they call this is expedited delivery!) |
| Thursday (day 8); very early morning | Leaves Shanghai on route to … |
| Thursday; early morning | Arrival at Incheon, South Korea (Oh, its going east so will come via LA or JFK. Not a bit of it.) |
| Thursday midday | Leave Incheon bound for … |
| Thursday, early morning | I don’t believe it! … Almaty, Kazakhstan, where it eventually clears customs in mid afternoon |
| Thursday; early evening | Departs Almay on its way to … |
| Thursday early evening | Warsaw, Poland |
| Thursday; mid-evening | And we’re away from Warsaw on the next leg to … |
| Thursday; late evening | Cologne, Germany |
| Friday; not much after midnight | Leaving Cologne bound for … |
| Friday; before dawn | Stansted (At last we’ve arrived in the UK, but, phew, we need a little rest now!) |
| Monday; before dawn | Leaving Stansted going to … |
| Monday; 17 minutes after leaving Stansted | Feltham, near Heathrow (How in 17 minutes unless it’s on a helicopter?) |
| Monday; within minutes of arrival | Leaving Feltham on the final leg to me |
| Monday; midday | Finally delivered to my door! |
That’s 12 elapsed days and countless thousands of miles in eight hops through some very unlikely places.
At each step along the way I was having a little guess as to where it would go next, and it’s safe to say I got every one wrong except the last stop in Feltham — and that only because I know it’s where my local UPS depot is!
I’m disappointed they didn’t manage to work in Kuala Lumpur, Osaka and Barcelona along the way!
Coming up in April
Interesting events an anniversaries in the month ahead.
1 April to 5 May
National Pet Month has been promoting responsible pet ownership and helping pet charities across the UK for the last 25 years. This year’s theme is Celebrating Our Pets and there events across the country. Find out more at www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk.
1 April
All Fools Day is widely recognized and celebrated in various countries as a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other. The earliest recorded association between 1 April and foolishness is an ambiguous reference in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
4 April
International Carrot Day. Who said Bugs Bunny was only a cartoon character? Find out more at www.carrotday.com.
5 April
American Indian Princess Pocahontas married John Rolfe on this day in 1614.
5 April
International Pillow Fight Day when there will be massive pillow fights in cities around the world. The events are organised under the umbrella of the Urban Playground Movement who organize free, fun, non-commercial public events. Again you can find more on their website at 2014.pillowfightday.com.
20 April
Easter Day. As well as being a major festival of the Christian church there will be traditional events (egg hunts, egg rolling, simnel cakes …) in many countries around the world.
22 April
Earth Day is an international project to encourage us all to do more to protect the planet and secure a sustainable future. This year the emphasis is on education an schools are being encouraged to join in. You’ll find lots of information over at www.earthday.org.
23 April to 21 June
British Asparagus Festival. The Vale of Evesham is the asparagus growing centre of the UK and each year they hold a 2 month-long festival during the asparagus season, starting with the first crop on St George’s Day. English asparagus is the best and has to be enjoyed during its short season, hence the festival. Find out more at www.britishasparagusfestival.org.
25 April
Guglielmo Marconi, the Italian pioneer of long-distance radio transmission was both on this day in 1874.
26 April
On this day in 1564 William Shakespeare is baptised in Stratford-upon-Avon.
28 April
On this day in 1789 the Mutiny on the Bounty is led by Fletcher Christian against Lieutenant William Bligh.
Five Questions, Series 5 #5
I’ve just realised that I never answered the last of the Five Questions in Series 5 that I posed way back at the beginning of the year. I’m not quite sure how that happened, but anyway here at last is that answer.
Question 5:Unicorns or magic carpet as your only form of transport? Why?
That just has to be a magic carpet. It should be much more comfortable a ride and there should be space for others to come along too. Moreover magic carpets probably fly lower, so you can see things along the way.
I assume that unicorns are basically horses. I don’t like horses. To me they are temperamental and untrustworthy beasts. I’ve sat on a horse only once, when I was a kid; it was very scary and bloody uncomfortable. So I can’t imagine being able to cling onto a flying unicorn.
No, the “My Little Pony Club” can have my share of unicorns. I’ll have a magic carpet, thank you!
OK, that concludes Five Questions, Series 5. I’ll do another series in a few months.
Meantime, I would like questions to answer — ask anything and I will see if I can answer it. No promises though ‘cos you really don’t want to know about my … TMIA!
Oddity of the Week: Railways #394½
Things you never suspected about railways #394½ …
The Severn Valley Railway (an English preserved steam railway, M’Lud) is now midway through a project to spend £75,000 restoring a Gresley designed LNER Gangwayed Brake Pigeon Van. Yes, that’s right, they’re spending around three times the UK average annual salary restoring a specialist railway coach for carrying pigeons!
Source: The Railway Magazine; March 2014