Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

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[The Camel]

I thought this might appeal to you

Queueing, Caribbean style

That might be the best thing ever.

[Karabiner]

They have a rather odd way of queueing in Israel too.

When you get to a bus stop with several people waiting in a random group the latest to arrive asks everyone "who's the last one" and then knows who to follow.

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Hello gentle reader, I hope this finds you fit and well.

We're enjoying our holiday. Traveling most days and reading in the evenings. What could be more fun?

The girls seem to be coping well without us.  Bridie reports changing a flat tyre, refilling her screen wash, and replacing a headlight bulb.

Several ferries have been cancelled because of bad weather in the Bay of Biscay and the knock on effect means we now sail on the 10th from Gijon, which is a day later than planned.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I've been keeping up with UK news. What a lot of weather your having. Floods, power outages and stuff. I find extreme weather exciting but I feel sorry for those who suffer because of it.

Lots of peeps seem to have kicked the bucket around Crimbo time too, notably Phil Everly. Who hasn't had a last dance smooch to an Everly Brothers number? (thinking about it, probably 90% of the people on the forum, lol).

Anyway, sup with you?

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Mrs Red has been a bit distant lately.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

Hello gentle reader, I hope this finds you fit and well.

We're enjoying our holiday. Traveling most days and reading in the evenings. What could be more fun?

The girls seem to be coping well without us.  Bridie reports changing a flat tyre, refilling her screen wash, and replacing a headlight bulb.

Several ferries have been cancelled because of bad weather in the Bay of Biscay and the knock on effect means we now sail on the 10th from Gijon, which is a day later than planned.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I've been keeping up with UK news. What a lot of weather your having. Floods, power outages and stuff. I find extreme weather exciting but I feel sorry for those who suffer because of it.

Lots of peeps seem to have kicked the bucket around Crimbo time too, notably Phil Everly. Who hasn't had a last dance smooch to an Everly Brothers number? (thinking about it, probably 90% of the people on the forum, lol).

Anyway, sup with you?

Hi Tom,

That so reminds me of the Postcards we used to get when Aunty Winnie was on holiday in Brighton or Skeggy.

I went to google Images to find something suitable for my reply, & accidentally stumbled across this. 

Click to see full-size image.

This photo EXACTLY sums up my holidays in the early 1950's, & I shall now enjoy the memories for the whole day. I dare anyone of my age not to be moved by this photo, it has everything.

I can identify with every single person in that photo, every caravan, the grass (of a brown hue usually), the kids, the dogs, Mum & Dad, Nan & Grandad, the putting green - oh the thrill of a hole in two! - it is incredible.

We had a seaside caravan holiday every year, & even now, 55 or 60 years on, I can remember the tingle of excitement as we looked forward to it every year.

Two weeks in Dawlish Warren, with gas bottles, water standpipes, & the chippie on the front. I might just be wrong, but I doubt life ever got better than that. Holidays definitely never got better, & I've had holidays in almost every corner of the globe since I became a grown up. None beat a caravan in Dawlish. 

Damn you, I'll be in reflective mood all day now.

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Your childhood is so enigmatic Tony, a true bitter sweet experience some might say. Is that how you see it?

Have you ever considered doing an autobiography, and if so, would you start at the beginning or after you left home?

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Click to see full-size image.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfie

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Surf at sunrise.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

Your childhood is so enigmatic Tony, a true bitter sweet experience some might say. Is that how you see it?

Have you ever considered doing an autobiography, and if so, would you start at the beginning or after you left home?

Yes, I suppose "bitter-sweet" is about right, very bitter at the time, but it produced a lifetime of sweet I suppose.

As things panned out, I'd not change the package really.

Easily the worst part was going to a special school on that "special bus", along with all the Downs Syndrome kids - we used to call them mongols - & other mentally or physically challenged kids, including what were then known as "spastics". To this day, I fly into a barely controllable rage when I see words & phrases like window lickers, mong, retard, moron & spazz carelessly bandied around in the world of poker. But that's just a scar that won't ever heal.

On balance, it could not have worked out better, so I'm fine with it. I also do have some very good childhood memories, they were not all bad, not at all. All things considered, life could not have worked out much better, really, I've done all sorts, & my Dad would consider that I'd over-achieved. He'd not be quite so pleased at some of the really dumb things I've done though. Been plenty of them.....

The book? Yeah, I'm still trying to do it, in amongst 10,000 other things. In a way, it will be a blessing if I lose my job, or retire, as I can settle down to do it properly. I'd not publish it, not like a proper book, but I'd just like to commit some thoughts to paper. Don't quite know why, really, I just do.

"from the beginning, or when I left home".

Do you mean left home as an adult, in my thirties, or when I left Aunty Doris to go back to my proper parents? 

Not thought about it before, but when I left home as an adult, the day after Dad was buried, I began a completely new & very exciting (for me) life. I've had two completely distinct lives really, before & after Dad died.

One problem I'm having with the book is that the recent past seems so much more important, more relevant. It's not true, of course, with the passage of time, it all merges into normality, "life". Even so, the last 2 years, as maybe only you & 2 other people know, has been quite extraordinary, & is worthy of a book in it's own right. That's a whole other story, though. Might even be a seperate book, in fact. If only I had the time.

I seem to be very reminiscencey (good word that) & rambly at the moment.


You look to be having a wonderful time out there. Does Mrs Red still talk as much when you are away?

All joking aside, the weather here is truly dreadful.

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I wish you wouldn't liable Mrs Red so cruelly. When she finds out about it, I'm sure she'll have something to say.

[tikay]

I wish you wouldn't liable Mrs Red so cruelly. When she finds out about it, I'm sure she'll have something to say.

I worry about her when she goes off on one actually, in case she stops breathing, she never seems to draw breath.

Usually, you can interrupt someone when they pause for breath, but she is awesome, heard her talk without taking breath for 20 minutes once, & I only asked the time. 

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I showed Mrs Red this post and her suggested reply consisted of just two words. Alas, both were unprintable.

[tikay]

I showed Mrs Red this post and her suggested reply consisted of just two words. Alas, both were unprintable.

Must have been her shortest utterance ever.