Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[typhoon13]

Certainly edible mushrooms, usually found in grass fields.

Snap the stalks off and you will see where the the grubs have gone up to the mushroom head.

Break in half and smell the rich organic mushroom odour

They will go down a treat with fried egg and bacon, remember to fry well to kill the grubs, enjoy

[millidonk]

Since the floods last week there have been a few people round mine who have been without power and stuff, noticed this hovering above, never seen one before myself, wonder if there is a 'Gas Copter'?

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

Nope. No overhead gas cables.

[bobAlike]

Nope. No overhead gas cables.

Shocking

[kinboshi]

Since the floods last week there have been a few people round mine who have been without power and stuff, noticed this hovering above, never seen one before myself, wonder if there is a 'Gas Copter'?

Click to see full-size image.

There's a bloke whose job is to be flown around in that all the time and he uses a heat-imaging camera to spot potential problems on power lines. Wonder if he ever gets bored of being flown around in a helicopter?

[typhoon13]

Since the floods last week there have been a few people round mine who have been without power and stuff, noticed this hovering above, never seen one before myself, wonder if there is a 'Gas Copter'?

Click to see full-size image.

There is a "gas copter" of sorts

A gas pipeline came through my field about 30 years ago and a copter flies along the path every week checking on abnormalities.

A couple of years ago i had a bonfire close to where the pipe goes, copter man spotted me, and within half an hour an official arrived to bollock me.

Wheres their sense of humour

[RED-DOG]

So just to finish off the bike ride story.

We did manage it. It was 141 miles and took 15 1/2 hours.

I'm not going to attempt to make an exciting story out of it because I can't.

It was exciting for us because we shared the jokes and the pain and the sense of triumph.

We got to salute the memory of someone we loved.

There was one remarkable thing. About half a mile from the cemetery on the way there, I was looking in the hedgerows for some windflowers to put on the graves when I came across two large purple specimens growing right in the middle of the grass verge only about 10 yards further on from where the council mower had stopped for the day. It was just as if they had been left there especially for me. I put one on my dad's grave and one on my son Tommy's.



This is us taking a break in Sherwood forest.

Click to see full-size image.

Having a welcome mug of tea outside The Limes transport cafe. The Limes is one of the few surviving old style transport cafes in the country. It's open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Click to see full-size image.

This is our last stop on the A46 about 25 miles from home. As you can probably see from my face, I was suffering a bit at this point.

Click to see full-size image.

 

[RED-DOG]

A few days later, I had to drive to Cardiff to attend a symposium. It was exactly 140 miles. As I sped along in the car, scenery whizzing by for hours, I couldn't believe we actually cycled the same distance.


Anyone ever been to a symposium btw? Well until now, me neither.




Cardiff city hall.

Click to see full-size image.

[bobAlike]

Well done Tom, what an achievement.


BTW did you have any difficulty with inconsiderate drivers?

[tikay]

That bike ride - what an inspiration you & your brothers are, Tom.

And all matter of fact, right out of the blue, & with no embellishment, you pen this line.....

I put one on my dad's grave and one on my son Tommy's.

Three generations summed up in a single line.

xx

[Kev B]

Fantastic Tom and your brothers, the family must be proud of you all. Sorry to hear you lost Tommy, I had no idea. God bless them both.

[RED-DOG]

Thanks kev.

For the record it was a brother, a nephew, and a son-in-law.

[RED-DOG]

I had four crisp-breads with cheese spread and Branston pickle.

There are now only two left. One has a lot of cheese and not much pickle, the other has loads of pickle but not much cheese.

I can't decide which one to eat last.

[david3103]

Too late to suggest sandwiching them?

[RED-DOG]

Decided to save the cheese heavy one til last in the end. I mean, pickle is nice and all that but cheese is cheese.

Did consider the danger of saving the cheese heavy one till last and then being rendered unable to eat it by dint of some outside influence (such as an earthquake or the dog grabbing it in a fit of suicidal greed) but came to the conclusion that the risk was acceptably small.