Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[engy]

Type of thing my wife would do 😂 Happy anniversary both

[typhoon13]

Well played Mrs Red, love it

[Supernova]

I've screwed my car insurance up, found out usually at taxing time.

Happy belated anniversary to the both of you!

[RED-DOG]

Thanks for the good wishes everyone.

One way and another, we had a memorable anniversary. (No making your own jokes up).

When I was driving home from the phantom MOT test I noticed that I wasn't the only thing that was sopping wet. The rain was still pishing down and water was beginning to lay in the dips of the road. It was quite deep in places and already a few cars were stranded, not because the water was impassible, bur because the drivers had tried to go through too fast and created a bow-wave that had gotten into the air intake and basically seized the engine.

For those who are interested it's a process called hydrolocking, the water enters the air intake, is sucked into the combustion chamber via the inlet valve and once there prevents the piston form travelling up the bore. The damage is usually catastrophic, bent connecting rods requiring a full engine re-build is one of the better outcomes. (For those who are not interested, look away now.)


I messaged the girls, who were all out at work and told them if they drove through water not to attempt anything above bottom of the car door level, to go very slowly and to stay in the middle of the road. (I had already messaged them that morning to warn them about a mobile speed camera van parked just outside the village so this time they messaged back, not to thank me, but to christen me Arnie Pye.)












By the time Mrs Red & I left home for our dinner and show things had gotten considerably worse.

We had a four mile journey to Hinckley but all the routes from our village are little rural lanes and almost all were closed due to flooding. It took us the best part of an hour to do the 10 minute trip. We would have made better time in a canoe.

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

We made it to our destination safe and dry, and had a thoroughly enjoyable meal at a new Italian place. (I think they are a chain but I've never been in one before.) The service was fantastic and the food excellent. Would recommend.


The price was good too. Two for one courtesy of Mr Meercat. Simples!

Even Mrs Red was impressed. I told her, "Stick with me kid, in another few years you'll be farting through silk".

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

I'm suddenly reminded of that evening we were poodling down to Brighton for some Comp at the Rendezvous & the rain was torrential.

There used to be a stretch of the A23 with a big dip in it (it's not there now, they built a bypass round it) & so we wondered if it had flooded.

At that very moment, along the hard shoulder, a police van passed us - towing one of those rubber boats with the words "RESCUE" on it...

[RED-DOG]

I'm suddenly reminded of that evening we were poodling down to Brighton for some Comp at the Rendezvous & the rain was torrential.

There used to be a stretch of the A23 with a big dip in it (it's not there now, they built a bypass round it) & so we wondered if it had flooded.

At that very moment, along the hard shoulder, a police van passed us - towing one of those rubber boats with the words "RESCUE" on it...

Haha. Yes, I remember like it was yesterday but it's scary to think how long ago that was.

[tikay]

I'm suddenly reminded of that evening we were poodling down to Brighton for some Comp at the Rendezvous & the rain was torrential.

There used to be a stretch of the A23 with a big dip in it (it's not there now, they built a bypass round it) & so we wondered if it had flooded.

At that very moment, along the hard shoulder, a police van passed us - towing one of those rubber boats with the words "RESCUE" on it...

Haha. Yes, I remember like it was yesterday but it's scary to think how long ago that was.

If I had to guess, I'd say 2005 or 6, something like that. Best part of 14 years, for sure.

I still drive down to Brighton from time to time, & whenever I pass that place I always think of it.

It must have been a festival or somesuch, or maybe a GUKPT at Grosvenor, as we'd never have driven so far just for an evening Comp.

No recollection of where we stayed - maybe the Hickstead Hotel, when we saw that old Caravan parked up nearby? I still stay there to this day when I'm working down in Brighton.   

[RED-DOG]

Against the odds we arrived at the theatre with time to spare so we so we sat near the door in the bar so that we could people watch.

People watching is one of our regular pastimes. It's amazing what conclusions you can draw from the way they dress and the little snatches of conversation as they go by. Our favourite one of the night was from a boho type lady in her 40s to her more conventionally dressed friend: "....I like it, but after half an hour it makes my back ache...."

One of the men that came in was a snappily dressed black man, he was, at a conservative estimate, at least 6ft 4in tall and his hair seemed to defy gravity. I laughed and Mrs Red asked me what was so funny. "I'm just just thinking about the boor bugger who manages to get sat behind him" I said with a smile.

I wasn't smiling 20 minutes later. (What are the odds?)

Click to see full-size image.

Fortunately there were a few empty seats, (Probably no-shows because of the floods) so we managed to move to where we could actually see the stage.





The show was 'The Pyjama Game' a musical based on the 1953 novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell.

I like musicals. Whoda thunk?

About 15 minutes in I noticed that the man playing one of the main characters had a right arm that was totally useless. it was quite wasted and just hung at his side like a rag but he was incredibly talented at animating it using his other hand. For instance he would throw it around a girl's waist and then hold it in place just like an embrace, and when they danced she would hold it up and twirl and it looked like he was holding her hand up.

I spent a while admiring the way the man with the crippled arm dealt with his disability and how unselfconscious he was about it, and then, I'm sure he would be pleased to know, I forgot all about it and just got on with enjoying the show.







Unneeded MOT sweeter for test man: £10

Meal at Prezzo's 2 for 1 courtesy of Meercat: £30

Theatre tickets to Pyjama Game: £34

42 years with Mrs Red: Priceless!

[RED-DOG]

Speaking of odds, the other day I was riding my bike down a country road when I heard a car behind me. It was making that unmistakeable click click clicky sound that a car makes when it has a pebble stuck in the tread of it's tyre.

It's amazing how fast thoughts can come into your head, (Not that my brain is fast or anything, it took me two minutes to remember the name of that jam-like stuff you spread on toast the other day).

So as this car started to overtake me I thought, "I bet that stone flies out of that tread and hits me in the eye."

Then I thought, "Hold on, what are the chances of that happening? It's a rapidly spinning wheel, pointing the pebble in every direction, 360 degrees, and only one of those degrees would aim it at my eye.

Then there is the linier motion, in the estimated 50 yard range of the pebble should it fly from the tyre, it has to happen in exactly the right spot, probably to within a millimetre, as the car passes me.

Then there is the timing, it could happen at any time, but if the timing wasn't right to within a fraction of a second......

As the car passed me with the pebble still clicking away I concluded that the odds against it flying out and hitting me in the eye were probably longer than the odds of me winning the lottery.

Just at that moment, the pebble flew out and hit my jacket.

Surely that must be worth 5 numbers and the bonus ball?
 

[atdc21]

Hi Tom, great writerey  as normal . Dont think the bookies will pay out on your stone bet unless you can prove it was the actual stone in the tyre, and not just a random one on the road that hit you.

[RED-DOG]

Hi Tom, great writerey  as normal . Dont think the bookies will pay out on your stone bet unless you can prove it was the actual stone in the tyre, and not just a random one on the road that hit you.

Well the click click clicking stopped Ade, but I can't prove bugger all.

[atdc21]

Haha, thosee pesky bookies always have and Cs 

[RED-DOG]

On Saturday I made a start on the tree and hedge cutting as I do every September.

I used to get it all finished in one good day and then I would go and play poker.

Alas old age has caught up with me so now it takes two days, no poker, collapse into bed knackered.

Click to see full-size image.

[Karabiner]

Wasn't the danger of driving through deepish water (in the days when cars had starting-handles) that your brakes would fail afterwards.

I'm sure I can remember my dad or grandad saying that.