Not watching paint dry....

Although work is sporadic at times at least it varies.

Working for a famous DIY retailer last week I was pleased to be asked to do something completely different as I was led to the basement area in the deserted part of the building.

Although slightly concerned that I was going to be abandoned for no apparent reason, I was asked to do some merchandising. Basically it was stacking empty paint tins in accordance with a planogram. At least it got me out from behind a desk!





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Auto-Mapic

Hey, do you like my latest acquisition, courtesy of Mrs C and SheBay? It's a state of the art map system in a handy portable case which can call up any extract in a matter of a few seconds simply by pressing 2 buttons.

Oh, what do you mean GPS does that? This was state of the art back in the 60's............

...............and is a lot of fun.


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Roses grow on you...

Although I don't get time to potter about in the garden, I do like this time of year when the rose bushes outside the window fill up with hundreds of white rose flowers.

I'm not normally a rose fan ( something to do with making horrible rose petal and soil drinks as a child I think) but these do look great.

Number 6

Sitting in the hospital again with Mrs C who is just having the final dose of chemo. She is reclining in the blue chair while the poison is being slowly dripped into her arm.

It's hard to believe that we have been coming here for nearly 4 months. However it has been quite an ordeal ( to say the least) and I'm sure it has felt like 4 years at times to Mrs C.

Always the trooper, she is flicking through old Hello magazines and her thoughts as ever are about others. Despite all she is going through she is wondering if she has brought enough chocolates for the nursing staff.

It is not all over yet - there will be plenty of pain and discomfort over the next few days/ weeks and there is the daily radiotherapy to come in a few weeks time.





But despite all this, Mrs C continues to have a laugh with the nurses here and I know that she will continue to keep smiling as she battles with this terrible disease.

X X


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Rings, strings and playthings...

Always one to keep an eye on the old homeland, I was really thrilled to hear about a new art project called the Tees Valley Giants which promised 5 stunning pieces of sculpture which would be commissioned by world-class artists.

The first of these, Temenos, has been completed and is sited over the old dock area. Designed by Anish Kapoor it was conceived as 'something huge, ephemeral and mysterious' to suit the industrial landscape it sits within.

It is longer than a jumbo jet and as tall as Nelson's column so certainly meets the criteria in terms of scale, yet I can't help feeling that somehow the finished article misses the mark and appears somewhat lightweight and whimsical, almost a child's plaything compared with the scale of the site and the industrial and steel-making heritage of the region.

Seeing is believing however and I look forward to the chance to see it in the flesh next time I am Oop North.

Alive and kicking...ish

Staggered to see that I have not added anything to the ol' blog for a while (indeed haven't even looked at it for a while), so felt the compulsion to write (something....anything!!!)
Seems that about 66% or 2.7million blogs get abandoned after a few months so I was determined not to fall into that category (yet).

In light of this, and in order to demonstrate that this site hasn't flatlined I have given it a refresh with new blue-sky background etc etc. I will probably get sick of this in a few days - fortunately technology allows a simple rethink with no lasting effects so it may change again.

Reflecting on why I haven't added to the blog for so long I can only lay blame on a combination of factors - regular commuting to 'Arrow, domestic furniture (re)arrangements....oh and a minor sporting occasion in South Africa. Sad to see Ghana lose last night - they were my wildcard bet to get to the final. At least I won't have to feel so insigificant anymore when considering my flabby white moobs after seeing their toned, athletic torsoes.

At least when the new footy season kicks off in England I won't experience such low self esteem. My Club manager has done his best to fill the team with pasty-faced, skinny Scots who look like they live on a diet of deep- fried pasta and would get sunburn if you switched on a light bulb.