Has anyone really noticed that the 'Dawn Chorus' is actually quite a few choruses?
Seeing as Beloved does quite a few early starts (i.e. alarm clock going off any time from 0400) I seem to have got into the habit of automatically waking BEFORE his alarm goes off ...just in case he oversleeps - hence being able to appreciate the wonderful birds in our garden. BUT - they each seem to wait until I'm just dropping off again before the next one starts up - just to remind me that they are there. I'm no twitching expert but I think I know most of them individually now by their particular song. However, when you've said good morning to Mr & Mrs Blue Tit, a passing Hi to the blackbird family, the Jay, the magpies, the great tits, a warm hello to Mrs Robin and umpteen others - and we are blessed with quite a few - I'm just about ready to get back for a bit of sleep.
THEN ..... the wood pigeon starts up - you know the 'call' it makes: "my toe bleeds betty" - well if I get my hands on the ****** there'll be more than his toe bleeding!
- and this from a bird/animal lover!
Friday 30 March 2007
Monday 26 March 2007
Apologies to my couple of readers ..... been rather hectic here, went down with the lurgey again, but think I'll live - and thankfully so will my adored and adorable Aunt/Mum (actually she's my late father's cousin - but they grew up almost as brother and sister .. I even have a photo of them sharing a pram) - however, she was 'rather' poorly... But, being 200 miles away, and realising just how poorly she evidently was, proved just what an amazingly persistent nag I can be on the phone ...... emergency doctor was round immediately, and she's now OK.
(N.B. she is over 90, despite being generally feisty enough to threaten Kevin with her stick - he calls her his little Nottingham Floosie - and the two of them go into their Neddy Seagoon/Bloodnock routines - you'd think she was only 80 the way that tart can go on !
BUT:-
Manic/panic anyway .....still waiting to hear on the "sealed envelope offer" as to whether we have a new home or not - watch this space
(N.B. she is over 90, despite being generally feisty enough to threaten Kevin with her stick - he calls her his little Nottingham Floosie - and the two of them go into their Neddy Seagoon/Bloodnock routines - you'd think she was only 80 the way that tart can go on !
BUT:-
Manic/panic anyway .....still waiting to hear on the "sealed envelope offer" as to whether we have a new home or not - watch this space
Monday 12 March 2007
It's me again ...
I'm back: ...cough, cough, hack, sniff, sniff .................... only kidding!
Wow:- just a few hours in fresh Atlantic Ocean air, sharp spray smashing off the volcanic rocks, warm sunshine and constant promise of papas arrugadas with spicy coriander sauce and garlic (I really mean GARLIC) prawns ..... not a cough nor splutter - bliss.
What a gem is Puerto de la Cruz on the northern side of Tenerife - from the little back street tapas bars: La Muralla does THE best bacalao fritters & accompanied by a wonderfully trill canary; the glorious architecture of the colonial squares; the monumental power of volcanic Mount Teide towering over the skyline; the (incredibly cheap) Jorma's Finnish cafe ...... don't even think of getting 'tired and emotional' and attempting to chat up some poor innocent sweet seventeen blonde Finn waiting for her herring supper ..... see the size of the biceps on the lady chef - see how easily she picks up tipsy/annoying Spaniard and 'carries' him out of the door .... ask no questions ... round of applause .... and a VERY good glass of white wine & glass of Cava only comes to £2.50 ...
This wonderful little town IS Spanish and IS a working town (good shops too) - however, it accommodates tourists and (yes I have to admit it) lots of them ... Scandinavians by the SAS-ful; Germans by the Lufthansa-ful; and yes, a few of us Brits. BUT, not the lager-swilling, disco-diving, foam-clubbing louts who seem to invade the South western part of the island - Playa de thingies ....etc.
Puerto is rather more 'sedate' (God, I'm getting old)... for the more 'mature' visitor ..... yes, go down to the San Telmo Cafe by the rocks - fabulous photo opportunities for seaspray fanatics - for your wine and tapas and you can certainly watch the Baywatch Red Swimsuits and Hasselhoff swimming shorts emerge from the waves, tossing their hair back as they swagger to the cliff-face shower points ..... it's just that they are ALL the 'other' side of 60 - good on you!!! It actually make s me feel better about MY body.
Go down to Playa Jardin (beautifully 'designed/sculpted' beach by the late, great,Lanzarote architect Cesar Manrique) and you might find the bikinis (or at least the odd half) on a few under 50's ...but not many! Looking around (apart from being slapped for looking around too often at the Lifeguard station .... definitely under 50!... definitely weight-trained and no artificial padding - ouch!! just been slapped again) you see REAL people, enjoying time together, young couples with baby and buggy in tow who just want to relax, enjoy each others company ............ sheer bliss.
And here I am ... back on the keyboard ... back to work tomorrow .... viewing two properties before breakfast ... back to 'the grind' .... but ........... I have life; I have love; I have laughter .... how could I be happier ......... x x x
Wow:- just a few hours in fresh Atlantic Ocean air, sharp spray smashing off the volcanic rocks, warm sunshine and constant promise of papas arrugadas with spicy coriander sauce and garlic (I really mean GARLIC) prawns ..... not a cough nor splutter - bliss.
What a gem is Puerto de la Cruz on the northern side of Tenerife - from the little back street tapas bars: La Muralla does THE best bacalao fritters & accompanied by a wonderfully trill canary; the glorious architecture of the colonial squares; the monumental power of volcanic Mount Teide towering over the skyline; the (incredibly cheap) Jorma's Finnish cafe ...... don't even think of getting 'tired and emotional' and attempting to chat up some poor innocent sweet seventeen blonde Finn waiting for her herring supper ..... see the size of the biceps on the lady chef - see how easily she picks up tipsy/annoying Spaniard and 'carries' him out of the door .... ask no questions ... round of applause .... and a VERY good glass of white wine & glass of Cava only comes to £2.50 ...
This wonderful little town IS Spanish and IS a working town (good shops too) - however, it accommodates tourists and (yes I have to admit it) lots of them ... Scandinavians by the SAS-ful; Germans by the Lufthansa-ful; and yes, a few of us Brits. BUT, not the lager-swilling, disco-diving, foam-clubbing louts who seem to invade the South western part of the island - Playa de thingies ....etc.
Puerto is rather more 'sedate' (God, I'm getting old)... for the more 'mature' visitor ..... yes, go down to the San Telmo Cafe by the rocks - fabulous photo opportunities for seaspray fanatics - for your wine and tapas and you can certainly watch the Baywatch Red Swimsuits and Hasselhoff swimming shorts emerge from the waves, tossing their hair back as they swagger to the cliff-face shower points ..... it's just that they are ALL the 'other' side of 60 - good on you!!! It actually make s me feel better about MY body.
Go down to Playa Jardin (beautifully 'designed/sculpted' beach by the late, great,Lanzarote architect Cesar Manrique) and you might find the bikinis (or at least the odd half) on a few under 50's ...but not many! Looking around (apart from being slapped for looking around too often at the Lifeguard station .... definitely under 50!... definitely weight-trained and no artificial padding - ouch!! just been slapped again) you see REAL people, enjoying time together, young couples with baby and buggy in tow who just want to relax, enjoy each others company ............ sheer bliss.
And here I am ... back on the keyboard ... back to work tomorrow .... viewing two properties before breakfast ... back to 'the grind' .... but ........... I have life; I have love; I have laughter .... how could I be happier ......... x x x
Thursday 1 March 2007
Following Footsteps
Whilst RW is now back facing the English squalls and showers - we are swapping to go to the Canaries, albeit Tenerife - not Gran Canaria - but the same sunshine hopefully.
My croaky chest needs it and K's exhaustion demands it - too many 0430 starts recently has drained him .. and who says a Tube Driver (sorry - ' Train Operator') doesn't earn his money whilst ferrying you all about. It's not their fault there are signal failures, over-running engineering works etc etc ... but they always get the blame.
Flat pristine again - new/under offer owner had asked if he could 'pop in' to have another look ( + brother & girlfriend). Good to meet him - nice guy, with the obvious same 'feel' and enthusiasm for the place that I first had when I viewed it 26 years ago! Even though we've not found anywhere yet, I feel happier knowing that the 'right' person has found and loves our place - now how sentimental is that! AND, he knows that we are actively looking but haven't found anywhere to move to yet - and is happy about that.
Strange coincidence though: .. when I was originally looking I 'viewed' a place on the same road, hated the flat but loved the road/area - went straight back to agent and said so, - was told .. well, there is another place 'opposite', he's not expecting viewers but you could try .... went - got in - fell in love with the place, made an offer the next day. 26 years later, a young man walks into an Estate Agent and says: I'm looking for a ......... in this area, do you have anything interesting? Well, as it happens, there is a 'viewing day' going on at .... if you want to go round there I'm sure they'll try and fit you in .... He went round - saw it - fell in love and put in an offer the next day! ....
Bi folks ... IF there's anyone out there ... back in a week. xx
My croaky chest needs it and K's exhaustion demands it - too many 0430 starts recently has drained him .. and who says a Tube Driver (sorry - ' Train Operator') doesn't earn his money whilst ferrying you all about. It's not their fault there are signal failures, over-running engineering works etc etc ... but they always get the blame.
Flat pristine again - new/under offer owner had asked if he could 'pop in' to have another look ( + brother & girlfriend). Good to meet him - nice guy, with the obvious same 'feel' and enthusiasm for the place that I first had when I viewed it 26 years ago! Even though we've not found anywhere yet, I feel happier knowing that the 'right' person has found and loves our place - now how sentimental is that! AND, he knows that we are actively looking but haven't found anywhere to move to yet - and is happy about that.
Strange coincidence though: .. when I was originally looking I 'viewed' a place on the same road, hated the flat but loved the road/area - went straight back to agent and said so, - was told .. well, there is another place 'opposite', he's not expecting viewers but you could try .... went - got in - fell in love with the place, made an offer the next day. 26 years later, a young man walks into an Estate Agent and says: I'm looking for a ......... in this area, do you have anything interesting? Well, as it happens, there is a 'viewing day' going on at .... if you want to go round there I'm sure they'll try and fit you in .... He went round - saw it - fell in love and put in an offer the next day! ....
Bi folks ... IF there's anyone out there ... back in a week. xx
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