Les Vacances
Off for a few days, Heading for Dover this evening for a ferry to Calais, then an overnight drive to the Dordogne, staying with the Pa and stepMa of Mrs Stuffy, swimming, eating, drinking and taking it easy then a couple of nights at Disney-Paris, which should be fun for Cha and Tatjana. Tatjana is coming with us as company for Cha, (very important as I find it increasingly unpleasant being thrown around in theme park rides). A couple of days is short enough not to overdose on sacharinne and schmaltz. I always see DIsney as an great place to observe truly excellent marketing and management and I usually glean some good anecdotes, lessons for future re-use in workshops and presentations. We're back through the tunnel, would have gone both ways but discovered that although the ChaCha has been to France some 16 times in her 11 years she's always flown or LeShuttled, so it's adventure and excitement on the high seas for this evening. Avast there ya salty knaves, Yarr !
Rain Rain...
It's been raining/hailing/thunderstorming for 2 hours, it did the same thing last night, our water bills are going up, water companies are making a vast profit, Thames water was the most heavily penalised company in the UK for pollution and between them the water boards lose the equivalent of 2 Lake Windemeres a day in leakage. However, I'm not allowed to use a hosepipe on my newly planted orchard and they're renting helicopters to make sure I don't. Apparently I should be preparing for standpipes in the street. How can there be anyone unemployed when it appears that the selection criteria for gainful employment with our utilities companies appears to be 'turned up'?
Why Stuffy ?
For those who don't know Stuffy was a family nickname, I've used it for years as an on-line gaming identity and therefore have a number of email, hosting accounts and interweb things associated with the name.
Stunning electrical storm, donner und blitzen, sat out in the conservatory, practising chords in the dark with occasional massive bursts of sharp illumination of the world around ... beautiful. (not the music, the weather... obviously)
Cargo pants ... I was right, (in that my initial choice was wrong) ... so I'll be taking them back to the shop then.
Almost certainly a mistake ... will prove to be the verdict on the cargo trousers I purchased in the sale at the local surf dude gear shop, a worrying place if you're married to a semi-pro ironing champion. I'm still reeling fron the fact that Mrs Stuffy recently bought me a very hippy grandad shirt, which I love but I know she hates. In a moment of pain induced craziness (see Lesson 2) I invested hard-earned shekels in some baggy cargo pants with many pockets and logo-adorned. I predict criticism...
Well, Saturday was a day of learning, the lessons were twofold
Lesson 1. Don't fall off Bridges !
Mountain biking at 7:30 Saturday morning I managed to fall off a little footbridge, 2 railway sleepers and perform a classic "over the front wheel and handlebars, eat some mud" tumble, a bit shaken up but nothing serious, Much mirth from my companions who, I think saw it as some compensation for the immensely prickly gorse scrub I'd routed us into.
Lesson 2. Fifty year old men shouldn't jump off 2 metre high walls... while chasing seventeen year old boys to throw into the swimming pool... after consuming a number of glasses of champers.
Says it all really, I've a heel like an aubergine. And we had an invitation to either a Hog roast or to Cowdray for the Gold Cup final.
Never mind, we now have a Sunday of
1, Making pancakes with/for 8 tiny ladies, ChaCha ,Tatjana and all the sleepover guests from Tatjanas party yesterday
2, Sunday Papers, Bacon and Eggs - with Mrs Stuffy
3, Guitar practice - with Cha Cha
4, Playing Eets on the computer - with Cha Cha
4a, and blogging when it's her turn
5, Cooking 2 free range organic chickens (a £17 impulse purchase) in Riesling for around 10 returning Gold Cup spectators.
but mostly
6, Hobbling
Just talking to Jennikins about our respective Charlies leaving Junior school, i should mention that Julie and I attended ChaCha's country dance barbeque leaving do on Tuesday, my little girl was awarded the trophy for Creative arts. Mostly for her dramatic skills, what a star my little entertainer is.
Film Review - Superman Returns Romance and Kryptonite
- enjoyed enormously by Mrs Stuffy, a little less so for me, felt like a long love story interspersed with some good special effects and a little religious symbolism. I prefer my superheroes in the X(wo)men mould, attractive talented ladies in tight black leather.
I was thrilled at the gym this morning to be asked to feature in some advertising they're doing, I'm pencilled in for the "B4" photo session sometime next week apparently.
