Not sure if I mentioned Paris is fucking white lava? Still the show must go on. I’m fairly new to the bald game so cooked my head before realizing. When to see the old pont neuf makeover - quite nuts from a boat. Saw the LV building which I’ve wanted to check - there is a rather wanton female who was waving at me and offering a glad eye which I thought quite brazen as I was stood with my wife - it is the French way I suppose ? Just got back to the apartment - Paris just won the cup - it is going off right outside my door - I did stand to film this in my underpants should anyone visit my insta story.
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As long as you don’t put some on your head and a couple of pencils up your nose you should be OK. But you never know when the French police.
Getting covered in smut by a 103 year-old celebrity: Flying Scotsman observation car ride on the former Great Central between Nottingham & Loughbrough - very chilled and pleasant on a temperate evening.
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So far today, I have spent sooo much time on the phone to Straya.
You guys have known about our plans to move back Downunda for quite a while, but most of our family and friends were unaware of our intentions.
Today was the day to rip off the bandaid.
Immediate family, friends, cousins, nieces and nephews…all contacted.
There have been;
Squeals, tears, joy, confusion, interrogation, and that was just from my Mother !
A stiff drink or two before guests arrive later this afternoon for our regular guzzling of red wine and chatting shit.
These guys are also getting the news. We are in sooo much trouble 
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Sounds like you’ve got the hard part over 
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Good luck with the rest of your day !
Try channeling Betty Boothroyd when she surprised the HoC with news of her resignation as Speaker. ISTR she responded to the wailing with “Be happy for me !”.
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Without a hard-wired internet connection
Virgin Media went tits up here around 11:00. I’ve tethered the mobile in as a replacement. VM reckon they’ll have the issue resolved by 9:06pm which, on the basis of past experience, means it could start working any time before then. Or it might still be out when I call it a day. There’s a reasonable chance it’ll be working when I get up tomorrow though.
A nice weekend away via Iron Bridge (Gill had never been) Montgomery, Powys Castle & finally up to stay in Borth Y Gest (near Porthmadog) On the way back visited & stayed the night in Ludlow.
I’d been to Ironbridge with school & visited Coalbrookdale as well but it was a grey day as I recall & hadn’t appreciated then how beautiful it was.
We’ve stayed in & enjoyed Montgomery before. I really like the rabbit warren of an old school IronMongers there.
Early evening bowls action with Long Mynd in the distance.
Powys Castle
While in Porthmadog we visited an Osprey nesting sanctuary where from two different sheds you could watch 3 or 4 nesting pairs via telescopes or via screens as each nest had a camera over it. One of the nests had a pair of chicks and an egg. The mother fed the chicks from half a large bass & as they went into their post meal slumber the egg hatched. Quite a thing to see.
New arrival
On Saturday we went across to the North coast of the Llyn peninsular (Morfa Nefyn) & from the coast path watched the biggest grey seals while Gannets & Terns were plunging in all around them for fish.
It had brightened up by the time we got down to Aberdaron at the end of the peninsula.
The peninsula is very pretty, not unlike Cornwall or Brittany but perhaps more lush.
On Sunday we visited some friends in Dolwyddelan and took a walk in the valley there beneath Moel Siabod. I actually walked up it back in about 1974 but it looks pretty daunting now!
Roman bridge
Moel Siabod
Travelled back down on Monday through the amazing Tanat valley (which I’d never heard of) staying in Ludlow overnight (also interesting to explore).
Stokesay Castle
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If you stand on the Iron Bridge and look up over the Gorge, our house is just there, looking over the Wrekin.
Love living here.
Let me know if you ever come back and I’ll show you around.
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Are you on the North bank of the river? It was so hot last Wednesday afternoon we were tempted to take a dip at the small beach along there! There were some paddle boarders using it to launch.
No we’re in Broseley but this time of year probably only a couple of feet deep.
We’ve dived the full length of the local area in our youth.
Ran 5km tonight in 29 minutes, and i had to stop to fasten my shoelace 
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Quite pleased with that.
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I’m very impressed by Shropshire generally & the Marches. Need to get back there more often.
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Being fucked up the arse by public transport.
Cuxham has an hourly bus service into Oxford. This reduces to an hour and a half in the middle of the day.
Using our Senior’s Bus Passes, we caught the 0932 for the 1hour 10 minutes journey. Relaxing and completely ‘no fuss’.
The return journey however is a different story.
We make our way to the stop with plenty of time to catch the ‘direct’ service. Traffic was heavy but our bus turned up only 10 minutes behind schedule.
Problem arises when the cunt decides he didn’t want to stop. 12 angry customers all shouting but being ignored.
Look at alternatives and find the next bus is 1 hour and 20 minutes wait.
The heavens opened and we decided we’d get a taxi.
I chose to download the Uber App. Car turned up 2 minutes later. Clean car, nice chap.
About 10 years ago, when out with @htm_1968 , I caught a cab from the same spot for the 15 miles ride and it cost £60 + tip.
The Uber cost £35 inclusive. Inflation ? Pah !
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Only time I have seen this is when the bus is obviously full.
Otherwise start composing a Mr Angry of Cuxham letter!
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Half a dozen people on board. I can only assume he justified non-stopping because he was so far behind schedule.
Angry of Cuxham is aflame !
I don’t know how the drivers are ‘incentivised’ but I do get the impression there’s some pressure on them to be on time. I’ve certainly seen them clip along when they’re behind (a lot more than 20mph in 20 zones, at least if the roadside speed indicators can be trusted).
That said there’s a real shortage of bus drivers in Oxon and I’ve fairly often been on the bus with someone who’s new to the job and still learning the route. I can’t remember seeing one pass a stop with a queue but I’ve seen the reverse i.e. a passenger ring for the next stop and the driver then sail past it as he’s clearly forgotten that it’s there. Cue shouting and an improvised set-down in a layby
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Managed to find a proper pub amidst the generic glass and steel of New Bailey in Manchester. Eggerton arms, old boys standing at the bar and less than a fiver a pint.
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Was open mic night, the host was singing MOR shite. Then about twenty students walked in a few with guitars, Fcking hell they were talented. Young lad played a finger picking perfect version of don’t think twice, great voice as well. Then he did a couple of his own compositions, just guitar. He was bloody brilliant. Not to be outdone a young lady started with landslide then another couple of her own, very Joni like. I was only going for a pint and ended up staying for four. I left as a solo sax guy was finishing Baker Street. Great night. If I wasn’t working tomorrow I’d have been there till closing.
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Dealing with a really bad roof leak which is naturally in the least accessible part of the house 
Two young geezahs in a Dacia Duster arrived within an hour, immediate problem rectified in 2 minutes, final repairs first thing tomorrow.
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