Of Tea, Cake and Other Matters of Importance

 What is the best sandwich:  Red Leicester cheese.

What is one thing you own that you should throw out? Decaying plant pots.

What is the scariest animal? Human.

Apples or oranges? Apples.

Have you ever asked anyone for their autograph? No.

What do you think happens when we die? There is no such thing as death.

Favourite action movie? None, as action movies bore me. They're just scene after scene of chases, fights, noise, and explosions. Give me a character-driven story every time.

Favourite smell? Jasmine.

Least favourite smell? B.O.

Exercise: Walking, gardening.

Flat or sparkling? Sparkling.

Most used app on your phone? I don't own a mobile phone.

You get to listen to one song for the rest of your life.What is it?  I'd refuse to limit myself like this, when there's a such a vast and wonderful wealth of music to choose from.

Edinburgh was excellent. Lots of walking around, too much to explore in the few days I had there, and I'm left with a real desire to return. The hotel was lovely, spotlessly clean, and their breakfasts top notch. Of course the city has umpteen places to dine without torturing the budget too heavily. The train journey there and home again went without a hitch. I got surrounded by an Irish family, an older teen and her mother, plus the grandmother, and they were simply lovely. I'd never met them before and I'll most likely never meet them again, but they automatically included me in their conversation as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

When returning home after being away, everything looked dusty and smaller yet comforting. This brilliant spring sunshine is merciless to those of us who can think of far more interesting things to do than wielding polish and cloth, and so the obvious task had to be faced. I must send some of this bric-a-brac to the nearest charity shop. Yes, I know I only recently posted about me not being willing to part with any of it, but tastes do change, and cheap 'n' cheerful no longer brings me the joy it once did. Am I turning into a Marie Kondo? Rest assured this will never happen. Remember her announcing that everyone should have no more than six books in their house, or something like that? I have more than twice that stacked up on my nightstand.

I really enjoyed reading the collection of short horror and dark fantasy story anthology, Black Magick. The reason I bought my copy is that it features a story by Adele Cosgrove-Bray, who's one of my favourites. The last novel in her Artisan-Sorcerer series is supposed to be due out some time this year. Has anyone read these? Think magical realism, urban fantasy, with strong characters. Treat yourself!

I'm slowly working my way through the Horrible History boxed set, which is a bit of fun. I've also started reading a book about sleep paralysis which brings the sensation of an invisible being sitting on or by you while draining your energy. This one's by Louis Proud, an Aussie writer who I've not heard of before. There are also a few needlecrafts books which I picked up second-hand while up in Scotland, which I've not started yet but going from the photos they look interesting.

There are some new faces at my place of work. Staff turnover seems high. That usually indicates a problem in the workplace, but the manager's reasonable and it's a decent enough firm to be employed by. No job's ever perfect. There's always some aspect of it you don't like, (apart from actually having to be there!). The pay's a weak spot. It's okay for someone like me, whose mortgage is long paid off and who is a few short years off retirement and so can't be bothered changing jobs to do the corporate ladder-climbing thing, but for a young adult it's a dead end job. Most figure that out after a while. I wait until I've known them for a while, and then I'll ask how they'd like their life to be in ten years time. To the young, ten years sounds like a lifetime off, but it's upon a person soon enough, and if steps aren't taken they'll still be slogging away in the same, or a similar, job. I point out that one day, maybe not this year but soon, they'll want their own home, driving lessons and a car, holidays, etc., and that these things cost a lot of money, and that this job will never provide that. I like to think of it as offering a benign kick in the pants from an older, and hopefully a tad wiser, person. I only have this conversation with them once, and once only, then I'll leave it up to them totally. Plant a seed, and leave it. And, as a result several have gone back into education to better their chances in the long term.

I've been quiet around here, I know. But spring's coming and I feel like I'm waking up again, along with the snowdrops in my garden that are bobbing their pretty heads in the chilly breeze. That bright sunshine gives the illusion of warmth but the sharp breeze quickly dispels it.

Are any of you into Storm Constantine's novels? I've just ordered a copy of a new fiction anthology which contains one of her short stories, and I'm looking forward to reading that. (Not that I don't already have a mountainous To Be Read stack!) The anthology has the corny title of Black Magick, spelled with a "k" to hint at a spiritual element rather than it being about someone on stage pulling rabbits out of a hat.

I have now finished plodding my way through every episode of Angel. Finishing it was more of an endurance feat. The basic idea behind the show was okay, but somehow it never really shone for me. The arrival of Spike in the last Season livened things up, as his character was always my favourite character in Buffy because of his sarcastic one-liners. It's a shame that one of the Buffy actors, Michelle Trachtenburg, has died so young, at only 39. It's always sad when young people go, but death can take a person at any age, as we all know.

I've treated myself to a boxed set of Horrible Histories. Yes, I know they're for kids, but they're great fun. I came across this in a charity shop for just £3, and pounced on it. It looks new. Who'd want to throw it out? Obviously someone did. Maybe they don't have a sense of humour. Or maybe they're not into history? Their loss = my gain.

And I've now finished watching Coast: Australia which I had been looking forward to but, unfortunately, got bored by. I've never been to Australia, but after I'd watched Billy Connelly's wonderful Tour of... it made me feel like going there. But the Coast thing... I've lost count of how many times I had to rewatch bits because I'd fallen asleep. And the rewatching did not improve matters. This might sound petty, but I got irritated by one of the show's presenters who constantly wore shorts and a vest. For goodness sakes, woman, get dressed!

Last night I watched the first episode of Michael Portillo's Great Train Journeys. Portillo's politics are not mine, let's be clear about that. However, I really enjoyed this trip from Paris to Monte Carlo. If I've any criticism of it, I would have liked to have seen a bit more of places that he travelled through, but to be fair the show is about the journey itself.

Saw this, and had to share.

https://youtu.be/uW57VFE1elY?si=5xmS66O2ttpqA_HR

(0h, I messed this up - you'll have to Copy & Paste it to your browser to watch the Lestat/Louis video.)

A few days of annual leave began this morning - or at 5pm yesterday, depending on how you wish to view it. I'll go with the 5pm version. This morning was wasted on websurfing. This afternoon saw me planting spring bulbs. And tomorrow it's the autumn equinox and the official first day of autumn, though anyone with eyes in their head can see autumn's begun already. Just look at the colours of the trees. Or the fattening spiders spinning webs all across the garden.

Nothing much new here. And I don't wish to bore you all by moaning about work as usual, though my new colleague's enthusiasm is rather wearing at times. I have decided to not tell her there are no promotions waiting for her here; this role is a pretty cul-de-sac, career-wise. She'll figure that out by herself by and by.

My brother is in the market for a new car. He figures that if he doesn't spend his money then the Tax will only enjoy it for him once he's dead, and as he isn't dead yet, and quite possibly won't be for some months/years to come despite his cancer having returned for the third time, he might as well enjoy it. And why not? Good for him. Rage, rage, against the dying of the light, etc, etc, etc. His son earns more each month than he ever earned in a year (or two), and therefore does not need his father's financial help.

Holidays. Holy days. Here's to some much needed peace and quiet.

 What is your opinion of The Originals? I'm part way through Season 4, and the writers seem to have exhausted their plot ideas. Hopefully it will liven up soon. Anyway, is it just me or does Elijah look remarkably like the man on the front cover of the old paperback of Rice's Interview?

I'm also nearly finished watching Season 5 of Angel, which has been jollied along by Spike's arrival. That show sadly lacks any sense of humour, which is why, in my opinion, Buffy was much more entertaining. I'll plough on to the end, though, now I've got this far.

A Discovery of Witches was interesting, if a bit over-long. The general plot idea was good, and offered some variation on the usual trope of vampires vs. witches.

The Pembrokeshire Murders was interesting. A three-part mini series about trying to solve a cold case. The one the court convicted of murder at the end... Was that person really the guilty one? I'm not so sure - which was probably the point, actually, as things aren't always as they seem.

I've bought some new plants for my garden, and am happy with the way it's looking right now, with plenty of colours and textures. Last night's thunder storm has freshened up the plants a lot - they're all looking perky and shiny this morning. No wonder, after all that rain!

 Rats. I'd typed a lovely long post here, and my computer crashed. Now it's all wiped, and I haven't time to start again right now.

I'm a self-confessed huge fan of YouTube. This seemingly inexhaustible infinity of film tempts me to spend an enormous amount of time browsing. Yet while I enjoy surfing the site, jumping from one random vid to the next, there are some YouTubers whose sites I return to regularly to follow their exploits. Today, I'll share a few of these with you.

First, there's www.youtube.com/@CruisingTheCut. Cruising the Cut is a must for anyone into narrowboats. Presenter David Johns is a pleasure to watch, being enthusiastic and personable. If you want advice on anything to do with narrowboats, this is the place. Or if you just want to enjoy a virtual cruise along Britain's canal waterways, this too is the place. The videos look professional, but then he is apparently a freelancer for the BBC, among others.

Next, www.youtube.com/@TinyHouseGiantJourney and www.youtube.com/@livingbig both explore the tiny house scene, inviting viewers inside a wide variety of miniature homes. Some interior layouts will appeal more than others, inevitably, but these channels can be a useful source of ideas for small spaces in general, plus the home owners are interviewed which adds an extra dimension of interest.

Similar to these but much more broad in approach is www.youtube.com/@ExploringAlternatives. Exploring Alternatives looks at a huge variety of different ways of living, some of which you've probably never even thought about before. Tree houses, eco houses, "earth ships", caravans, cave homes, boats of umpteen types, island life, van life, off-grid living and permanent travellers - they're all here on this fascinating and diverse channel.

If you fancy learning how to crochet, or are looking for new crochet projects, then head to www.youtube.com/@bellacococrochet. Bella Coco offers easy-to-follow tutorials for all levels of ability, from absolute beginners to advanced, with lovely videos which are inspiring - and enough to make me weep, as my rubbish efforts never look anything like as good as hers!

I've been following Colette O'Neill's channel, www.youtube.com/@bealtainecottage, for a couple of years now. She is a warm, independently-minded woman who I can't help but admire. 19 years ago, she bought a down-at-heel cottage on 3 acres of poor quality land, and she set about creating a breathtakingly beautiful forest garden and a truly delightful home crammed with arty-crafty knickknacks. And she's done most of the work herself, and on a low budget. She's into permaculture and environmental issues, and Celtic paganism

www.youtube.com/@WalkWithMeTim is a channel devoted to travel and trying out holiday camps and hotels all around the world. There are glamourous ones, like luxury hotels in Dubai for example, or peculiar ones like the converted crane in the Netherlands, and then there are trips round seaside resorts just to share what's there with the viewer. If you've itchy feet and fancy travelling by proxy,  you'll enjoy this channel.

Another long-time favourite is www.youtube.com/@EliseBuch. Elise runs a retro clothing business online, which she models for herself, and is in the process of decorating and improving her home. She also takes her viewers along as she hunts for retro or boho treasures in various charity shops. She's undeniably beautiful, but so down to earth and hard-working. When she first bought her house it looked so plain and typically 1970's, but she clearly saw its potential and has been gradually turning it into a gorgeous home with a lovely garden.

Well, I invite you to take a little time to check out these YouTube channels. Do you have any favourites of your own which you'd like to recommend?

The man has finally arrived in Out of the Woodwork. I couldn't resist poking fun a little...

If any other writer fancies joining in with this on-going story, please just ask.

After an afternoon gardening, uprooting weeds and generally tidying up now winter's definitely behind us, I settled down to a curry and a film. And what a good story it turned out to be. The Ghost of Greville Lodge is a gently paced ghost story starring George Cole, Prunella Scales, Jon Newman and the rather gorgeous Kevin Howarth.

"James, an orphaned teenager, is invited by his great-uncle to visit his country manor during the holidays. While exploring the manor, James unearths many secrets of the palatial home."

I wouldn't call the home palatial. Substantial, yes, but it was a far cry from luxury - more country practicality than anything else. 

What a pleasure to watch a modern ghost film which didn't rely on gore and splatter effects. Instead, this offered a solid and believable story line. It's based on a novel by Nicholas Wilde called Down Came a Blackbird, a meaningless title so no wonder it was changed. When I saw the cast of George Cole and Prunella Scales I hesitated, being a fan of neither. However, I really enjoyed this film and recommend it.

Earlier this week, I met up with an old friend, who's on Dreamwidth as Adam Adonai, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch in a small restaurant in Mold, followed by a slow meander round the small town. Much conversation was shared, followed by a further pit-stop to refuel with tea and cake.

Well, there's one hour of my life I won't get back.

The boss emailed everyone to tell us there was a course on aging which we were obliged to complete. The course consisted of 25 very short videos, each of these finishing with a question, along with  a short set of possibly correct answers to choose from. Each time, two of these potential answers were clearly absurd. And the course information itself was very basic.

For example: "The musculoskeletal system is made up of muscles and bones..." Truly, I am not exaggerating the simplicity of this.

Having finished the course, I was awarded a 100% pass mark, not because I'm a genius - I'm really, definitely not - but because it wouldn't have challenged the IQ of a tadpole.