This is NOT an analysis of a song, merely personal observations about a song that I love. Enjoy. "She's Always A Woman" by Billy Joel From the 1977 album, The Stranger. In honesty, this one didn't hit me until a couple of years later - it is a very mellow tune, so maybe the more upbeat songs may have had more immediate appeal. I can't put it better than good old Wickipedia: "It is a love song that Joel wrote for his then wife, Elizabeth Weber. Elizabeth had taken over management of Joel's career, and was able to put his financial affairs in order after Joel had signed some bad deals and contracts. She was a tough and savvy negotiator who could "wound with her eyes" or "steal like a thief", but would "never give in". Because of her tough-as-nails negotiating style, many business adversaries thought she was "unfeminine," but to Joel, she was always a woman" "She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes She can ruin your faith with her casual lies And she only reveals what she wants you to see She hides like a child but she's always a woman to me" "And she'll promise you more than the garden of Eden Then she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding But she brings out the best and the worst you can be Blame it all on yourself 'cause she's always a woman to me" "She is frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel She can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool But she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree And the most she will do is throw shadows at you But she's always a woman to me" "She's Always A Woman"
Written by Billy Joel • Copyright © Universal Music Publishing Group She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes She can ruin your faith with her casual lies And she only reveals what she wants you to see She hides like a child but she's always a woman to me She can lead you to love, she can take you or leave you She can ask for the truth but she'll never believe you And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free Yeah she steals like a thief but she's always a woman to me Oh, she takes care of herself, she can wait if she wants She's ahead of her time Oh, she never gives out and she never gives in She just changes her mind And she'll promise you more than the garden of Eden Then she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding But she brings out the best and the worst you can be Blame it all on yourself 'cause she's always a woman to me Oh, she takes care of herself, she can wait if she wants She's ahead of her time Oh, she never gives out and she never gives in She just changes her mind She is frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel She can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool But she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree And the most she will do is throw shadows at you But she's always a woman to me
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This one will be a little word heavy and is just a pointer as to how even what should really be a quiet weekend went slightly wayward. Last Saturday (26 January) was billed as a nice respite from the weekly trawl up to London to do my filial duties, visiting my Mum and checking that things that should have been done were done. We had run on a skeleton staff on the Friday, so I was a wee bit tired, but a nice steady weekend would do wonders. Layla was with her Dad, so a few precious hours chilling-out with Jenny was on the cards and looked forward to --- Nice. Layla did have an eye check up at the East Surrey Hospital booked for Saturday morning, and Jenny and I went up to Worcester Park to collect her from her Dad, but we got to the Eye Clinic in the in ample time. The appointment went well and we headed back to drop Layla back to her Dad before returning to Reigate via the supermarket at Burgh Heath and some shopping in Redhill. When we got back to Jenny's we unpacked our purchases, did a few domestic chores and were beginning to formulate our dinner plans when my mobile phone rang at 17:12. It was a carer with my Mum, saying that she was worried about her as she was in bed and struggling with her breathing, and that the although the heating boiler was on the radiators were cold. This sounded alarm bells with me, so I told the carer to call 999 and let me know the outcome. I must have looked anxious as Jenny asked me if we were going up to London. After sorting out a rail station car park ticket via the phone app, we set off. I only had a fleece with me, but Jenny sensibly donned her waterproof jacket and headed for Redhill Station. A little excited that the Victoria train would be departing from Platform 0, I called the carer to tell them that we were on the way. The paramedic had arrived, she said and was taking care of Mum. A short while later, she called back and I spoke to the paramedic. Mum's lungs were clear, her Upper Respiratory Tract was very noisy and he was currently sorting out an in-situ ECG to check her heart rhythms. He hoped that Mum would be able to stay at home, but needed to discuss findings with an out of hours doctor. A while later he called back to tell me that the doctors wanted to err on the safe side, so an ambulance had been called, and my Mum would be taken to St Thomas's Hospital, on the Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament. We got to Victoria at about 6:30 from memory and headed to the Circle and District Underground Line and went the couple of stops to Westminster. When we got out of the tube station we saw that the heavens had opened. We would have been drowned if we had tried to walk across Westminster Bridge, and no taxis were evident so we jumped on a 211 bus to take us to the south side of the bridge. We crossed the road and finally made it to Accident & Emergency after a convoluted route through other hospital departments, via doorways which should have been open but were locked and several retraces of our steps. Very wet after the final dash outside the building, I asked where my Mum was to be told that no one of her name had been admitted yet, but we could wait somewhere else where the ambulances come in. After a few moments waiting I called the care people to confirm we were in the right hospital and before I had finished the call, Mum's bed appeared with the ambulance attendants. The 10 minute journey had taken over 50 minutes due to traffic and weather ! My Mum seemed in fairly good spirits even though her breathing was laboured, and she was eventually signed in and we settled into Cubical 14 at about 7:45pm. Doctors and nurses came and went, questions were asked of my Mum and me. A hastily purchased baguette was partially eaten when Mum was taken off for a chest x-ray. The same questions were asked of my Mum and me, and re-asked by some else, before someone else came asked them again. Nothing specific was found, but a nebuliser given to open Mum's airways. Consideration was given to a couple of dropped beats in her heart rhythm. We waited for the verdict, and eventually at about 00:30, we were told that Mum would ber in overnight "for observation". At about 01:45, Mum was wheeled to the next ward to rest. Jenny and I said our goodbyes and headed out of the hospital with more route confusion and picked up the Saturday 24 hour Northern Line tube from Waterloo to Leicester Square. A short cold and wet walk and we were in Mum's flat for the rest of the short night at about 02:30, after booking another ticket for Sunday parking at Redhill Station. An swift investigation of the heating boiler confirmed that it was not firing up to heat the radiators, but that hot water was fine. Jenny and I got to bed at about 03:00. It had been a very long day. I woke at about 7 a.m. - a Covent Garden flat has a cool address, but is noisy. I retried the heating and still got no joy, so I called the Council Emergency Number to tell them that the heating was out of action. The guy just told me that unless the tenant was there, it would not be classed as an emergency ! "Call when she gets back from the hospital, and we should get someone to look at the problem in 4 hours". So hard luck, she might get home but the flat will be cold !! While I was ordering breakfast at McDonalds (please don't judge) , I received a call from the hospital. It was good news, Mum would be home later that day. The same questions that had been asked last night were asked again so that she could progress via the "Frailty Unit" to the homeward transport waiting room. I called the heating people again, but this time the call was logged. Someone would be there in the next 4 hours. We did a few chores and waited at the flat, and about an hour later the boiler was fixed by by-passing a faulty clock mechanism and thermostat. The real fix would be on Monday or Tuesday. The confirmation was finally made that they would be arranging transport for my Mum's return - "which would probably take at least 90 minutes or 2 hours". Jenny and I went out locally to see what was going on but had to high-tail back to the flat after less than 30 minutes as Mum was on the way home. After my calming a "where is the lift to the floor" debacle - there is none - with the driver and his mate, Mum was back. She seemed okay, and had eaten a Roast Beef lunch at the hospital. When she had settled (by about 3 pm or so), Jenny and I left the flat for Victoria, and the trip back to Redhill. Tired but happy with the outcome, we had a steady trip to Redhill on a suprisingly full train.
We got out and followed a lot of people to the station exit at Redhill, and deduced that there were no trains from Redhill to Gatwick, so a Replacement Bus Service had been laid on to link the stations. I glanced up at the Car Park and saw probably 25 buses waiting in the car park to take passengers on their way. I thought that it might be an interesting navigation around the buses to the exit. We walked into the very busy car park to where the car had been left the previous evening, and found absolutely nothing ! The car had disappeared. I didn't really react as I was very tired with anything but surprise, but Jenny asked a hi-viz jacketed official about where the cars might be and he replied that because of the bus service any cars still in the park early this morning had been lifted and put into the rear station car park. Hoping that this was the case, we cut through the station and eventually found my VW Golf parked neatly about a third of the way up the parking area. I was relieved, but as the evening went on I was annoyed that no advice had been given before the car had been moved. I sent a pithy Tweet to Southern Rail, who to their credit have come back with an apology and offer of refunds to salve my emotional roller coaster. I guess that what we can take from this is the happy endings on all parts of this long tale. It was an eventful 24 hours. This is NOT an analysis of a song, merely personal observations about a song that I love. Enjoy. "Jungleland" by Bruce Springsteen The final track on The Boss's "Born To Run" album from 1975 (among my top 2 rock albums ever), this is an epic tale of gang culture in Bruce Springsteen's New Jersey streets. I love a story, and this one is full of imagery and fabulous characters - The Magic Rat, The local cops Cherry-Tops. Driving guitars from the E Street Band and a truly glorious sax from the Late, Great and Mighty Clarence Clemons at about 4 minutes make this very special. I love you Big Man. "And the Magic Rat drove his sleek machine Over the Jersey state line" "The midnight gang's assembled And picked a rendezvous for the night They'll meet 'neath that giant Exxon sign That brings this fair city light Man, there's an opera out on the Turnpike There's a ballet being fought out in the alley Until the local cops, Cherry-Tops, rips this holy night" "Beneath the city, two hearts beat Soul engines running through a night so tender In a bedroom locked in whispers Of soft refusal and then surrender" "Outside the street's on fire in a real death waltz Between what's flesh and what's fantasy And the poets down here don't write nothing at all They just stand back and let it all be And in the quick of a knife, they reach for their moment And try to make an honest stand But they wind up wounded, not even dead Tonight in Jungleland" "Jungleland"
Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC The Rangers had a homecoming In Harlem late last night And the Magic Rat drove his sleek machine Over the Jersey state line Barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge Drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain The Rat pulls into town, rolls up his pants Together they take a stab at romance And disappear down Flamingo Lane Well, the Maximum Lawmen run down Flamingo Chasing the Rat and the barefoot girl And the kids 'round there live just like shadows Always quiet, holding hands From the churches to the jails Tonight all is silence in the world As we take our stand Down in Jungleland The midnight gang's assembled And picked a rendezvous for the night They'll meet 'neath that giant Exxon sign That brings this fair city light Man, there's an opera out on the Turnpike There's a ballet being fought out in the alley Until the local cops, Cherry-Tops, rips this holy night The street's alive as secret debts are paid Contacts made, they flash unseen Kids flash guitars just like switchblades Hustling for the record machine The hungry and the hunted Explode into rock 'n' roll bands That face off against each other out in the street Down in Jungleland In the parking lot the visionaries dress in the latest rage Inside the backstreet girls are dancing To the records that the DJ plays Lonely-hearted lovers struggle in dark corners Desperate as the night moves on Just one look and a whisper, and they're gone Beneath the city, two hearts beat Soul engines running through a night so tender In a bedroom locked in whispers Of soft refusal and then surrender In the tunnels uptown, the Rat's own dream guns him down As shots echo down them hallways in the night No one watches when the ambulance pulls away Or as the girl shuts out the bedroom light Outside the street's on fire in a real death waltz Between what's flesh and what's fantasy And the poets down here don't write nothing at all They just stand back and let it all be And in the quick of a knife, they reach for their moment And try to make an honest stand But they wind up wounded, not even dead Tonight in Jungleland Hi there Dear Reader, First up, I hope that your holiday break for Christmas and the New Year was a brilliant one. Despite colds and coughs, ours was very enjoyable and it was hard to return to the normal working routine on January 2. More of which later. My last diary blog was on 30 November, so there is a little catching up to do, just what have we been up to ? For the first weekend in December, Jenny and I had a flying trip up to Staffordshire (as has become "tradition"). The trip north to Stoke was uneventful except for a wobble by my Sat Nav which took us off the M6 Toll Road and into Lichfield because of traffic delays and then took us straight back towards the motorway. Knowing a little of the folly of getting back onto the M6 Toll, I headed up the A51 and then the A34 towards Stoke. On Saturday, we popped to the family graves in Alton after a steady few hours at The Ranch store, a garden centre and huge B&M store in Stoke. Respects being paid and flowers laid, we were free to visit Trentham Gardens on Sunday before heading south to Reigate. Trentham is definitely on our warmer weather "to do" list, it is lovely. <more detail here> Which reminds me that the Elf On The Shelf was back from December 1 until Christmas Day. Elfie stashed himself unannounced into the car and found his way to Staffordshire with Jenny and I. He had a quiet break away from the trouble that he was encountering back at Reigate with the other 5 elves and a pixie at Jenny's. New Furniture at Ratters Towers. My big old leather three piece suite had become essentially too large for the living room - it was essentially fine for one man and a cat, but with Jenny and Layla staying at mine more often, space is of the essence. The suite was about 20 years old and owed me nothing, but there was a lot of use left in it, so I was a little sad that it could not be passed on to charity or easily sold because of a lack of Fire Resistant labelling. The council took it away for £43. A replacement corner unit was sourced and came from the eternal sale at DFS. It arrived at about 5:15 p.m. on Friday 15 December, and it is very comfortable and handled 7 people on Christmas Day. We "just" need to streamline the storage units and clear my years of accumulated "stuff" and we will be set ! Immediately after the delivery guys drove up the road, we headed south to Bognor. The weather was to be frank awful, but it didn't mar our enjoying the stay at Butlins for the Christmas Weekend. < more here > 21 December was my last day at work for 2018 and coincided with our first trip to Wisley to see their Christmas Glow. It was lovely as always. Jenny and I visited again on 31 December. < more here > Christmas was spent in Merstham at Ratters Towers. Although cold-ridden, on Christmas Eve we went up to the Bloomsbury Theatre to see the stage version of David Walliams book "Awful Aunty". James and Tara were away in Las Vegas for the festivities, and we decided to street clear of Chris, Charlotte and their family because of our colds, but Christmas Day was spent in Merstham with Jenny's family (mother, sister and partner, niece for lunch). We were spoiled with presents and stuffed with a slightly amended Christmas Lunch (no starter or fish starters, straight Brussels Sprouts rather than Brussels Tops due to individual taste), and it all left us a little sleepy. A lovely time. On Boxing Day, 26 December we went to Redhill to take in the pantomime Snow White at the Harlequin Theatre. Ex-MP Ann Widdicombe was the Wicked Queen and was surprising good in a very enjoyable show. On a bright-ish 28 December, we pottered west to Newlands Corner. I haven't been for a good 20 years. It was very chilly, but we did like what we saw and earmarked it for warm weather investigation. <more here> Jenny and I popped to the Dorking Halls to sample the long awaited Mary Poppins sequel, Mary Poppins Returns. Enjoyed it very much - very reminiscent to the original from 1964. Personally I felt the songs we not as strong or immediately appealing, but I genuinely thought it was a very enjoyable movie. Cough and Cold Report Christmas was looking in doubt as Layla and Jenny were both down with what seemed like a very flu-like nasty in the week and weekend before Christmas. I had been suffering and having to work through a bad cold since a couple of weeks before the holiday. Perseverance and bloody mindedness got us all through the main part of the Christmas celebrations. Jenny and Layla's symptoms faded, but my cough lingered until December 31 when I was finally able to think that it was passing. The sickness on the lead up and over Christmas meant that we didn't see any of the Ratcliffe Clan, but we will remedy that in the New Year. A couple of odd things have come my way this past month. Upcoming in 2019...
Lego at Wisley (late January / February) Jenny's 30th (August) Disneyland Paris (August) Butlins (October) ... and those are just the things I know about and can now !! That must be enough for this helping. Be careful out there, my friends. Adieu... until next time. Pip pip!! 20/12/2018 0 Comments I love that song - Christmas - "A Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues featuring Kirsty McColl"Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues featuring Kirsty McColl Enough has been written about this tune. It is a joy. Enjoy it. "They've got cars big as bars They've got rivers of gold But the wind goes right through you It's no place for the old" "You were handsome You were pretty Queen of New York City When the band finished playing They howled out for more" "You scumbag, you maggot You cheap lousy faggot Happy Christmas your arse I pray God it's our last" "The boys of the NYPD choir Were singing "Galway Bay" And the bells were ringing out For Christmas day" Fairytale Of New York
by Jem Finer and Shane Patrick Lysaght Macgowan It was Christmas Eve babe In the drunk tank An old man said to me, won't see another one And then he sang a song The Rare Old Mountain Dew I turned my face away And dreamed about you Got on a lucky one Came in eighteen to one I've got a feeling This year's for me and you So happy Christmas I love you baby I can see a better time When all our dreams come true They've got cars big as bars They've got rivers of gold But the wind goes right through you It's no place for the old When you first took my hand On a cold Christmas Eve You promised me Broadway was waiting for me You were handsome You were pretty Queen of New York City When the band finished playing They howled out for more Sinatra was swinging, All the drunks they were singing We kissed on a corner Then danced through the night The boys of the NYPD choir Were singing "Galway Bay" And the bells were ringing out For Christmas day You're a bum You're a punk You're an old slut on junk Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed You scumbag, you maggot You cheap lousy faggot Happy Christmas your arse I pray God it's our last The boys of the NYPD choir Still singing "Galway Bay" And the bells were ringing out For Christmas day I could have been someone Well so could anyone You took my dreams from me When I first found you I kept them with me babe I put them with my own Can't make it all alone I've built my dreams around you The boys of the NYPD choir Still singing "Galway Bay" And the bells are ringing out For Christmas day 19/12/2018 0 Comments I love that song - Christmas - "Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth" by Bing Crosby and David BowieBing and Bowie from a TV Special in 1977. Little Drummer Boy is a Christmas Song written in 1941 . In this version, the "Peace on Earth" counterpoint was especially written for the show and David Bowie, who it is suggested hated "Little Drummer Boy". At the time, I thought "Wow!, Bowie on a Bing Crosby Special? What is that about?". The song is introduced with some corny "Old Timer", "Young Generation" chat about Christmas and Christmas music. As it happened, there was no need for me to be shocked. The song worked, and Crosby and Bowie's voices (at least to my ear) work beautifully together. Incidentally, this single became one of Bowie's best selling during his career, with total estimated sales over 400,000 in the UK. "Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth"
Come they told me Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum A new born king to see Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum Our finest gifts we bring Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum Rum-pum-pum-pum Rum-pum-pum-pum Peace on earth, can it be Years from now, perhaps we'll see See the day of glory See the day when men of good will Live in peace, live in peace again Peace on earth, can it be Every child must be made aware Every child must be made to care Care enough for his fellow man To give… This is NOT an analysis of a song, merely personal observations about a song that I love. Enjoy. Baba O'Riley by The Who From it's amazing manually played keyboard start, the opening track from the Who's iconic "Who's Next" album is a gem. It was originally written as part of Pete Townshend's stalled Lifehouse Project whose songs form the backbone of the 1971 album. The odd name in the title is combination of the names of two of Townshend's philosophical and musical influences, Meher Baba and Terry Riley. Of course, the track features great vocals from Roger Daltrey, bass from John Entwistle and drums from Keith Moon. I have written about The Who elsewhere on my site <click here for more> "Don't cry Don't raise your eye It's only teenage wasteland" "The exodus is here The happy ones are near Let's get together Before we get much older" "Baba O'Riley"
by Pete Townshend and The Who Out here in the fields I fight for my meals I get my back into my living I don't need to fight To prove I'm right I don't need to be forgiven Don't cry Don't raise your eye It's only teenage wasteland Sally ,take my hand Travel south crossland Put out the fire Don't look past my shoulder The exodus is here The happy ones are near Let's get together Before we get much older Teenage wasteland It's only teenage wasteland Teenage wasteland Oh, oh Teenage wasteland They're all wasted! So Dear Reader, Here we are again with what will very possibly be my last diary blog of 2018 - December is already shaping up as busy but I promise that any shenanigans will be included in the January extravaganza. Once again, I have been writing this throughout the month, so I will apologise up- front for any tenses which go astray. With colds but an unhappy memory, we were able to do a few things. After a normal Saturday visit for mother care, Jenny and I popped down to a very cold Brighton for the evening of 17 November <more here>. For my birthday in April, the boys and their other halves gave me a Lego London Bus which has been slowly taking shape during the past few weeks. It is a big kit of 1600+ pieces , but I do love a bit of Lego. <More here> Jenny and I will be having a lightning trip to Staffordshire on November 30 - it is a while since I visited the family grave. We'll probably do some oddments of Christmas shopping while we are up there. Winter seems to have landed with a very sudden bump. We have gone from warm, balmy sunny weather to cold, wet and to be frank, a little nasty in just over a week. With no seasonal slow shift, the change has hit me hard. Until next time.
Adieu... Pip pip !!! and let's be careful out there This is NOT an analysis of a song, merely personal observations about a song that I love. Enjoy. Ian "Hide In Your Shell" by Supertramp From Supertramp's 1974 masterpiece "Crime of The Century" This song deals with loneliness and mental instability issues, and is sublime. "Don't let the tears linger on inside now 'Cause it's sure time you gained control If I can help you, if I can help you If I can help you, just let me know" "Love me love you, love is the way to (So what you gonna take him to?) Help me help you (So what you gonna make him do?) Why must we be so cool? (So what's he gonna) Oh so cruel? (So what's he gonna) Oh, we're such damn fools......." "Hide In Your Shell"
Written by Richard Davies, Roger Hodgson Copyright © Universal Music Publishing Group Hide in your shell, 'cause the world is out to bleed you for a ride What will you gain, making your life a little longer? Heaven or hell, was the journey cold that gave you eyes of steel? Shelter behind painting your mind and playing joker Too frightening to listen to a stranger Too beautiful to put your pride in danger You're waiting for someone to understand you But you've got demons in your closet (you've got demons in your closet) And you're screaming out to stop it (and you're screaming out to stop it) Saying life's begun to cheat you Friends are out to beat you Grab on to what you can scramble for Don't let the tears linger on inside now 'Cause it's sure time you gained control If I can help you, if I can help you If I can help you, just let me know Well let me show you the nearest signpost To get your heart back and on the road If I can help you, if I can help you If I can help you, just let me know All through the night as you lie awake and hold yourself so tight What do you need, a second hand movie star to tend you? I as a boy, I believed the saying the cure for pain was love How would it be if you could see the world through my eyes? Too frightening the fire's becoming colder Too beautiful to think you're getting older You're looking for someone to give an answer But what you see is just illusion (what you see is just illusion) You're surrounded by confusion (you're surrounded by confusion) Saying life's begun to cheat you Friends are out to beat you Grab on to what you can scramble for Don't let the tears linger on inside now 'Cause it's sure time you gained control If I can help you, if I can help you If I can help you, just let me know Well let me show you the nearest signpost To get your heart back and on the road If I can help you, if I can help you If I can help you, just let me know I wanna know, I wanna know, I wanna know, I've got to know I wanna know you, I wanna know you, Well let me know you, I wanna feel you, Oh, I wanna touch you, Please let me near you, let me near you Can you hear what I'm sayin'? Well I'm hopin', I'm dreamin', I'm prayin' And I know what you're thinkin' See what you're seein' Never, ever let yourself go Hold yourself down, hold yourself down Why don't ya hold yourself down? Why don't you listen, you can trust me (So what you gonna take him to?) Oh there's a place I know the way to (So what you gonna make him do?) A place there is no need to (So what's he gonna) To feel you (So what's he gonna) To feel that you're not alone (So what's he gonna do?) Oh won't you hear me? (So what you gonna take him to? ) I know exactly what you're feelin' (So what you gonna make him do?) 'Cause all your troubles are within you (So what's he gonna) So begin to (So what's he gonna) To see that I'm just bleeding too (So what's he gonna do?) Love me love you, love is the way to (So what you gonna take him to?) Help me help you (So what you gonna make him do?) Why must we be so cool? (So what's he gonna) Oh so cruel? (So what's he gonna do ?) Oh, we're such damn fools Hello again, Dearest Reader. Summer has drifted away to be little more than a fond memory and Autumn has definitely kicked in. Layers of clothing are appearing... Any ways first up, cold and coughs continued to mess with my days, but at last this bout is done. It was a major annoyance for about 6 weeks now. With just three pay days left until Christmas, plans have been hatched and the first purchases made - Jenny is very organised, but it is good to say that we have had a couple of very fruitful trips - slightly naughtily they have produced some nice additions for us, but most Your Honour have been for family and children So, what else this past month.... ? On Saturday 13 October, we popped down to Tilgate Park in Crawley and had a really good day with Layla, Sarah, Matt and Molly <more here> This first break of the school year gave us a varied few days - 22 October, it was off to Bracknell Discovery Centre and a walk in the woods A bit of science with buttons to press and handles to crank, nice wooded walks and a lovely picnic. What is there not to like? <more here> 23 October, Bluebell Railway and Sheffield Park. My first time on the extended Bluebell and another nice stroll around a beautiful park. <more here> 24 October, Wisley - first time this year with autumn tints - just beautiful. Although on the downside, the gardens were packed and the Room On A Broom trail pretty lame. <more here> 25 October was booked up for a major dental appointment (2 hours) in the afternoon for prep work for 2 broken uppers and a cracked crown caused by biting down on something but I really don’t know what. I doubled it with a mother care visit which frees up my weekend. Jenny and family were otherwise entertained at BirdWorld. The only thing I will say about Brexit is that I am appalled that there has been no progress on a deal in over two years since the fateful referendum result and that so many politicians here in the UK are brazenly parading their agendas that the People’s Decision (not mine, personally) is essentially being ignored. The MPs are elected to serve their electorate and are just not doing so. It makes me sad and will disengage generations from the very politics which affects their daily lives. I was in Redhill recently and found an old favourite which took me back to Happy Days. Sadly though not a Five Boys chocolate bar, a very "Joyous Remember". On which note, I should pack up and get on.
Until next time, my Friend. Let's be careful out there... Pip.... pip!! |
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