BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

 

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you - I lit the fire in the lounge today. The temperature plummeted up here to 13 degrees in the house! "We need the fire on!" called The Old Girl who was huddled in three layers of clothing so I got in a wheelbarrow load of wood from the woodshed. I can see now that the temperature indoors has risen to 16 degrees. Whew! Crisis over.

Actually, we aren't that wussy. As I mentioned in a previous post I want to clear out the woodshed of wood and use it as a toolshed - for garden tools. As today started off cold (12 degrees or less outside) I thought that today would be a good day to start. I want to test the fireplace and chimney to ensure that it's safe before having bigger fires when it gets really cold.

All seems good. The lounge is warm and cosy but I've left the doors open to allow the warmth to spread through the house.

Robert will probably berate me for adding to global warming but never-mind, I do my environmental pollution the old fashioned way.

I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER ...

 ... no, maybe I should have used a May song reference. Never mind.

Do you remember though, that a while ago the old blogger from down south used to bang on about something he called parallel universing?

No?

Oh well, at his age he probably doesn't remember either.

To recap (here's pic of me wearing a cap that I think you will like):

"Parallel Universing' according to Richard (of Richard's Bath Bun) is where, when someone tells a story or shares a memory, another person immediately steps in and tells a similar story or recounts something pertaining to their own history. Rude? Yes.

Anyway, "why bring things up from the past"?" you might ask. Well, last night when scrolling through YouTube on TV I found an old Peter Cook and Dudley Moore classic that fits the bill perfectly.

The worst bloody thing that could happen to you

It's sublime. I miss them. I hope you like it too.

NEW POST - THE WINE GUY *** (UPDATED)***

I posted this yesterday before fossicking in the cellar some more and found another 6 bottles of precious ports. I've updated the post.

LEFT A BIT

I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO'S OVER IT*

 You remember (of course you do) that I wrote a post a few days ago titled 'I'M OVER IT.

Too lazy to trawl through to find it? Fear not, here's a link: I'M OVER IT

I discovered today, as I suspected, that I'm not the only one.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu, The First Lady of Nigeria (she's the wife of President Bola Tinubu) has warned the country's women not to 'lose who they are' in a speech given shortly after Meghan Markle's visit where she also slammed the 'nakedness' of US celebrities. Read here in the Australian Daily Mail.

DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Good on you Senator Tinubu. I'm with you on this one.

"Stop flashing your tits Markle" - Oluremi Tinubu

* The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ is the only group of blogs in this blogging community that makes the effort to provide readers with updates to its posts.

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW ...

  ... that Geoff sent us a 10 pack of screen wipes.

These work well on spectacles, phone screens, computer screens and iPads - brilliant.

I just thought I'd let you know.

NEW POST - THE RELIGIOUS CURMUDGEON

 

YAH, BOO, SUCKS

THINGS I DIDN'T KNOW - BUT NOW DO

Many readers have asked me if I could write more post series. You like post series.

here's an example:

 

 

Well, as luck would have it, today being a blustery and rainy day, I've been reading indoors. I browsed through 'Wellington Through a Victorian lens Revisited', looking at the many old photographs and read a lot of the narrative.

Now while I was born in Wellington and lived there many years there are still some things I don't know. I attended Marist Brothers Newtown and St Patrick's College - both very close to The Basin Reserve. I spent many hours wandering over the playing fields in the reserve, climbing the trees and the fences and watching cricket games there but never thought to ask about the name - The Basin Reserve.

Reading the book today I learned that the site was originally a lagoon that was known as the 'Basin'

 

When Surveyor-General, Captain William Mein Smith, drew up plans for Wellington in 1840, a stream linked the harbour to a lagoon that he simply labelled ‘Basin’. Smith’s intention was for this Basin to become a safe harbour for ships, accessed through a canal to the harbour. Over the next fifteen years the city continued to develop around Smith’s Basin as people from around the world moved to the new colony.

There were plans to build canals running where Kent and Cambridge Terraces run from the harbour to the 'Basin'. This would have been spectacular and could have made wellington much more of a tourist attraction than it is akin to Amsterdam or even Venice. Unfortunately the 1855 earthquake put paid to that plan by raising the ground level enough to destroy the basin lake and make the canal project impossible:

The area that is now Basin Reserve was originally a lake (known as the Basin Lake), and there were plans to connect it to the sea by a canal to make it an alternative inner city harbour, with major warehouses and factories alongside it. However, the massive 1855 Wairarapa earthquake uplifted the area nearly 1.8 m (5.9 ft) and turned the lake into a swamp. Due to the colonists' English roots, sport, particularly cricket, was a vital part of the community's way to relax. However, no land had been allocated by the city planners for recreational reserves. Although natural grounds, such as the Te Aro flat, provided a small area for matches, the colonists wanted more recreational land than they had. The matter became dire as buildings began to be erected on these plains, as flat land was hard to find in the mountainous Wellington. So, after the 1855 earthquake, which historians estimate measured magnitude 8, influential citizens seized the chance in 1857 to suggest that the new land be drained and made into a recreational reserve. The Wellington council accepted the proposal and on 3 February 1863 prisoners from the Mount Cook Gaol began to level and drain the new land. The swamp was drained by September and a fence and hedges were placed around the entire area. However, massive population influxes from 1863 to 1866 (caused mostly by the Parliament being situated in Wellington) hampered construction on the Basin Reserve as workers were pulled to other areas.

After a council meeting on 11 December 1866 the Basin Reserve became Wellington's official cricket ground. No cattle or horses were allowed in the ground and only small hedges and shrubs were allowed to be planted so as not to hamper cricket games. Soon after, on 11 January 1868, the first game of cricket was played, although the ground had numerous stones and thistles on it, which the umpire later apologised for as some players got injured from them. Although it was the opening day, no ceremony or music was played, nor was the opening advertised with banners.

        Wikipedia

 Well, what do you think of that? Should this become a new series?

NEW POST - THE WINE GUY

 

SATURDAY NIGHT ...

ROBERT SMILES

 Readers of this and the other blogs will have noticed this that crops up a lot:

I find it to be quite creepy. People who refer to themselves in the third person, like Donald Trump does are know as Illeists:

Illeism is the practice of talking about oneself in the third person, rather than the first person. The rhetorical device is often used by politicians to try to give their words an air of objectivity.

The name kind of suggests that they have a problem even before you read the definition.

 I don't know if I want to be surrounded by smiling people whether they are Illeists or not.

HOW RICHARD SEES THINGS #1

 I put this as #1 because it's the sort of post that is likely to be very popular and will require follow ups.

In his most recent post the 71 year old dreamer imagined a guardian angel as looking like this:

Instead of the more usual this:

Although, to be frank (I'm really Peter) I'd rather my guardian angel looked liked this:

It got me thinking as to what goes on in his brain and how he sees things that normal (you know - the rest of us) see.

Easter bunny

As imagined by normal people

As imagined by Richard

Cows

As seen by normal people

As seen by Richard

Heights

Swing bridge viewed by normal people

Swing bridge viewed by Richard

Church services

Mass as viewed by normal people

Mass as viewed by Richard

Tennis

As seen by normal people

As imagined by Richard

Golf

As seen by normal people

As imagined by Richard

NINE LIVES?

Thirteen years ago (is that number significant?) I wrote a series of posts titled 'LUCKY'. I got up to 'LUCKY 13' I think ....

Well today I used up another of my 'lives' when on the roof. I spent some time clearing gutters and making sure that downpipes were free of obstructions. I did this because it was a fine day, the roof was dry and we expect some rainstorms soon. I set up the ladder and climbed up with a long-handled brush and gloves and set to.

While there I thought I'd do a more thorough job than usual so laddered (is there such a word?) down again and tossed up a hose and some brushes and went up again. I spent about an hour and a half scrubbing the gutters as I discovered that the scum that builds up on the bottom slows down the water flow and can lead to backing up if a few leaves or twigs fall in the guttering. I cleaned as many as I could safely reach and stretched it a bit on some parts where I clambered down holding on to the roofline with one hand and using the long-handled brush with the other.

The drop from the highest part of the rear of the house is not great (probably 15 foot from the gutter) but not one I fancy making. I wouldn't have done this at the front of the house where the drop must be about 40 foot in places.

Anyway, all was going well and before coming down* I decided to go up further to check the chimneys and the new roof ventilator we installed a few months go. By this time, while it was still bright and sunny, I'd got the roof wet while using the hose in the gutters and managed to saturate my gloves and the shoes I was wearing. I climbed up from the flat part of the roof I'd been standing on to the sloping part that led to the chimneys (see arrow):

Well, just as I was reaching for the roof-line my wet shoes on the wet roof slipped and my wet gloves gave me no purchase so I slid down, past the gutter and landed in a heap on the flat roof below. Fortunately I wasn't hurt except for my pride but it gave me a bit of a shake-up. If this had happened at the higher point I'd been standing on an hour earlier I'd have dropped down onto the brickwork area where the car is parked - as I said, at least 20 feet.

I tossed the brushes, the broom and the hose over the side and went down the ladder to safety. When I told The Old Girl (she had heard the thump) she forbade me doing any more up there until things dried out - a moot point because it's been raining off and on this afternoon.

* While up on the roof I checked the eaves to see if they needed painting and looking up I discovered a huge wasp nest - the biggest I've found so far. It was about the size of a half a loaf of bread. I was wondering if it was still in use so squirted water on it which brought out some inquisitive - not yet at that stage angry - wasps. I quickly went down and got some strong insect spray (Mortein Power Guard) and gave them a good seeing to. They came out pretty angry but the Power Guard won. It's strong stuff so soon the roof was littered with dead wasps. I used the long-handled brush to pull down the hive and to crush it before sending it over the side. Job done.

"KEEP THOSE CARDS AND LETTERS COMING IN FOLKS"

“If this is just the beginning, my life’s gonna be beautiful."

You will have noticed that today (and it's only midday) I've already written and published three posts (four counting this one). I've been up on the roof cleaning the guttering and doing maintenance (fear not, a post on this will be forthcoming) but as I nearly lost another of my allocated nine lives, The Old Girl has forbidden me going up there again today. This means that I will be inside this afternoon and might write and publish more posts.

All this activity no doubt will generate more interest, readers and comments:

I might have to enlist some assistance to handle them.

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW ...

 As you know I'm blogging from the lounge at present as The Old Girl has once again commandeered my study.

I've had a problem with being able to see the screen properly, leading to spelling errors as, positioned at the end of the table I've been looking out the north facing windows that are very brightly lit during the day. I solved this today by moving the set-up to the side of the table facing West. I can see the screen much more clearly now (there's a song about this).

What do you think?

I’M OVER IT

 When I was young the sight of a scantily clad model in a women’s magazine was exciting.

This was back in the 1960s when porn wasn’t available to schoolboys like it is today and, in the absence of the tame men’s magazines of the time, like MAN we would salivate over images of models wearing probably more than what women wear when going shopping nowadays.

Recently, well, for quite a few years now I've been becoming increasingly annoyed at the shenanigans and the reporting of them, in 'responsible' media of bimbo actors, singers, 'super' models, 'influencers and wanna-be celebrities. These tarts turn up to expensive and fashionable events like the MET opening, Cannes film festival, big city fashion week galas and big events around the world wearing pretty much nothing and the press rave on about how clever, brave or 'cultural' it is.

Give me a break.

MET gala.

A JUICY TALE*

 It's another glorious day in paradise. I've got a few chores to do around the house and will take advantage of the nice weather. I have to get up on the roof to clear the gutters in case we get rainstorms next week.

First up though I decided to juice some apples that we had in the fridge. The Old Girl suggested that I use oranges from the tree beside the house.

I never use these, assuming that they aren't very sweet given that the tree is planted in a silly place pretty much out of the sun. The previous owners planted it so it's been there for a long time. A couple of years ago I severely pruned it right to the base intending to dig it out but it has come back luxuriously.

Anyway I juiced the apples, a lot of the oranges, added a large red capsicum and Bob is Richard's brother! We had a glass each of juice and there's enough left for the next couple of days.

* Who said that blogging can't be interesting?

THE CURMUDGEONS INC.

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"This could make blogging very interesting."

Said Richard in what was arguably the most boring blog post so far this year where he made derisive comments about other people's posts while saying basically nothing. This was a very poor effort and frankly this reader was expecting more especially since the old drekker hadn't posted for days. 'Daze' would appropriately sum that up.

At least The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ makes an effort and posts frequently - sometimes several times a day and takes the trouble to make posts interesting, relevant and comprehensive - using images, downloads and music clips for extra entertainment. It's no wonder that The Curmudgeon was awarded Goggle's 'Most Promising Blog Award two years ago.