NEW POST - THE RELIGIOUS CURMUDGEON

 

15 SECRETS THE VATICAN DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW

WHEN MUSICIANS GROW OLD

 I see that Richard is complaining about the clutter of his musical instruments over on his blog.

It's just as well that he doesn't own a piano or ...

DOWNSIZING

 

No, not that, although The Old Girl does cast aspersions along with her sideways look at me sometimes.

If we, in the next couple of years sell our house and move to either a smaller house or an apartment then we will have to get rid of a hell of a lot of stuff.

When it comes to junk, out of condition and well-used stuff this isn't a problem as it wouldn't take long to give it away or take to the tip.

What would take longer is selling those things that are worth a lot of money (based on original purchase prices) or have value that has increased since purchase many years ago. The kind of stuff  I'm talking about is:

• Artwork. We have lots of lovely original paintings and prints along with some sculptural pieces we've collected. There's no way that a future dwelling would accommodate these so, sadly we'll have to drastically reduce the quantity.
• Ceramics. We have some very special pieces that we wouldn't be able to take with us. These include the 100+ piece Copeland Spode 'Buttercup' dinner service, an 45 piece set of  Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque dinner service and other artisan bowls, dishes and plates along with crystal glasses and decanters. The beautiful  Stephen Scholefield  plate that Richard and Shelley gave us will not be sold - that will be going with us.
• Valuable things in the basement like my Avanti mountain bike, the EGO lawnmower and other EGO tools, the STIHL waterblaster.
• Snooker table and accessories.

Actually, thinking about it and making a list makes me think that there's not going to be a lot of stuff to sell. We'll carefully go through our book collection and keep the rare and valuable ones with the hope that a new residence will have space for a decent bookshelf and furniture and appliances by then will all be in need of replacement anyway.

Just by writing this post I think that I've taken the pressure off but will make an effort to sell the dinnerware to start with.

Hey! It gives me something to do (and blog about).

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Copeland Spode Buttercup from the internet. Ours has extra items.

Belle Epoque dinnerware from the internet. Ours has extra items

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The Scolefield plate

NEW POST - THE RELIGIOUS CURMUDGEON

 The Religious Curmudgeon has responded to a recent post of Robert's.

WOO-WOO!

BLAST FROM THE PAST

 Looking on Facebook's 'Neighbourly - Old Wellington Region' I think I spied Richard in this photograph:

What a hoot!

AND NOW FOR A LOAD OF OLD COCK

Readers, well, a random reader may have noticed that Richard (of RBB) in comments on my posts and on his own blogs, is obsessed by penises. One of his blogs is named Phillip Edward Nis!

Here's just one example:

There are many, many others.

Anyway, I realised that it's a laugh that all three of the principal bloggers names have connotations with penises.

Richard (Dick):

Peter:

 

Robert (Bobby):

DENNIS TOADY?*

* No, that's what I thought The Old Girl asked me this morning and I answered "who"? 

She often speaks to me from another room and unless I have my hearing aids in I can't make out what she's saying. She asked if I was playing tennis today. Yes I was regardless of what that old fake news promulgator from Wainuiomata says. I played tennis, not golf.

It's been a marvellous morning - warm and sunny. My tennis was OK once I reverted back to my normal serve. I started off experimenting with a new serving style that I leaned from the internet yesterday.

It didn't work for me.

After that I played quite well and enjoyed it except for the fact that Roger turned up.

The other old duffers at tennis welcomed him, obviously forgetting how much of a nuisance he is.  They also forget the score and are forever getting line calls wrong. I ignored him. Even though I'm a nice curmudgeon at tennis I can still be an unforgiving bastard so don't feel the need to be nice to him. Maybe I can suggest that he moves to the Hutt Valley.

I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER ...

 It's a funny thing but every-time I hang the washing out and it's a warm sunny day but windy, I'm immediately transported back to Norfolk Island.

It's like Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu which I have mentioned before - many times. A memory trigger like his madeleine - the wind and sun transports me back. I guess it's because it's a happy memory. 

Norfolk Island is located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, 1,412 kilometres directly east of Australia. It has a maritime-influenced humid subtropical climate with warm, humid summers and very mild, rainy winters. It can also be quite windy. I remember enjoying the subtropical garden at the motel we stayed in with the warmth counteracting the windy conditions. 

I'm not a 'beach person' and neither is The Old Girl. Sunbathing on a beach is boring to us which I guess is why I preferred Norfolk Island to my previous holidays in Tonga, Fiji and Rarotonga.

I just thought I'd share that with you. No doubt it'll make Robert chuckle.

Richard will probably do a bit of the old Marcel Proust-type reminiscing himself since I mentioned New Caledonia ... but, that's another story.

IT'S A LAUGH INNIT? (2)

 IT'S A LAUGH INNIT?

(I hope you went to that link and saw the excellent 'The Young Ones' segment).

According to Richard (of RBB), Robert (of I think, Rob) has been laughing a lot recently.

Robert himself is given to a chuckle here and there in between being a downer with his depressing Jesus parables ...

... although, he has slipped a bit in the intensity of his hilarity:

and then,

Maybe his chuckling has been forced like a brave face to the ribbing that Richard and I give him about his Catholic beliefs.

If so, it makes me think of the excellent and very, very scary painting by Yue Minjun - The Execution (1995, oil on canvas).

Make of it what you will.

NEW POST - THE MUSIC CURMUDGEON

 The Music Curmudgeon say's he's written a seven act opera and wants to share it.

I've convinced him to pare it down a little so he's published an excerpt from it on his blog. 

Enjoy?

INFAMY!

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