Unsociable

Tonight was meant to be a social event after the evening’s shortened do. But was feeling rather anti-social, so skipped it. Too much on my mind, too much to do, and too many suppliers making a complete Horlicks of things.

Currently being criticised for not doing a 100% quality check on any sub-contract work done. This, despite going to place and personally sorting out which artwork goes with which panel, then putting the whole thing in writing. Then they louse it up, and I get it in the neck.

This is becoming all too common; it’s as if they no longer care.

Various rants & deaf for the day

The builders car remained all night, and all day today (it’s still there). Occasionally there is someone in neighbours, the smell of fresh paint is the give-away. Is he staying in their? (no light at night, so certainly not awake if that’s the case). But I don’t like this guy – he has an arrogance – perhaps best shown when I asked for a quote for the external works, but raised the issue of our empty flat in the block. ” Full access will be required at all times” as if we have to give him our keys for the duration. It seems that’s exactly what neightbours employing him this fortnight have done. Fortunately he’s not sent a quote for the external work, and if there’s any problem when we have to do that, “he don’t get my vote as he’s not sent his quote”. Nor even of the urgent job, the broken gutter.

Banks (again). This mania for having picture ID has now got down to a £200 transaction. It was £500 last week. I don’t have picture ID, my driving licence is too old, and passport expired years ago.

For some reason, my left ear is blocked today. Self cleaning hasn’t helped. But it leaves me with my partially deaf right ear being the only one effectively working. I lost all hearing as a child, due to illness, what I have now is what recovered, but that is a distinct lack of high frequencies in the right ear. Maybe forced to the quacks next week for a syringing.

That did not help when negociating with the bank about trying to open a new account (another rant). Having to lip read did not make eye-contact any easier.

However, I pass hospital audio tests with flying colours – because the tests are so predictable that (as a musician), I “hear” the tone because I expect it to be there.

One night in a tent in Cherbourg during a downpour. Lying in the bag, I could hear the sushhhhh of rain on tarmac. I turned over. All I could hear was plop plop plop of raindrops on the canvas. Nothing of the high frequency sushhhhh. Never had I had such an example before.

Building around

Supposedly, today is the last day of the building works in the flat below. So why the builder’s van is still outside at 21:00 (with the lights in the flat out) is puzzling/worrying.

I seem to have spent the whole year with major building works somewhere around me, and am rather fed up of the smell of new paint, especially the burnt paint smell when I turn on the gas cooker.

Just down the road is a large site. It was built in the 1900’s by a then local builder, and only a few years ago was sold when the last of the family died. It went to a speculator who failed to get planning permission, and is now clearly selling hoping another specualor has better luck. Problem is two fold. (1) It’s in a conservation area, any “new build” will look terribly out of place, and (2) it backs onto a building of historic note, and this case has appeared in various journals. Augures ill to me.

Autumn (1)

Interestingly, to me, at least, is that some of the local acer’s, sycamore and maple to others are in their autumn colours now, yet the next tree of the same genus is still green. Even more spectacular will be when the cherry trees switch to autumn, since, at least in my opinion, the colours are floursecent. I understand that sheeps’ fleeses are also flourscent. Which means they have a glow when light shines on them, not necessarily daylight.

I spent much of the day shuffling metalwork, finding out that in fact the invoice was correct, even if the delivery note was wildly off-course. Which is why I spent…

Non-deliveries

Another day, another not much to show for the whole day’s work.

A number of deliveries failed to turn up today. Included in them was a tarpaullin. This I will have to cover my late father’s shed, to prevent more water leaking through the roof. It’s true it’s not the only problem, but this is leaking onto the electric lights. And I don’t have much time to put a new felt roof on, while not sure why the old one has failed now.

I remember my father building that shed. The wooden frame, put up around his bench, then the exterior ply and glass.

One day, while in hospital, he asked me to look after his work bench and tools. I don’t want to bin them (and indeed they are substancial pieces of seasoned wood, stuff you’d certainly not be able to get these days.

Talking of seasoned wood, I discovered a load of what I was told was American Walnut. It’s close to a milk-chocolate coloured wood – although I prefer the colour of African Walnut. Anyway, although stored outside, and I thought rotten, I discovered they had just seasoned well, and yet more to find a dry store for…

Typo – or not

Amoung the many things I run is the web site for an organisation I am involved with .

Today I was asked to email to everyone the latest document, but somehow one word was “adjusted” to a near word, (not a real one, but one could dream up a definition of it). I turned up late, so the first salvo on the matter missed me, but have had second, third and forth salvos while trying to protest innocence and not understanding what was happening.

One accusation was that it was a deliberate change, to see if anyone read the things. I retored that I would not do anything as crass as that, it would be a lot more subtle if I was deliberately doing that.

On the PM blog, one Apertif suggests that I’m not using my real name there. Well, apart from doubting that she is doing the same, may I point out that some of us don’t like one of their forenames, and use the another. My elder niece has three to choose from in future; a mix of English and Irish names, so she can choose her inheritance. But I don’t understand Irish spellings. “Niahm” = Neave?

Bleached

Well, I tried taking pics with the digital camera, but every one of the crocuses have bleached them out, so you cannot see the delicute purple that they are. Will try again on Sunday, as there are some more coming up. But meanwhile, took the first saffron harvest of this year (or the past 5).

I also took a pic of the Mutsu Apple tree:

Yes, the apples remain green, and turn a greenish yellow when actually ripe.

The red kites were circuling again, but they would produce a good photo (just being a silouette).

More banging from my neighbours, and it used to be a nice quiet flat.

At last

Going via one of our machinists, to collect what turned out to be £3000 worth of panels, to mother’s. Yes, machinst was working today, as, technically, was I in collecting the things. But some of them are needed tomorrow.

Some clearing of the garden, especially where someone a couple of years ago had had a bonfire, with loads of broken glass, remains of a mattress (Zem, RIP) et al. This bit was not visible from the house, so no doubt why it was not noticed at the time. Earlier in the year, I heaved a load of junk over the boundary onto the suspect’s garden, where it remains, which I take to be the sign of a guilty conscience.

There are still loads of apples on the Mutsu tree, so leaving another week to ripen further.

Anyway, (fanfare), the Saffron Crocus (Crocus Sativus) are flowering. As mentioned earlier, I told them to pull their…fingers out, as it were, and two are flowing with a few more in bud. But I’d not taken the camera. For some reason, the Nastursums, having been shy all summer, are also starting to put up a show, while the Dahilas begin to fade, but the Cyclamen are starting through their cycle.

It turns out I will be more-or-less passing mother’s tomorrow as well, doing an urgent delivery to a customer, so camera will go, as well as me making the first saffron crop of the year, or the last few. English saffron may sound odd, but don’t forget Saffron Walden, in Essex, which got the name because….that was where they used to grow saffron.

I also need to collect a pallet that I stored there, which I dug out today, but will not have room in the car until the said delivery tomorrow.

Broken Gutter

Taking my life in my hands, I’ve got a pic of the broken gutter. It shows what a bodge the neighbours did when they “fixed” the gutters last time…

The trough of the gutter should be clamped down by the light grey clamps. One is in position, but not clamping, the other is hanging down, and broken plastic shows why the clamp failed.

OK, it’s easy to take a pic with a camera with Zoom, but it’s significatly just beyond reach from the window.

Funny thing, five years ago I stood where I did here to paint my window. This time, I had quite a fear of falling off…although possibly more a fear of being pushed or nudged by gust of wind or something like that.

Work, Bathroom and Gin

A lot of work going on in the last few days. To add to my problems, someone is sending thousands of spam emails, appearning as if they were sent from my company’s domain name. I only found out when I received hundreds of “bounce back” emails (mailbox not existing, or “this is spam” or other messages). That took half a day to get under control (by which I mean, filtered out all these messages, and able to use my mailbox again). Probably still thousands being sent out every hour…

Downstairs appear not to just be putting in a new bathroom suite; the appear to be knocking the walls of the bathroom down and putting up new ones. That will explain the noise, drilling hammering, large sheets of gyprock and plywood that occasionally block my door etc. Meanwhile they have disappeared for the duration (another holiday).

That coffee beer I referred to. I tried a bottle yesterday, (only 330ml), and actually it was quite nice. But that was after a G&T or two, so maybe not the best time for tasting.

Talking of G&Ts, and without meaning to advertise, I usually use Bombay Sapphire. Some other brands seem to give me a hangover, however little I have. I brought a bottle of Xoriguer, from Menorca recently, and it’s a nice change, with just a little twist in the aftertaste.