2002.24 RAIDING AND PILLAGING ANYONE?

Recently I started exploring some different music, something that's taken a back seat in my life for a while now. I'm having a bit of a renaissance with folk metal and some other Nordic and Pagan rock.

1904.28 SNOOKER LOOPY

Every year since 1977 the grand specticle that is the World Snooker Championship rolls into my town. I love the snooker but not as much as Morticia does.

1812.02 CHRISTMAS PRELUDE

Christmas has come around so quickly this year, my head is still spinning from the last on. Isn't it time Christmas was like the Olympics? Then we'd have a few extra years to catch up.

1702.19 THE ROLLERCOASTER

When Ronan Keating sang "life is a roller-coaster" I think he could have been describing the last few days of my life. Emotionally it's been joy to traumatic and everywhere in between.

1611.07 TREASON AND PLOT

Of course I'm not talking about the upcoming American Presidential election, this post talks about the weekend just gone. Saturday was (of course) the 5th which everyone in the UK knows was Bonfire (or Guy Fawkes) Night.

Guy Fawkes was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Together with Thomas Winsor and Robert Catesby, Fawkes planned to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne.
The plotters leased an undercroft beneath the House of Lords, and Fawkes was placed in charge of the gunpowder they stockpiled there. Prompted by the receipt of an anonymous letter, the authorities searched Westminster Palace during the early hours of 5 November, and found Fawkes guarding the explosives. Over the next few days, he was questioned and tortured, and eventually he confessed.Fawkes became synonymous with the Gunpowder Plot, the failure of which has been commemorated since 5 November 1605. His effigy is traditionally burned on a bonfire, commonly accompanied by a fireworks display. - Source, Wikipedia

Usually on the build up to bonfire night there are kids outside shops with a home made 'Guy' asking passers by "Penny for the Guy?". I have to say there have been a lot less this year, maybe as a tradition it's dying out. It was always the case that this 'Guy' would be burned on the fire come bonfire night.

My daughter was away at Army Cadet camp this weekend so Morticia and I went out for a meal on Saturday evening. As I get older I find myself not wanting to volunteer to be outside for prolonged periods in the cold (and temperatures were around 3°) so I didn't fancy standing in a field watching a fire. I would have gladly done so if my daughter was tagging along (she attended her own at camp). After the food we drove to the top of the valley to watch all the fireworks over the city from the warmth of our car.

via GIPHY

So now that's all over with now it's just freefall to Christmas. For me I'm just waiting for spring again, I really wish hibernation was an option!

1606.11 THE PICKUP

Today, together with my youngest daughter Rags, we headed south to go and pick up Morticia. I woke up 15 minutes before my alarm at 6:45am, Rags had said she was getting up a bit earlier to grab a shower. I couldn't hear the shower. I shouted her.

We set off at about 9am. The cat was sorted with plenty of food and water (and a clean litter tray), the SeaMonkeys were fed. The traffic on the M1 and A57 was a little heavy with loads of caravans on the road. The traffic cleared as we went through Sherwood Forest.

Driving through Sherwood Forest

Rags was a rubbish co-pilot who instead of giving me nibbles and keeping me hydrated just nodded off. We arrived at St. Neots just before 11:30am.

We were reunited.

In the afternoon we had a trip into the town. It looked like there was a Morris dancing convention in town (they were everywhere). Morris dancing isn't something we see back home so it was a bit of a novelty. After tea we headed back to Morticia's mother's house. Tomorrow we head home, tonight however we're off to the pub to enjoy being together again.

Morris Dancing in St Neots Market Square 

1603.07 STRANGE MAN IN THE PUB

Most Mondays we (Morticia & myself) visit our local pub, the Green Dragon for the last hour (or so). It's usually pretty quiet which suits us. This Monday we were there as usual, the girl behind the bar was telling us about a bloke in the other bar who was going on about something or other over and over. After a short time this bloke asked (through the gap between the bar) if he could speak with me. I obliged and joined him in the other room. He then went through some concerns he'd had because of a meeting with the benefits people that morning. I advised him to speak with them in the morning.

Over the rest of the evening the chap went 'round every customer in the pub. At the end of the night I offered to encourage him to go home. Part of my job is being able to communicate and I used my skills to get him out of the door.

About 15 minutes later I went out to the car park (to check for the girl behind the bar if her lift had arrived). I found that same bloke with his head inside a car speaking to the driver. I spoke to him again and encouraged him to get off home, I witnessed him this time leave the car park.

Later, as we were leaving the pub, we saw him again stood on the street on the other side of the pub wall. When I got home I rang 101 and got my Rotherham colleagues to check on his welfare. He was well known to them and I'm confident that they looked after him.