As life returns to normal in drizzly old East Yorkshire this morning, the shopping routine returns and during a trip round my local supermarket Sainsburys (other supermarkets are available, ) my other half witters and whinges about them changing the products round and not having the variety they had before. One of the reasons for this may be that they are building a huge pharmacy in the middle of the shop which is taking up what was two aisles.
Frankly, the choice and variety of stuff is mind blowing. When I was a kid, you had two choices of cheese from 'Cussons', the corner shop in the village: A Cheddar (red, a bit like Red Leicester) or Cheshire (white and crumbly). If we were really posh, you could get an Edam which was like eating tasty soap with the red coating which I always enjoyed more then the cheese bit. I didn't have the time today, but I'll have a hunt round the shop next time I go and see how many stand alone cheese products they sell.
My wife is accusing me of being deaf and the fact that I should do something about it. I accept that perhaps I don't hear things sometimes quite clearly enough but today for example, her indoors is talking to me in a busy supermarket this morning whilst walking away from me facing in the opposite direction and she wonders why I can't hear her.
My mother got the doctor in when I was little thinking I was deaf. The doctor, thank goodness, advised against any action because in those days (50 years ago) ear surgery was crude and damaging in other ways. He said I'd grow out of it and he was right. The fact is that I switch off and don't listen. I am sure this is the main reason and of course being a man and being unable to multi task - if I listen to the radio or TV, then that's where I concentrate, not on chatter. Deafness however does run in the family, like wooden legs, and my wife's mother has been stone deaf for decades so I guess I can understand her concern and frustration.
My WW1 hero Grandad, for example had one of those hearing aids the size of a packet of fags that used to whistle loudly when it wasn't tuned right that he kept in his waistcoat pocket. As everyone worked in the days he was alive - he still lived with us (he was elderly, deaf, blind, suffered mild dementia at the end and had one leg), sadly the only thing he ever needed the aid for was to listen to the budgie chirp away during the day and to listen to The Archers at 7 o'clock on the wireless - he was not a great conversationalist, God rest his soul.
What great news today that to celebrate the inaugural World Book Night, the organisers, according to the BBC News, will be distributing one million free books to venues including homeless centres, pubs and hospitals in a bid to boost reading. This is indeed marvellous news and I wish them well. Anything that will encourage our youngsters and adults alike to read and gain pleasure from holding and reading a book has got to be good.
I have tried to read a book on the Internet, but I just can't get into it - I'm not sure why, perhaps I can't relax like I can by slobbing about on the settee like I usually do when I'm reading.
My wife bought some hyacinths the other week which I potted up into containers for the living room and they are out right now - the fragrance as we come into the room in a morning is absolutely fabulous and even during the day, the heady scent wafts through the whole ground floor. You know I like to put fresh pictures on the blog which have been missing because I've been away, so today a simple picture of the hyacinth flower breaks the drought.
I hope you have a great weekend.
Chat soon
Ta-ra.
Welcome to a new 'follower' - Wheelie. His blog, http://applestrokes.blogspot.com/, is entitled 'Stroke Survivor' and it's good to read with appropriate dry humour befitting someone from God's Own Country - Yorkshire, albeit the south, but I don't hold that against him! You are very welcome sir!The youngest is home for the festive break from Liverpool University - welcome home son and my wife says a particular welcome to his mountain of washing. Diane Parkin in her blog talks about the snow and has a great method of detecting the seriousness/heaviness/snowiness of the fall they have had - she says she can see the grass [poking through] - spot on Diane - just a dusting then? The point is she quite rightly the country still comes to a grinding halt. I've debated this before and it's a jaded theme every time we get a hint of the white stuff so I'll leave it there.I went on a works 'do' last night; a pleasant couple of hours in a bar, a lovely two hours in a very good Chinese Restaurant followed by another couple of hours in the bar. There was some excellent company including a surprise visit from fellow blogger Middle Aged Gapper; there was Caroline, Kirsty, Diana, Julie, Sheila, Lucy, then Alan, Alan S, John, Phill, Ian, Trevor, Bryan and brief but very welcome guest appearances from Nichola and Tracy.Oh My Goodness - the diet - I was very restrained during the meal I have to say but there was a feast of delicate starters: some pork minced with vegetables curled in a Cos lettuce leaf which was lovely. I think there was duck in some delicate little pancakes and loads of seeded breads, spring rolls, skewered bits of chicken and seaweed. I'm sure there were other starters too. The main course was sweet and sour all sorts of meats , beef with black beans, lemon chicken, egg fried rice, noodles and probably some other stuff I never even got round to. All you could eat for £15 and it was good value. This is the first but won't be the last time I've been to a Chinese restaurant and had this type of help yourself menu with the food brought to your table and kept warm on candle fired heaters. I have come to realise however that my hearing is definitely faulty in some way. The bar was absolutely full and the noise of talking and background disco music meant that I had real problems hearing what people were saying to me - even when sat close to me. My lip reading is improving but far from perfect; I just hope to God I was nodding and shaking my head in the right places.I was only waiting outside for a few minutes waiting to be picked up by my other half and I was frozen stiff and that was with a woolly thermal hat, thermal gloves, quilted jacket and scarf. My nose was NUMB.I intended to do all sorts today but once out of the Rise, whilst the major roads were okay today, traffic was backed up all over the place so I couldn't get to the garage of my choice to blow a tyre up. The second garage air pump was out of order so my third garage cost me a quid to use the airline because I had no change and there was a huge queue at the till. I didn't feel like queuing then saying to the suspicious assistant, "I haven't bought petrol, can I have change for the air pump?" I'm never quite sure if they believe you about the petrol when they begrudgingly give you change despite the inevitable comment, "We haven't a lot of change." Well it's their bloody pump and they are charging me for using my fresh air. I gave up all thoughts of shopping and came home to the warmth.Keep wrapped up.Chat soonTa-ra
