Perspectives

Hello everyone. I hope that you are ok. We are trundling along. We heard this week that the work to make our building safe will be finished this weekend. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean everyone is back in straight away. The alterations need to be signed off by the Fire Service, the City Council, another set of surveyors and someone else whose identity evades me at the moment. Also, they need to switch the gas back on and get the bins sorted (obviously, no one has been able to go to the bin store in the basement to empty them, so that will be an interesting room). The powers that be reckon that all this will take another week, but there is hopefully light on the horizon. This does not mean that the overall alterations are anywhere near finished - in fact, they will be taking longer than the original quotes - but I am at the stage in my life where I would kill for a decent chopping board and a fish slice that hasn't been melted on the hob. (I don't see why I should buy anything new for 

this horrible apartment.) Speaking about the bins, I feel that we have nothing to fear going back to our old place because this is our car park where we are now. When the seagulls are in full dive-bomb mode, it looks like one of those documentaries about how all our waste is going to landfill on the outskirts of Wales. According to one of the cleaners, there is an ongoing dispute between the bin people and the building owners. (Isn't there always?) Apparently, she was very nice - the cleaning lady. I didn't meet her. I was at work, but she came in unexpectedly when HOH was here. He spent a good deal of time shuffling from foot to foot and whistling to let her know which room he was in. I think we are more of the Downstairs than Upstairs kind of people. She was telling him that she had just passed her Geology Master's. That is excellent. I'm not sure what you do with a Geology Degree - apart from becoming a geologist. If she wanted to practise looking into the Geology of our car park, there are six layers of rubbish for her to take samples from and have an examine. 

We had a little day out to Exeter this week, on the train. Don't judge me, but I don't get the train that often and when I do, I'm afraid it tends to be First Class. As I said, don't judge me - I find there is often a deal to be had and I am prepared to slum it in other areas (for instance, the hotel room can be very snug - I don't care) to save money to do this. Anyway, because it was only to Exeter, I was talked into going Standard and, wouldn't you know it, there was unpleasantness when a woman who was sitting in our seat cut up a bit rough about moving across the aisle.

"I've only just sat down and I have sciatica!"

I was worried that this was turning into a Victoria Wood sketch, and was very grateful that HOH was firm and insisted that she move. As we were getting off, she shouted "Adios!" to us. What is wrong with people? You don't get that in First Class, and I don't like being a bag of nerves on my rare days out. 

One of the reasons we went to Exeter was for me to have a look around Lakeland, which was always one of my favourite shops. All the baking paraphernalia and the stuff for making your own yoghurt (which I never do), and the expensive baking trays. I love all that stuff. The arrival of the Lakeland Christmas catalogue used to mean that the festivities could get started, and I could order a load of table decorations and holly-shaped chocolate fancies that I definitely had no need of.  But, it had, as my mother would have said, Gone Down A Lot. There was no one in, not much on the shelves, and it looked a bit shabby. I suppose that, during a Cost of Living Crisis, expensive cookware is not a priority. Sad though.

We also went out to see a Stand-Up comic. Matt Forde is a political comic who also does impressions. (Sounds like my worst nightmare) But he was really good, and his Angela Raynor was the best impression of her that I have ever heard. HOH said that it was a bit cruel, and he did make her sound like Peter Kay, but he treated everyone the same, and I'm not sure she would mind being portrayed as a Northern, Powerhouse, Party Animal who you underestimate at your peril. After the interval, the show took a different turn as he talked about his cancer diagnosis, a couple of years ago. The cancer in his spine was literally a one-in-a-million cancer, and it has a high recurrence rate. He has had extensive surgery, which left him with a colostomy bag (a bag for life, he called it), self-catheterising and the loss of erectile function. There was a brilliant sketch about how he and his new wife navigated this, which I won't share here, but he was excellent on coming to terms with his mortality in a way that made me feel very humble - even while he made jokes of a VERY personal nature. He then told anyone who had any disturbing symptoms of any kind to go to their GP and finished on a couple of Trump jokes that brought the house down. Excellent night. Excellent Chap. Highly recommended.

Also recommended - apologies if you are all on it - but I have rediscovered the website Attic 24. It is just beautiful. The lady is a top-notch crocheter, which I am not, but she makes me want to, and her creations are just fantastic. In a topsy-turvy world, she makes me feel better. 

Not making me feel better is Kristin Scott Thomas, who is older than me, looking like this on the front of the Sunday Times and complaining about having to look beautiful. I wouldn't mind it, to be honest. If only for a little while.

Right - off now. 35th Wedding Anniversary tomorrow. Should have been in Paris, but what with one thing and another, we decided to sack it and have lunch in Plymouth. Well, you would, wouldn't you? Have a great week.