Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in Northamptonshire, East and West London (The NEXT Chapter).

Week 205 Saturday 19^thMay until Friday 25^thMay 2018.

Last weekend I spent time in the countryside with mum and one of my sisters.  Mum doesn’t live in the sticks, but a small village which to me as a city gal is the countryside.  Within a few minutes I can be surrounded by fields with traditional animal farms or fields of modern solar panels.  One of my favourite things is to visit the Grand Union Canal which is about a 30 to 40 mins walk down twisty, turny country lanes.  The walk takes longer than it should because I can’t help stopping to enjoy fields occupied by Cows, Horses and Deer (not altogether of course).  Occasionally a wild bunny or something smaller will make an appearance in the tall grass.

  “Thank you mum and Hel for letting me eat and drink everything”. 
 
At the canal, after leaning precariously over the water, looking into the mouth of a long dark tunnel, trying to see if there are any canal boats approaching (one day I will fall in), I will look for shady spot to sit and draw, paint or just enjoy the scenery.   I love nature and always watch programmes like Springwatch, but, shamefully, I don’t know the names of a lot of common birds (I’m a thicko nature fan).  Highlight of my visit were a couple of majestic swans resting on the tow path together before paddling in the water, and a duck being followed by a group of ducklings all in a hurry.

   “I am informed that the Cows do pay Council Tax for that Wendy house”.
 
Being brought up in the city you would expect me to be comfortable in the concrete jungle; nothing could be further from the truth.  When I lived in Mozambique (I’m returning next year) most of my down time was spent on my own, watching films or TV downloads. When there was power I enjoyed the internet. Drawing and painting always pleases me. Walking on the beach, watching Crabs running in to the surf or glimpsing a Humpback breaching at depth was always a special site.  More and more people are living in London and everyone is in a hurry, this makes me appreciate the countryside even more.

   “I really love spending time by the canal”.
 
In the UK I love Scotland, and have been lucky enough over the years to have visited a number of cities and towns.  But the area I really would like to explore is the Highlands and Islands.  Over the weekend mum joked about me one day retiring. I pointed out that people of my age will never retire.  I will work till I drop.  However, if life were to change through being paid a few pounds for being creative, I would like to disappear and explore that beautiful part of the UK.  Maybe that might give me the opportunity to learn the names of common birds.  Apart from a good internet link and art supplies, the only other items I would really need is plenty of factor 50 (the sun must shine now and then in that area of Scotland) and insect spray.  Yes, I could be happy living like a hobbit – without the hairy feet of course.

   “These Swans and Ducks, really made my weekend”.
 
And Now For Something Completely Different……

   “I don’t have the patients to garden, i’ll enjoy mums”. 

You would never know from reading this badly constructed ramble, that I spent hours writing and re-reading this mess, trying to make sense of what my fingers have typed.  It was pointed out in a nice way last week that very little grammar is used, which I ashamedly admit is true.

   “I suppose it was a weekend of food and drink, oh what the heck”.
 
As a child of the 70s, help in schools for children who needed a little extra didn’t exist (not that I remember), unlike today.  For a period of time in junior school, myself and other children who were deemed thick, would sit in a van (with windows) and draw while to the rest of the class did proper lessons.  School of course can’t be completely blamed, I am 50% responsible.  I didn’t enjoy reading until I discovered Target “Doctor Who” novelizations in the late 70s, before that I could be found with my nose in comics, but I suspect this was mainly because I loved the drawings.

 “I chose poorly, by going to work looking like an explosion in a curtain factory”.
 
I regret so much which is why I tell my nephews and niece to study, listen, and importantly, ask questions. After all, education is only for a short period of their life.  The last thing I want is for them to end up like me, a middle aged thicko with very few prospects for their remaining years.  I am pretty certain that they will succeed and be a credit to their parents.  Of course I wish I had worked harder, but also that the school had helped me, instead of letting me rot in a corner to dream while looking out of the window.  Something I do at work still today.

  “Indian sweets from the neighbours.  Brought back happy childhood memories”.
 
It’s not impressive that someone of my age is not very good with grammar; this is something that needs to be improved.  The challenge has been accepted! Maybe, as a result, this blog will be better and might attract more readers.

  “If you lost a hat on the District Line, i saw it at Richmond”.
 
And Finally……

 “One of my fave roads to walk in the countryside”.
 
Hearing that a train was late because it had to be rebooted (turned on and off) because of a security camera fault did make me chuckle.

 “Special announcement”.
 
Special thanks TR for grammar help this week.

 “Writing this shiz, with painful blisters”.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:  

“Click”, (TX: 19/05/18).  “Countryfile”, (TX: 20/05/18).  “Doctor Who”, (S28/S2, ep 7 & ep 8).  “Have I Got News For You”, (S55, ep 7, TX: 18/05/18)(ep 8, TX: 25/05/18).  “High & Dry”, (S1, ep 3 & ep 4).  “Home From Home”, (S1, ep 5 & ep 6).  “How It’s Made”, (S1, ep 10, 2001).  “Humans”, (S3, ep 2).  “Missions”, (S1, ep 3 & ep 4).  “Neanderthal: Meet Your Ancestors”, (S1, ep 2, TX: 20/05/18).  “Red Dwarf XI”, (S11, ep 1).  “Star Trek (ENT)”, (S3, ep 3 & ep 24)(S4, ep 1 to ep 4).  “The City And The City”, (S1, ep 4).  “The Graham Norton Show”, (S23, ep 7, TX: 18/05/18).  “The Last Man On The Moon”, (2014)(TX: 16/05/18).  “The Martian”, (2015).  “The Sky At Night Guide: 1 Planet”, (TX: 17/05/18).

This week I have mainly been listening to:

  “Brian Gittens And Friends”, (ep 37, 25/05/18).  “Chasing Earhart”, (ep 44, 20/05/18).  “Grief Cast”, (ep 18, 10/01/18)(ep 20, 24/01/18)(ep 38, 22/05/18).  “Iain Lee (Bonus)”, (24/05/18).  “Iain Lee (Highlights)”, (17/05, 18/05, 21/05, 23/05, 24/05/18).  “In Poor Taste”, (ep 62, 25/02/17)(ep 63, 03/03/17)(ep 97, 25/05/18).  “LBC Podcast: Mystery Hour”, (24/05/18).  “LBC Podcast: Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (18/05, 19/05, 20/05, 25/05/18).  “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 45, 18/05/18).  “NASA: In Silicon Valley”, (ep 91, 19/05/18).  “Skeptiod”, (ep 583, 08/08/17)(ep 624, 22/05/18).  “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 90, 18/05/18).  “Strange Times”, (ep 262, 11/05/18)(ep 263, 12/05/18).  “The Rabbit Hole”, (ep 54, 24/05/18).  “Treasure Quest”, (BBC Three Counties Radio, TX: 19/05/18).  “Morrissey”, “M.I.A”, “Foo Fighters”, “Florence And The Machine”, “The Killers”, “Bowie”, “Kate Bush”, “Deee-Lite”.