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

Week 292 Saturday 18^th  until Friday 24^th January 2020.

This week, happy 8th B’day to my best friend Anoodle.

A theme that appears regularly in this ramble is my moaning about work.  This week could be a first!  If you’re new to this blog, I work in a call centre and describe myself as a call centre monkey.  As you might expect in an environment like that there can be a high turnover of staff.  New starters go through traditional training, such being spoken at in meeting rooms.  They are soon sat with an experienced member of staff in the phone room, to listen and eventually take calls with the old timer next to them if they need a little help.

 “Liked the message scrolling across the bottom of the board at work”.

There are a number of regular people who get asked to “babysit” newbies.  This week management really must have been desperate, short staffed (whatever) because they asked if I would have a couple of new guys (separately) to listen and take calls.  Previously in this blog I have mentioned that everything I do while shackled to my desk, including going for a whiz is timed.  Now I know why the regulars who are normally asked to assist seem to enjoy doing it. In between calls I was able to select “training” until we were ready, or fancied taking the next call.

 “Some mornings things don’t look so bad”.

This training lark is a doddle.  Of course there was chit-chat about the call, but once that shiz was over with the two of us talked about everything and anything other than the job.  My favourite day was with trainees who were ready to take the calls, I was able to sit, zone out and almost have an out of body experience.  They didn’t really need me, I nodded encouragingly now and then, but otherwise my mind was somewhere else.  I’ve always been pleased not to be approached to help out, but after this week if the opportunity comes up again I’ll always be a team player.

 “I see this group most mornings.  They look good in the mist”.

And Now For Something Completely Different……

 “I really fancied going back to bed when i saw this view”.

This week I got an email which just said in the subject line “Pink shirt, Hampstead”. Writer, performer and director of Monty Python Terry Jones died aged 77; he had been diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, a form of Frontotemporal Dementia in 2015.  If you have read this before you will know I am a huge Python fan, and met Terry very (VERY) briefly a few years ago on Hampstead Heath.  I think it’s the right time to just tell you about the amazing experience again.

 “I really enjoyed the National Trevor Show lots”.

My friend MOZ and I were lost amongst trees on Hampstead Heath looking for Kenwood House.  Suddenly a man in a large white floppy hat, pink shirt walking 2 dogs appeared from the greenery.  He must have heard us talking because he stopped to tell us which was we needed to go.  I recognised Terry Jones straight away. As he walked away all i could say was “Thank you” and “I’m a huge fan”, i really was star stuck.  Ever since he disappeared back into the bushes I regretted i didn’t ask for a picture or an autograph. But he was off duty, relaxing walking his dogs it felt wrong to intrude.  As he walked away, he laughed and waved goodbye to us and then vanished from sight.

 “We should have played Pooh Sticks while beside the Thames”.

The moment that came and went in seconds, but I will treasure the memory forever.

Terry Jones.  Python, Comedy Legend and Gentlemen.  Thank you for the laughs.

 “I do like a train”.

And Finally……

 “Smiles all round, even though it was 6.50am”.

Saying a little too loudly in very public place “I was only looking for my little hole!”  I was talking about trying to find a hole in my tights earlier.  Honest it was nothing mucky.

and

 “And the winner is……”

Shouting “Frak” loudly at 2.50am.  Because I was suddenly woken up, the lights were switched on and my nephew stood smiling as he held door the open.  Behind him was my niece the B’day girl.  It appears she had woken him and persuaded him to wake me up.  I love them dearly, but they were sent straight back to bed.

At 6.50 I was woken up when the B’day girl literally jumped on me.  The whole family were up so it really was time to start celebrating her special day.  It’s her Brothers B’day in a month time, I’ll go to bed early if I’m staying the night.

 “Distracted by Patrick, while i should have been writing this shiz”.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:  

“Cheers”, (S5, ep 13 to ep 20).  “Click”, (TX: 18/01/20).  “Daly Grind”, (BBC Scotland Pilot)(TX: 20/01/20).  “Einstein’s Quantum Riddle”, (TX: 16/01/20).  “Horizon, 2020/21: Addicted To Painkillers? Britain’s Opioid Crisis”, (TX: 16/01/20).  “Horizon, 2020/21: Chris Packham: 7.7 Billion And Counting”, (TX: 21/01/20).  “Imagine: Summer 2014: 4. Monty Python: And Now For Something Rather Similar”, (TX: 29/06/14).  “King Gary”, (S1, ep 5 & ep 6).  “Salom’s Lot”, (1979).  “Stacey Dooley Investigates The Whale Hunters”, (TX: 22/01/20).  “Star Trek: Picard”, (S1, ep 1).  “The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina”, (S3, ep 1).  “The Goes Wrong Show”, (S1, ep 4 & 5).  “The Graham Norton Show”, (S26, ep 14, TX: 17/01/20).  “The Last Leg”, (S19, ep 1, TX: 17/01/20)(ep 2, TX: 24/01/20).  “The Story Of Tracvey Beaker”, (S1, ep 1).  “The Tuckers”, (S1, ep 4 to ep 6).  “Timeless”, (S2, ep 11 & ep 12).  “Wisting”, (S1, ep 7 & ep 8).  “Would I Lie To You?”, (S13, ep 7, 24/01/20).                

Doctor Who Watched This Week:

“The Ark”, (S3, Prod Code X)(ep 3, “The Return”, TX: 19/03/66)(ep 4, “The Bomb”, TX 26/03/66)(BBC DVD Bonus, 14/02/11, “All’s Wells That Ends Wells”, “One Hit Wonder”, “Riverside Story”).

“The Celestial Toymaker”, (S3, Prod Code Y)(“Loose Cannon Intro & Outro, Peter Purves”, Dec 1999)(ep 1, “The Celestial Toyroom”, TX: 02/04/66, LC Recon)(ep 2, “The Hall Of Dolls”, TX: 09/04/66,  LC Recon)(ep 3, “The Dancing Floor”, TX: 16/04/66,  LC Recon)(ep 4, “The Final Test”, TX: 23/04/66).

“The Gunfighters”, (S3, Prod Code Z)(ep 1, “A Holiday For The Doctor”, TX: 30/04/66)(ep 2, “Don’t Shoot The Pianist”, TX: 07/05/66)(ep 3, “Johnny Ringo”, TX: 14/05/66)(ep 4, “The OK Carrol”, TX: 21/05/66)(BBC DVD Bonus, 07/03/11, “Tomorrows Times: The Frist Doctor”, “The End Of The Line?” ).

“The Savages”, (S3, Prod Code AA)(“Loose Cannon Intro, Peter Purves”, Feb 08)(ep 1, TX: 28/05/66, LC Recon)(ep 2, TX: 04/06/66, LC Recon).

“Nikola Tesla’s Night Of Terror”, (S38/S12, ep 4, TX: 19/01/20).

This Week I Saw Live On Stage:

“Sandi Toksvig: The National Trevor Show”, (Royal Festival Hall, 23/01/20).

This week I have mainly been listening to:  

 “Anti Social Show”, (ep 79, 17/01/20).  “Daddy Look At Me”, (S2, ep 13, 23/01/20).  “Iain Lee (Highlights”, (17/01, 20/01, 21/01, 23/01/20).  “LBC: Mystery Hour”, (09/01, 16/01/20).  “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 128, 24/01/20).  “Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (18/01, 24/01/20).  “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 177, 18/01/20)(ep 178, 24/01/20).  “Strange Times”, (ep 331, 22/01/20).  “The All New Angelos And Barry Podcast”, (18/01/20).   “The Old Doctor Who Podcast”, (ep 54, 24/01/18)(ep 55, 14/02/18)(ep 56, 07/03/18)(ep 57, 28/03/18)(ep 58, 18/04/18)(ep 59, 09/05/18)(ep 60, 30/05/18)(ep 61, 20/06/18)(ep 62, 11/07/18)(ep 63, 01/08/18)(ep 64, 22/08/18).  “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (20/01/20).  “The Rabbit Hole”, (ep 97, 21/01/20).  “The Skewer”, (BBC Radio 4)(S1, ep 3, 22/01/20).  “The Skewer: Podcast”, (BBC Radio 4)(S1,ep 3 & ep 4, 22/01/20).  “Walking The Dog With Emily Dean”, (ep 51, 23/12/19).  “What’s Your Problem? With Nick Abbot And Carol Mcgiffin”, (S1, ep 1, 20/01/20).  “Woke Up! With Nigel Boydell”, (S1, ep 1, 21/01/20).  Morrissey”, “Alanis Morissette”,  “Hole”,  “Temple Tudor”,  “Feeder”,  “Manic Street Preachers”, “Liam Gallagher”, “Elbow”, “P.J Harvey”, “Suede”, “The Style Council”, “Pulp”, The Libertines”, “The Communards”, “Limal”, “The Beautiful South”, “Madonna”.