Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in East & Central London.
Week 374, Saturday 14th until Friday 20th August 2021.
Coming back from an appointment around noon last Sunday I noticed something on the pavement, more fly tipping I thought. As I drove past I realise it was a person. At home I wondered should I have a look and get involved. After deciding I needed to investigate standing in the front garden looking down the road my neighbour a London fireman appeared with his children. He was taking them out for the afternoon, as he pulled away; I desperately hoped that he would notice the body and spring into emergency/work mode. He didn’t.
After a couple more minutes of further procrastination I walked towards the person. Across the road there were a couple of people standing talking and watching. I don’t know how long it was before they disappeared because soon after I arrived I was sat on the pavement talking to a 65 year old man who had been walking home, felt dizzy and stumbled. The vodka he had been drinking since 7am had not helped, his bag for life was full of alcohol. A couple of minutes of talking Reg (Not his real name) told me that he did have a heart issues as well as history of falling over.
999 are of course extremely busy all the time. The very helpful operator asked me a number of questions about Reg, who because he was fully conscious was able to answer everything. It was decided by the dispatcher that his condition was not life threatening and assistance would take a number of hours. Because Reg didn’t have a phone on him, I would get an update in 90 minutes time informing how long help would take. My problem, I was due to go into London and see a show (2:22 A Ghost Story) that afternoon, I had plans. What was I to do? This really was a massive quandary. Between the emergency dispatcher, Reg and myself it was agreed that I would walk him home as he lived a couple of road away. After helping him to his feet and making sure he was steady, I picked up his bag (I didn’t look to see if anything was broken, the bag was not leaking). And looped an arm around his and slowly walked him home, stopping when needed.
He really didn’t live far, as we walked we chatted about his family and friends, sadly most had died. Reg asked about mine and where I from, my answer South London (it’s not a lie, I grew up there. I just haven’t lived that side of the River Thames in a long while. I also didn’t point out that he had been almost lying outside the house I currently live in). We talked about work, he used to be an accountant and both agreed that very few really do what they enjoy as a career. My arm continued to be support one of his, until he decided to hold my hand for the rest of our slow stroll in the sun.
At his front door I asked him to have something to eat rest and try to resist the contents of his bag for life. Plus ring 999 if he felt ill. Once Reg had stepped over the threshold I wished him well. The rest of the day I continued to think about him, as you can tell he is still on my mind. An idea I have had is to pop a card through his letterbox, just saying hello and that he has not been forgotten.
After talking to friends, I might actually pluck the courage up and knock on his door and have a chat. A couple of people have pointed out that on a daily basis maybe he doesn’t have a lot of contact with others. I really didn’t want to get involved, standing in the front garden I was so desperate for someone, anyone to go over and investigate. In reality I knew what I had to do and am glad that I did.
And Now For Something Completely Different……
The rest of Sunday was great. My friend and I enjoyed the play “2:22 A Ghost Story” gripping from start to finish. Afterwards, while having a lovely Thai meal, I managed to see by total chance Michael Ball getting in to his car after a matinee performance of Hairspray. My friend quickly moved to the window but all she glimpsed was his left hand waving to the crowds gathered around the stage door as his car passed.
However, next month we will see a lot more of Mr Ball when we see Hairspray for the 5th time in 14 years. That performance will be extra special as it’s the last of the current run.
And Finally……
This week I spoke to a person with the same name as a 1980s actor who played a popular Doctor Who companion (I met that person a number of times, back then) for a few years.
Sadly it was someone much younger who really wouldn’t have been very interested. Thinking about this, you’re probably not interested, I’ll stop writing now.
My Mid Life Crisis Conts……
This week I have watched:
“Blake’s 7”, (SB, ep 2 & ep 3). “Click”, (TX: 14/08/21). “Colony”, (S3, ep 2). “Craig And Bruno’s Great British Road Trip”, (S1, ep 6, TX: 18/08/21). “Diamonds Are Forever”, (1971). “Ethan Hawke And Lisa Loeb Tell The Story Of The “Stay” Video”, (YouTube)(16/08/19). “Eye For An Eye”, (2019). “Farscape”, (S3, ep 19). “Gardeners World”, (2021, ep 13, TX: 11/06/21)(ep 14, TX: 18/06/21). “Lisa Loeb Reminisces On Her Hit “Stay” 25 Years later (On KTLA TV)”, (YouTube)(28/08/19). “Lisa Loeb “Stay” On Pop-Up Video”, (YouTube)(TX: 2002). “Snowpiercer”, (S1, ep 7 to ep 10)(S2, ep1). “Star Trek (Original Series)”, (S3, ep 6). “Star Trek: Lower Decks”, (S2, ep 1 & ep 2). “Taskmaster”, (S3, ep 3, TX: 18/10/16)(ep 4, TX: 25/10/16)(ep 5, TX: 01/11/16)(S4, ep 6, TX: 30/05/17)(ep 7, TX: 06/06/17). “The Call Of The Wild”, (2020). “The Curse Of La Llorona”, (2019). “The Golden Girls”, (S1, ep 16 to ep 25)(S2, ep 1 to ep 3). “The Other Guys”, (2010). “The Sarah Jane Adventures”, (S1, ep 1). “The Umbrella Academy”, (S2, ep 5). “The Walking Dead”, (S10, ep 7 to ep 22). “Tribes Of Europa”, (S1, ep 6). “Van Helsing”, (S3, ep 11 to ep 13).
This Week I Saw Live On Stage:
“2:22, A Ghost Story”, (Noel Coward Theatre)(15/08/21).
This week I have listening to:
“30 Animals That Made Us Smarter“, (BBC World Service/Sounds)(S2, ep 8,16/08/21). “Betamax Video Club”, (ep 28, 24/10/18). “Box Of Delights”, (S2, ep 7, 19/12/19)(ep 8, 20/12/19)(ep 9, 21/12/19)(ep 10, 22/12/19). “Coronavirus Global Update”, (BBC World Service)(14/08/21) (15/08/21) (16/08/21)(17/08/21)(18/08/21)(19/08/21)(20/08/21). “Doctor Who”, (The Incomparable/TeeVee)(S11, ep 4, 29/10/18). “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 209, 20/08/21). “NASA’s Curious Universe”, (S3, ep 7, 20/08/21). “Nick Abbot Whole Show”, (14/08/21)(15/08/21)(18/08/21)(20/08/21). “Radio Astronomy (The Sky At Night Magazine)”, (ep 2, 08/07/16)(19/08/21). “Rob Beckett And Josh Widdecombe Parenting Hell “, (S3, ep 11, 17/08/21)(ep 12, 20/08/21). “Smersh Pod”, (01/04/18). “Space And Things”, (STP6, 08/10/20)(STP51, 19/08/21). “Space Soldiers – Flash Gordon’s Trip To Mars”, (Chapter Ten, “Incense Of Forgetfulness”, 14/08/21). “Star Trek Universe”, (21/12/18). “The Adam Buxton Podcast”, (ep 157, 20/08/21). “The Audio Guide To Babylon 5”, (The Incomparable/TeeVee)(ep 42, 13/12/15). “The All New Angelos And Barry Podcast”, (19/08/21). “The Friendship Onion”, (S1, ep 14, 17/08/21). “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (16/12/21). “The Old Doctor Who Show”, (ep 116, 18/08/21). “The Space Above Us”, (119, 29/10/20)(120, 12/11/20)(121, 26/11/20)(122, 10/12/20)(123, 24/12/20)(124, 07/01/21). “This Week In Time Travel”, (The Incomparable)(29/10/18). “Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels – Too Much Information”, (2.1, “The Dead Planet”, 16/08/21). “WTB”, (S1, ep 19, 20/11/20)(S3, ep 1 (ep 44),20/08/21). “What’s Your Problem With Nick Abbot And Carol Mcgiffin”, (16/08/21). “Wolf And Owl”, (ep 37, 18/08/21).
Songs I enjoyed this week, were by:
“Morrissey”, “Bran Van 3000”, “Crowded House”, “Deacon Blue”, “Dubstar”, “Goldfrapp”, “Lisa Loeb”, “ New Radicals”, “Pulp”, “Sugarcubes”, “Supergrass”, “TLC”, The Bangles”, “The Foo Fighters”, “The Mamma And The Pappas”, “The Smashing Pumpkins”, “The Pretenders”, “The White Stripes”, “Whitesnake”, “Wilson Phillips”,
Misfits Mid-Life Crisis........ 