Misfits Mid-Life Crisis……..

Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in East London (The Lock Down Begins).

Week 301 Saturday 21^st  until Friday 27^th March 2020.

 Happy Mother’s Day earlier this week to Mum, SAZ and Sigrida.

This week’s blog is being dictated, after 300 weeks of bashing away at various keyboards I have decided to embrace modern technology and speak this ramble. However there will have to be some typing to correct mistakes, because either I’m not talking clearly enough or the tablet doesn’t like what I’m saying (I even bore my small electronic device). However from next week I will probably return to writing this using a good old keyboard.

“Robin, looking for Batman”.

The last week has been the first full week of working from home, or lockdown as I think this is officially known. I still hate my job with a passion, but working from home suits me. I travel to the office (a corner of the living room) in about 30 seconds and spend the rest of day in my PJ’s (I do have a wash and brush my teeth, honest). While speaking to the numpties who ring up I can look out of the window to watch the birds feeding or the greedy squirrel trying to break into the nut there container (it’s become used to me knocking on the glass, next week I will have to start going outside when it appears). In-between calls I can listen to podcasts or even watch snippets of classic 1970 Doctor who.

 “Caught him/her before they attached the feeder again”.

The last 10 days life here in the UK really has changed beyond belief. One thing that’s noticeable is how shopping has changed. The expression “just popping out quickly to the shops” doesn’t really mean anything these days. The bigger the shop the longer the queue to enter, many establishment are limiting the number of people inside resulting in “social distancing “ queues snaking across pavements with everyone standing 2 metres (6 ft 6in, in old money) apart. It was while waiting in a queue minding my own business doing some shopping for some elderly neighbours that I got the idea of dictating this week’s ramble. Just so that you know I did get pretty much all of what was on their shopping list including loo roll.

 “A doodle of a person i saw queuing up in a shop.  They looked like an extra of the set of Chernobyl”.

And Now For Something Completely Different……

Even more important than working from home or dealing with the new ways that we shop. I became a parent again in the last 7 days. My friend and I came home last weekend with a tiny hamster that we have adopted. Within a few days we realised that the perfect name for him is Chewie.

At this time I must mention the 3 other hamsters who were also up for adoption separately but would have each been very challenging to look after. First there was “Hank” who likes to scream and hiss when approached, which he did (imagine the Predator when its face mandibles opened wide). Mr Grey also didn’t like to be touched. The third that was nameless was on his own because he was fighting. These were all very cute looking but I think we made the right choice. I do hope that the above get adopted and live happy lives.

Bringing Chewie home (at that time he didn’t have a name, he was just “the little boy”) was eventful and won’t be forgotten in a hurry. While waiting at a roundabout another car smashed directly into the back of us, making my already painful neck and back a little worse. Personally I am really annoyed about the other drive’s couple of seconds of stupidity at this time when where encouraged not to use public transport. I’m not surprised my motto has always been to regard all other divers as numpties, you can quote me on that.

That’s all for now, stay safe and I hope that you and your family are ok during these unsettling times.

And Finally……

Thank you Jenny Hammond for allowing me to use this that she posted.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:  

“Beyond Baby Yoda- World Of Puppets”, (YouTube)(20/03/20).  “Carry On Sergeant”, (1958).  “Cheers”, (S10, ep 19 to ep 25)(S11, ep 1 to ep 8).  “Click”, (TX: 21/03/20)(28/03/20).  “Death In Paradise”,(S2, ep 7 & ep8).  “Disclosure: A Deadly Trade, (BBC Scotland)”, (S2, ep 7, TX: 16/03/20).  “Early Man”, (2018).  “Fracture”, (2007).  “Jimmy Kimmel’s Live!: With Courtney Cox”, (YouTube)(26/03/20).  “Little Miss Sunshine”, (2006).  “Manta”, (YouTube)(2013).  “Star Trek: Picard”, (S1, ep 10).  “The Great Celebrity Bake Off For SU2C”, (S3, ep 3, TX: 24/03/20).  “This Country”, (S3, ep 6).                       

Doctor Who Watched This Week:

“Inferno”, (S7, Prod Code DDD)(ep 4, TX: 30/05/70)(ep 5, TX 06/06/70)(ep 6, TX: 13/06/70)(ep 7, TX: 20/06/70)(BBC Bonus: “Can You Hear The Earth Scream- Making Inferno, Deleted Scene, The Pertwee Years – Intro, The UNIT Family: Part 1, Visual Effects in TV”, 27/05/13).

“Terror Of The Autons”, (S8, Prod Code EEE)(ep 1, TX: 02/01/71)(ep 2, TX: 09/01/70)(ep 3, TX: 16/01/70)(ep 4, TX: 23/01/70)(BBC Bonus: Life On Earth, Plastic Fantastc, The Doctor’s Moriarty”, 09/05/11).

“The Mind Of Evil”, (S8, Prod Code FFF)(ep 1, TX: 30/01/71)(ep 2, TX:06/02/71)(ep 3, TX: 13/02/70).

This week I have mainly been listening to:  

“13 Minutes To The Moon (BBC World Services), (S2, ep 3, 23/03/20).  “Blood On The Tracks”, (06/06/19)(13/06/19).  “Brian And Roger”, (25/03, 27/03/20).  “Brian Gittens And Friends”, (S2, ep 1, 25/03/20).  “CNN, Coronavirus: Fact Vs Fiction”, (Intro, 29/02/20)(ep 1, 02/03/20)(ep 2, 03/03/20)(ep 3, 04/03/20)(ep 4, 05/03/20)(ep  5, 06/03/20)(ep 6, 09/03/20)(ep 7, 10/03/20)(ep 8, 11/03/20)(ep 9, 12/03/20)(ep 10, 13/03/20)(ep 11, 16/03/20)(ep 12, 17/03/20)(ep 13, 18/03/20)(ep 14, 19/03/20)(ep 15, 20/03/20)(ep 16, 23/03/20)(ep 17, 24/03/20)(ep 18, 25/03/20)(ep 19, 26/03/20)(ep 20, 27/03/20).  “Daddy Look At Me”, (S3, Voicemail From Daddy and Helen, 25/03/20)(ep 4, 26/03/20).  “Gossipmongers”, (S3, ep 1, 24/03/20).  “Iain Lee (Highlights)”, (20/03, 23/03, 24/03, 25/03, 26/03/20).  “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 136, 20/03/20)(ep 137, 27/03/20).  “Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (27/03/20).  “Rule Of Three”, (S5, ep 8 Remain-indoors, ep 9, Eddie Izzard Pt 2, 26/03/20).   “Strange Times”, (ep 338, 23/03/20).  “The Adam Buxton Podcast”, (26/03/20).  “The All New Angelos And Barry Podcast”, (23/03, 26/03/20).  “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (23/03/20).  “The Supermassive Podcast”, (ep 3, 19/03/20).  “What’s Your Problem? With Nick Abbot And Carol McGiffin”, (S1, ep 11, 23/03/20).  “Morrissey”,  “Talk Talk”,  “R.E.M”,  “Heaven 17”,  “The Cure”,  “The Style Council”,  “SEcho And The Bunnymen”,  “New Order”,  “Azrec Camera”,  “Joy Division”,  “Joe Jackson”,  “Hansen”, “Adam And The Ants”, “Duran Duran”, “The Artic Monkeys”, “Pulp.

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

Week 300 Saturday 14^th  until Friday 20^th March 2020.

Its week 300 of this ramble, and possibly the toughest post to write.  Most of what follows was not expected to be typed.  One thing I have always tried to be with this is honest.

“Don’t panic, she is working.  Honest!”.

Six weeks ago, while standing in the rain at Clapham Junction station early morning on the way to work, I desperately tried to work out why my life had led to that location at that specific time.  As rain dripped of the front of my hoodie on to my nose, I realised that I had made so many mistakes over the years.  This was the moment I decided to make changes. That night at my sister’s place I booked a one-way ticket to Paris.  Last year I had looked at travelling through France to Spain ending up in Ibiza.  In July this year my family will be on the island for the 3^rd year running and I wanted to be there and meet them at the airport.  Over the course of the next few days maps were bought and studied with a number of routes being considered.  The decision to quit work on 22^nd May was made, which would give me a week to tie up loose ends before heading off on 1^st June.  Once the family had left the island I would stay for a while, eventually making my way back seeing the sites of Spain and France.  The important thing was there was no time limit.

 “How i am fighting the Virus”.

When I booked the one-way ticket of course I was aware of the Coronavirus in China that was spreading to other locations in Asia.  Over the following weeks as I made more and more decisions, such as should I hitchhike, walk the pilgrim route, buy a tent, take coaches and/or trains Corvid 19 moved nearer to home.  When it reached Italy I think deep down I knew I wouldn’t be going.  I continued to plan and secretly hoped that all would be ok.

 “Whats not to smile about looking out of the window, while working from home”.

While working on the prep for the adventure I was aware that week 300 of this ramble was fast approaching and I needed to do something special.  That’s when the idea of bringing this ramble to an end started to formulate in the soggy mush, I call my brain.  I would then have a blog free period to concentrate on the trip, which would also allow me to come up with a new ramble that would be published while travelling documenting my attempt to reach Ibiza airport for early July.  The joke with family was that if I took a wrong turn I might end up in Switzerland.  To cut a long boring story short, my trip is off.  A couple of friends have said by delaying my plans, it will enable me to save more money meaning that, when I do bugger off, I will be able to do it for a longer period.

 “Riffy has been very prolific this winter“.

These last few weeks working in the call centre haven’t been too stressful because I had an end date in site.  I’m my mind I had started to dig an escape tunnel with a rusty spoon ready to squeeze my lardy bulk out of the building.  At the start of this week that tunnel felt like it had collapsed around me.  How quickly things have changed.  By the end of the week I have escaped the office, in fact everyone has, because we’re all working from home (their own homes, before anyone makes a comment and a joke about everyone squeezed into one living room).  My commute has gone from an hour and a half on the tube to a couple of minutes down the stairs.  This is being written at my new desk in a corner of the living room in my PJ’s.  During the day I can look out of the window and watch the birds and the occasional squirrel on the garden feeders.  As well as laugh at the neighbour’s very fat cat trying to creep through the grass towards them.  The virus is terrible, but if there is any good because of it I am less stressed in a job I hate because I can work from home.  But the need to escape is still there.  During these uncertain times, I will continue to plan a future foreign adventure, I will keep you posted.

 “Making friends, with a cat that really reminds me of an old friend.  By the way, this is not the Fat Cat mentioned above”.

Week 300 of this blog is a real achievement, no matter where I have been (Mozziebeak, South Africa, Ibiza, Sri Lanka, The Isle of Wight or London) I posted my thoughts, feelings and just bored the hell out of anyone who cared to look.  As mentioned above this So-called Blog was going to come to an end, but because of the circumstances that’s changed.  This ramble will continue (for now).  The new improve ramble from next week will probably be shorter due to the fact I will be spending most of the time at home (working and watching nature) there won’t be a huge amount to say.  I will probably post drawing, paintings and doodles maybe even bore you with some of my story writing.  At the moment I will continue to post something every week.

 “Originally, i started to work from home on my lap.  By midday i was very uncomfortable”.

It doesn’t matter if you’re new to this ramble or have read this before; I just wanted to say Thanks.  Oh, stay safe, wash your hands and look after yourself and family and friends.

 “My homeworking desk end of the week.  Writing this distracted by 1970 colour TV”. 

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:  

“A Quiet Place”, (2018).  “Ad Vitam”, (S1, ep 6).  “Altered Carbon”, (S2, ep 1).  “Blur: Out of Time (Video), Out Of Time (E4, TX: 06/04/03), The Universal”, (YouTube).  “Cheers”, (S10, ep 13 to ep 18).  “Click”, (TX: 14/03/20).  “Christine And The Queens : Live Stream”, (Instagram).  “Death In Paradise”,(S2, ep 4 to ep 6).  “Dubstar: Not So Manic Now”, (YouTube).  “Electronic: Getting Away With It”, (YouTube).  “Hidden”, (S2, ep 6).  “Last Tango In Halifax”, (S5, ep 4).  “Life Lessons: Oysters Are Vegan (BBC Three)”, (YouTube)(TX: 19/12/19).  “Our World, Wuhan: Life Under Lockdown, (BBC News)”, (TX: 13/03/20).   “Peter Kay’s Car Share”, (S1, ep 1 to ep 6)(S2, ep 1 to ep 6).  “Sports Relief 2020: A Question Of Sport, A Round With Rom And Andy Murray, Celebrity Boat Race, Killing Steve’s”, (TX: 13/03/20).  “St Etienne: Hobart Paving”, (YouTube).  “Star Trek: Picard”, (S1, ep 9).  “The Beautiful South: A Little Time, Rotterdam, Song For Whoever”, (YouTube).  “The Divine Comedy: National Express”, (YouTube).  “The Graham Norton Show: Compilation Show”, (S26, ep 19, TX: 21/02/20).  “The Great Celebrity Bake Off For SU2C”, (S3, ep 2, TX: 17/03/20).  “The Kings Speech”, (2010).  “The Last Leg”, (S19, ep 9, TX: 13/03/20)(ep 10, TX: 20/03/20).  “This Country”, (S3, ep 5).                       

Doctor Who Watched This Week:

“The War Games”, (S6, Prod Code ZZ)(BBC Bonus: “Devious (Fan Made Ep btw War Zone And Spearhead), Now and Then, Stripped for Action – The Second Doctor, Talking About Regeneration, War Zone (Making Of)”, 06/07/09).

“Spearhead From Space”, (S7, Prod Code AAA)(ep 1, TX: 03/01/70)(ep 2, TX: 10/01/70)(ep 3, TX: 17/01/70)(ep 4, TX: 24/01/70)(BBC Bonus: “Down To Earth, Regeneration From Black And White to Colour, UNIT Recruitment”, 09/05/11).

“The Silurians”, (S7, Prod Code BBB)(ep 1, TX: 31/01/70)(ep 2, TX: 07/02/70)(ep 3, TX: 14/02/70)(ep 4, TX: 21/02/70)(ep 5, TX: 28/02/70)(ep 6, TX: 07/03/70)(ep 7, TX: 14/03/70)(BBC Bonus: Colour Silurian Overlay (Restoring the Story To Colour), Going Underground (Making Of), Musical Scales, Now And Then, What Lies Beneath – The Stories Background”, 14/01/08).

“The Ambassadors Of Death”, (S7, Prod Code CCC)(ep 1, TX: 21/03/70)(ep 2, TX: 28/03/70)(ep 3, TX: 04/04/70)(ep 4, TX: 11/04/70)(ep 5, TX: 18/04/70)(ep 6, TX: 25/04/70)(ep 7, TX: 02/05/70)(BBC Video Bous: “Restoring Black And White Prints to Colour”, May 2002).  

“Inferno”, (S7, Prod Code DDD)(ep 1, TX: 09/05/70)(ep 2, TX 16/05/70)(ep 3, TX: 23/05/70).

This week I have mainly been listening to:  

“13 Minutes To The Moon (BBC World Services), (S2, ep 2, 16/03/20).  “Anti Social Show”, (ep 80, 14/03/20).  “Blood On The Tracks”, (06/06/19)(13/06/19).  “Brian And Roger”, (06/03, 11/03, 13/03, 18/03, 20/03/20).  “Daddy Look At Me”, (S3, ep 3, 19/03/20).  “Iain Lee (Highlights)”, (12/03, 16/03, 17/03, 18/03, 19/03/20).  “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 135, 13/03/20).  “Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (14/03, 15/03, 20/03/20).  “Rule Of Three”, (S5, ep 7, Eddie Izzard Pt 1, 19/03/20).  “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 185, 13/03/20)(ep 186, 20/03/20).  “Spacefall: A Blakes 7 Podcast”, (ep 24, 20/03/20).  “Strange Times”, (ep 337, 18/03/20).  “The All New Angelos And Barry Podcast”, (17/03/20).  “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (16/03/20).  “Walking The Dog With Emily Dean”, (ep 58,19/03/20).  “What’s Your Problem? With Nick Abbot And Carol McGiffin”, (S1, ep 10, 17/03/20).  “Morrissey”,  “James”,  “Belly”,  “Red Hot Chilli Peppers”,  “Kula Shaker”,  “Oasis”,  “Skunk Anansie”,  “Blur”,  “Arrested Development”,  “Julian Cope”,  “Shed Seven”,  “The Lightening Seeds”, “The La’s”, “The Black Crows”, “Smashing Pumpkins”, “The View”, “St Etienne”, “The Divine Comedy”, “Electronic”, “The Beautiful South”, “The KLF” and lots more Absolute 90s.

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

Week 299 Saturday 7^th  until Friday 13^th March 2020.

This week happy 5th B’day to my little lion boy

And remember this week.

Joan who passed away 4 yrs ago and David 10 yrs ago.  Both will never be forgotten.

There is nothing good about the virus that’s spreading the world, expect it may have emptied my local doctors’ surgery.  Normally when I ask for an appointment, it’s never a shock that I have to wait a week or more to be seen.  This week I walked in on Tuesday morning and walked out with an appointment for Thursday morning.  My shock may have surprised the receptionist, hopefully in a nice way.  You may remember I had a fall in December; this old saggy body has not recovered.  Of course, friends and family kept saying I should have it looked at, but as usual I wouldn’t listen and did my own thing.  This week due to pain I gave ***

“Are they asleep or self isolating?”.

In other virus related news…..

The story of people buying huge amounts of loo roll got as much press last weekend as the virus itself.  Sunday afternoon my friend and I went shopping and bog roll was on the list. Standing In front of almost empty shelves was a little surprising as I had wondered if this was just the news being a little over sensational.

 “If my spine was made of Satsuma pieces i would feel better”.

Everyone I saw seemed to be carrying packets of toilet paper.  This is when I actually started to feel embarrassed and a little self-conscious and wanting to tell everyone especially the cashiers who were probably thinking “here comes another one!!!”  That I did need to buy the product, I wasn’t just stockpiling.  While in the shop I really couldn’t look people in the eye and was so glad to get out once we had paid.

 “Strip, then walk through the door”.

*** Just in case you’re interested (If you’re not interested – and why would you be?  Then skip the next line).  The Doctor sent me to hospital for X-rays to see if I have a fractured rib.

And Now For Something Completely Different……

“The thief has been caught”. 

Next week is week 300 of this ramble, the end of the current journey.  I will explain why this is coming to an end, there’s a good reason.  In late May / early June a new blog will be published all about my new adventure.  When I know more, you will be the first to know (I bet you can’t wait).

Next week really does feel like the end of one journey and the start of a new one, the next phase of my mid-life crisis.

 “Love a Daff”.

If you’re reading this for the first time, then come back next week for the final instalment and have a look back at previous weeks.  If you have been reading this for a while thank you for tagging along for the ride and we’ll talk more next week.

“The B’day boys, doodle stamp”.

And Finally……

Sitting in a fave pub in central London, I overheard the following behind me when two people met “what do I have to drink this week to get a cuddle“.

 “A lovely night of culture”.

Another person in the same pub was heard to say “didn’t you cosplay once as a My Little Pony”.  The man had a very long and impressive ginger beard; I would have loved to have known what his Pony name was.

 “Its how i relax in the morning”.

Outside of the pub very near Covent Garden I saw a boob, a real boob!  Walking past minding my own business, I couldn’t help witnessing what happened.  A woman taking a photograph of (I assume) a friend who on cue flashed her right boob.  Somewhere on social media (again I am assuming that the picture ended up on-line) there is a photo of the logo for a very famous high street noodle establishment who’s menu just happened to be at nipple level.

 “Abby Road, 21st Century”.

During the week I said “will it get bigger if you touch it?”.  This was to my friend who was looking at a map on her small electronic device and having trouble making the map large.

 “Distracted by my new BBC obsession, while writing this shiz”.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:  

“Cheers”, (S9, ep 14  to ep 26)(S10, ep 1 to ep 12).  “Click”, (TX: 06/03/20).  “Death In Paradise”, (S1, ep 4 to ep 8)(S2, ep 1 to ep 3).  “Diablero”, (S1, ep 6 & ep 7).  “Hidden”, (S2, ep 5).  “Inside No.9”, (S5, ep 6).  “James May Our Man In Japan”, (S1, ep 2).  “Last Tango In Halifax”, (S5, ep 3).  “Miriam’s Big Fat Adventure”, (S1, ep 1, TX: 09/03/20)(ep 2, TX: 10/03/20).  “My Left Nut”, (S1, ep 1 to ep 3).  “Panorama: Spying On The Scammers”, (TX: 02/03/20).  “Ragnarok”, (S1, ep 5 & ep 6).  “Sports Relief 2020: All-Star Netball”, (TX: 20/07/19).  Sports Relief 2020: Some Mothers Do Have Em”, (TX: 18/03/16).  “Sports Relief 2020: Stranger Things”, (TX: 13/03/20).  “Star Trek: Picard”, (S1, ep 8).  “The Great Celebrity Bake Off For SU2C”, (S3, ep 1, TX: 10/03/20).  “The Last Leg”, (S19, ep 8, TX: 06/03/20).  “This Country”, (S3, ep 4).                       

Doctor Who Watched This Week:

“The Invasion”, (S6, Prod Code VV)(ep 5, TX: 30/11/68)(ep 6, TX: 07/12/68)(ep 7, TX: 14/12/68)(ep 8, TX: 02/12/68)(BBC Bonus: Evolution Of The Invasion, Flash Frames-Reanimating The Invasion, Love Off-Air, 06/11/2006).

“The Krotons”, (S6, Prod Code WW)(ep 1, TX: 28/12/68)(ep 2, TX: 04/01/69)(ep 3, TX: 11/01/69)(ep 4, TX: 18/01/69).

“The Seeds Of Death”, (S6, Prod Code XX)(ep 1, TX: 25/01/69)(ep 2, TX: 01/02/69)(ep 3, TX: 08/02/69)(ep 4, TX: 15/02/69)(ep 5, TX: 22/02/69)(ep 6, TX: 01/03/69).  (BBC Bonus: Lords Of The Red Planet, Monster Masterclass, Monsters Who Came Back For More, Sssowing The Ssseedsss, 17/03/2003).    

“The Space Pirates”, (S6, Prod Code YY)(ep 1, TX: 08/03/69, LC Recon)(ep 2, TX 15/03/69)(ep 3, TX: 22/03/69, LC Recon)(ep 4, TX: 29/03/69, LC Recon)(ep 5, TX: 05/04/69, LC Recon)(ep 6, TX: 12/04/69, LC Recon)(Loose Cannon: Intro, Outro, Mini Production Featurette, George Clayton Remembers The Space Pirates, Intv Donald Gee, Dec 07)(BBC Bonus: The Missing Years, 2004).

“The War Games”, (S6, Prod Code ZZ)(ep 1, TX: 19/04/69)(ep 2, TX: 26/04/69)(ep 3, TX: 03/05/69)(ep 4, TX: 10/05/69)(ep 5, TX: 17/05/69)(ep 6, TX: 24/05/69)9ep 7, TX: 31/05/69)(ep 8, TX: 07/06/69)(ep 9, TX: 14/06/69)(ep 10, 21/06/69 .

This Week I saw Live on Stage:

“The Play That Goes Wrong”, (Duchess Theatre, 07/03/20).

This week I have mainly been listening to:  

“13 Minutes To The Moon (BBC World Services), (S2, Trailer, 09/02/20)(ep 1, 09/03/20).  “Blood On The Tracks”, (16/05/19)(23/05/19)(30/05/19).  “Daddy Look At Me”, (S3, ep 2,12/03/20).  “Iain Lee (Highlights)”, (05/03, 06/03, 08/03, 09/03, 10/03/20).  “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 135, 13/03/20).  “Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (07/03, 13/03/20).  “Rule Of Three”, (S5, ep 6, 11/03/20).  “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 184, 06/03/20).  “The All New Angelos And Barry Podcast”, (12/03/20).  “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (09/03/20).  “The Old Doctor Who Show”, (ep 91, 11/03/20).  “The Super Massive Podcast(Never Mind The Space Rocks)”, (ep 1, 17/01/20)(ep 2, 20/02/20).    “What’s Your Problem? With Nick Abbot And Carol McGiffin”, (S1, ep 8, 09/03/20)(ep 9, 10/03/20).  “Morrissey”,  “Natalie Imbruglia”,  “REO Speedwagon”,  “Ash”,  “Hole”,  “Nirvana”,  “The Happy Mondays”,  “Biffy Clyro,  “Arcade Fire”,  “Ladyhawk”,  “M.I.A”,  “The Sex Pistols”,  “Bob Marley”,  “The Chemical Brothers”.

Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in East, South West, Essex (inc Chelmsford) & Surrey (The NEXT Chapter).

Week 298 Saturday 29^th  February until Friday 6^th March 2020.

Walking around Hyland house in Essex last weekend, listening to Diane the very knowable guide talking about the history of the building and the people who have owned it, got me thinking about the future.

 “Hyland House”.

What will the future make of me?  These days we are all more aware that what we write on-line could come back to haunt them.  If digital archaeologists in the future look at my online footprint, I hope that they would think I was an “ok” person.  Reading this blog, they would see I like to moan, but I am careful never to name names.  Hopefully they will get an idea of who I was, what I liked and what life was like during this period.

 “Getting very muddy, taking pics”.

When I pop my clogs, I would like to cremated (not in a wooden box, something more echo friendly. Recently I read about “Human Composting” which sounds appealing, if that’s available when needed that would be a good choice).  If money was not an option Cryogenics would be my number one storage choice (it’s a lot cheaper if just the head is preserved. The saggy useless excuse for a body can be thrown away).  The reason for cremation is partly because over the years I have watched a lot of Time Team and seen a number of very clever muddy faced diggers waving their trowels around explaining their theories about the remains discovered.  Scientist have wonderful technology which helps them build a picture of what the person’s life was like by dating remains, and looking at minute chemical information.  But they do still have to make a lot of it up.

 “Pretty, pointless”.

If I had to be buried, could I request that I am implanted with a microchip (this may already be possible, I haven’t researched it! If not, then this is my idea and I will make Squillions) so that any future archaeologist finding what’s left of me won’t need to make up stories.  All they will need to do is download the info (which of course would only be the truth.  I would never lie claiming to be rich, beautiful and a superstar!!).  This would lead them to a dusty corner of the net where they would find this blog and all my socials.  When they realise, that they have discovered the remains of the most boring biped to have ever walked the earth that chip will either suddenly be lost in a dusty corner of the lab, or “accidently fall” into an industrial shredder.  While my remains would be ground into a fine powder and snorted by student archaeologists for a dare one night.

 “Cheers, hand off my slice”.

Walking round the Hyland House, I was fascinated by the beautiful portraits of various owners over the years. Even though our guide told us a lot about these people I wondered what they were really like.  Sadly, we can never know.  But arachnologist of the future will know everything about me and others alive today.  Our throw-a-way social posts, blogs even selfies will become important social document of what life was like in 2020.  The clever people of the future will never need to stroke their chins and make up stories ever again. This might take some of the fun out their job, but what an interesting job to do.

 “Cheese”.

And Now For Something Completely Different……

 “Seeing Double”.

I spend a lot of time at work explaining complicated figures to people on the phone that are busy doing something more important at the same time.  Some of the regular activities include eating, yarning loudly, travelling on noisy public transport or sitting on the loo!  They make it very clear they are not actually listening to me.  There are occasions I am tempted to thrown into the conversation the name of an obscure Doctor Who alien race such as “Voord”, “Drashigs” to see if they notice.

 “Homemade Sri-Lankan Curry from one of my bosses”.

Strangely for a person that hardly uses the phone in real life; I have worked with phones a lot.  Every day a small piece of my sole dies working in a call centre.  This is a promise to myself and you, that when I am looking for a new job it will not involve phones.

Over the last year I have collected stories under the title of “Call Centre Karma”, maybe one day ill spill the beans and earn Zillions.

 “Found a picture of my Granny from 1988 this week”.

And Finally……

 “I couldnt find a pot of gold”.

I heard a passing person say, “A toot on your whistle and a hand on your wheel”.  It’s probably better we don’t know more.

Thought the Sat Nav said “turn right on to Defecation Street”.  It was “Navigation Street”. Should gave realised I was wrong; Chelmsford has more class than that.

 “Ive no idea what this is, but i like it”.

Next week’s blog number 299 is the penultimate one as week 300 will be the end of what I am considering the first season of this ramble.  But don’t panic there will new a new blog late May / early June to document my new adventure which I am currently planning.

 “Writing this shiz, but distracted by Zoe’s arse”.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:  

“Ad Vitam”, (S1, ep 5).  “Cheers”, (S9, ep 2 to ep 13).  “Click”, (TX: 29/02/20).  “Death In Paradise”, (S1, ep 1 to ep 3).  “Diablero”, (S1, ep 5).  “Dirty Streaming: The Internet’s Dirty Secret”, (TX: 05/03/20).  “Hidden”, (S2, ep 4).  “Him & Her: The Wedding”, (ep 2 to ep 5).  “I Am Not Okay With This”, (S1, ep 1 to ep 7).  “Inside No.9”, (S5, ep 5).  “Last Tango In Halifax”, (S5, ep 1 & ep 2).  “Ragnarok”, (S1, ep 4).  “Star Trek: Picard”, (S1, ep 7).  “Terry Nation Army Extra: Inventions Of Future Earth”, (YouTube)(28/02/20).  “The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug”, (Extended DVD Edition)(2013).  “The Last Leg”, (S19, ep 7, TX: 28/02/20).  “This Country”, (S3, ep 3).  “Top Gear”, (S28, ep 6, TX: 01/03/20).                     

Doctor Who Watched This Week:

“Fury From The Deep”, (S5, Prod Code RR)(ep 4, TX: 04/04/68, LC Recon)(ep 5, TX: 13/04/68, LC recon)(Loose Cannon, “Outro” ,”Making Of Fury From The Deep”,  Feb 05).

“The Wheel In Space”, (S5, Prod Code SS)(Joint Venture Recon Intro, BBC Trailer)(ep 1, TX: 27/04/68, JV Recon)(ep 2, TX: 04/05/68, JV Recon)(ep 3, TX: 11/05/68)(ep 4, TX: 18/05/68, JV Recon)(ep 5, TX: 25/05/68, JV Recon)(ep 6, TX: 01/06/68).

“The Dominators”, (S6, Prod Code TT)(ep 1, TX: 10/08/68)(ep 2, TX 17/08/68)(ep 3, TX: 24/08/68)(ep 4, TX: 31/08/68)(ep 5, TX: 07/09/68)(BBC DVD Bonus: Recharge And Equalise, Tomorrows Times: The Second Doctor, 2010).

“The Mind Robber”, (S6, Prod Code UU)(ep 1, TX: 14/09/68)(ep 2, TX: 21/09/68)(ep 3, TX: 28/09/68)(ep 4, TX: 05/10/68)(ep 5, TX: 12/10/68 .

“The Invasion”, (S6, Prod Code VV)(Nicholas Courtney Intro, BBC Video, 1993)(ep 1, TX: 02/11/68, BBC/Cosgrove Hall Recon)(ep 2, TX: 09/11/68)(ep 3, TX: 16/11/68)(ep 4, TX: 23/11/68, BBC/Cosgrove Hall Recon)

“The Timeless Children”, (S12/S38, ep 10, TX: 01/03/20).

This week I have mainly been listening to:  

“Anti Social Show”, (ep 79.5, 29/02/20).  “Blood On The Tracks”, (S2, ep 7, 20/12/18)(ep 8, 27/12/18)(ep 9, 03/01/19).  “Daddy Look At Me”, (S3, Trailer 03/03/20)(Calling Romesh 04/03/20)(ep 1 05/03/20).  “Iain Lee (Bonus)”, (02/03/20).  “Iain Lee (Highlights)”, (27/02, 28/02, 02/03, 03/03, 04/03/20).  “LBC: Mystery Hour”, (05/03/20).  “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 134, 06/03/20).  “Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (29/02, 06/03/20).  “Rule Of Three”, (S5, ep 5, 05/03/20).  “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 183, 29/02/20).  “Strange Times”, (ep 336, 01/03/20).  “The All New Angelos And Barry Podcast”, (01/03/20).  “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (02/03/20).  “Walking The Dog With Emily Dean”, (ep 37, 27/05/19)(ep 47, 17/09/19).  “What’s Your Problem? With Nick Abbot And Carol McGiffin”, (S1, ep 7, 02/03/20).  “Morrissey”,  “Men At Work”,  “The Specials”,  “Madness”,  “Kate Bush”,  “Pulp”,  “Suede”,  “The Mock Turtles”,  “The Gin Blossoms”,  “The La’s”,  “Keane”,  “Bombay Bicycle Club”,  “Supergrass”,  “Travis”,  “A Flock Of Seagulls”,  “The Cure”,  “Echo And The Bunnymen”,  “New Order”,  “Blossoms”,  “Hanson”.

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

Week 297 Saturday 22^nd until Friday 28^th February 2020.

A date for your diary is Friday 20th March; this is when week 300 of this ramble will be published. That will also be the last So-Called blog for a few months. I started this ramble when I went to Mozzibeak and wanted family and friends to know what I was getting up to. In early March I have been back in London 4 years, that’s a lot longer than planned. But every week I have written about my life, experiences, things that have made me happy, sad even angry. The nice thing is that people other than family have dipped in and read this.

“Winston’s very handsome, and he knows it!”

The mid-life crisis has not stopped in fact its only just starting (again). This incarnation of the blog is coming to an end; the new version will appear towards the end of May, early June which I hope will be even better. If you have read this for any period, you may have picked up that I am a huge lifelong Doctor Who fan. The key to the success of the programme is the ability for the lead actor to be replaced. For this blog (or a version of it) to continue it needs to regenerate, hopefully what comes next will be even more interesting. I hope the new version will be weekly, it will all depend on what connection I have. But if all goes to plan then you will still get a weekly dose from me.

“This Leia, really is a princess”.

There is a lot that I must look into, advice taken from friends before the next adventure happens. But week 300 will be the last of what could be considered Season 1 of this blog. Season 2 is going to be so much better. If you have liked the blog, then continue to read until week 300 and then have a look at the new version in a few months’ time. I think it’s going to be a real adventure.

And Now For Something Completely Different……
High streets all over the UK are suffering. Shops closing all over the place, some stay boarded up and left to rot, while others become another charity shop, betting shop or worse an estate agent! The news regularly blames on-line shopping for the bad health of high streets.

“Lovely meeting the Big Fellow again”.

A few days ago, I visited a small local convenience store with a friend, the type that sells everything an Aladdin’s cave of “stuff”! As we perusing the shelves chatting, my friend moved a couple of metres in front. Suddenly the space between us was filled with a pram that had swerved around the corner of the end of an aisle. The “Stig”, sorry mother in control appeared completely oblivious that I was about to occupy the same space as her.

“The birds are loving the expensive Mealworms”.

Because the aisle was not big enough for me to squeeze my lardy ass past and mum was not interested in anything other than what was on the shelves. I had to back up and dashed down a parallel aisle to reappear in the original one slightly further up. My grand entrance was blocked by the pram that had been moved forward blocking the T junction of aisles. Craning my neck to the left I saw my friend further down; who didn’t appear to notice I was gone.

“The Moon and Venus”.

Turning around again, I walked to the very back of the shop, to appear at the start of the original aisle. My friend was holding a box; however I couldn’t offer her the empty basket because the mother and pram had also made their way to that end of the shop. Unlike me, my friend is very slim which allowed the wide load on wheels to pass by without causing her an issue. This was when I caught site of the baby; the cute smile said it all! He/she/it** the “dribbling one” was the boss; mum really was just the engine. Putting down the box my friend spotted me and indicted with a nod to the exit. We left the way we entered with an empty reusable bag!

“Love a Daff”.

This kind of problem has happened before in a small local shop, I try to buy local whenever possible. But because clicking a mouse or touching the screen is so easy, plus most products arrive on the doorstep within a few hours on-line shopping is just so convenient. No wonder high streets are becoming ghost towns. The real problem is shops like my local one need wider aisle. We are told that we are a nation of fatties, were getting wider (except my friend). Small shops need to find a way to make a little more room for wobbly bottomed customers like me full access. Maybe prams the size of a small tank needs to be left at the front. There is a real need to save our high streets; no one wants even more estate agents popping up. In some areas there like a spreading disease no one wants that do they?

“Made for her Brother”.

** it’s not for me to say how the little one identified, its 2020 after all!

And Finally……

“Cheese”.

While asking for a person’s title, the women I was talking to thought I asked, “what’s were her vitals”, she sounded very puzzled.

I said, “shall I lick the flap, or tuck it in”. This was about an envelope; I didn’t want to make a mess.

“Really enjoying this, lots.  Buts should be writing this shiz instead”.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:
“Age Of Outrage”, (BBC Wales). “Astronaut Chris Hadfield Debunks Space Myths”, (YouTube)(Wired)(TX: 23/04/18). “Astronauts Likely Survived Challenger Explosion”, (YouTube)(WESH 2 News)(TX: 28/01/11). “Bumps”, (BBC Pilot). “Cheers”, (S8, ep 15 to ep 26)(S9, ep 1). “Click”, (TX: 22/02/20). “Haunt”, (2019). “Hidden”, (S2, ep 3). “Him & Her: The Wedding”, (ep 1). “Inside No.9”, (S5, ep 4). “Last Tango In Halifax”, (S2, ep 6)(S3, ep 1 to ep 5)(S4, ep 1 & ep 2). “Star Trek: Picard”, (S1, ep 6). “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, (Extended DVD Edition)(2012). “The Last Leg”, (S19, ep 6, TX: 21/02/20). “This Country”, (S3, ep 1 & ep 2). “Top Gear”, (S28, ep 5, TX: 23/02/20).

Doctor Who Watched This Week:
“The Missing Episodes, Pt 1, Marco Polo, The Reign Of Terror And The Crusades”, (YouTube)(17/01/19).

“The Missing Episodes, Pt 2, Galaxy 4, The Mission To The Unknown and The Myth Makers”, (YouTube)(24/01/19).

“The Ice Warriors”, (S5, Prod Code OO)(ep 2, TX: 18/11/67, LC Recon)(ep 2 & ep 3, BBC Recon)(ep 3, TX: 25/11/67, LC Recon)(ep 4, TX: 02/12/67)(ep 5, TX: 09/12/67)(ep 6, TX: 16/12/67)(Loose Cannon, Outro, Intv: Peter Barkworth, Nov 04).

“The Enemy Of The World”, (S5, Prod Code PP)(ep 2, TX: 30/12/67, LC Recon)(ep 3, TX 06/01/68)(ep 4, TX: 16/09/68, LC Recon)(ep 5, TX: 20/01/68, LC Recon)(ep 6, TX: 27/01/68, LC recon)(Loose Cannon, Intro, Outro, Intv: Mary Peach, Mar 01)(A Change Of Identity, Recon, 1998??, Intro, Outro, Recon of BBC Trailer for ep 1).

“The Web Of Fear”, (S5, Prod Code QQ)(ep 1, TX: 03/01/68)(ep 2, TX: 10/02/68, JV Recon)(ep 3, TX: 17/02/68, JV Recon)(ep 4, TX: 21/10/67, JV Recon)(ep 5, TX: 28/10/67, JV Recon)(ep 6, TX: 04/11/67, JV Recon)(Joint Venture Recon Mar 98, “Intro (JNT & Nick Courtney, BSB), BBC Trailer/Recon) .

“Fury From The Deep”, (S5, Prod Code RR)(ep 1, TX: 16/03/68, LC Recon)(ep 2, TX: 23/03/68, LC recon)(ep 3, TX: 30/03/68, LC recon) (Loose Cannon, “Intro, Roy Spencer” , Feb 05).

“Ascension Of The Cybermen”, (S12/S38, ep 9, TX: 23/02/20).

This week I have mainly been listening to:
“Blood On The Tracks”, (S2, ep 4, 29/11/18)(ep 5, 07/12/18)(ep 6, 13/12/18). “Iain Lee (Highlights)”, (20/02, 21/02, 24/02, 25/02. 26/02/20). “In Poor Taste”, (ep 113, 23/02/20). “LBC: Mystery Hour”, (20/02. 28/02/20). “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 133, 28/02/20). “Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (22/02, 28/02/20). “Rule Of Three”, (S5, ep 4, 27/02/20). “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 182, 21/02/20). “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (24/02/20). “Walking The Dog With Emily Dean”, (ep 31, 08/03/19). “What’s Your Problem? With Nick Abbot And Carol McGiffin”, (S1, ep 6, 24/02/20). “Morrissey”, “Billie Eilish”, “Take That”, “R.E.M”, “Simple Minds”, “Kyu Sakamoto”, “Adam Faith”, “Tasmin Archer”, “Fleetwood Mac”, “Nancy Sinatra”, “Guns N’ Roses”, “Bob Crewe (Barbarella)”, “Toad The Wet Sprocket”, “The Teardrop Explodes”, “Tears For Fears”, “Soft Cell”, “P.M Dawn”.

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

Week 296 Saturday 15^th  until Friday 21^st February 2020.

Happy 6th Bday to Jbomb on 21st

Travelling home from work I get on the tube at the start of the line, this means that I always get a seat.  I don’t have OCD but do like to sit at the front behind the cab on the right-hand side.  This way I can lean against the wall, veg out watching my tablet while keep track of the stations (there have been occasions when I have missed my stop and had to travel back). Most weekdays I manage to get that particular seat, on days when it’s already occupied, I actually feel a little robbed.

 “Its an exercise honest, she said“.

Recently there has been competition for the best seat on the underground.  There is a woman who does the exact same journey as me.  We both get on at the same British Rail station then change 2 stops later for the tube.   An hour and a half later we step off at the same stop.  Either she’s, A/ a stalker.  B/ a terrible spy or C/ just happens to travel the same journey as me.  Next I’ll be seeing her at work, though I have checked and can’t see her on the same floor as myself.

 “This looks like a 70s sci-fi horror about pod people”.

The women has spotted me (and is probably mentioning all of this in her blog) which mean at 17.00 weekdays I really am part of a race.  We both board the mainline train at different doors on the same carriage because they line up perfectly with the entrance to the tube platforms at the interchange.  It’s then a fast walk along the platform to the front of the tube train.  One evening this week she was in front striding up the platform.  I did the only thing I could, walk fast through the centre of the train to overtaking her so that my lardy ass landed on the well-worn threadbare material first.  Once she caught up and sat opposite, I didn’t look at her directly just in case the lasers shooting from her eyes blind me!

 “Strange place to store balls, on a roof”.

Thursday this week it was a score draw, because the tubes were delayed neither of us got the seat. From where I sat further down the carriage, I notice the challenger making herself comfortable in a strange seat. I am not a competitive person as a rule, but I have traveled home in that seat for over 2 years. If I have to rush like a mad woman to plant my oversize behind on the seat like a flag I will. Maybe I am a little OCD after all, I need to think about other aspects of life I like a certain way there must be a few.

 “I could look at this screen saver all day”.

And Now For Something Completely Different……

The only time that the room I work in is quiet is when there is a two-minute silence for remembrance. I work in a very busy call centre; all around there are telephones ringing and people talking. With all that noise it can be difficult to concentrate, listening to the person on the other end, navigating various systems while trying to explain complex figures.

 “A very proud Lego shuttle pilot”.

On Monday the phones died the room fell silent only for a fraction of a second but that was a moment to cherish. The problem wasn’t fixed for a full two hours, which everyone exploited. Most of my colleagues huddled in groups chatting, I sat at the desk listened to podcasts, writing a first draft of this ramble and re-watched last Sunday’s Doctor Who.

 “Hiding behind his booty”.

Those couple of seconds of silence were golden.  If I had my way everyone would have sat at their desks where they could have entertained themselves watching or listened to whatever they wanted, which would have resulted in the office remaining relatively quiet.  All the chatting and laughing at times was louder than the busiest of day when the offices in chaotic.  The few seconds of silence really had an effect on me.  We are all bombarded with noise from every direction.  Maybe I/we should turn off our devices now and then and just sit and listening to the silence.

 “A B’day doodle stamp”.

And Now A Special Mention Of A Couple Of Calls This Week I Won’t Forget……

When I answered a call all I initially heard was very loud humming. Every time I came back to him after putting the man on hold while I looked up information he was still humming badly. I feared for anyone with him, because they might have been haemorrhaging uncontrollably from every orifice. At least I could turn the volume down or keep putting him on hold. It really was a horrendous sound!

 “The window was filthy, honest”.

Needed to speak to a women’s husband, she asked me to hold because he was on the loo. After a minute when she kept repeating “don’t hang up”. The husband appeared after finishing his important business. Just listening to his slightly out of breath voice made me want to reach for the hand sanitiser and smear it all over myself

And Finally……

MOZ said with a giggle “my hands keep slipping”. She was struggling to open a bottle of wine.

 “Writing this shiz at work, but distracted by new WHO”.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:  

“Cheers”, (S8, ep 3 to ep 14).  “Click”, (TX: 15/02/20).  “Dialero”, (S1, ep 2 to ep 4).  “Hidden”, (S2, ep 2).  “Him & Her”, (S3, ep 4 to ep 7).  “Inside No.9”, (S5, ep 3).  “Last Tango In Halifax”, (S1, ep 6)(S2, ep 1 to ep 5).  “Panorama: Amazon-What They Know About US”, (TX: 17/02/20).  “Race The Tube – Can You Walk Faster Than The Central Line?”, (YouTube)(TX: 21/02/20).  “Ragnarok”, (S1, ep 3).  “Stacy Dooley: On The Psych Ward”, (TX: 19/02/20).  “Star Trek: Picard”, (S1, ep 5).  “The Graham Norton Show”, (S26, ep 18, TX: 14/02/20).  “The Last Leg”, (S19, ep 5, TX: 14/02/20).  “The Masked Singer (UK)”, (S1, ep 8, TX: 15/02/20).  “The Pale Horse”, (S1, ep 1).  “Top Gear”, (S28, ep 4, TX: 16/02/20).                     

Doctor Who Watched This Week:

“The Evil Of The Daleks”, (S4, Prod Code LL)(ep 2, TX: 27/05/67)(ep 3, TX: 03/06/67, LC Recon)(ep 4, TX: 10/06/67, LC Recon)(ep 5,TX: 17/06/67, LC Recon)(ep 6, TX: 24/06/67, LC Recon)(ep 7, TX: 01/07/67, LC Recon).

“Tomb Of The Cybermen”, (S5, Prod Code MM)(ep 1, TX: 02/09/67)(ep 2, TX 09/09/67)(ep 3, TX: 16/09/67)(ep 4, TX: 23/09/67)(BBC DVD Bonus, 14/01/02, “Intro: Morris Barry, Cybermen Extended Edition, Late Night Line-Up Special Effects (TX: 25/11/67), The Magic Of VIDfire”).

“The Abominable Snowmen”, (S5, Prod Code NN)(ep 1, TX: 30/09/67, LC Recon)(ep 2, TX: 07/10/67)(ep 3, TX: 14/10/67, LC recon)(ep 4, TX: 21/10/67, LC Recon)(ep 5, TX: 28/10/67, LC Recon)(ep 6, TX: 04/11/67)(Loose Cannon, “Intro, Outro: Judy Marsh, Outtakes, The Legend Of The Yeti”,April 06) .

“The Ice Warriors”, (S5, Prod Code OO)(ep 1, TX: 11/11/67)(Loose Cannon, “Intro, Outro: Peter Barkworth” , Nov 04).

“The Unquiet Dead”, (S1/S27, ep 3, TX: 09/04/05).

“Father’s Day”, (S1/S27,ep 8, TX: 14/05/05).

“Arachnoids In The UK”, (S11/S37, ep 4, TX: 28/10/18).

“The Tsuranga Conundrum”, (S11/S37, ep 5, TX: 04/11/18).

“The Witchfinders”, (S11/S37, ep 8, TX: 25/11/18).

“Kerblam!”, (S11/S37, ep 7, TX: 18/11/18).

“The Haunting Of Villa Donati”, (S12/S38, ep 8, TX: 16/02/20).

This week I have mainly been listening to:  

“Blood On The Tracks”, (S2, ep 2 & ep 3, 22/11/18).  “Iain Lee (Highlights)”, (14/02, 17/02, 18/02, 19/02. 20/02/20).  “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 132, 21/02/20).  “Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (15/02, 21/02/20).  “Rule Of Three”, (S5, ep 3, 21/02/20).  “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 181, 16/02/20).  “Strange Times”, (ep 335, 15/02/20).  “The All New Angelos And Barry Podcast”, (16/02/20).  “The Old Doctor Who Podcast”, (ep 90, 19/02/20).  “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (16/02/20).  “The Skewer: Podcast”, (BBC Radio 4)(S1,ep 6, pt 1 & pt 2: 17/02/20).  “Walking The Dog With Emily Dean”, (ep 1, 31/03/17)(ep 5, 28/04/17)(ep 9, 03/08/17)(ep 39, 10/06/19).  “What’s Your Problem? With Nick Abbot And Carol McGiffin”, (S1, ep 5, 16/02/20).  “Woke Up!”, (S1, ep 6 (Archive Uncle Arthur,) 20/02/20)).  “Morrissey”,  “Billy Bragg”,  “Mental As Anything”,  “The Stone Roses”,  “The Happy Mondays”,  “Len”,  “Muse”,  “Smiths”,  “Brandon Flowers”,  “Deacon Blue”,  “The Alarm”,  “Bowie”,  “Frankie Goes To Hollywood”,  “Belle And Sebastian”,  “Pixes”.

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

Week 295 Saturday 8^th  until Friday 14^th February 2020.

The main story last weekend was storm Ciara (I heard someone call it “Chewbacca”). Unfortunately, a lot of people (and animals) were affected by power cuts and flooding.  In my area there was only minor tree damage, though a couple of car owners who woke up to large dents on the bodywork of their vehicles probably wouldn’t call it “light tree damage”. During the night I could hear the tree next to the house rubbing its branches against the roof; this made me feel as if I was in a M.R. James spooky story.  The noise of the wind and rain took me back to when I was small child.

My Dad worked shifts and traveled to and from work on a motorbike.  If their weather was bad, I would worry about him getting back at night.  My mind would ran away as I imagining him coming off his bike, and mum having to rush to the local hospital.  It was always a relief in the morning to find that he had got home alright.  Going to bed in bad weather was a time I found quite stressful as a child.

 “There is something special about seeing the Moon during the day”.

The worst storm I remember was in October 1987.  If storms back then had names, this would be “Michael Fish” (according to a couple of minute’s research.  The first storm in the UK to be named was Abigail in 2015)  after the famous TV weather forecaster who assured the public there was nothing worry about when a viewer mentioned a large storm approaching the UK.  Early morning on 16th October I walked up the Highstreets which looked like the set of a cheap apocalypse movie.  Trees that that had lined the road for decades had been pushed over as if there were lolly sticks.  There was a lot of damage to vehicles and property.  At that time I worked for British rail in London, of course no trains so my day was spent at the local station just repeating “that nothing was running” when people arrived hoping to travel normally.  The best part of that day was wearing a Hi-Viz vest helping to clear small bits of tree and other light obstructions off the track.

 “I love the CAKE!”.

These big storms have not been the norm in the UK (I’m not a meteorologist, I work in a call centre so what do I know) but as a result of climate change this sort of weather “event” (as news like to call them) will happen more often.  The next storm “Dennis” is on the way and due to hit in a couple of days.  Without sounding too political, the UK government shouldn’t be spaffing (in my uneducated opinion) billions on a train service which has been on the drawing board for years won’t be completed or run for a decade or more.  When the people who voted them in are having their lives ruined, because of weather.  Aid shouldn’t arrive days or weeks after the damage has been done.  The authorities know that bad weather is coming, they are aware of areas that have been historically affected and others which are at risk.  Help should be on stand-by, or already in place.

 “This is a couple of weeks old.  I don’t have many pics this week”.

Bad weather is coming, it’s going to keep coming, we must just deal with it.  I wonder how ready we will be for the arrival of Dennis.

And Now For Something Completely Different……

An activity I love is to see birds feeding in the garden.  Even though I watch a lot of nature programmes, if it’s not a Robin, Pigeon or a Crow then I struggle to ID even the commonest of flying creature.  At my age that’s pathetic.

 “I’m sure there wriggling”.

While out shopping I stocked up on supplies, bringing home a 1.5kg tub of Mealworms (which I keep expecting to wriggle when I look at them) and a 12.55kg bag of nuts.  It was only later that evening when I looked at the receipts did I discover how expensive these were (I did buy other things so didn’t question the amount at the tills).

I will continue to watch and enjoy the birds feed in the garden, but I may be disturbing them due to continually rushing out to pick up discarded nuts or crumbs to put back on the bird table.  That food cost a fortune.  They will eat it all!

And Finally……

 “I’m not keen on Mornings, but seeing this is lovely”.

“Oh bum! That’s a sock, not a tissue!”  I actually said this out loud; quite why a sock was in the pocket I will never know.

I am pretty sure I passed TV journalist John Stapleton at a tube station I visit many times every week.  I smiled (just in case it was him) he didn’t smile back.

Quote of the week: “look at the dirty flaps on that “.  Said by Jerry on Big Jet TV as a BA jumbo landed at Heathrow in terrible weather conditions.

 “Writing this shiz, with Pat distracting me”.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:  

“Ares”, (S1, ep 2).  “Big Jet TV (Live Landings At Heathrow)”, (09/02/20).  “Cheers”, (S7, ep 6 to ep 22)(S8, ep 1 & ep 2).  “Click”, (TX: 08/02/20).  “Dialero”, (S1, ep 1).  “Hidden”, (S2, ep 1).  “Him & Her”, (S3, ep 2 & ep 3).  “Inside No.9”, (S5, ep 2).  “Last Tango In Halifax”, (S1, ep 2 to ep 5).  “Love & Other Drugs”, (2010).  “Luna Nera”, (S1, ep 2).  “Ragnarok”, (S1, ep 2).  “Star Trek: Picard”, (S1, ep 4).  “The Graham Norton Show”, (S26, ep 17, TX: 07/02/20).  “The Infinite Monkey Cage: Lucy Beaumont’s Close Encounters”, (BBC Radio 4/Sounds)(TX: 12/02/20).  “The Infinite Monkey Cage: UFO Special”, (BBC Radio 4/Sounds)(TX: 17/02/20?? That’s what Iplayer said).  “The Last Leg”, (S19, ep 4, TX: 07/02/20).  “The Thick Of It”, (S3, ep 1 to ep 8)(S4, ep 1 to ep 7).  “Top Gear”, (S28, ep 3, TX: 09/02/20).                      

Doctor Who Watched This Week:

“The Underwater Menace”, (S4, Prod Code GG)(ep 3, TX: 28/01/67)(ep 4, TX: 04/02/67, LC Recon)(Loose Cannon, Intv: Joseph Furst”, Aug 05).

“The Moonbase”, (S4, Prod Code HH)(ep 1, TX: 11/02/67, LC Recon)(ep 2, TX 18/02/67)(ep 3, TX: 25/02/67, LC Recon)(ep 4, TX: 04/03/67)(Loose Cannon, “Intro and Intv: Sylvester McCoy”, Sept 02).

“The Macra Terror”, (S4, Prod Code JJ)(ep 1, TX: 11/03/67, LC Recon)(ep 2, TX: 18/03/67, LC recon)(ep 3, TX: 25/03/67, LC recon)(ep 4, TX: 01/04/67, LC Recon)(Loose Cannon, “Intro, Outro: Terrance Lodge”, Jan 06) .

“The Faceless Ones”, (S4, Prod Code KK)(ep 1, TX: 08/04/67)(ep 2,  TX: 15/04/67, LC Recon)(ep 3, TX: 22/04/67, LC Recon)(ep 4, TX: 29/04/67, LC Recon)(ep 5, TX: 06/05/67, LC Recon)(ep 6, TX: 13/05/67, LC Recon)(Loose Cannon, “Intro, Outro, Intv: Anneka Wills, Intv: Peter Roy”, Aug 09).

 “The Evil Of The Daleks”, (S4, Prod Code LL)(ep 1, TX: 20/05/67, LC Recon)(Loose Cannon, “Intro, intv: Colin Baker, Intv: Sonny Caldinez, Intv: John Peel, Mini Prod Featurette, Jan 09).

 “Can You Hear Me?”, (S12/S38, ep 7, TX: 09/02/20).

This week I have mainly been listening to:  

“Brian Gittens And Friends”, (ep 68, 12/02/20).  “Iain Lee (Bonus)”, (07/02, 13/02/20).  “Iain Lee (Highlights)”, (07/02, 09/02, 10/02, 11/02. 13/02/20).  “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 130, 14/02/20).  “Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (08/02, 14/02/20).  “Rule Of Three”, (S5, ep 2, 13/02/20).  “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 180, 07/02/20).  “Space Boffins”, (11/02/20).  “Spacefall: A Blake’s 7 Podcast”, (ep 23, 14/02/20).  “Strange Times”, (ep 333, 10/02/20)(ep 334, 11/02/20).  “The Old Doctor Who Podcast”, (ep 88, 08/01/20)(ep 89, 29/01/20).  “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (10/02/20).  “The Skewer”, (BBC Radio 4)(S1, ep 6, 12/02/20).  “The Skewer: Podcast”, (BBC Radio 4)(S1,ep 5, pt 1 & pt 2: 10/02/20).  “Walking The Dog With Emily Dean”, (ep 15, 03/11/17).  “What’s Your Problem? With Nick Abbot And Carol McGiffin”, (S1, ep 4, 10/02/20).  “Woke Up! And Enter The Maelstrom”, (S1, ep 5, 11/02/20)(ep 6 (Archive Uncle Arthur, ep 12) 12/02/20)(ep 7 (Archive H.M.S Codcast… The Story So Far…) 13/02/20).  Morrissey”,  “Altered Images”,  “Snow Patrol”,  “Kings Of Leon”,  “McAlmont & Butler”,  “Pet Shop Boys”,  “Prince”,  “Girls Aloud”,  “Belly”,  “Belinda Carlisle”.

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

Week 294 Saturday 1^st  until Friday 7^th February 2020.

Happy 14th B’day to WB, still pretty after all these years.

Happy (mumble, number) Bday to George on 4^th.  Don’t worry you will always be younger than me.

A long running theme to this ramble is escaping, running away from the rat race.  A few years ago I was lucky to sample a more relaxed life in Tofo, Mozzibeak beside the Indian Ocean.  This March it will be 4 years since I returned to London and hardly a day goes by without me thinking of the people and marine life I met and experienced.  Sadly, I have slowly come to accept that I will probably never return, that’s a painfully though sentence to write.

 “These Two love there Aunty MOZ.  The organised Aunty”.

But I still need to escape and get away from this unhealthy rat race.  The last couple of weeks I have been watching people on webcams, not those type of **webcams!  These cameras are set up around a place in the UK I have never been to, The Shetland Isles.  A collection of about 100 islands (approx. 20 are inhabited with a population of 23.210 in 2012) that is nearer to Norway than the UK mainland.  For as long as I can remember I have felt drawn to these islands wondering if this is a place I could settle in.  What appeals is the small population, a relaxed lifestyle with nature and beautiful views all around.  Any bad weather would just make life more exciting.  Growing up I knew a couple of children (Vanessa and Eric) the grandchildren of the neighbours, who would visit London during school holidays, they lived on Shetland and told lovely stories about their lives.  Watching these webcams I wondered if they still live in there, I haven’t thought of them in decades.

 “007, meet 004 and 003”.

Over the last few weeks while watching the various cameras, I wondered if there were signs saying “if you stand here, you can be seen all over the world.  Think twice if you pick your nose or scratch your bum”.  This went through my mind as I saw people walking in and out of the tourist centre or the pub.  My favourite ones are the “cliff cams”, which as the name suggest look out to sea.  Watching the waves smash onto the rocks is very therapeutic.  It’s stated that occasionally Orcas can be spotted, I’m still looking.

 “They enjoyed there afternoon out”.

From what I can see and read there is nothing not to like about Shetland, at some point I will have to visit.  If at a future date I happen to go missing, then keep an eye on the webcams because one day you might spot me standing outside the pub scratching my ample lardy ass for everyone to see.

“Monday to Friday, going home is the best part of the day”.

** http://www.shetlandwebcams.com

And Now For Something Completely Different……

 “Just getting rid of the evidence of brekkie”.

Just wondered if it’s only me, but has anyone noticed an increase in rubber bands lying around on the pavement.  This might be a “London issue” if it is, then you are lucky to live in a place where people care about the environment and possible danger to wildlife.  The main culprits as far as I can tell are as postman/women (or however the individual identifies themselves).  I’m not saying that every postie drops them, but a fair number that I am now stopping to pick up have been dropped on a letter delivery round.  Yes, you read that correct, I have started to pick the bands up.  How long will it be before I am picking up litter that’s been casually tossed aside?  If anyone watches me, they probably feel sorry for the old bag lady picking shiz up.

 “I did pick this up”.

There really is no excuse for this additional littering (London’s streets/roads have enough already on them) especially when we are supposed to be so much more environmentally aware.  The reason I am picking the bands up is that i have read and seen pictures of animals getting trapped or worse dying because the rubber was eaten.  When I have a decent collection of maybe I should deliver them to the local post office and ask for them to be reused.

 “second one spotted in a couple of mins”.

And Finally……

 “The morning looked pretty”.

The left boot of a favourite pair suddenly became slippery, after my recent fall I didn’t want to risk going arse over tit again.  Looking at the underside it was clear that the thin grippy layer (a cobbler’s technical term) had come off.  A couple of days later when I arrived home, my friend presented me with something thin found on the pavement while on the way to the station, the bottom of my boot.  This meant I had passed it several times over a couple of days.  My friend either has better eyes or just keeps them open while out. I did consider hammering it back on, but I think an expert should probably do it.

 “Light fitting of the week.

Congratulations to a friend who was nominated secretly for ‘Celebrating Success’ award” at their work and won.  About time they were recognised for their wonderfulness.  If there is a swanky do, I’ll give them a huge bag to stash any leftover free food or bottles of drink. It would be wrong not too!

 “Distracted by Malcolm tearing a strip out of another poor victim”.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:  

“Ares”, (S1, ep 1).  “Cheers”, (S6, ep 15 to ep 25)(S7, ep 1 to ep 5).  “Click”, (TX: 01/02/20).  “Dolittle”, (2020).  “Inside No.9”, (S5, ep 1).  “Last Tango In Halifax”, (S1, ep 1).  “Luna Nera”, (S1, ep 1).  “Omniscient”, (S1, ep 6).  “Ragnarok”, (S1, ep 1).  “Star Trek: Picard”, (S1, ep 3).  “The Goes Wrong Show”, (S1, ep 6).  “The Graham Norton Show”, (S26, ep 16, TX: 31/01/20).  “The Incredible Story Of Marie Antoinette’s Watch With Nicholas Parsons”, (TX: 06/10/16).  “The Last Leg: Countdown To Brexit”, (S19, ep 3, TX: 31/01/20).  “The Thick Of It”, (S1, ep 1 to ep 3)(S2, ep 1 to ep 3)(Special: Rise Of The Nutters, TX: 02/01/07)(Special: Spinners And Losers, TX: 03/01/07).  “Top Gear”, (S28, ep 2, TX: 02/02/20).   “Wisting”, (S1, ep 9 & ep 10).                  

Doctor Who Watched This Week:

“The Smugglers”, (S4, Prod Code CC)(ep 3, TX: 24/09/66, LC Recon)(ep 4, TX 01/10/66, LC Recon)(Loose Cannon, “Intv: Richard Hunt”, “Production Featurette”, Aug 08).

“The Tenth Planet”, (S4, Prod Code DD)(ep 1, TX: 08/10/66)(ep 2, TX: 15/10/66)(ep 3, TX: 22/10/66)(ep 4, TX: 29/10/66, BBC Recon).

“The Power Of The Daleks”, (S4, Prod Code EE)(ep 1, TX: 05/11/66, LC Recon)(ep 2,  TX: 12/11/66, LC Recon)(ep 3, TX: 19/11/66, LC Recon)(ep 4, TX: 26/11/66, LC Recon)(ep 5, TX:03/12/66, LC Recon)(ep 6, TX: 10/12/66, LC Recon)(LC Recons, July 99).

 “The Highlanders”, (S4, Prod Code FF)(ep 1, TX: 17/12/66, LC Recon)(ep 2, TX: 24/12/66, LC Recon)(ep 3, TX: 31/12/66, LC Recon)(ep 4, TX: 07/01/67, LC Recon)(Loose Cannon, “Intro: Michael Elwyn”, “Carry On Culloden”, “Historical Extract”, “Production Featurette”, Aug 07).

“The Underwater Menace”, (S4, Prod Code GG)(ep 1, TX: 14/01/67, LC Recon)(ep 2, TX: 21/01/67)(ep 3,  TX: 28/01/67)(ep 4, TX: 04/02/67, LC Recon)(“Intro: Frasier Hines”).

“Praxeus”, (S12/S38, ep 6, TX: 02/02/20).

This week I have mainly been listening to:  

“Daddy Look At Me”, (S2, ep 15, 06/02/20).  “Iain Lee (Bonus)”, (04/02/20).  “Iain Lee (Highlights)”, (29/01, 30/01, 31/01, 03/02. 04/02, 05/02, 06/02/20).  “LBC: Mystery Hour”, (07/02/20).  “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 130, 07/02/20).  “Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (01/02, 02/02, 07/02/20).  “Rule Of Three”, (S5, Trailer 03/02/20)(ep 1, 06/02/20).  “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 179, 01/02/20).  “The Old Doctor Who Podcast”, (ep 80, 24/07/19)(ep 81, 14/08/19)(ep 82, 04/09/19)(ep 83, 25/09/19)(ep 84, 16/10/19)(ep 85, 06/11/19)(ep 86, 24/11/19)(ep 87, 18/12/19).  “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (03/02/20).  “The Skewer”, (BBC Radio 4)(S1, ep 5, 05/02/20).  “The Skewer: Podcast”, (BBC Radio 4)(S1,ep 4, pt 1 & pt 2: 04/02/20).  “Walking The Dog With Emily Dean”, (ep 55, 03/02/20).  “What’s Your Problem? With Nick Abbot And Carol Mcgiffin”, (S1, ep 3, 03/02/20).  “Woke Up! And Enter The Maelstrom”, (S1, ep 3, 31/01/20)(ep 4, “Uncle Arthur” 02/02/20).  Morrissey”,  “Beck”,  “The Stone Roses”,  “The Cranberries”,  “Green Day”,  “The Beloved”,  “Ash”,  “The Clash”,  “Beacon Blue”,  “The Blue Oyster Cult”,  “10cc”,  “Badly Drawn Boy”,  “Skunk Ananise”,  “KT Tunstall”.

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

Week 293 Saturday 25^th  until Friday 31^st January 2020.

I am a little worried that a friend and I may have been responsible for a national treasure’s death.  This week Nicholas Parsons died aged 96, like many people in the UK I grew up watching and listening to him as he entertained millions over many decades.  But, why could I be responsible I hear you cry!

A few years ago, my friend and I were chatting and mentioned classic sitcom writer Carla Lane.  A few days later she passed aged 87.  Last Sunday the same friend and I were talking about old TV quiz shows and it wasn’t long before Nicholas Parsons entered the conversation.  My friend wasn’t sure (as with Clara Lane) if he was still alive, after consulting my small electronic device I confirmed that he was.

 “A posh art deco lamp shade seen in central London”.

On Tuesday during my break when I read that the “Sale of the Century” (1971 to 1983) host had passed away, I had to message to my friend who replied straight away saying “the curse had struck again”.  Just to point out I am not making light of either Clara Lane or Nicholas Parsons deaths, they were both very talented and I enjoyed their work.  But maybe the curse could be put to good use.  Just think of the pond scum, so-called celebrities and politicians who (in my VERY uneducated opinion) appear to get away with all kinds of wrong and immoral activities.  Maybe if my friend and I had a conversation naming them, then maybe there card might be marked.

If there is someone that you would like us to add into a conversation (nudge nudge, wink wink), then please send your nominations to…

 “Boo!”. 

Ihopethatpeopleunderstandthiscoincidencemakesgoodcontent/idontreallywantpeople(exceptnastyannoyingpiecesofshiz)todie.coke.Ucake

And Now For Something Completely Different……

Picture Bond or Bauer from “24” desperately trying to download information while nervously looking around waiting for the percentage to gradually reach 100%.  Once they have what they wanted each hero can escape a shower of bullets completely unharmed.  Of course the get-a-way vehicle will have more holes in it than a kitchen sieve.

If James or Jack had the issues I have while out and about in the “so-called” real world they would hand in their licenses to kill (I think Bauer has a badge, which is a “sort of” licence) retire to sip cocktails (shaken not stirred) while watching babes.

“Tuesday about 17.10 pm”.

I used to be able to download a whole series (that’s what it felt like) of TV shiz I enjoy.  As well as plenty of Podcast to keep me occupied whilst suffering London’s public transport system.  Recently though the tablet has started to inform me helpfully “insufficient memory “ while downloading.  There have been days when I have to re-watched a show because I was unable to hop onto the Wi-Fi at work to download something new.  When I do manage to access the internet in the office its so slow and could take all afternoon to download a 30 min comedy.

On morning this week, while in a corporate coffee shop sipping my bucket of gulp I attempted to squirt a drama on to my electronic device.  With one eye on the clock because I should have been rushing to work.  I saw the percentage of the download slowly climb.  Eighty seven is now a number i don’t like; this was when the download stalled.  No matter how hard I stared at the screen that number wouldn’t change.  My internal mantra attempted to keep me calm by telling myself that this won’t take long.

“Wednesday about 17.10 pm”.

Minutes later I could be seen rushing through the street dodging anything and anyone who dared to get in my way.  All the time fuming that the download had to be abandoned.  This is when my thoughts turned to Bond and Bauer who would never have had the same issue.  Of course I didn’t confess the real reason I was late, the boss would never have understood.

 “Hidden doorways on the tube are always intriguing” 

Happily I can report that a friend saved my sanity by discovering that an APP has been sucking up a large amount of memory after an update.  Once again my travelling through the city is more pleasurable due to the number of downloads to choose from.

And Finally……

Trying to turn off the alarm on my circular topped smart speaker.  The annoying tone continued to sound, even though i was asking it to stop.  It sounded like it was actually getting louder.  In the end after stumbling out of bed i just pulled the plug.  That evening my friend told me in her bedroom she heard my predicament and laughed.

 “The lady is in charge.  And it was nice to see”. 

While driving I misheard the radio, I thought the fruity voiced said “the home of Flaccid Rock”.  It was “Classic Rock”.  Flaccid felt more appropriate from the music heard (I changed the station as soon as I was stationary).

 “I always enjoy a spot of bird spotting.  This one was flying low probably looking for a feeder to perch on”.

Waiting excitedly for new Doctor Who to begin, I became aware of a sucking sound.  I walked into the kitchen holding the tablet (I wasn’t going to miss the opening credits) only to see my friend sucking up split red wine through a metal (she cares about the planet and doesn’t use plastic) straw.

 “Distracted by these puffed up puffer jackets”.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:

“Bridesmaids”, (2011).  “Cheers”, (S5, ep 21 to ep 26)(S3, ep 1 to ep 14).  “Click”, (TX: 25/01/20).  “Him & Her”, (S2, ep 5 to ep 7)(S3, ep 1).  “Man Like Mobeen”, (S3, ep 1 to ep 5).  “Omniscient”, (S1, ep 1 to ep 5).  “Star Trek: Picard”, (S1, ep 2).  “Storyville The Gene Revolution: Changing Human Nature”, (TX: 27/01/20).  “The Goes Wrong Show”, (S1, ep 4 & 5).  “The Graham Norton Show”, (Happy New Year, TX: 31/12/19)(S26, ep 15, TX: 24/01/20).  “The Last Leg”, (S19, ep 1, TX: 17/01/20)(ep 2, TX: 24/01/20).  “Top Gear”, (S28, ep 1, TX: 26/01/20).  “Winterwatch 2019”, (S8, ep 1, TX: 28/01/20)(ep 2, TX: 29/01/20)(ep 3, TX: 30/01/20)(ep4, TX: 31/01/20).  “Wisting”, (S1, ep 7 & ep 8).                  

Doctor Who Watched This Week:

“The Savages”, (S3, Prod Code AA)(ep 3, TX: 11/06/66, LC Recon)(ep 4, TX 18/06/66, LC Recon)(Loose Cannon, “Outro: Peter Purves”, “Mini Production Featurette”, “Interview Peter Purves”, “Interview Sonia Markham”, Feb 08).

“The War Machines”, (S3, Prod Code BB)(ep 1, TX: 25/06/66)(ep 2, TX: 02/07/66)(ep 3, TX: 09/07/66)(ep 4, TX: 16/07/66)( BBC DVD Bonus, “One Foot In The Past”, “WOTAN Assembly”, 25/08/08).

“The Sumgglers”, (S4, Prod Code CC)( Loose Cannon, “Into: George C Cooper”, Aug 08)( ep 1, TX: 10/09/66, LC Recon)(ep 2,  TX: 17/10/66, LC Recon).

 “Fugitive Of The Judoon”, (S38/S12, ep 5, TX: 26/01/20).

This week I have mainly been listening to:

“Daddy Look At Me”, (S2, ep 14, 30/01/20).  “Iain Lee (Highlights”, (24/01, 28/01, 29/01, 30/01/20).  “LBC: Mystery Hour”, (31/01/20).  “Matt Berry Intv “Nicholas Parsons” (Alex Lowe)(Absolute Radio)”.  “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 129, 31/01/20).  “Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (25/01, 31/01/20).  “Strange Times”, (ep 332, 28/01/20).  “The Old Doctor Who Podcast”, (ep 65, 12/09/18)(ep 66, 03/10/18)(ep 67, 24/10/18)(ep 68, 14/11/18)(ep 69, 05/12/18)(ep 70, 26/12/18)(ep 71, 16/01/19)(ep 72, 06/02/19)(ep 73, 27/02/19)(ep 74, 20/03/19)(ep 75, 10/04/19)(ep 76, 01/05/19)(ep 77, 22/05/19)(ep 78, 12/06/19)(ep 79, 03/07/19).  “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (27/01/20).  “The Skewer”, (BBC Radio 4)(S1, ep 4, 29/01/20).  “The Skewer: Podcast”, (BBC Radio 4)(S1,ep 2, pt 1 & pt 2: 22/01/20)(ep 3, pt 1 & pt 2: 28/01/20) .  “Walking The Dog With Emily Dean”, (ep 43, 19/07/19)(Message From Emily, 23/01/20).  “What’s Your Problem? With Nick Abbot And Carol Mcgiffin”, (S1, ep 2, 27/01/20).  “Woke Up! And Enter The Maelstrom”, (S1, ep 2, 26/01/20).  Morrissey”, “Pet Shop Boys”,  “Cyndi Lauper”,  “Kasabian”,  “Cocteu Twins”,  “The Beautiful South”, “Stereo MC’s”, “Pat Benatar”, “Bran Van 3000”, “The Cure”.

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”.