w.atching the w.orld unw.ind

Today's lyric:
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"I still want you by my side
Just to help me dry the tears that I've cried
But I'm sure gonna give you a try
'Cause if you want I'll try to love again
Baby I'll try to love again but I know."

Rod Stewart: "The first cut is the deepest"
From the album: "The Greatest Hits"

That must go down in history as the latest in the year I've mowed the lawns.

What with all that's been kicking off during the last two months, either we've not been around to do outside sweepy hoovy or the eweather's been agin' us.

But now the 'grass on mud' that passes for a lawn is all strimmby and neat, so bring on the sun!

Oh, and Ma does have a brain. The scan found one.

Just have to wait to find out what's going on inside now?

Labels: Lawnage

Today's lyric:
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"Another day goes passin' by
I sit alone and wonder why?
Sometimes it's hard, but I will try
To live my life without you."

Gary Moore: "Nothin's the same"
From the album: "After Hours"

It's certainly been an unreal week.

But now the date for the cremation is set, the obituary notices have been mulled over, dictated and sent for print. Photos for the Order of Service have been scrutinised, selected and sent for scanning.

Cars have been booked. (Yes, f.i.l., there will be more than one motor following your hearse - and I'm bloody paying for it, so shut your noise!)

So no more solemnity around here, if you please.

Enjoy your bhw's, y'all - we're gonna enjoy ours!

Labels: EndOfTears

Today's lyric:
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"Past the kids who gather there
Pain masked by narcotic stares
But no-one really cares."

Levellers: "Julie"
From the album: "One way of life"

"Mine eyes are full of tears, I cannot see.
And yet salt water blinds them not so much
But they can see a sort of traitors here
Nay, if I turn my eyes upon myself
I find myself a traitor with the rest."

Shakespeare: King Richard II

Friday night is always "chill out" night chez Mr.D.

This last Friday was also payday, so a delivered takeaway and a couple of bottles of red. Set right up for the weekend.

And then at 23:45, the 'phone call to say that father-in-law had been taken into hospital and was on full oxygen.

Unable to drive because we'd both been drinking, a taxi flew us the 60 miles to the hospital via a cashpoint and we spent the night in vigil with him. I have never seen such a haunted, hunted expression on a man. But by his own, earlier admission, he'd brought the lung cancer on himself and had no self-pity.

He hated the full facemask which was pumping clean gas into him, pushing out the carbon dioxide that bronchial pneumonia was causing to build up in the untumoured lung. But throughout the night, we made him wear it and watched the sats come back up to normal. Staring at the monitor, I nearly had a heart attack myself when the damn thing flatlined, but he'd just pulled off the finger stall connecting him to the box.

And so when, at 7:00 a.m. he was demanding tea (he must have been gagging after several hours of dry air) we decided that we'd been awake for 25 hours and needed to kip.

A lift home (I couldn't have driven six miles, let alone sixty) ensured we were back in time to have the Cooper's windscreen replaced in bright sunshine, so that the bonding would set reasonably quickly. And the prospect of a few hours sleep.

Except that another call told us that f.i.l had relapsed and could we get back quickly?

Gathering NOD and NOS to us, we hurtled back for the second time in a day, to get ten minutes away from the hospital but too late. 48 hours with virtually no sleep is not conducive to blogging, so sorry if you've been calling by for nowt.

The music for the funeral is likely to be Elgar's "Nimrod", Elaine Paige's "Memory" and Al Jolson's "My Mammy" (because he used to sing it for the kids). That'll raise a much-needed smile.

But the good news is that Ma's finally got a date for her brain scan for dementia.

Did I say good news?

Today's lyric:
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"Don't you think its quiet around here?
Doesn't seem so much to do here?
Think back to this time last year
Good times, good times, good times
Don't you think we've stayed far too long?
Don't you think the colour has gone?"

Hard-Fi: "Move on now"
From the album: "Stars of CCTV"

After nigh on two years of perseverance, my hated iPod earphones have given up the ghost. Even the sellotape has parted company.

These babies look like a reasonable replacement, but I need to 'trial' the in-ear concept, as I'm not sure I could handle the isolation from the outside world that is - in one sense - desirable, but may be dangerous in another?

"Watch out for that falling brick!"
"What?"
Bang.

Then again, how many times has that circumstance arisen?

I'll let you all know.

Enjoy your weekends, y'all.

Today's lyric:
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"And yesterday I saw you standing by the river,
And weren't those tears that filled your eyes?
And all the fish that lay in dirty water dying,
Had they got you hypnotized?
And yesterday I saw you kissing tiny flowers,
But all that lives is born to die.
And so I say to you that nothing really matters,
And all you do is stand and cry."

Led Zeppelin: "That's the way"
From the album: "Led Zeppelin III"

Next Door Neighbour's tree had been observed bending just a little too enthusiastically in recent high winds.

Closer inspection revealed a base, literally rotten to the core and so down it had to come. Nice pile of logs for next winter's coalfires, though?

So - without any assistance from Ph0t0Sh0p (other than cropping), this is the before and after. And though I say so myself, that's an incredible similarity in light conditions from one morning to the next?


Enjoy your weekends, y'all

Labels: Lumberjackage

Today's lyric:
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"You can spend all your time making money
You can spend all your love making time
If it all fell to pieces tomorrow
Would you still be mine?."

The Eagles: "Take it to the limit"
From the album: "Live"

After seeing them last time on a balmy evening at Twickenham Rugby Ground, I was praying that the lads would not disappoint.

And although they opened with "How long" from the new album - which made me think they'd follow the running list of the Easter gigs and quote from "Long road out of Eden" for the whole of the first half, switching to the Golden Oldies in the second, after two tracks the sax player stood up to provide the overture to "Hotel California."

And from then on, Keeriste they rocked. "Witchy Woman", "In the city", "Dirty Laundry", "Lyin' eyes". For 2 and 3/4 hours they belted them all out.

And yes, of course they ended with "Desperado" but for me, my funeral track got the full treatment. Announced as "The credit card song", "Take it to the limit" breaks me every time..

And so we four went home happy peeps, to a nice supper and a glass or seven of The Red Ullage by way of celebration.

(Ol' Sparky is gonna be 60 this year, so this is just the start of the festivities)

And in complete contrast to the weather they played in last time, this is a British Spring day.

Today's lyric:
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"And I've seen him with girls of the night
And he told Roxanne to put on her red light
They're all infected but he'll be alright
Cause he's a scumbag, don't you know
I said he's a scumbag, don't you know!."

Arctic Monkeys: "When the sun goes down"
From the album: "Whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not"

So - you'll be born to a man who's not your father, but is your father?

Cue one screwed-up girl.

We're off to see The Eagles. Enjoy your weekends, y'all.