chrisf

I am up early today on bladder's orders. Two weeks hence I shall be hitting the road early to head for Sidmouth so it is all good practice. The day before yesterday I received news of an old friend with whom, sadly, I am not on the best of terms at the moment. The news was that he is no longer employed by Amazon, which is good because I feared for his mental health. I started writing him a congratulatory letter before thinking better of it. Knowing where to send it would have been a good start. This afternoon I am to receive a phone call from Professor Oncologist. It is due at 15.40 but could be up to 45 minutes earlier or later. I must remember to tell him that my GP surgery wanted to un-prescribe something that he had prescribed. "What business is that of yours?" I had asked. The point was made and I collected fresh supplies from the pharmacy last week. I am now told that I am to receive a medication review, conducted by the surgery, on my return from holiday. If you detect eager anticipation, let me know where you found it. One more little worry, for now: I have signed up for the parade at Pride Cymru in Cardiff at the end of August. So far, so good, but where and when does it start? The webshite does not tell me but with only six weeks to go before the big day it would not be unreasonable to expect to find such information. My guess is that it will set off from North Road, near the police station, but watch this space. Life can be full of surprises. Chris

This could be a good day for watching too much TV. In addition to Hansard's Half Hour at noon there is a short item about Australian bushfire animal care, which I deduce refers to koalas. I will also spend some more time searching for bank statements and other crucial papers which are not in the right place. The possibility of becoming irritable and bad tempered is very, very real. By chance yesterday evening I received news of a friend with whom I fell out last year and who I miss sorely. Re-establishing contact with him would be a joy but could be fraught with difficulty. I shall muse on this a little more. Chris

Good question. Yesterday I received a letter from the publishers inviting me to renew my sub to Heritage Railway. When it was posted I know not, for we do not appear to have postmarks any more. The date on the letter was mid May! Where the donald duck had it been for two months? Chris

He might, but he will never know because he is rather averse to registering on webshites and using passwords just to read something! Chris

Since my last post I have been in Bristol for Pride. On Friday afternoon I took a bus from the hotel into Bristol to collect my wristbands. The bus goes along Whiteladies Road past the BBC. Back in 1970 I went for a job with Radio Bristol before it started, which needless to say I did not get. I had not realised just how many alcohol dispensaries Whiteladies Road has, which could help to explain why a friend who somehow managed to graduate from Bristol University with a 2:1 in Spanish had a reputation for constant inebriation. The march on Saturday morning was, as I feared, plagued by aches and pains. When I went to see the vet some weeks ago I was told that the back pain is kidney related and should respond to copious glasses of water. Up to a point, it does, but there is room for improvement. The afternoon concert on the Downs was very good considering that I had heard of hardly anyone in the line-up. Despite the high temperature there was much vigorous dancing which I was quite content to watch. It is said that 45,000 people attended. I was surprised by how many people took photographs of my rainbow boots! In the end I decided not to go to a night club after the concert. I was dog tired and of course I am significantly above the typical age of club goers! As I post this the temperature is 14 degrees and it is not yet 6 am. Drip, drip. Chris

I’m off to Bristol for the weekend and will be attending Pride. This is likely to mean that the aches and pains which have almost been banished will return with a vengeance. We shall see. Tomorrow afternoon there is a concert featuring performers whose names for the most part I do not know. I think I saw on the list the excellent choir Sing Out Bristol. I also spotted Katrina but without the Waves. If I get to see both of those I will be quite content. My accommodation will be a new hotel up near Cribbs Causeway. There used to be one there that was not too bad. What a pity that it burned down shortly after I last stayed there. What to do on Saturday night is not yet decided. Perhaps a night club? Perhaps not! Chris

Happy 74th or other birthday to whom it may concern! The machinery of government in the UK appears today to be powered by infinite improbability drive and is looking increasingly like what Laurel and Hardy would have described as another fine mess. I found yesterday's twists and turns quite fascinating and a total distraction from what I should have been doing. In the cold light of today this means that I have some catching up to do. Among other tasks there is luggage to be packed, though whether it will be a suitcase or a totally misnamed holdall depends on whether my rainbow boots will fit in the holdall along with the other clobber that I will need. Note, if you will, that by "machinery of government" I mean the politicians. The civil service, of which I used to be part, is another matter altogether. Chris

There are jobs to be done today. Before Friday morning I must round up the contents of the overnight bag ahead of a weekend in Bristol which will probably mean that I come home with even more aches and pains. The opportunity to enjoy a performance by Katrina of the Waves and, perhaps, join in some of her greatest hits will make it all worth while. Intrigued? Watch this space. Before that I have a meeting report to write, for Christian Wolmar was in town yesterday evening speaking about Crossrail. Ideally it will be done and dusted before noon. Whether it is or not I suspect that Hansard's Half Hour, aka Questions to the Prime Minister, will be more than usually interesting today. For some inexplicable reason my thoughts are turning to shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic. Oh dear, the word came out as 'monster'. Perhaps auto correct knows more than I do. Chris

Lots of matters arising this morning, starting with thanks to Ozexpatriate for reminding us of the wit and wisdom of Tom Lehrer - 93 years old and still going strong. The hot dog eating contest in the USA yesterday produced yet another win for Joey Chestnut but not a new record. Had there not been some altercation he might well have munched more than the 66 dogs and buns that he managed. The parade at Pride in London contained a few notables as well as yours truly: YouTube footage reveals the participation of, among others, Sir Keir Starmer and the Band of the Grenadier Guards. The fire in Bedford claimed at least one life and it is sad that my home town only hits the headlines at times of tragedy. Chris

I cannot speak for others but I'm well clear of the blaze, thanks. Chris

On this fourth day of July it is possible that a new world record may be set at Coney Island in the USA. At present the record for eating hot dogs stands at 76 dogs and buns in 10 minutes. It is held by Joey Chestnut, as it has been for a good few years now. Rather him than me! I expect that there will be TV coverage on some obscure chsnnel or other but despite the interesting nature of the event I think I'll pass. If I do anything exotic today it will be to visit the camping equipment shop in search of a new air bed. One job for today might be to check YouTube footage of Saturday's Pride procession to see who else took part. I had a quick glance yesterday and thought I spotted one or two notables. It is nice to think that I was in good company. There are residual aches and pains which I hope will be gone before the weekend, for I am due to march again on Saturday! Chris

I was in London yesterdsy for the Pride parade. Because of buckets and spades on Thameslink I decided to drive to Stevenage and take the train from there. Arrangements for breakfast in 'Spoons with a mate somehow got scrambled. If I had remembered to take my phone with me we might have been able to retrieve that situation but hey, better luck next time. So to Hyde Park Corner and to the milling throng outside the Hilton awaiting the call to join the parade. Here there was time to make a modest sentimental journey to nearby Curzon Street, where pirate Radio London, aka Big L, had its office between 1964 and 1967. Eventually the parade set off along Piccadilly, which is slightly uphill from Hyde Park Corner to Eros. The thoroughfare was lined with cheering crowds. By the time I reached the end of the route fatigue was beginning to set in but morale was boosted by several appreciative comments about my boots. I have no idea who else was in the parade but I'm sure that YouTube will be able to tell me once the footage is posted. At Trafalgar Square there was music but I paid it little heed. If there were speeches from the stage I did not hear them and on past form probably did not miss much. The sight of a passing dustcart emblazoned with a Pride poster prompted ironic cheers! It was a good day and I am still rather tired but what the heck. Chris

The journey to London and its Pride begins shortly. Speculation in the media suggests that it will be well attended! With any luck I will tell all tomorrow. Happy Pride! Chris

I have a hospital appointment at 9.30 this morning. Getting there in time will not be easy but is not totally impossible either. At least the early hour gives me the rest of the day to do other things, such as preparing for tomorrow. It must be a fair bet that some of my rainbow regalia is in too safe a place for me to find it. Much of Saturday morning, it appears, will see me cooling my heels in the vicinity of Hyde Park Corner until the call comes to join the march. I've got to get there first though. Buckets and spades on Thameslink, on a Saturday if you please, would add up to an hour to my journey to London, so I have chosen another route as I loathe rail replacement buses. Happy Pride! Chris

It is absolutely ages since I saw a film in the cinema and without riffling through my diary I cannot recall what it was. The local rag no longer carries ads for the cinema. If I want to know what is showing I must go on line to find out, which involves effort - not much, in fairness, but more than glancing at an ad in the paper. I suspect that I am not missing much. Chris

No, but I remember the product, and not with affection! The headline news last night and this morning is that of the sad passing of Dame Deborah James, honoured only recently for her contribution to raising awareness of bowel cancer. She was 40 years old. Her campaigning style was lighthearted yet earnest and always upbeat. She will be remembered for her podcast "You, me and the Big C" and will be sadly missed. Condolences to her family and friends. Chris

As usual, Wimbledon is disrupting many aspects of the nation's life. OK, that's a bit sweeping, but it is already clear that there is no point in buying the Radio Times during Wimbledon fortnight. The BBC has done its best to make provision for matches that go on and on and on but it still needs to make a better job of announcing what are often last minute switches between channels. Depending in part on how long Sir Andy Murray remains in the tournament, this is something that is likely to get worse before it gets better. I do realise that tennis fascinates some viewers but it bores the pants off me! Chris

Premium Bonds came up in conversation yesterday. I forget how many I have but I had a burst of enthusiasm for them when I was 18-20 years old. More recently I have been investing £50 a month as a painless way of putting aside some petty cash and as something to cash in if things get really bad. If I win a prize, fine. So far this year I have garnered £50 from Ernie. Every little helps, as they say. A job got done yesterday that I had kept forgetting. It was to put the various components of my tent into its carrying case. This is something that I cannot do when the tent is taken down at the end of my stay on the campsite because more often than not the tent is wet. When I leave the campsite everything is stuffed into the back of the car. In the course of the journey home the tent dries, to be packed properly after – long after - I get home. This afternoon I am to have my annual diabetic eye screening test. I can barely contain my enthusiasm. Chris

Yes and no! The words which so many of us know and love are credited on the album sleeve to Pete Coe circa 1970 "after traditional models". It is undoubtedly the case that the traditional models are pre-1964 and originate much closer to the reign of Queen Anne [1702 -1714]. Tell you what: next time I see Pete Coe I will ask him. I am grateful to Q for posting the Strawhead track. It must be getting on for 10 years now since the band retired from live performance and I miss them almost to the point of bereavement. Chris

As an occasional singer of folk songs I find that nearly all of my repertoire dates from before 1964. For me it's not a problem! Chris

Against all odds, I ended up at Luton Pride for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon. Stagecoach route 81 runs once an hour between Bedford and Luton, providing plenty of opportunities for the inhabitants of little villages that they do not use as often as they might. I used my bus pass, at zero personal cost, and subsequently discovered that I could have gone by train after all. The Pride was not a bad event, all things considered. It would have benefitted from a parade and from better merchandise but the organisers have good reason to be pleased with their first efforts. We shall see what happens next year. One thing that happened yesterday was having to use a card to buy a cuppa, price £2. Get used to the sight of coins, folks, for they may not have long to live. The lady who served my tea said that getting rid of cash was easier for them. Oh well, that makes it OK then. It looks as though Network Rail could be making my trip to London next Saturday more difficult than it need be, even without the ever present threat of the oddly named “industrial action”. I understand that much of the line between Luton and West Hampstead is to be dug up on Saturday and Sunday. Plans B to Infinity are in preparation to get me and my photogenic rainbow boots to London. Thank goodness I know the way to Stevenage. Chris

Last night's concert at The Stables was good, as I had expected. There was a slight panic at half time when I mislaid my pint but fortunately it was soon rediscovered. Today I really ought to be at the first Luton Pride but I cannot summon the necessary enthusiasm and there are likely to be problems with the train service today. My apologies to gentle readers who live in Luton but I find it difficult to see it as a place in which pride is taken. I am reminded of a BBC open meeting in Bedford many years ago at which plans for the expansion of the local radio network were discussed. The speaker said that a station in Luton would be proposed. I asked why not Bedford and was told that Luton had a denser population. There was laughter. Chris

We are not supposed to talk about such things here but overnight there has been interesting news of two by-election results. It will be all over the news on the radio and TV so I need say no more. There was a programme on Channel 5 last night about the current travails of air travel. Back in April I flew to Mallorca and back for a short holiday. It was instructive from the programme to learn how much worse the travelling could have been. The airline chosen by the travel company was one of those notorious for cancellations. My heart sank and did not rise very far when the outward flight was altered at the last minute to include an unwelcome fester at Madrid airport. Neither that nor the TV programme has made me any more keen on flying. You tend not to get a very good view from an aircraft: oh look, there's a cloud and well I never, there's another. Tonight Spiers and Boden are at The Stables and I shall be there to see and enjoy them. Who they? Two erstwhile members of Bellowhead and fine musicians too. Chris

Guess what? Happy anniversary to Baz and Mrs Baz Chris