chrisf

The local authority, Kensington and Chelsea in this case. Many participants, some of them very well-known activists, consider this unduly cautious given that about a million supporters are on the streets. Chris

As some will recall, I had the great pleasure of marching in the parade at Pride in London in 2019. Some time ago I applied for a place in this year’s parade on 2nd July but it has all gone rather quiet and the date is approaching rapidly. The odds are very much against me. Many, many more applications are made than the parade can accommodate. In addition to individuals there will be numerous groups, whether pre-existing or formed just for the day. The number of marchers will be limited to 30,000. If there are fewer than 100,000 applications this year I will be very surprised given that this year is the 50th anniversary of the first London Pride. In the past, there has been an individuals group. On the face of it there seems no reason why there should not be one this time. My bet is that there are already so many groups that the limit has been reached. Time will tell. Chris

On Tuesday of last week I should have received a Zoladex jab at Stalag Surgery. Zoladex is a key part of my treatment for prostate cancer and I am injected with it at nominal 12 week intervals. Unfortunately there was a mess-up with the appointment. The time in my diary was not the same as the one recorded at Reception and it matters little now who was and was not right. A second attempt to administer the jab is scheduled for this morning. Nurse Laura, who is due to drill the necessary hole in my abdominal wall, is a very jolly soul. She may well have something to say about the harridans who staff reception. I can hardly wait. Chris

I am 'chrisf' here because I was 'chrisf' at work! Chris [F]

I watched what was supposed to be the Queen's Speech yesterday. One has to admit that the UK is rather good at pageantry. The heir to the throne deputised for Her Maj and the horse drawn carriages were replaced by posh cars. It is, of course, not the done thing to comment on the content of the speech - not here, anyway. In the evening the Hitchin detachment of the Royal Corps of Train Spotters had an interesting [for the right reasons!] presentation on the Tay Bridge and Quintinshill disasters. There should have been a tea break between them but the chairman forgot to bring the tea. Will the world ever be the same again? Chris

I have yet another minor irritation to report. It was not the woman from BT who called on me, though I would have preferred to read what she had to say at my leisure instead of being subjected to it on the doorstep. It was the way that she attracted my attention - by banging on the front door, or rather one of the panes of glass in the door. When I opened the door I asked her whether she had noticed the doorbell. Clearly she had not. Perhaps I should track down a small tin of luminous paint to make the bell push more conspicuous, or put up a placard reading "If you must pester me, use the bell", or something equally welcoming. A more costly irritation concerns my TV set, which has taken to switching itself off at inopportune moments. I wonder how much a new set will cost? Chris

What the heck do I do with this?! "You have sent $808.08 to Paypal LLC, It may take 24 hours for this transaction to appear on your account. Order Date : MAY 09 , 2022 . Payment Source : DP - Credits. #THANKS YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH US ! ORDER HAS CONFIRMED SUCCESSFULLY. ORDER ID : WDE/SK-3729472. PRODUCT : Whirlpool 8.5 Kg 5 Star Semi-Automatic Top Loading Washing Machine. Item : $739.99. Shipping & handling : $38.82. Total before tax : $778.81. Estimated Tax : $29.99. Order Total : $808.08. Thanks you for Shopping with Us, If There is Issue with this transaction? Call Our Customer Support Care : +1 (1810)-(206) -(2331) for further assistance. Thanks And Regards @Team - PayPal" Chris

Planning ahead, for once, I shall need breakfast on the road on Saturday. My route to Bracknell includes the M3, where I think there is nowhere to stop, and the M1, where I must resort to Toddington services. It seems to me that the days of a full English on a plate are long gone if recent experience on the A1 be any guide. No doubt all will be revealed. As for my billet in Bracknell on Saturday night, it looks as though I have chosen a bed and breakfast that does not do breakfast. The solution to that appears to be Wetherspoons so all is not quite lost. As William who lives next door is my witness, I spent some time in the jungle yesterday - not nearly enough, but it was better than nothing. It was cut short - more than can be said for the grass, unfortunately - by the all too swift onset of aches and pains. Maybe I will feel better today but it is a bit early to tell. Chris

There's cultural! Thank you, Rick, for the welcome dose of Max Boyce. Was that really 50 years ago? I am trying to summon up the necesssary courage to tackle my jungle. The sight of the overgrowth is depressing to say the least. If the rain for which I am praying does come it will only put off the inevitable. Believe it or not, I quite like gardening but I'm useless at it and the obliteration of the strawberry bed by weeds is quite a disincentive. Yes, I know: shut up moaning and get on with it ... Chris

Last night's concert with Tom Robinson also featured a support band, Hallan. I have heard better. Perhaps it was my fault for sitting alongside the stage but the sound was "balanced" in such a way that I could not make out the words of the songs. My ears were still ringing when the Tom Robinson Band took to the stage. As their set progressed I was becoming used to everything being too loud. If that is how things are done, so be it. Tom's set comprised mostly what I understand to be greatest hits. I should be ashamed of myself for not being more familiar with his work but the three CDs I bought after the performance will help me learn about it. Tom did not sign autographs after the concert but one cannot have everything. I will be back at The Stables in three weeks for Oysterband, whose work I know well. Having a top class concert venue half an hour down the road is really quite a privilege. Chris

I have A white Polo - white under the grime, that is. There is some culture today for me to enjoy. This evening the Tom Robinson Band will be in concert at The Stables. Until the performance I can only guess what will be played and sung but I rather hope that the set will include “Glad To Be Gay”, one of Tom’s greatest hits. A lad can dream, can’t he? Earlier in the day BBC2 will be showing “Passport to Pimlico”. It will be a welcome relief from the comprehensive coverage of the local election results. Belated welcome to Bedford, Jamie Chris

OMG, the Gordon Arms is at the end of my road! Chris

I knew I had forgotten something! Morning all! The gardening advice above will be most useful in due course. Chris

Too much of yesterday was spent in the surgery. There was a difference of opinion between me and reception about the time of my appointment. My diary said 1410, theirs said 0930. The injection that I should have had will now be next week. At least, and at last, the process of treating my aching back has begun. I was asked for a urine sample, which did rather surprise me, and must collect newly prescribed medication this morning from the pharmacy. I am as well as can be expected! Today I need to make sense of the notes I took during a talk last night. If I look hard enough I expect to find some solid historical stuff amid the profusion of anecdotes. I neglected to mention that I did some gardening over the weekend. The bit where the strawberry plants were was, and still is, full of weeds. I expect no strawberry harvest this year, which disappoints me greatly. Chris

I may be tempting providence, but the plague that is backache seems to have subsided. However, it is early in the day and much can happen in the hours to come. Chris

Flavio, I agree, but it's not that easy. I phoned Stalag Surgery a couple of weeks ago. The response was a set of all-embracing notes which were not as helpful as they might have been. Tomorrow I will be there for an injection and will endeavour to obtain a face-to-face appointment. If I have to clutter up reception until I get what I want, so be it. Chris

There is mixed news of yesterday's May Day commemoration. A goodly crowd turned out to watch and enjoy the morrris dancing. I met my friends before we repaired to the pub for solid and liquid breakfast. During the dancing I sat on a handy bench to watch and to resist the back pain that throbbed while I was standing. As the morning progressed the pain would not go away. At 10 am I gave up and went home. At home I took a couple of pain killers - better late than never, I suppose. I clambered upstairs and lay on the bed for a full hour. Not a lot else was accomplished in the rest of the day. Looking forward to what the rest of the week holds, on Tuesday I am to have an injection of Zoladex which is part of my cancer treatment. What could well be the high spot occurs on Friday with a concert by the Tom Robinson Band at The Stables. I really ought to work in the garden but I fear making my backache worse. Chris

Stap me, it's early, but that is because it is the first of May. At sunrise there should be morris dancing at Ampthill, 10 miles south of here. When the dancers have strutted their stuff a nearby pub should be open. Perhaps that is why May Day is special. It is one of those days when I am likely to meet acquaintances that I only ever see once a year. Long may it continue. When I was working and it was not a Sunday I used to go into the office after watching the dancing and having breakfast in the pub. Nowadays I can linger a while longer in the boozer. There is much to be said in favour of retirement. Chris

I can reminisce about retirement any time you like. I was due to go at the age of 60, in 2008. The Civil Service, god bless it, paid me to go away two years earlier. My last day in the office was 31st March 2006. The next day I was at Ally Pally. On learning my news a friend that I met there told me that I was looking better already. For various reasons I had been less and less happy at work. The job was fine but some of those with whom I worked were pains - mostly, it most be said, so-called managers who could not manage a second helping. Guess what? I was a manager too. I welcomed the prospect of freedom. Whether I have made the best use of that freedom is a good question. Chris

Rejoice, for a good night's sleep was had. Apart from the weird dream, that is. I say weird because it was at the time, but an hour or so later I can't recall a thing about it! That is probably just as well. Chris

Last night: HMRS meeting at Bletchley with a talk on the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint and lots of audience participation. Oh, and biscuits. Since I more or less gave up bikkies after the diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, that is the only place where I eat them regularly. Tonight is Stevenage Locomotive Society but I'm still feeling a bit second-hand thanks to the continuing backache so may give it a miss. I want to be on top form, or at least somewhere close to it, on Sunday morning. It will be May Day [all together now: Good Morning Lords and Ladies, it is the First of May] and I like to watch the morris dancing at dawn in Ampthill, followed by solid and liquid breakfast in the pub with friends that I only meet once a year. There was more sleep last night than the night before, with less brooding over the ruptured friendship. Maybe I will try looking back on the good times. Chris

I wonder how many of us are rummaging for recipes following yesterday's suggestion of a recipe book? Time will tell ... Meanwhile, I did not sleep very well last night for brooding over a cherished but ruptured friendship. There is little or no chance that the two parties will kiss and make up, so to speak, but putting the whole silly business out of my mind and moving on are both easier said than done. What to do? Busy myself with other things, perhaps. It remains to be seen whether time really is a great healer. Chris

This thread can be quite a revelation. Hitherto it has never even occurred to me to eat asparagus but if it ever does I now know where to look for cooking instructions. One fine day an unknown anthologist may round up all the recipes and culinary hints that ERs have contributed over the years. The resultant cookbook, if book it be, would be a truly remarkable work! I cannot speak for others but some of my cookbooks are considerably more well-thumbed than others. At my time of life I tend to stick to what I know. I should be more venturesome. Chris

Not quite - MK, Oxford, A40, round the bottom of Cheltenham, M5. I am no fan of the M4 and even less of the road from Oxford to Swindon. Chris

I attended the gathering in Staplegrove village hall yesterday. To drive from Bedford to Taunton takes me four hours for a journey of 170 miles each way. I have become unused to such exertions and the tiredness that I felt when I got home last night is still with me this morning. Lest this be construed as a lament, I found the trip worthwhile. That petrol is 3p a litre cheaper in Taunton than in Bedford is a bonus. The car would have enjoyed stretching its wheels on the M5. These days it is mostly confined to a round trip of four miles on the fodder run. I suspect that there is little in the week ahead to cause excitement. We shall see. Chris