A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum

[Padraig]

If you like dogs . . .

Today on my walk I was passed by a man exercising his dog - a beautiful Golden Cocker. These were popular yesteryear but I had not seen one hereabouts for a long long time. As I continued, reminiscing as one does, I could see another man and dog approaching from the opposite direction and eventually meeting the former pair. They went quickly on their ways, but the two dogs had a quick nose to nose in passing. And what do you think but that the other dog was also a very handsome Golden Cocker Spaniel. I had time to compliment the owner and give the dog a friendly pat.

[DracoM]

Around here, there is MAJOR rage at the enormous, and I do mean enormous, increase in dog poo on pavements, paths, alleys.

[Pulcinella]

Around here, there is MAJOR rage at the enormous, and I do mean enormous, increase in dog poo on pavements, paths, alleys.

Maybe we should both be on the Grumble thread, but this morning there was a dog poo bag dumped in the water bowl we have out front.
Who would do that?

I left a note nearby saying that whoever did it should be ashamed, and I've had lots of support from the regular owners whose dogs appreciate a drink on their walk.
There are times when I despair.

[kernelbogey]

Maybe we should both be on the Grumble thread, but this morning there was a dog poo bag dumped in the water bowl we have out front.
Who would do that?

That is truly awful. But not far behind are the folks who clear up their dog poo on a country walk with a plastic bag which they then hang from the branch of a tree or shrub.

[Pulcinella]

That is truly awful. But not far behind are the folks who clear up their dog poo on a country walk with a plastic bag which they then hang from the branch of a tree or shrub.

Sadly we have a fair bit of that too, so we did wonder if some joker hadn't just taken a bag from a branch and 'dumped' it in the bowl thinking it was a bit of a lark!
It's not as if there aren't a few bins around, either.

That said, we got a Christmas card last year from a grateful dog (called Dudley), so there are still some nice dog owners around.

[Serial_Apologist]

I asked a new girl in Sainsbury's today what her name was - I always like to think personal recognition in this way might help make an otherwise pretty dull low-paid job more bearable.

"Shen" she said indistinctly through her face mask.

"Sorry?" I said.

She looked down and, noticed her name badge to be missing, picked up her coat, and pointed to the badge on the lapel, which read: "SHEN".

"That's an unusual name. Is it Irish?" I asked.

"No, Cypriot. My mum and dad came over from Cyprus".

"Do you think you'll be happy working here?"

"Happy? Working for Sainsbury's??" she laughed. "I'm always happy anyway!!"

It was the best thing anyone has said to me directly, all this year.

[vinteuil]

.

... and yet 'Shen' doesn't seem to me to be Greek - or Turkish. It might be Hebrew for tooth or Chinese for god - but it doesn't strike me as typically Cypriot. But I don't want to encourage you to go back and strike up further conversation with her, lest you be taken for a bit of a perve...

.

[Serial_Apologist]

.

... and yet 'Shen' doesn't seem to me to be Greek - or Turkish. It might be Hebrew for tooth or Chinese for god - but it doesn't strike me as typically Cypriot. But I don't want to encourage you to go back and strike up further conversation with her, lest you be taken for a bit of a perve...

.

Perish the thought!

[Serial_Apologist]

.

... and yet 'Shen' doesn't seem to me to be Greek - or Turkish. It might be Hebrew for tooth or Chinese for god - but it doesn't strike me as typically Cypriot. But I don't want to encourage you to go back and strike up further conversation with her, lest you be taken for a bit of a perve...

.

As a follow-up, Shen tells me that his name is actually an abbreviation of her actual name, and that other customers have sometimes mistaken it as being Irish.

[vinteuil]

As a follow-up, Shen tells me that his name is actually an abbreviation of her actual name....

,,, curiouser and curiouser. The plot thickens


,

[Serial_Apologist]

Local Good Samaritan experience - Part 2

On arriving at Sainsbury's this afternoon, I slipped my £ coin into the trolley slot, only to let out an expletive on discovering that said trolley had been chained the wrong way around to the next in the line. Whereupon a woman "of near-eastern appearance" wearing the all-in-black tight head dress and long dress denoting one of Islamic faith, came up, insistently gesticulating a pound coin in my direction. Thanking her I indicated intending to go inside and exchange two £ coins for my one two pounder - which I did. On turning around the lady in question was there, strongly insisting I accept her £ coin - to which I answered by showing that I now had the necessary change, and thanking her.

This was the second occasion on which a woman of obvious Muslim appearance has offered to come to my rescue - the first I remember writing about here, took place a few years ago when my bike hit a pothole, causing me to gash my shin seriously on a kerbstone, and a similarly attired woman passing by with baby in pram came over and helped me to the side of the pavement, talking very concernedly and insistently all the time, probably in Arabic, until I gestured that I would be all right. Quite clearly the New Testament parable told by Jesus could do with an update.

[Serial_Apologist]

,,, curiouser and curiouser. The plot thickens


,

HER name - sorry!

[johncorrigan]

The outgoing Scots Makar, the lovely Jackie Kay, told a great story on Radio Scotty this week about when she was travelling across Scotland as the Makar, and she arrived in South Uist, and when she arrived in the Hall to do her readings there were all these lesbians had turned out to see her, and what a great time they all had. Next day she said to the 75 year old woman who was driving her about the island, about how surprised she was to see so many lesbians at the show the previous night. The woman replied, 'Aye, we manage to hang onto our lesbians out here; but all the gay men dinna stick around.'

[eighthobstruction]

I had arranged to collect a telephone from a Freecycle member....I looked it up on Google Maps (even google earth) and I was very confident I knew pretty much where I was going to collect. So I left home in a jumper, no scarf , no hat and with sports sandals on expecting a 10 minute drve and 30 second transaction. Now if the Freecycle member had said -we are the last house in the terrace cluster adjacent to the turn off to Slippery Bottom <narf narf> I'd would have had no problem....His directions were "As you pass the Slippery Ford junction we are the second entrance. Gravel drive. If you get wrong one don't worry they are connected and neighbours won't mind" ....Ah yes Slippery Ford <my mind is tuned to the scatological obviously>....But here 2 things thwarted me....his use of the word "drive"{to my mind meaning something long}, and Google Earth telling me the location was 100yards from the road....now just by chance there was 2 tracks nearby....first a farm track then 2nd a few yards on - a seemingly little used green farm track through a gate leading to a delabitated farm. I took this 2nd track, perhaps not completely convinced but confident in my confidence. To be fair my mind wasn't completely on the job I was thinking about something that that Prince of Comedians Stewart Lee said about Grant Shapps....I was distracted and blinded by my confidence. 100yards in I knew I had done the wrong thing, and was about to get stuck.
Almnost immediately a wierd 4x4 that only hillfarmers seem to have appeared....and luckily in the cab was a woman I know Emma (bought my border Collie from her.) Blaa blaa....They left with the last thing said by me "I might have trouble getting out again"....but they drove off. Immediately I got stuck, wheels spinning. It is cold, windy, muddy. I won't go through my whole thought process - I was stuck on this Green Lane on the Tops above Airedale, middle nowhere. Being a bit frail and rickety this was daunting and I had an adrenaline rush of stupidy accusation of myself....luckily i found a grubby old plastic parka stuffed in a cubby hole for emergencies and struck out for Emmas farm 2-3 miles away....I won't go on but a 5 minute errand ended up taking 3 hours, and i am waiting to see if some illness arrives in a couple of days. I'm home now watching Stewart Lee interviews on computer .....

I notice too that there is a Wurlitzer organ and a piano on Freecycle....but I think I've had enough for one day....

[Serial_Apologist]

I had arranged to collect a telephone from a Freecycle member....I looked it up on Google Maps (even google earth) and I was very confident I knew pretty much where I was going to collect. So I left home in a jumper, no scarf , no hat and with sports sandals on expecting a 10 minute drve and 30 second transaction. Now if the Freecycle member had said -we are the last house in the terrace cluster adjacent to the turn off to Slippery Bottom <narf narf> I'd would have had no problem....His directions were "As you pass the Slippery Ford junction we are the second entrance. Gravel drive. If you get wrong one don't worry they are connected and neighbours won't mind" ....Ah yes Slippery Ford <my mind is tuned to the scatological obviously>....But here 2 things thwarted me....his use of the word "drive"{to my mind meaning something long}, and Google Earth telling me the location was 100yards from the road....now just by chance there was 2 tracks nearby....first a farm track then 2nd a few yards on - a seemingly little used green farm track through a gate leading to a delabitated farm. I took this 2nd track, perhaps not completely convinced but confident in my confidence. To be fair my mind wasn't completely on the job I was thinking about something that that Prince of Comedians Stewart Lee said about Grant Shapps....I was distracted and blinded by my confidence. 100yards in I knew I had done the wrong thing, and was about to get stuck.
Almnost immediately a wierd 4x4 that only hillfarmers seem to have appeared....and luckily in the cab was a woman I know Emma (bought my border Collie from her.) Blaa blaa....They left with the last thing said by me "I might have trouble getting out again"....but they drove off. Immediately I got stuck, wheels spinning. It is cold, windy, muddy. I won't go through my whole thought process - I was stuck on this Green Lane on the Tops above Airedale, middle nowhere. Being a bit frail and rickety this was daunting and I had an adrenaline rush of stupidy accusation of myself....luckily i found a grubby old plastic parka stuffed in a cubby hole for emergencies and struck out for Emmas farm 2-3 miles away....I won't go on but a 5 minute errand ended up taking 3 hours, and i am waiting to see if some illness arrives in a couple of days. I'm home now watching Stewart Lee interviews on computer .....

I notice too that there is a Wurlitzer organ and a piano on Freecycle....but I think I've had enough for one day....

One of those days!

Wurlitzers I've heard in Prog Rock and some Fusion bands sound more to me like synthesisers than the regal model emerging from the depths in cinemas post ca 1930 - some of the red models of today could almost fit into a carrier bag; but the one that always comes to mind for me is that one owned by the fella living somewhere in the London outer suburbs of Middlesex, in a very ordinary detached house with a twee name, who demonstrated it to John Betjeman in his 1973 documentary "Metroland". Betjeman looked on with little boy's delight as the man made the machine imitate road drills, chugging steam trains, and music for Blackpool Pier. It's funny - I always get the e and the a the wrong way around without checking his name...