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Pros Location Tour 2014 - Part 4
Apr. 23rd, 2014 09:02 pmThe third and final day of our Pros Location Tour started bright and sunny - a good omen for what was to come, perhaps!
( Off to Harefield Grove we go! )
( Off to Harefield Grove we go! )
Pros Location Tour 2014 - Part 2
Apr. 19th, 2014 09:54 pmThe second day of the location tour started with a trip to somewhere that wasn't actually a Pros location, if that makes any sense... It was more in the way of a favour for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
linnhie and me, being somewhere that we'd both long wanted to visit but had never actually made it to.
( A Pros location that isn't really a location... )
linnhie and me, being somewhere that we'd both long wanted to visit but had never actually made it to. ( A Pros location that isn't really a location... )
Pros Location Tour 2014 - Part 1
Apr. 18th, 2014 09:29 pmAs I mentioned in my previous post, last weekend was spent dashing around London and the Home Counties in a little red minibus accompanied by a merry band of Pros aficionados, and led (and driven!) by the irrepressible Mr Paul Ridley. Paul has been the organiser and brains behind the tours since 2001 and his knowledge of Pros locations is pretty much second to none, so even though this was my first tour I knew from what other 'old hands' had told me that I was in for a brilliant weekend!
( Part one of the report under the cut... )
( Part one of the report under the cut... )
Gotta love a Pros-y weekend!
Apr. 16th, 2014 09:26 pmThe Pros location tours have been taking place since 2001, which was only a year or so before I became involved in the fandom, and yet for one reason or another I've never had the opportunity to participate in one of the tours until now.
So, last weekend was spent in the excellent company of a group of other Pros fans, bombing around London, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in a red minibus, snapping away like mad with our cameras and having a bloody good time in the process.
I'm now in the process of sorting out all my photos and will post them here as soon as I can along with accompanying screencaps. Meanwhile, just to whet your appetites, here's Colonel Masterson's house from 'A Hiding To Nothing'...
More goodies to come, including some pics taken at the Holy of Holies - Harefield Grove!
So, last weekend was spent in the excellent company of a group of other Pros fans, bombing around London, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in a red minibus, snapping away like mad with our cameras and having a bloody good time in the process.
I'm now in the process of sorting out all my photos and will post them here as soon as I can along with accompanying screencaps. Meanwhile, just to whet your appetites, here's Colonel Masterson's house from 'A Hiding To Nothing'...
More goodies to come, including some pics taken at the Holy of Holies - Harefield Grove!
Of Dvds and Blu Rays and Stuff...
Apr. 2nd, 2014 10:07 pmSo, as I mentioned in my last post, I'd decided to treat myself to the limited edition Pros blu rays and had resigned myself to waiting until June before I'd get my hands on them. However, since the weekend I have been hearing increasing numbers of "Ooohs" and "Ahhhs" and deafening "Squeees" from my fellow Pros fans as the first dvds and blu rays began to land in their laps.
I was only smiling ruefully at this point, enjoying everyone's excitement but still happy to wait. And then folks started posting photos - photos we'd never seen before! - and screencaps of such clarity that they took your breath away. And I suddenly realised that by purchasing the blu rays I'd have to continue to use the old dvds for screencaps and vidding, and I'd only be able to view all those wonderful photos on my tv and never be able to use them on my computer. Because, of course, I can't play blu rays on my laptop or on the PC!
But I desperately wanted to see the lads on blu ray (and, of course, the OH has just bought me a blu ray player specifically for that purpose) and had no intention of changing my mind about ordering the deluxe version, so I had a bit of a dilemma on my hands. What should I do? Well, there was only one thing I could do, wasn't there?
I've just ordered the dvds...
I was only smiling ruefully at this point, enjoying everyone's excitement but still happy to wait. And then folks started posting photos - photos we'd never seen before! - and screencaps of such clarity that they took your breath away. And I suddenly realised that by purchasing the blu rays I'd have to continue to use the old dvds for screencaps and vidding, and I'd only be able to view all those wonderful photos on my tv and never be able to use them on my computer. Because, of course, I can't play blu rays on my laptop or on the PC!
But I desperately wanted to see the lads on blu ray (and, of course, the OH has just bought me a blu ray player specifically for that purpose) and had no intention of changing my mind about ordering the deluxe version, so I had a bit of a dilemma on my hands. What should I do? Well, there was only one thing I could do, wasn't there?
I've just ordered the dvds...
I'm Still Here!
Mar. 28th, 2014 10:13 pmFor at least a couple of weeks I've been intending to sit down and post something here, but then something would happen and I would get sidetracked, and ... well, y'know how it is...
But then earlier this week my good friendcaffyolay posted about her own absence from LJ, and how she'd missed the interaction with like-minded folks and I realised that she was summing up my own feelings exactly. I've nobody to blame but myself of course - like caffyolay I've been finding it much simpler to nip onto Facebook and post a few lines if I've got something to say. However, Facebook doesn't exactly lend itself to posts of any length, and I've missed coming on here and bending everyone's ears with my meanderings (although maybe my flist haven't missed having to read them! *g*). There's also the problem of exactly who those Facebook posts are being read by, a subject also touched upon not only by caffyolay but also by most of those people who responded to her post. I belong to several Pros-related groups on Facebook, so anything I post regarding Pros will normally be to one of those groups, although even that's not without its dangers - just recently I posted a link to my YouTube channel on a Pros vidding group, only to realise afterwards that it's an 'open' group, which meant that all my Facebook friends will have seen the link to my slashy songvids. And that includes family members, old schoolfriends, ex-work colleagues, friends of my OH... not an ideal situation, and one which had me in a bit of a blind panic for quite a while! I still don't know whether any of those people will have actually followed the link and looked at my vids. I haven't had any funny comments anyway, although maybe that's because they've all decided that I'm a bit weird!
So, time to come back to LJ, methinks. Not just for fannish stuff either, but for all the ephemera of everyday life too (which probably bores everyone else to tears, but there you go...). Time for a brief rundown on what's been going on Chez Ronnie then...
• I'm counting down the days to the new Blu ray release of Pros. I've decided to treat myself to the deluxe version, the only downside being that the standard version is being released next week and I'll have to wait until the beginning of June. However, my OH has today presented me with an early birthday pressie of a Blu ray player! I'll get it set up over the weekend (I have to buy a HDMI cable) and then I can try it out with the only Blu ray disc in the house - Who Dares Wins!
• The idea of moving house is still dominating our thoughts. To that end we've been decorating the kitchen (more than ten years since it was last done, and it was a mess) and have been doing further decluttering of the house. We've had a couple of day trips up into Northumberland in an attempt to identify some possible locations where we might like to settle down and have seen some places that we like very much, so we think our next step will be to spend a night or two in each of them to try and get a 'feel' of what they're like.
• More Pros stuff to look forward to! The location tour in two weeks time and WINK in less than two months! Yay!
OK then, more ramblings to come soon. I'll post 'em if you'll read 'em!
But then earlier this week my good friend
caffyolay posted about her own absence from LJ, and how she'd missed the interaction with like-minded folks and I realised that she was summing up my own feelings exactly. I've nobody to blame but myself of course - like caffyolay I've been finding it much simpler to nip onto Facebook and post a few lines if I've got something to say. However, Facebook doesn't exactly lend itself to posts of any length, and I've missed coming on here and bending everyone's ears with my meanderings (although maybe my flist haven't missed having to read them! *g*). There's also the problem of exactly who those Facebook posts are being read by, a subject also touched upon not only by caffyolay but also by most of those people who responded to her post. I belong to several Pros-related groups on Facebook, so anything I post regarding Pros will normally be to one of those groups, although even that's not without its dangers - just recently I posted a link to my YouTube channel on a Pros vidding group, only to realise afterwards that it's an 'open' group, which meant that all my Facebook friends will have seen the link to my slashy songvids. And that includes family members, old schoolfriends, ex-work colleagues, friends of my OH... not an ideal situation, and one which had me in a bit of a blind panic for quite a while! I still don't know whether any of those people will have actually followed the link and looked at my vids. I haven't had any funny comments anyway, although maybe that's because they've all decided that I'm a bit weird!So, time to come back to LJ, methinks. Not just for fannish stuff either, but for all the ephemera of everyday life too (which probably bores everyone else to tears, but there you go...). Time for a brief rundown on what's been going on Chez Ronnie then...
• I'm counting down the days to the new Blu ray release of Pros. I've decided to treat myself to the deluxe version, the only downside being that the standard version is being released next week and I'll have to wait until the beginning of June. However, my OH has today presented me with an early birthday pressie of a Blu ray player! I'll get it set up over the weekend (I have to buy a HDMI cable) and then I can try it out with the only Blu ray disc in the house - Who Dares Wins!
• The idea of moving house is still dominating our thoughts. To that end we've been decorating the kitchen (more than ten years since it was last done, and it was a mess) and have been doing further decluttering of the house. We've had a couple of day trips up into Northumberland in an attempt to identify some possible locations where we might like to settle down and have seen some places that we like very much, so we think our next step will be to spend a night or two in each of them to try and get a 'feel' of what they're like.
• More Pros stuff to look forward to! The location tour in two weeks time and WINK in less than two months! Yay!
OK then, more ramblings to come soon. I'll post 'em if you'll read 'em!
Well it didn't take long for the first spanner to appear in the works. It now seems that we won't be staying in London in June after all.
The plan was that a friend who had previously worked for Marriott Hotels would be able to get us a deal at the Marriott at Twickenham where we have stayed before. Apart from being an excellent hotel with easy transport links to central London it also has the big advantage of having a huge car park (as it's part of Twickenham Stadium) which is free unless there's a rugby match on. We discovered last night that our friend relies on a contact who still works for Marriott to make the hotel booking and pass the staff discount on, but now it seems that our friend and his contact have fallen out big time. Hence no discount for us! The standard rate for the hotel is beyond our budget so we've had to abandon that part of the plan.
I spent most of last night scouting around for a London hotel that offers free parking (there's no way we're going to spend £30 upwards per day, which most of them with parking seem to charge) so now we're having a bit of a rethink. We've often spoken about exploring Dorset and the Jurassic Coast, so that's looking quite fanciable.
Watch this space...
The plan was that a friend who had previously worked for Marriott Hotels would be able to get us a deal at the Marriott at Twickenham where we have stayed before. Apart from being an excellent hotel with easy transport links to central London it also has the big advantage of having a huge car park (as it's part of Twickenham Stadium) which is free unless there's a rugby match on. We discovered last night that our friend relies on a contact who still works for Marriott to make the hotel booking and pass the staff discount on, but now it seems that our friend and his contact have fallen out big time. Hence no discount for us! The standard rate for the hotel is beyond our budget so we've had to abandon that part of the plan.
I spent most of last night scouting around for a London hotel that offers free parking (there's no way we're going to spend £30 upwards per day, which most of them with parking seem to charge) so now we're having a bit of a rethink. We've often spoken about exploring Dorset and the Jurassic Coast, so that's looking quite fanciable.
Watch this space...
You can't take it with you...
Jan. 23rd, 2014 09:32 pmGosh, I've been a busy little bee lately! During the past week I have -
a. Booked a cottage in the Lake District for a week's holiday in July, for the OH, myself and Izzy.
b. Booked a place on my first ever Pros location tour, booked my hotel for the weekend and arranged a lift down to Watford and back (thankslinnhie!).
c. Sent in my registration for WINK and booked coach tickets to Milton Keynes and back.
d. Booked a holiday cottage in Exmoor for four days in June.
e. Booked a hotel in London for four days following on from the Exmoor trip.
f. Bought theatre tickets for War Horse for myself and my two daughters.
Phew! And this was the year that we were going to tighten our purse strings, having had a bit of a splurge during the whole of 2013.
The thing is, when six of your friends have been diagnosed with cancer during the previous eighteen months and two more friends have been diagnosed with other life-threatening illnesses - not to mention the shock of losing Lewis at a relatively early age - you tend to think 'what the hell'.
I'll let you know if I'm still thinking that when the credit card bills start rolling in... *g*
a. Booked a cottage in the Lake District for a week's holiday in July, for the OH, myself and Izzy.
b. Booked a place on my first ever Pros location tour, booked my hotel for the weekend and arranged a lift down to Watford and back (thanks
linnhie!).c. Sent in my registration for WINK and booked coach tickets to Milton Keynes and back.
d. Booked a holiday cottage in Exmoor for four days in June.
e. Booked a hotel in London for four days following on from the Exmoor trip.
f. Bought theatre tickets for War Horse for myself and my two daughters.
Phew! And this was the year that we were going to tighten our purse strings, having had a bit of a splurge during the whole of 2013.
The thing is, when six of your friends have been diagnosed with cancer during the previous eighteen months and two more friends have been diagnosed with other life-threatening illnesses - not to mention the shock of losing Lewis at a relatively early age - you tend to think 'what the hell'.
I'll let you know if I'm still thinking that when the credit card bills start rolling in... *g*
Goodbye Lew
Dec. 2nd, 2013 04:55 pmI think I'm starting to gradually come to terms with Lew's death. At least, I'm not sobbing all the time like I was on Thursday when the awful news was confirmed, and the tears aren't coming quite so often now. Although having said that the smallest little thing is quite likely to set me off again; a photo, a memory, the words of other fans...
( Rambling stuff )
( Rambling stuff )
(no subject)
Nov. 28th, 2013 09:45 pmIn my heart I know I should be posting something here, but I'm finding things a bit of a struggle at the moment.
I'll be back here again soon, promise.
I'll be back here again soon, promise.
With all the current fervour surrounding the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, I thought it would be timely to share my own little Whovian story...
( Let me take you back to the '60s... )
( Let me take you back to the '60s... )
Remembrance Day
Nov. 10th, 2013 09:19 pmIt's a day that sets you thinking, isn't it.
My family were extremely lucky in that no immediate members were lost in either of the World Wars or in other conflicts. And yet their young men were all combatants - in the trenches, at sea and in the air - and goodness only knows what horrors they witnessed. How could they return home and be unaffected by their experiences? It must have coloured the rest of their lives, surely? When we see the carnage of the First World War it amazes me that anybody involved could have retained their sanity.
Several years ago on Remembrance Day I posted about my paternal grandfather, Albert Thomas Beazley. Today I thought I'd give a mention to my maternal grandfather, Henry Sherriff. A distant cousin sent me this photo a few years ago - it's in a helluva state, but I'm very grateful to have it. It shows my grandad Henry (standing in the centre of the photo) with three of his brothers, Bill, Tom and Sid, and their father, my gt-grandfather, William. There was a strong Army tradition in the family; William's father, my gt-gt-grandfather Charles Sherriff, fought in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo, and at least two of my grandfather's brothers continued in the Army for many years after the end of WW1.
The Sherriff boys all returned safely from their war, although the family didn't escape tragedy - their mother, my gt-grandmother Jane, was a victim of the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918 and died at the beginning of November that year. She never saw her boys come home.
My family were extremely lucky in that no immediate members were lost in either of the World Wars or in other conflicts. And yet their young men were all combatants - in the trenches, at sea and in the air - and goodness only knows what horrors they witnessed. How could they return home and be unaffected by their experiences? It must have coloured the rest of their lives, surely? When we see the carnage of the First World War it amazes me that anybody involved could have retained their sanity.
Several years ago on Remembrance Day I posted about my paternal grandfather, Albert Thomas Beazley. Today I thought I'd give a mention to my maternal grandfather, Henry Sherriff. A distant cousin sent me this photo a few years ago - it's in a helluva state, but I'm very grateful to have it. It shows my grandad Henry (standing in the centre of the photo) with three of his brothers, Bill, Tom and Sid, and their father, my gt-grandfather, William. There was a strong Army tradition in the family; William's father, my gt-gt-grandfather Charles Sherriff, fought in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo, and at least two of my grandfather's brothers continued in the Army for many years after the end of WW1.
The Sherriff boys all returned safely from their war, although the family didn't escape tragedy - their mother, my gt-grandmother Jane, was a victim of the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918 and died at the beginning of November that year. She never saw her boys come home.
The Shop Around The Corner
Nov. 7th, 2013 08:23 pmA couple of months ago I noticed some renovations starting on a shop which is located just around the corner from our house, opposite my granddaughter's school. In its most recent incarnation it had been a kitchen design and installation business - they installed our kitchen about ten years ago - but it had been closed and empty for a year or so. By some fluke the exterior of the shop had managed to retain a lot of the original features, so I was interested to see what would become of these. I watched the progress of the renovations each day as I took Izzy to and from school and it became obvious that the people working on the shop were 'old school' craftsmen using traditional methods to bring the old shop back to its former glory.
My interest in the place took a leap when one day I noticed that they'd taken down the sign belonging to the kitchen company and had exposed a earlier sign, namely that of "E F Pretswell and Son". This happened to be a name that was very familiar to me as I knew that the original owner of our house, back in 1894, was a Mr Edmund Forbes Pretswell!
I started to do a little research on the shop, looking through census returns and trade directories etc, but was beaten to it by a contributor to a local history website, who posted their findings HERE. The article has prompted a fair amount of response, including some comments from the current owner of the shop and also some from the gt-grandson of Mr Pretswell Snr.
The OH and I can't help feeling a connection with the 'shop around the corner' and we're both greatly intrigued as to what it might eventually turn out to be.
BTW, I couldn't resist digging out the original deeds of the house -
My interest in the place took a leap when one day I noticed that they'd taken down the sign belonging to the kitchen company and had exposed a earlier sign, namely that of "E F Pretswell and Son". This happened to be a name that was very familiar to me as I knew that the original owner of our house, back in 1894, was a Mr Edmund Forbes Pretswell!
I started to do a little research on the shop, looking through census returns and trade directories etc, but was beaten to it by a contributor to a local history website, who posted their findings HERE. The article has prompted a fair amount of response, including some comments from the current owner of the shop and also some from the gt-grandson of Mr Pretswell Snr.
The OH and I can't help feeling a connection with the 'shop around the corner' and we're both greatly intrigued as to what it might eventually turn out to be.
BTW, I couldn't resist digging out the original deeds of the house -
Raising my head above the parapet...
Oct. 26th, 2013 05:02 pmI've done it again, haven't I. I've left two or three months between updates here, despite promising myself that I'd never let it go as long again. *sigh*
I don't know how it happens really; I often think of things to post about, and then I think to myself "Nah, who's gonna want to read about that?", and so the moment passes. I should really have made myself join in with the '30 days' meme, except that I know I would have failed miserably.
So, I'm promising now to post on a more regular basis. Nothing as drastic as every day, mind. Couple of times a week, perhaps?
Any road up, to kick off I thought this might interest a few folks - a couple of weeks ago a friend asked me if I'd ever seen Sir Laurence Olivier on stage. I replied that I could remember being taken by my school to the Old Vic to see a production of The Merchant of Venice in which Olivier played the part of Shylock. I knew that Joan Plowright was in it too, possibly playing Jessica although I wasn't certain, but that was all I could remember about the occasion. The conversation came to mind again yesterday when I heard Olivier's name mentioned on the radio and I decided to try and find out more about that production, especially the date as I was curious to find out how old I would have been when I saw it.
Google was my friend, of course, and I discovered that the production dated from mid-1970 when I would have been 14 years old. But look what else I discovered! Look at the names of some of the other actors who were in the play - Derek Jacobi! Jeremy Brett! Tom Baker! Ronald Pickup! And I've got absolutely no recollection of them! How bloody frustrating is that? Grrrr... Several actors with Pros connections too - Stephen Greif, Tom Georgeson, Frank Barrie (Marty Martell, for crying out loud!!)
Here's the full cast list (and I wouldn't mind betting there's a few more Pros-y names amongst them too) -
The Merchant of Venice, Old Vic, 1970
Anybody got a time machine they could lend me so I can go back and fully appreciate it?
I don't know how it happens really; I often think of things to post about, and then I think to myself "Nah, who's gonna want to read about that?", and so the moment passes. I should really have made myself join in with the '30 days' meme, except that I know I would have failed miserably.
So, I'm promising now to post on a more regular basis. Nothing as drastic as every day, mind. Couple of times a week, perhaps?
Any road up, to kick off I thought this might interest a few folks - a couple of weeks ago a friend asked me if I'd ever seen Sir Laurence Olivier on stage. I replied that I could remember being taken by my school to the Old Vic to see a production of The Merchant of Venice in which Olivier played the part of Shylock. I knew that Joan Plowright was in it too, possibly playing Jessica although I wasn't certain, but that was all I could remember about the occasion. The conversation came to mind again yesterday when I heard Olivier's name mentioned on the radio and I decided to try and find out more about that production, especially the date as I was curious to find out how old I would have been when I saw it.
Google was my friend, of course, and I discovered that the production dated from mid-1970 when I would have been 14 years old. But look what else I discovered! Look at the names of some of the other actors who were in the play - Derek Jacobi! Jeremy Brett! Tom Baker! Ronald Pickup! And I've got absolutely no recollection of them! How bloody frustrating is that? Grrrr... Several actors with Pros connections too - Stephen Greif, Tom Georgeson, Frank Barrie (Marty Martell, for crying out loud!!)
Here's the full cast list (and I wouldn't mind betting there's a few more Pros-y names amongst them too) -
The Merchant of Venice, Old Vic, 1970
Anybody got a time machine they could lend me so I can go back and fully appreciate it?
Holiday Reports!
Aug. 21st, 2013 09:47 pmWell, the last time I updated here I was about to go on holiday to London for a week and now, not only have I been to London, I've just come back from the Lake District too! I should point out that I'm not usually in the habit of having two holidays in the space of a month, but last week was the only time in the school summer holidays that we were able to fit in a week away with granddaughter Izzy so we just had to grasp the opportunity.
Both holidays were excellent, although in different ways. We walked for miles in London, calling in at many welcoming hostelries on our travels (*g*); I had my trip to the top of the Shard, which was totally awesome; saw 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at Shakespeare's Globe; had some lovely meals and spent a couple of great afternoons with good friends.
Didn't do as much walking in the Lakes as we usually do, for one thing my dodgy knee decided to play up and of course we had to make sure that Izzy was kept occupied and amused. This meant our days were full of trips to the swimming pool and adventure playground, several journeys on the open-top bus, a boat trip around Derwentwater, lots of watching the deer and buzzards from our cottage garden, and a few low-level walks that weren't too strenuous (mainly for my benefit - bloody knee!). Izzy also spent hours kicking her football around in the garden and amusing herself as only a six-year-old can by collecting pebbles and petals that had fallen off the flowers in the rain (which we had a lot of!).
The cottage wasn't wired up for the internet but I took my laptop anyway, as I had the crazy notion that once Izzy had gone to bed I would have a few hours each night to perhaps write or maybe do some vidding. Wrong!! Thanks to an overindulgent Granddad who decreed on the first night that "There's no such thing as 'bedtime' when you're on holiday" (note: he would never have said that when our own kids were little!) I found that I was usually going to bed myself, totally knackered, within about half an hour of Izzy dropping off! And the only time that my laptop was actually taken out of its bag was the occasion when I downloaded Izzy's photos from her little camera. So much for being creative!
Here's a few piccies then - London first:
( Beware Picspam! )
Both holidays were excellent, although in different ways. We walked for miles in London, calling in at many welcoming hostelries on our travels (*g*); I had my trip to the top of the Shard, which was totally awesome; saw 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at Shakespeare's Globe; had some lovely meals and spent a couple of great afternoons with good friends.
Didn't do as much walking in the Lakes as we usually do, for one thing my dodgy knee decided to play up and of course we had to make sure that Izzy was kept occupied and amused. This meant our days were full of trips to the swimming pool and adventure playground, several journeys on the open-top bus, a boat trip around Derwentwater, lots of watching the deer and buzzards from our cottage garden, and a few low-level walks that weren't too strenuous (mainly for my benefit - bloody knee!). Izzy also spent hours kicking her football around in the garden and amusing herself as only a six-year-old can by collecting pebbles and petals that had fallen off the flowers in the rain (which we had a lot of!).
The cottage wasn't wired up for the internet but I took my laptop anyway, as I had the crazy notion that once Izzy had gone to bed I would have a few hours each night to perhaps write or maybe do some vidding. Wrong!! Thanks to an overindulgent Granddad who decreed on the first night that "There's no such thing as 'bedtime' when you're on holiday" (note: he would never have said that when our own kids were little!) I found that I was usually going to bed myself, totally knackered, within about half an hour of Izzy dropping off! And the only time that my laptop was actually taken out of its bag was the occasion when I downloaded Izzy's photos from her little camera. So much for being creative!
Here's a few piccies then - London first:
( Beware Picspam! )
Family Stuff and Holidays!!
Jul. 19th, 2013 09:31 pmIt's been a bit of a traumatic week. Last Friday our daughter G (Izzy's mum) was whipped into hospital having collapsed in the street with severe stomach pains. Luckily her husband was with her and called an ambulance. It was also lucky that Izzy was with JD and me as it had already been arranged that she would be spending the night with us.
G spent four or five days having all sorts of tests - x ray, ultrasound, CT scan, endoscopy and numerous blood tests - and was eventually diagnosed with pancreatitis, gastritis and oesophagitis. Apparently the problem has mainly been due to the fact that she doesn't have a gall bladder (she had to have it removed due to gall stones several years ago) and it seems that the bile that the gall bladder would normally deal with has been backing up into the stomach and oesophagus. So, she has come home from the hospital with some very strong antibiotics and some other medication that she may have to take permanently, plus an appointment to go back for another endoscopy in a couple of months time.
JD and I have been helping out with Izzy as much as we can, but it's been a bit hectic as we've also had to fit hospital visiting in as well as getting things sorted out for going on holiday tomorrow. But things seem to have fallen into place just in time - G is at home with the family and is looking a lot better, Izzy is happy because the school holidays have started (plus she has come home today with a medal for football so is well chuffed!), and our bags are all packed and ready for the 6.55am train to London!
Got loads of stuff planned for the week, including a trip to the top of the Shard (kindly bought for me by my daughters as a birthday pressie!) which I'm looking forward to so much. I've been dying to get up there since it opened!! There's also a trip planned to a photographic exhibition in which several old photos of mine are going to be on display. (I should add here that the photos haven't been taken by yours truly, they're old family photos that used to belong to my parents). Lots of walks planned too, no doubt accompanied by a fair amount of pubbing (*g*) and with any luck the fine weather will be continuing as well.
I decided not to take my laptop away with me, mainly because I can't be bothered to cart it on the train along with all the other luggage. It's a pity, cos there's free wifi in the apartment that we're renting, but I shall have my phone and also my Kindle so at least I'll be able to keep up to date even if posting's a bit of a pain with the phone's touchscreen and the Kindle's tiny keyboard.
Suppose I'd better have an early night now then. Piccies from the top of the Shard when I come home (and keep your fingers crossed that it's not raining on Wednesday when I'm up there!)
G spent four or five days having all sorts of tests - x ray, ultrasound, CT scan, endoscopy and numerous blood tests - and was eventually diagnosed with pancreatitis, gastritis and oesophagitis. Apparently the problem has mainly been due to the fact that she doesn't have a gall bladder (she had to have it removed due to gall stones several years ago) and it seems that the bile that the gall bladder would normally deal with has been backing up into the stomach and oesophagus. So, she has come home from the hospital with some very strong antibiotics and some other medication that she may have to take permanently, plus an appointment to go back for another endoscopy in a couple of months time.
JD and I have been helping out with Izzy as much as we can, but it's been a bit hectic as we've also had to fit hospital visiting in as well as getting things sorted out for going on holiday tomorrow. But things seem to have fallen into place just in time - G is at home with the family and is looking a lot better, Izzy is happy because the school holidays have started (plus she has come home today with a medal for football so is well chuffed!), and our bags are all packed and ready for the 6.55am train to London!
Got loads of stuff planned for the week, including a trip to the top of the Shard (kindly bought for me by my daughters as a birthday pressie!) which I'm looking forward to so much. I've been dying to get up there since it opened!! There's also a trip planned to a photographic exhibition in which several old photos of mine are going to be on display. (I should add here that the photos haven't been taken by yours truly, they're old family photos that used to belong to my parents). Lots of walks planned too, no doubt accompanied by a fair amount of pubbing (*g*) and with any luck the fine weather will be continuing as well.
I decided not to take my laptop away with me, mainly because I can't be bothered to cart it on the train along with all the other luggage. It's a pity, cos there's free wifi in the apartment that we're renting, but I shall have my phone and also my Kindle so at least I'll be able to keep up to date even if posting's a bit of a pain with the phone's touchscreen and the Kindle's tiny keyboard.
Suppose I'd better have an early night now then. Piccies from the top of the Shard when I come home (and keep your fingers crossed that it's not raining on Wednesday when I'm up there!)
Yes, I am still here...
Wow, so many months since I last did a proper update here. I don't think I've ever left my LJ neglected for so long. Sorry!
And now I don't know where to start with the catching up. What was I doing last time I updated? Ummm...
Well, for one thing I said that I was feeling weird following my MIL's death and the realisation that I was now something of a free agent. That feeling of weirdness has actually lasted until quite recently, and whereas I'd envisaged myself launching straight back into fandom and fic-writing and vid-making etc it's actually only in the past few weeks that I've begun to embrace what I consider to be normality (well, my version of it, anyway!). About a month ago I attended the 'Weekend in Milton Keynes' (previously Notacon, and even more previously Nattercon) and I think that has really kick-started me as far as getting back into fannish things is concerned. It was a fantastic con btw and it was lovely to see lots of old friends and make the acquaintance of several new ones.
After the con the other 'alf and I went to stay with some friends in Essex, in the town where we lived for many years before moving to Newcastle. I've had a hankering to move back there for a while now, and the feeling's even stronger now that I've spent a few days there. We still have a lot of good friends living there, and it's still a lovely place to live despite the boom in housing since we moved away. It also has the added advantage of being only a 45 minute train journey from London, which is somewhere else that I'm hankering more and more for lately.
We will have to move from this house soon. It's far too big for just two of us, and is costing a fortune to maintain and heat. Our big problem is moving away from our family, especially granddaughter Izzy. We want to move away, but we don't want to leave Izzy! Ho hum, it's a bit of a dilemma...
With the thought of moving house in mind, I am still on a decluttering kick and am slowly working my way through all the gear that we've accumulated over the years, plus the gear that other people have accumulated and saddled us with too! Ebay, Gumtree, local vintage shops and the local auction house have all been playing their part very nicely. I'm now down to disposing of the last few boxes of MIL's lead crystal and glassware, which is proving to be a bit of a pain to be honest. Even though I know it all cost a fortune to buy new it's just not to modern tastes (or to mine, otherwise I'd be keeping it) and nobody seems to want to buy it. Looks like it's going to be the charity shop...
Once that's all out of the way I'll be starting on the books. God, there's bloody hundreds of 'em! And then the 78rpm records (once I've copied them onto CD, of course!).
So that's me at the moment. I promise not to leave it so long before I pop in here again! In the meantime, seeing as I've neglected you all for the past few months, here's a little pressie for you. My latest Pros songvid (which those of you who are members of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
the_safehouse will have already seen, so apologies for that) -
Wow, so many months since I last did a proper update here. I don't think I've ever left my LJ neglected for so long. Sorry!
And now I don't know where to start with the catching up. What was I doing last time I updated? Ummm...
Well, for one thing I said that I was feeling weird following my MIL's death and the realisation that I was now something of a free agent. That feeling of weirdness has actually lasted until quite recently, and whereas I'd envisaged myself launching straight back into fandom and fic-writing and vid-making etc it's actually only in the past few weeks that I've begun to embrace what I consider to be normality (well, my version of it, anyway!). About a month ago I attended the 'Weekend in Milton Keynes' (previously Notacon, and even more previously Nattercon) and I think that has really kick-started me as far as getting back into fannish things is concerned. It was a fantastic con btw and it was lovely to see lots of old friends and make the acquaintance of several new ones.
After the con the other 'alf and I went to stay with some friends in Essex, in the town where we lived for many years before moving to Newcastle. I've had a hankering to move back there for a while now, and the feeling's even stronger now that I've spent a few days there. We still have a lot of good friends living there, and it's still a lovely place to live despite the boom in housing since we moved away. It also has the added advantage of being only a 45 minute train journey from London, which is somewhere else that I'm hankering more and more for lately.
We will have to move from this house soon. It's far too big for just two of us, and is costing a fortune to maintain and heat. Our big problem is moving away from our family, especially granddaughter Izzy. We want to move away, but we don't want to leave Izzy! Ho hum, it's a bit of a dilemma...
With the thought of moving house in mind, I am still on a decluttering kick and am slowly working my way through all the gear that we've accumulated over the years, plus the gear that other people have accumulated and saddled us with too! Ebay, Gumtree, local vintage shops and the local auction house have all been playing their part very nicely. I'm now down to disposing of the last few boxes of MIL's lead crystal and glassware, which is proving to be a bit of a pain to be honest. Even though I know it all cost a fortune to buy new it's just not to modern tastes (or to mine, otherwise I'd be keeping it) and nobody seems to want to buy it. Looks like it's going to be the charity shop...
Once that's all out of the way I'll be starting on the books. God, there's bloody hundreds of 'em! And then the 78rpm records (once I've copied them onto CD, of course!).
So that's me at the moment. I promise not to leave it so long before I pop in here again! In the meantime, seeing as I've neglected you all for the past few months, here's a little pressie for you. My latest Pros songvid (which those of you who are members of
the_safehouse will have already seen, so apologies for that) -
