Like falling off a bike

Well we had a couple of days at the seaside last week. An opportunity to visit Jayne's brother and his wife and a birthday treat for me.....well that was the idea anyway.

We had good weather - sunshine and a bit of a westerly onshore breeze. I am reliably informed that this type of breeze is better than one coming from the sea – that would be much colder.

Thursday morning - I did something I haven't done for 18 years........I rode a bike.....didn't fall off....wobbled a bit. We cycled to the “family” beach hut.....or chalet if you're posh. The beach hut is on the “prom” at Sandilands, near Sutton on Sea, looking out over the murky brown North Sea - Cote D'Azure it is not. But it was calm and the waves were gently lapping on the beach.

Sandilands out of season is a bit like a ghost town and ours was the only beach hut being used.

So we had a relaxing couple of hours there before heading off on our bikes again.

This got me thinking about seaside holidays when I was growing up.

I remember going to Blackpool a few times. We also went to Cleethorpes three years in a row and stayed at the same guest house each time. Other seaside delights included Great Yarmouth, Scarborough (we went with some neighbours from our street) and Bournemouth and a day trip to New Brighton. But by far it's Blackpool and Cleethorpes that stick out most in my memory.

Day time was usually spent on the beach. We had the regulation bucket and spade. The grown ups had deckchairs. We had great fun...digging massive holes, building sand castles and our dad had a talent for building boats.

It didn't seem to matter how cold it was we always had to go in the sea. Then we would run back up the beach shivering and try to get dressed with the towel held around you to protect your modesty. Invariably you'd fall over trying to balance on one leg while getting your underpants on.

I nearly forgot donkey rides – the names, Polly, Molly and Dolly....Ok, but you get it right. Then there was the smell....now I know people who actually like the smell of horse manure but.....phew, it can be a bit stinky when you're only a kid. And when you're queueing for the ride you really didn't want to get the little scrawny one did you or the one that was a bit too frisky. As I'm writing this Jayne says the donkey's always looked a bit sad to her and she felt sorry for them....but then she was a girl.

After the evening meal we would go to the amusement arcades, to the pier or to a show. At Blackpool there was the Pleasure Beach for the big rides. Oh the disappointment if you weren't tall enough to go on the big dipper or the dodgems! In Cleethorpes we used to go to the boating lake and dad would let us steer the motor boat....at least we thought we were.

I remember playing bingo....you know the sort I mean where you pull the little plastic cover over your number when it's called. I dreaded the thought of winning....what did you shout....bingo, line, house, here....and what if I hadn't got all the numbers right. Phew someone else has won again.

Then there was the “grabber” machines....the ones where you guided a mechanical hand into all the goodies and nearly always failed to get a prize.

Often before going to bed dad would take us to a little cafe for a mug of Horlicks or Ovaltine.

If we were really unlucky dad treated us to some culinary seafood delicacies like cockles swimming in vinegar, whelks and more recently crab sticks.

When I had children of my own my mum and dad had a caravan at Flamborough Head near Bridlington. So for a few years this was our regular summer holiday of choice. We did all the same things I did as a child....beach, sea, getting dressed behind towels, donkey rides, amusement arcades, candy floss, dough nuts, fish & chips out of paper and sand in everything from your shoes to your sandwiches.....hmm wonder if that's where the name comes from.

We don't do days at the seaside much now – must try harder (now that's a subject for another blog).

Thought for tomorrow: The Tory Party is the cream of society – thick, rich and full of clots. (Anon)

                                                                

 

 

Two weeks off work

Quote....unquote: “The alternative to a vacation is to stay home and tip every third person you see”

I usually have time off work at this time of year. It's my birthday tomorrow and I like to be at home and not working so I save some of my annual leave to use at this time of year. I also use some of my time off to deliver leaflets for local elections (and this year of course a general election).

Perhaps, I think, that me and Jayne are a bit odd – now is not the time for you all to agree!!!

For a great many people having time off work means going on holiday – a vacation or a staycation – somewhere away from home. This might be to relax on a beach, a city break or an activity holiday – or any number of things. Trains, planes and automobiles. Long haul, short haul, self drive, coach, whatever floats your boat or indeed your cruise liner.

Don't get me wrong we have enjoyed some great holidays over the last 20 years or so. We've been to New York, Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, Dominican Republic, Washington DC, Lake Garda, Majorca, Turkey, Minorca, Canary Islands, Mediterranean cruise, Normandy Beaches. In the UK we've also had breaks in The Cotswolds and Chester.

I wouldn't have missed any of those holidays and we had a wonderful time on each one – well except for Turkey where we had a run in with two men and a camel; and the Dominican Republic where we just had the runs for two weeks and got caught in the tail end of a hurricane.

Despite this I still love being in my own home surrounded by my things.

I don't have to get up for a sun bed, sit on the coach for another day trip, or feel like I have to do something, anything just because I am on holiday.

Yesterday, first day of my holiday, I stayed in bed until 11.30am. Logged onto computer. Watched some telly. Listened to music. Generally mooched around. It was just good to be at home and not have to make an effort.

Three of our holidays – New York, Dublin and Paris – were made to see Bruce Springsteen concerts. I'm not going to say anymore about this because I know that most of my family don't get it (especially my little brother Trevor). If you do want to read about our passion for The Boss have a look at Jayne's blog here idratherbeataspringsteengig

So I must admit that having been to NYC everything I have said about preferring to stay at home sounds even to me to be a bit.....well......odd. NYC is the exception that proves the rule – never did understand what that phrase meant – still don't.

Right must go. Did I say it's my birthday tomorrow (same day as QE2 – the queen not the boat). Need to pack our bags we're going away for a couple of days holiday to Sutton on Sea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thought for tomorrow: There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the riverside looking like an idiot.

Good common sense

Gardening

It always looks so relaxing – a bit of weeding here, a bit of planting there and a bit of digging everywhere. Then I decide to have a go and it's such hard work.

There seems so much to do – cutting the grass, pruning the shrubs/bushes, weeding the beds and borders, painting and mending the fence, cleaning the patio, planting up pots, keeping your tools clean, power washing the patio.....

I really love our back garden – sitting on the patio in the summer sun. A glass of wine, a cold beer or a cup of tea. The smells and sounds – rose blossom, birds chirping and the M621 motorway traffic just over the fence.

Some days it can feel really warm and you need to get in the shade – under one of those big umbrella things. Other days it's blowing a gale and you almost have to tie down the big umbrella otherwise it will be up and away down the M621 in to Leeds.

Sunday morning – not quite yet awake – still in that semi conscious state. The sun forcing it's way into the bedroom. Somewhere, far away, in the distance, you can hear the humming. Is it a wasp, is it a plane – no it's a bloody lawnmower. The bloke at number 5 up at the crack of dawn cutting his front grass.

You look out of the window – his lawn is immaculate – it has stripes. The edges are trimmed and there's not a weed in sight. Meanwhile your grass (not even a lawn) is like a jungle. OK I'm not putting up with this any longer – time to do something. Get a man in – dig up the grass and put some gravel and block paving down.

Maybe even put the lawnmower on eBay.

Decision made – right back to bed.

Time Passes

Saturday morning – sitting in the conservatory.  Sun is shining, Jayne's at the hairdressers, Sounds of the Sixties on radio.  What a great start to a weekend – looking forward to a bacon sarnie when Jayne gets back and then a win for Leeds United this afternoon.

April is a special month for a number of reasons.

Yesterday (9th April) was the second anniversary of my dad (Graham) dying.  He had been poorly for a long time with kidney failure and been on dialysis for a few years.  He was a strong and brave man in many ways – he worked in the chemical industry from 1959 to 1993 – a dirty and dangerous job.  He suffered some really serious accidents over the years especially acid burns but he just got on with life without any complaints.

Eventually it was lung cancer that ended his life.  Probably years of smoking and maybe working in the chemical industry didn't help either.  When we were sorting some paperwork yesterday I found a leaflet from one of his employers that warned of the possibility of tumours developing years after people have left work. We will never know.

Anyway we will be celebrating his life with what has become a regular event around his birthday (2nd May) with a “curry day”.  One of his favourite meals was chicken korma – so we will have family round for a day of curry and alcohol – hoping for good weather May Day Bank Holiday weekend.

Tomorrow (11th April) is mine and Jayne's 18th wedding anniversary.  We were married two days after the 1992 general election.  At that time I was active in the union and we had been anticipating a Labour win in the election – we had to wait another five years.  I still can't believe that we had our wedding reception in a room in the basement of the Pudsey Conservative Club!!!!

I had a look on the Internet to try and find out if the 18 years anniversary had a name – you know the sort of thing – paper, china, silver etc.  But no it doesn't although a couple of sites suggested that a modern or contemporary theme was porcelain.  So perhaps it's off to Morrisons this afternoon to buy Jayne a new mug for the copious amounts of tea she drinks!!

On Tuesday we're at the hospital for Jayne to have a check up.  It's just a over a year ago that she had surgery for breast cancer.  I know Jayne will say that paradoxically this past 12 months has been the best year of her life – go figure!!  Well here's why:-

• three months off work – OK had to have radiotherapy some of the time
• saw Bruce Springsteen and Gaslight Anthem at Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park
• a long weekend in Dublin – oh and two Bruce Springsteen shows at the RDS Arena
• a week in New York last November – including two Bruce Springsteen shows at Madison Square Garden, a trip to New Jersey and Asbury Park
• meeting some fantastic people along the way – you know who you are but you might not know just how much you have contributed to making this a great year
• saw Southside Johnny again – this time at the Opera House in York

My 57th birthday is coming up soon – I share the day with HRER2 but we don't bother to swap cards. We're off to Lincolnshire for a few days – hoping for sunny weather so we can use the beach chalet at Sutton on Sea.  Relax, chill, walk on the beach and have some of Bateman's best.

April is often the month when political activists gear up for local elections – usually the first Thursday in May – and this year of course we have a general election on 6th May – yes we do really – maybe you haven't heard.  So I have a couple of carrier bags of leaflets and letters to deliver for our Labour Party candidates.

This is also usually the month when Jayne starts to get the gardening bug again – yesterday she did a bit of tidying up – cutting back bushes and pressure washing the patio.  It also usually means spending money on plants and pots etc.

Some of you might know that the future of my job is in the balance at the moment.  If I'm made redundant maybe I will get in to this gardening thing – Jayne makes it looks relaxing but hard work as well.  Losing my job will probably mean having to develop my limited domestic skills – cooking, cleaning and watching day time telly. Perhaps I will also start to play my saxophone again.  Hope to know some more about the job in the next three or four weeks – will keep my followers posted.

Things we're looking forward to over the coming months and that might appear in future blogs:- 

• May - Suzy Bogguss at Sheffield City Hall
• June - J ackson Browne at Sheffield Hall and Gaslight Anthem at Brixton Academy
• July - 1 40th birthday party in Wales
• September - my daughter expecting a baby

Right ok off to the garden centre.

Best snow for years

All the snow over the last couple of days reminds me of the winters when I was a teenager in the 1960's. Is it my faulty memory or was the snow really heavier and deeper back in those days and stayed around for ages. On BBC Radio Leeds this morning they announced about 250 school closures in the area because of the snow disruption. School closures - I ask you. We used to trudge for miles to get to school in the snow, sit in class with our coats on to keep warm and have snowball fights at dinner time.

I remember having a really heavy wooden sledge with metal runners - non of these lightweight fibreglass things. There was (an no doubt still is) a perfect slope on Western Flatts Park in Wortley, Leeds. We used to set off from the top of the slope (it was really a huge hill to be honest) and end up at the bottom nearly hitting the wall or going through the bushes into the back gardens of the houses that bordered the edge of the park. Then we would drag our wooden sledge back up to the top of the the huge mountain and set of down again. We spent hours doing this and had tremendous fun.

2009 Review

It's the time of year when we traditionally look back at the last 12 months and forward to the New Year. So here are my highlights and lowlights of 2009 and things to anticipate in 2010.

January - We woke up on the first day of 2009 in Sutton on Sea, Lincolnshire. We spent New Year's eve with Jayne's brother Ian and his wife Irene, their son Dan and his wife Clare. We went to a rather bizarre party and played some interesting games!! Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States on 20th January. I was really excited about this - we had stayed up all night to see the election results the previous November. I shared the hopes of many Americans for a new and different type of politics in that country. My musical hero, Bruce Springsteen, performed at the "We are One" concert during the inauguration celebrations. Here's a link to the inaugural address on The White House website http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/inaugural-address/.

February - We went to our good friends and neighbours, Mike and Jacquie, to watch the Super Bowl XLIII. We supported the Pittsburgh Steelers because that is where another of my music favourites, Joe Grushecky, is from. The final score was Pittsburgh Steelers 27 - Arizona Cardinals 23 - so we were happy with the result and also that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band provided the half time entertainment. Towards the end of the month Jayne went for a routine mammogram - because she had reached a certain age!!

March - the 12th is etched in my memory as the day we found out Jayne had breast cancer. I was scared, we both cried but Jayne told me that she wasn't going to die. Well that's OK then!! Not sure I really believed that at the time. Anyway we saw the surgeon and found out what was going to happen - we were initally told that Jayne's operation would be on 21st April - my birthday (this subsequently changed). When Jayne was asked if she had any questions all she could come up with was " Will I be well enough to see go and see Bruce Springsteen at Hyde Park on 28th June and in Dublin in July"!!! Also this month we met up with my old school friend, John Brown and his wife. We hadn't seen each other for nearly 40 years since we left school in 1969.

April - Jayne went in to hospital on 6th.

May - had a short break in Sutton on Sea at Jayne's brothers. Did a bit of walking around Louth. Had family round for a curry night to remember Dad's birthday - becoming a tradition.

June - Jayne started radiotherapy and finished just in time for us to go and see Bruce Springsteen at Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park (London) on 28th. Brilliant, first time we had been to a music festival thingy. Not too sure about the Dave Matthews Band - could have done without them - but there were loads of people there who really liked them.

July - our long awaited trip to Dublin for two Bruce Springsteen shows at the RDS Arena. The weather wasn't very good - it rained most of the time. The two shows were fantastic and we met up with some new friends from Greasy Lake - Sinead, Ceinwen and Hywell. Enjoyed a drop of the "black stuff" on Temple Bar. Jayne went back to work on 27th.

August - another break at the seaside in Sutton on Sea this month. Finally finished my "father of the bride" speech for my daughter's wedding on 28th. Work meeting in London to be told that our jobs are going and our is likely to be privatised - felt really awful and still do.

September - quiet month. Jayne's birthday, we both took time off work and went to Whitelocks for fish and chips. Had hoped to get a pint or two of Black Sheep but they didn't have it!!

October - went to Mike and Jacquie's on Halloween. Sat round their chiminea in the back garden eating beef stew and drinking brandy to keep warm.

November - New York yee hee. Two Bruce shows at Madison Square Garden, trip to New Jersey (Asbury Park and Freehold), lots of sightseeing in NYC. Brilliant week - want to go back. The second night at MSG was the best Bruce show I have seen - The River night. Met up with Sinead, Steve, Ceinwen and Hywell and had great time with them in New Jersey. Back home to reality. Day out with my bro (Trevor) for his birthday - pub crawl in Leeds - lots of real ales. Another work meeting in London - jobs still being privatised!! Went with Paul, Allyson, Janet and Joan to the champagne bar at St Pancras.

December - spent Christmas at home. Dinner at our house with brother Trevor, sister in law Val and nephew Chris. Good food, drink and playing on the Wii. Worked in between Christmas and New Year. Went to Sutton on Sea to spend New Years Eve with Ian and Irene. So started and finished 2009 at Sutton.

In many ways this was the worst and best of years. Looking forward to 2010 with some anxiety - Jayne's hospital check up in March, uncertainty about my job, which as I write is due to be privatised at the end of June. So here's to a good 2010 for everyone - especially my blog followers. Happy New Year.