The Sturdy Soapbox

Crappy Sunday

I was going to go over to Shropshire today and visit Bridgnorth or maybe even Ironbridge.  Felt OK when I got up, but by 9am, I had a right dose of the shits and felt generally yukky.  Still feel a bit rough late afternoon and have spent most of the afternoon in bed.

Got this cam phone pic from OBC a few moments ago as he sails up the Avon gorge into Bristol, under yet another historical construction, the Clifton suspension bridge, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

I've been under and across this bridge many times.  It's 240 feet from the bridge to the water below and has claimed many a life, as it is a popular exit point for suicides (approx 12 a year).  I even saw one hit the water on Friday evening as I drove out of Bristol under the bridge, in my peripheral vision, I saw something big and dark fall and hit the water.

In the early 1900's a lady threw herself off and the wind caught under her crinolines and she parachuted to the water below, her fall not fatal.

If you stand in the middle of the bridge at night, you get the most amazing view across the city.  The bridge spans from Clifton village (on the left in this picture) and leads to Leigh Woods (a rather upmarket area). You can cross by car as well as on foot.  Heavens knows how much it costs these days, in the 80's it was about 20 pence, but well worth the toll.

And this just in...

My, the phone pics are coming in thick and fast today.  Just got this from the welder.

Look, he's seeking his fortune with his metal detector.  Pieces of eight, pieces of eight !

Have a good 4th

Have a good July 4th you American fellows.

Inspired by the abbatoir

Via J- Walk, check out this tea service.  Well, Mugato had his Derelicte collection inspired by trash (see the movie Zoolander) and now you can have your afternoon tiffin from something that looks like it came from the set of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Oh well, never mind

I never made it to Clevedon yesterday.  By the time I'd finished with the lads who were off on the afternoon tide to Portishead, it was getting on for five and as I was driving away from Sharpness, there was a traffic report on the radio, saying the M5 was blocked down near Clevedon after an accident, so I came home.

I was a bit tired so I doubt I would have enjoyed my visit.  I took one or two piccies.  This beautiful cottage in a small village in Gloucestershire.  I took this for my Americans who think we all live in houses like this.

I'd give the rest of my right kidney to live in such a place.

I left OBC and the lads doing their little pre - voyage checks which include stuff like checking oil levels, water and if there's enough beer in the fridge.

Wally the welder rang me, to tell me he'd seen Bob the Butcher on the telly in some programme about a man who died and left half a million pounds.  He lived close to the butchers and was a regular customer, in fact when he didn't show up for a few days, it was Bob who went round to check on him and found him dead.  He lived like a peasant, washed his clothes in the sink, yet had all that dosh stashed away and no one to leave it to.

I didn't even know Bob had been  interviewed by the BBC over this, so that makes twice this year the little bugger's been on telly.

Wally told me that getting a mobile signal down in Padstow is pretty difficult and to talk to me, he was at the bottom of the garden, balancing on a log.  Gives a whole new meaning to logging on !

OBC and crew are going up the Avon gorge into Bristol this afternoon and will be mooring up by the SS Great Britain (the world's first iron hulled ship, built by Isembard Kingdom Brunel).

That is moored right by where my office was in Bristol, you could see the masts from the window, but unfortunately there was a warehouse in the way for a good view.  Our office was a hiitorical building, the Read Dispensary, where they used to send all the Tuberculosis sufferers for their X rays and treatment.

I have the posh Volvo for the week, EEK !  I say that, because I won't sleep at night with it parked outside.  I said to OBC this morning, I'd brought the sat nav indoors for safe keeping, then he mentioned something of value in the car I didn't know about, so I shall bring that in, then I said hell, I may as well just bring the car indoors for safe keeping.

I've a couple of things on in the week.  I am collecting some relatives of OBC from the airport Tuesday and on Thursday I have to go to the QE hospital and see my surgeon.

Even though I don't have a barbecue or a garden or any of those outdoor enjoy the nice weather things, I bought some Chinese marinated ribs and a hot n spicy chicken leg this morning, which I am planning to have tonight, seeing how I missed burgers, hot dogs and corn on the cob at Average Jane's...

He's a happy little welder he is

Got a call from the welder last night.  He was waiting outside Rick Stein's fish and chip shop for his tea.

Six pounds fifty for fish and chips, but in this case you are getting assured quality because of Rick Stein's reputation as both a local restaurateur, but also high profile TV chef.  You'll pay £ 5.85 down the road from here and the fish isn't even cod.

Of course, I got the weather report of how sweltering it has been down there (it's hot here too Wally).

He's made lots of sand castles on the beach, didn't say whether he'd been metal detecting or wearing his socks n sandals round the town.

I should bump into him before he comes back from Padstow, as I am going down there a week on Friday, to collect OBC and his crew of matey's from the boat.    In fact tomorrow is a red letter day for someone who's been pretty much grounded since mid-May.  I am taking them down to collect the boat in Gloucestershire.  Then, as it's only thirty minutes down the motorway, I shall go pay my annual homage to my old home town of Clevedon.

View from the end of Clevedon pier

 

Google this you bastards

A few months ago, I wrote a website for a company who sell, sharpen and resharpen saw blades.  I spent well over thirty hours on this project and when it came time to weigh in, I was strung along for about three months with nothing but empty promises.

Then some form of weak excuse, I was told I wasn't going to see any payment, until the company who recommended me, paid their bill to the sawblade company.  Like what kind of screwed up deal is that.

I have to admit, that only just having come out of hospital, I was more concerned with the big gash in my side.  It's not the first time I've been screwed and I am sure it won't be the last.

I accessed the server and deleted all the files working on the logic that if they didn't want to pay for it, they wouldn't want the web site.  That was about three weeks ago.

Imagine my surprise today, when I discovered MY website resurrected, same domain name, but on another server.

There's not much I can do about it, I can't access that server because I don't know where it is or who they employed to do the tech work.  How they got the files is a bit of a puzzle to me.

Anyhow, seeing how this journal gets decent Google ratings and they are struggling to get a placing, there's a chance someone looking for saw blades, sharpening, re cutting etc.  Knowing what a bunch of shits they are, will steer clear of Stay Sharp Ltd of Walsall based at www.stay-sharpltd.co.uk  Buy your saw blades elsewhere.

Google that arseholes !

There's a headline you don't see every day

Englishman Gives Self-Circumcision Using Nail Clippers

A man who gave himself a DIY circumcision using nail clippers was taken to hospital for emergency treatment.

The young man had to be rushed to the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The wound was disinfected to cleanse it before he was given a bed in an observation ward.

"This is something we would advise men never to attempt," a medic said, "The results can be quite horrific and long-lasting and have quite an affect on a man's sexual performance.

"Using a pair of nail clippers must have caused excruciating pain, even if he had had a few drinks beforehand."

The gift of potatoes (continued)

Regulars here, will be aware that I am very into my potato varieties. 

Yes, these are the actual potatoes from Tones garden

These days, Wireless Tone has gone back to nature.  He's doing a regular "Good Life" over in Bloxwich and has been on the phone bragging about the size of his radishes and cucumbers.

Now, his potatoes have cropped and last night he bought me some and a few sprigs of fresh mint, both just picked from the garden.  My natural impatience got the better of me, so I cooked a few, just to sample them and they were indeed delicious, a little like a Cypriot potato (light flavour and fluffy texture).

Now lucky me, I also have a big bag of large potatoes sent over by Anita my sister in law and even MORE salmon.  I've developed such a liking for salmon, I have an overwhelming temptation to swim back once a year, to where I was born...  Of course, in these frugal times, it is all welcome.

Personally, I can't wait for Tone to take up pig and cattle farming.

Twitter shitter

I spent a whole ten minutes on Shitter this morning.  I sent Average Jane a short message and enquired if the James May I started to follow was THE James May  (Top Gear presenter).  Suddenly there were three twats twittering at me.  One wanted to sell me religion, one was heavily into weight loss products and the other seemed to be learning the ropes as a spammer.

Consequently I blocked all three pronto.  Like I said yesterday about the Skype idiots and the prune who wanted to be my friend via some Belgian social networking crap.  These people are seriously disturbed.

Anyone who broadcasts from a platform like this, is saying hey look at me, but where the difference lies is we don't spam a million people to come beat a path to our blog.

So today's mantra chant to these drongos is GET A LIFE, GET A LIFE...

Jackson pyramid to be completed early