mickleinapickle's blog

And All That Jazz

So the right honourable prime minister for the ‘couldn’t organize a pizz-up in a brewery’ party had her Brexit deal rejected for the 3 rd time… but undeterred, will probably bring it back for the 4 th time next week. And then the left honourable leader of the ‘shadow of its former self’ party declared that it was a shambolic deal and a shambolic government and a shambolic prime minister and as soon as he could remember what his party’s latest...

Merlin

A carved wooden statue of Merlin in Carmarthen town centre. He’s a mysterious Celtic shaman who constantly popped up in British culture and folklore between the 5th and 15th centuries. There were reports of him in various guises up and down the west coast from Cornwall to Wales to Cumbria to Scotland. Strongest evidence suggests he originated from Carmarthenshire in Wales in the 5th century, where he was probably driven insane by war. Today, we...

Perhaps

100 years since the war that was supposed to end all wars was won and lost. This is a poem from that time by a lady called, Vera Brittain. It was dedicated to her fiancé, Roland Aubrey Leighton, who was killed at the age of 20 by a sniper in 1915, four months after she had accepted his marriage proposal. PERHAPS Perhaps some day the sun will shine again, And I shall see that still the skies are blue, And feel once more I do not live in vain,...

Ellie came calling

Mrs. Treaclechops is still down in Hampshire spending time with her sister who is unwell, so granddaughter Ellie decided that she was coming for a sleepover and to keep me company. She’s 9 years old (10 next month) … going on 17. She came for one night with a small suitcase containing her jim jams, dressing gown, a change of clothes, a tablet, a cushion and a pillow. Also, one carrier bag full of books and a second carrier bag containing her...

Most Peculiar, Momma

Mrs. Treaclechops is off gallivanting down in Hampshire for the next week-or-so, spending time with her sister and niece. No problem… I’m a modern man who can fend for himself and cook and clean like the best of ‘em. Mind you, I cooked salmon for my Friday night meal and burnt the parsley sauce. Again, no problem… the salmon started off as unsmoked, but ended up with an evocative smoky, cokey, choky flavour. I spent Saturday morning winemaking...

Artistic Display

An artistic display in Canterbury cathedral. It’s made up of clothes and shoes discarded by refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos and in the camps in northern France. The child’s top with the logo, ‘Mummy’s super cool dude’ obviously catches the eye. I hope the little dude was lucky enough to find a safe sanctuary where he can grow up in a nurturing environment which will hopefully help him to live a fulfilled life.

Sophie

Introducing Sophie Walls, our 6 th grandchild. Born to daughter Karen and her partner Kev on 23 March 2018. Weighing in at 4lbs 2ozs, she was only a little tiddler, though long for a newborn of that weight. She didn’t appear to be putting on much weight over the last couple of months due to complications, so Karen’s pregnancy was closely monitored over this period with twice-weekly scans and suchlike. Sophie arrived a month early after an...

Swan Paddle Boating

My understanding is that Swan Paddle Boating will be an event at the next Olympics. My wife and I harbour a dream to represent our nation in the mixed doubles at this event. Unfortunately, we suffered a setback during our first training session, when we couldn't get both our bums in the boat at the same time. We are determined though and are now on the lookout for a swan paddle boat with a broader berth. We aim to feature on the rostrum. Watch...

Jacob and James

The photo is of Jacob (almost 4) and James (just turned 2) in Warley Woods. Not sure which one is Pooh Bear. Jacob is the youngest child of my daughter, Karen. James is the youngest child of my daughter, Claire. Mrs. Treaclechops and I normally look after them on Fridays. It helps their parents keep childcare costs down… as well as keeping us young(ish) and fit(ish). Warley Woods is on the western edge of Birmingham. The lads were very wary...

That Beast from the East

Well our central heating broke down early Thursday morning after two days of temperatures about -5 degrees C. The temperature in the house was about 13 degrees... reminded me of the olden days when we had no central heating. The condensate pipe had frozen. It's a pipe from the boiler which is routed outside the house. It takes the excess water from the boiler in a slow trickle. It's easy to thaw out with a couple of kettles of boiling water...

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