A transport of delight

I would like to thank my local bus company ARRIVA (Yorkshire) for their foresight and consideration, it's not often a large, public service company is able to see 'outside the box'
ARRIVA have done me the great service of cutting the number of buses from the nearest major town to my home from 3 services to 1 service. This has also meant a reduction in the frequency of buses.
So, why am I thanking them?
When I finish work I now have a choice of positive, life enhancing options. I can wait 55 minutes for the next bus which means I have 55 minutes of time with which to play. I could read (provided the wind and rain don't destroy my book) or I could write more poetry (possibly around the theme of standing alone at a bus stop getting cold). I could even meditate and achieve a much enhanced karmic level.
If I don't wish to take the 55 minutes option i can wait a mere 25 minutes and catch a bus which goes in my general direction. Taking this option will enable me to walk a couple of miles and enhance my general and cardio-vascular fitness.

a great man

Tomorrow I will be attending the funeral of my uncle Jack. He died about two years ago but, in accordance with his wishes, his body was used for medical research and the donor programme.
Within hours of his death his cornea had given someone their sight, he would've loved that.
Having cared for his wife, who was crippled with arthritis until 1979 he then dedicated the rest of his life to helping those in need. He was a well known and popular figure around the area (not least because he seemed to be related to every second person)and his diet of cheese was the bane of many a restaurant. He was virtually t-total and no-one ever said his refusal to drink made him less of a man (correction, no one ever said that twice).
Fiercely loyal to his family and a great friend he was the epitome of a true Yorkshire man.
We held a celebration of his full and wonderful life at the time of his death so tomorrow will be a quiet(ish) cremation and his ashes will be split into three; some to be scattered at Myddelton Lodge in Ilkley which was a retreat centre and a place he dearly loved; some to be scattered on the rose garden where his beloved Vera's ashes were scattered and the final ashes to be scattered in Lourdes where he made pilgrimage and worked for the benefit of his fellow pilgrims every year until he died.

fate's hand

Yesterday I had the choice of doing my own route on the mobile library or covering a route I've never done before which I knew would be a challenge but would involve a lot of frustration due to the disorganisation of that particular van.
I took the challenge and, by lunch time, I was tearing my hair out.
I arrived at the last stop just wishing the day was over.Suddenly i heard a voice say my name and , looking up, I saw a face from the past. A very dear friend with whom I had lost touch. We had a good hour's chat (between serving customers) and I have got her number. I'm a happy toad now

Yay! we're rich!

I just have to share this with everyone. I'M RICH, I'm wealthy, I'm minted.........
at least that's what the government say.

We have been receiving tax benefits for a while because our household income was low but the good news is that last year we became wealthy so our tax benefit has dropped by £100 per week. We have never had surplus money and we still have 5 children to cater for but hey......

The irony is that if Jacqueline gave up her part time job we would get the benefit again and the amount of benefit is more than she earns so figure that out.

Mmmmmmm, that felt nice

I attended a party with my partner last Saturday. The party was to celebrate the 40th birthday of an old friend of her's and his wife. Most of the people there new each other and I had been sort of dreading the event and being 'out on a limb'.
Those who know me will know that , beneath the bluster, I am a shy, socially inadequate person, some people think I'm rude but I'm just not good in social situations.
I'm here to say that I really enjoyed the party, yes there were moments when I was a lost soul but Jacqueline's friends were so nice to me and they made me feel really at ease.
Thank you guys, you probably don't realise how much good you did.

Narcistic? perhaps (but it makes me feel good)

I last applied for a passport back in 1991 and when it expired I never bothered to re-new as I wasn't likely to be travelling abroad.
This year the family are holidaying in France so I needed a passport.
The application form states that, if you have had a passport your applcation and photograph do not need to be countersigned IF YOU ARE RECOGNISABLY THE SAME PERSON AS PICTURED IN YOUR PREVIOUS PASSPORT.
I took a chance and sent my application off.
The verdict, the passport and identity people don't think I've changed much in the last 18 years


YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!! I'm still 29 (or did I look 47 back then?)