Friday already?!?!?!?!?

Yep, I guess so!

I have been run off my feet this week - having 2 weeks off meant that I had a load of stuff waiting for me when I came in on Monday. Add to that the fact that I was in London on Wednesday and that doesn't leave much time! Ah well.

And now I am off again! Back to the campsite next week for more outdoor fun and games! I wonder who will be at the site this time?

Last time we had a few characters.

There was an older couple that Custard the dog instantly took a dislike to. He doesn't often dislike people but when he does there usually turns out to be a good reason. My daughter decided that the man had brought his wife camping so that he could kill her and bury her body in the woods, and every time she saw him alone she said he had done it and we needed to call the Police.

There was a young couple with the smallest tent that I have ever seen. They spent most of the time making out on the grass, with the guy looking 100 times more into it than the girl did.

Then there was a couple of guys sharing a tent. Conjecture as to whether they were gay or not was soon ended when they kissed and skipped off down the field, hand in hand.

We have some friends coming around for dinner tonight. As I am at work, Mrs RC has had to do most of the cooking for this, but inspired by Terri, I put on a load of Italian meatballs in the slow cooker first thing this morning. I have never done this before, but apparently it is looking and smelling really good so fingers crossed!

Have a good week! Sorry to say I haven't done scheduled posts for next week, but I think I can slack off with a clear conscience!

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OK, final thought and I can't help getting a bit political. The Locherbie Bomber gets sent home on compassionate grounds and arrives in Libya to a heroe's welcome. He should have just been left to rot in his cell, IMO. Better stop here...

Visiting the Vampires

I had my tests (to see if I am a match for bone marrow donation) done yesterday - now I just have to wait to see if things can go any further.

I met up with an aunt of mine while I was in London and we went for dinner after my tests had been done. It was really good to sit and chat with her just one to one like that, haven't done it for a while. Dinner was great too - chicken wings in Hot Sauce, Pepperoni and jalapino pizza and strawberry sundae. Just what I needed after losing all that blood!

Of course, this did prevent me doing other stuff that I like to do while in London - visiting shops to look at guitars and toy soldiers, visiting hookers in Soho*, etc, but that can wait until another time.

Have a great day! It is blazing sunshine outside - hope it lasts into next week for our second camping trip of the year! Also hope you have good weather where ever you are! Autumn isn't here just yet!


*Joking!

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WARNING, WARNING, PROUD PARENT ALERT!

Just got a phone call from Number One Son. He got his result for the maths exam that he took this summer, 2 years early (ie he is 15 and the rest of his class are 17).

He got an A!

Woo hoo!

What I did on my holiday...

Well, what I great 2 weeks I have had! Not sure I will remember everything, but here is a taste of what has been going on.


Camping

The weather leading up to our little camping trip was rather unsettled, but it was fantastic the whole time - and since we got back, to be honest! It is as though the summer was waiting for me to clock off! The campsite and surrounding area was just as great as we remembered it from last year, only better because we didn't have the wind and rain to worry about this time.

Early morning strolls in the orchards, walks in the woods, finding huge country homes hidden in the middle of nowhere (one apparently home to Virginia Wade, the English tennis legend!), games with the kids (badminton, volleyball-dodgeball-rugby (we got a bit carried away), Monopoly, Chinese Checkers), barbeques with the most amazing steaks I have ever had, late night card games for cookies... what more could you want from a holiday?


My Birthday

Thanks for the birthday wishes!

This was a great day - presents from the kids (I have still got to order the toy soldiers that my wife is gettting me), watching a few movies with the family with everyone fetching beer/food/etc for me. Simple pleasures for a simple guy.


Soldier Painting

Totally chilling has also been good for my soldier painting. I have been steadily getting through by latest project (I posted photos of some Winged Hussars a while back) and each one I paint seems to look better than the last one. I am especially proud of the Swedish King and his cronies - photos to follow!


Money

Not sure how it is happening, but we aren't bankrupt yet! The middle of August is traditionally a time of dreadful bank balances for us - and most others, I suspect!


Napalm Sausages

On our return from camping, we decided to have another barbeque while the sun was still shining. The menu included some sausages. We had barbequed them before, and they had been fine. This time they were different.

As they started to cook the fat started to drop.

Then pour.

And then squirt, yes SQUIRT out of them.

I had 3 foot flames shooting up in the air, threatening to ignite my rather dry eucalyptus tree and our equally dry bamboo! Had you been listening, I am sure that some of you would have learnt a few new words on that day!


NOT past my sell-by date afterall!

I guess the final thing to tell you about is that on Friday I received a letter saying that I am a possible match for someone who needs a bone marrow transplant. I have to go to London on Wednesday for more tests to see if I am a good tissue type match for this person.

Funny, I signed up for this years ago when I started giving blood and at the time the age limit was 40. I thought I was well past my sell-by date for this, but it seems that they changed the rules on me and the limit is now 65!

I hope that I am a match for this person - watch this space for updates!


Catching up

Looks like I have got a lot of catching up to do with my blog reading! See you soon!

Today, 2003

The North East of the USA and adjoining areas of Canada were plunged into darkness.

When I was a kid (late 1960s, early 1970s) we had black outs on a regular basis - loved it! In some ways I think they would be fun again, a sort of enforced break from the constant technological barrage that our brains are exposed to. Yes, Zig, I know that it can be done voluntarily...

Today, 30 BC

Cleopatra commits suicide.

OK, I know this isn't the REAL Cleopatra, but I grew up with movies like this so she may as well be!

The moral of her story?

Play games with bad people and bad things will happen to you. (The Romans weren't really very nice...)

Today, 1963

I popped into the world!

OK, maybe "popped" is the wrong word - my HEAD popped out and then the rest got stuck, forcing the midwife to haul me out. Her hand-print remains imprinted on my rib cage to this day! I don't think that this was my mom's idea of fun, as she managed to put a 10 year gap between me and my younger brother, who was something of a surprise!

We now know that I have dyspraxia, which affects physical coordination amongst other things, but as a baby I was just thought of as lazy - didn't crawl, tried to stand up once, sat down hard, cried and didn't try again for 6 months, etc. I guess one thing that helped my laziness was having an older brother who was happy to run and fetch for me. Apparently I used to have variations on "eeerr!" that he understood! I finally had to get my act together when he went to school, leaving me with my mom who did not understand what "eeerr!" meant. Luckily for me, Mrs RC seems to understand this sort of language perfectly well :-)

So, Happy Birthday to ME! I am 46, or thirty-sixteen, or this could be thought of as the 30th anniversary of my 16th birthday! However I think of it, it doesn't really make much difference to me. You can't escape the years, you just do the best you can with them, I'm not quite ready to become "Rocking-Chair Chef!" I will be spending today with the ones I love and looking forward to what my next year will bring.

Have a great week!

Today, 1942

Battle of Guadalcanal begins.

This was the start of America's long and painful slog back across the Pacific against the Japanese in World War 2.

Today, 1962

Marilyn Monroe, the original "Candle in the Wind", died.

A sad loss, IMO. One of many people who have found themselves over their heads and unable to cope. Conspiracy theories about her death abound, of course...

Today, 1492

Christopher Columbus set sail!

I am always in awe of the immense bravery of people who do things like this, risking almost certain death in the quest for - whatever! The recent anniversary of the moon landings highlighted this for me. Looking back I wonder how on earth they managed to do it with what they had - no I am not one of those people who thinks that the landings never happened...