AndyBlog

Coupla Piccies

The view from Kirkheaton over to Castle Hill



Kirkheaton Village

It was a lovely sunny day, and it seemed a shame not to take some pictures. The only sad part is that my current camera is not really up to the task. It's fine for pictures of food and such, but big scenes are a bit beyond it.

Nevertheless, I figure you get the message that it's a nice village and that it was a lovely day. Oh, and my divorce certificate came today - how weird is that?

A Golden Night

At The Golden Star, the food is sublime - and so are the prices.

It has been a special day today. Firstly, an amazing swim in our newly discovered private swim and jacuzzi haven. Read all about this delightfully decadent pleasure.

Then, later on, a trip into Huddersfield to try a new Chinese restaurant, the “Golden Star”. We were pretty confused by the menu, until it was explained to us that for a measly £8.95 we could order whatever we wanted from the menu.

Still not clear?  OK, no limit on what one can order whatsoever - order anything you like, and in any quantity. Order seven main courses if you think you can eat them.

This is no buffet, everything is beautifully cooked to order, including the crispy aromatic duck and also my special request that was not even on the menu.

So, we had:  Chicken & Sweetcorn soup, Crab & Sweetcorn soup, Vegetarian Spring Rolls (homemade, not frozen), Sesame Prawn Toast, Aromatic Crispy Duck and Hoi Sin Sauce, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Crispy Shredded Beef in chilli sauce, Special Fried Onions and loads of rice. Add in two rounds of drinks and two coffees and the bill came to just over £27 quid for everything.

The price, of course, is completely meaningless without the right quality of food. Happily, everything was completely delicious and served in a charming fashion.

I believe the Golden Star have found a way to hit back against the painful slide towards Chinese Buffet - and in the most pleasant way possible. Another respect-winning Huddersfield restaurant. My cup runneth over.

Mmm... I wonder what that little box is in the first picture?

The Fruits Of The Damp Man's Labour

As soon as they hacked of the plaster, it became clear that there was more than two days worth of work here. So, we are learning to camp in the lounge now, safe in the knowledge that the sitting room is drying.

Very, very slowly.

1) Before the work began.    2) After the plaster was stripped off.



3) Side wall with holes filled.    4) Back wall with layer one.



5) Side wall with layer one.    6) Back wall with layer two!



7) Side wall with layer two!  8) The sad sitting room as we wait.

Having slapped on layer two today, the workmen ran out of allotted time and will now return on Tuesday to administer the final finishing layer of plaster.

I just know that you are all utterly enthralled. Relentless coverage will continue in due course.

More 3-D

A More familiar 3-D Picture

I'm sure you've all seen these sort of autostereograms before, but I wonder how many of you can actually view them - guaranteed, first time you try?

Well, I used to be amongst the number who could not see them at all. After literally hours of trying once, I thought I kinda half-saw one, but it was a bit tenuous.

So - for those who struggle, here's my newly acquired bit of knowledge on how to view an autostereogram.

1) Print the image out. In this case, click on it and then print out that page.

2) Hold the paper right up to your eyes - literally touching your nose.

3) Let yours eyes relax and let the colours blur. Try to look “through” the paper.

4) Staying relaxed, gradually move the paper away from your nose - very slowly.

5) When something starts to happen visually hold the paper still and let the image appear naturally.

6) When it has stabilised you will be able to look around it quite naturally.

7) If you “lose” the image, repeat steps 2-6.

8) If you can “keep” the image, the further away from your eyes you move it, the deeper it will become.

9) This will only work for you if you have full stereoscopic vision.

GOOD LUCK!

Keeping to the rules

OK, I'm going to go with:

“Due to over consumption at last year's event, please note that free drinks are limited this year to one cup per person. Thank you.”

Prostitutes retrain as geriatric nurses

This just in, and it made me smile....I think.

Prostitutes in Germany are being given the chance to retrain as geriatric nurses.

About 30 prostitutes, aged 20 to 40, are to take up a two-year training course for auxiliary nurses in North Rhine Westphalia, reports the Telegraph.

The scheme, funded by the church and the EU, is aimed at easing a chronic shortfall in nurses as well as offering an alternative to prostitutes.

One trainee, Angelika, who is in her late 30s and worked in Bochum as a prostitute for six years said she had found the transition very smooth: “I'm feeling good,” she said.

Rita Kühn, of the protestant church's welfare programme, said: “They are in general very good at dealing with people, in addition to which they don't get squeamish and have absolutely no fear about touching or being touched.”

The Damp Man Cometh

The survey report said some walls were damp, so we've decided to cure it with a little light damp proofing. So, prior to all the plaster and everything being hacked off the walls to a height of 1metre, we needed to pile all the furniture in the other corner, peel the carpets back, take the skirting boards off and remove the radiator.

We then got a message from the damp man to say that he would be leaving all the rubble for us to take away ourselves. TL started to wonder exactly what they will be doing for their 600 quid?

The things one has to do to sell a house...

So, all is prepared for the onslaught tomorrow, bright and early. I have a feeling there will be a fair amount of dust and mess - oh, and dust.

The main work will take two days, then six weeks for the plaster to dry enough to be painted. It's a good job we're no longer in a massive hurry to sell this place. Actually, and don't say a word to TL, I absolutely hate that orange wallpaper - it'll be a delight to see it gone, at least from part of the room.

As a special treat, seeing that we will have no discernible sitting room tomorrow night, we'll be spending the evening with my mother and her husband. The word is that we will be going out for a special meal to a special place. ARYA is too much to hope for...

Stay tuned for a full and complete (borderline merciless) damp man update.

I play in a band

I play keyboards in a band called “Soul Doubt”.

That's nearly true. Strictly speaking, I only play one keyboard, but it is attached to a smashing box of tricks which plays many sounds, so maybe that is just as good.

Anyhow, that is not the point. The point is that I have been separated from my studio for a few weeks now - I don't know how long exactly, but it is starting to feel like an eternity.

I am lucky in having access to a lovely piano here. I even sometimes claim that this piano is the real reason I got together with TL. It's a beauty. Very mellow and soft-jazz-like.

The trouble is, that sometimes I like to rock out at very high volume with a nasty bright funky piano. I can do this with Soul Doubt, and so I look forward to the forthcoming gigs.

They give me a chance to really let fly in the most appropriate and satisfying way. I really do find that music reaches me when nothing else can. More than that, it satisfies a part of me that nothing else does.

I can't imagine being truly cut-off from music. For me, that would be the most complete hell.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Now, turn to page 14 in your workbooks, and comment on the following:

a) What touches you that nothing else can?

b) Is music important to you?

c) What do you feel passionate about?

Remember to spell correctly and use black ink.

Please hand in your work ASAP. Marks will be awarded.

3-D 2-U

Stare at this a while - is it 3-D 2-U?

The image was made by taking a stereo picture and the placing the left and right eye images together and oscillating between them. It seems to work, too.

Why not take a look HERE for more like this. My personal favourite is the climber. Not quite sure why.

Coming Home

A beautiful shot I found of Newbiggin Church Point

They say that home is where the heart is, and for me that means that Newbiggin-by-the-Sea is now my home, even though I do not yet and never have lived there.

Maybe I should preface this by saying that I have never felt to be geographically at home. That said, I'm not sure I can legitimately preface something after I have said it. Probably best just to press on.

I loved living in Griffin House, but felt no great loyalty to Stanley. Coming to Huddersfield, I feel myself to have come to somewhere I know well, and somewhere of great significance to me, yet in no way is it home.

I accept that I have to be here, and it is great to be in the right place with the right person at the right time - but I long to be back in the North East, with the people I care for and in my own adopted part of the world.

I first arrived in Gateshead, at a truly awful bed-sit. I was offered a job by a rather dodgy bloke who promised me that the streets of Newcastle were paved with gold. Well, maybe for him.

Since then, I have done various piano-related jobs (I am a qualified piano technician and tuner) and even worked with Jason's mother for some years at a young people's secure unit in Northumberland (not as a piano tuner...). I have lived in Gateshead, Fenham, Chester-le-Street and Stanley so far - but I have never felt truly to be home.

Now, standing before me, is the way to move to where I truly want to be, and with the person I want to be with. Finally, a chance for that magical win-win scenario.

It's frustrating right now, but I feel a move this significant for both TL and myself is worth waiting for and planning for carefully. A lot seems to be against us, but I do completely believe that the things worth doing are worth plugging away at.

I see this as a test of my own resilience. There will be battles ahead, life is like that, and so I need to show the right attitude in this present one in order to be ready for the challenges ahead.

I mentioned, in a previous entry, that the house sale here in Huddersfield has fallen through. That being the case, none of the factors for a move are presently in place. TL has no job in the NE, the house here has not sold, we have not secured a house in NBTS and Griffin House has not yet completed.

This being the case, TL did the only reasonable thing she could have, and opted to stay in her job here till the end of the Summer term. This is a good and wise thing, though it will require quite a bit of reorientation on her part. Having got ready to leave, it's quite weird to then stay.

From my point of view, I have to learn how to do some work from down here. Not quite sure how that goes. I would like to get some more local work, but I don't want to commit to stuff I cannot follow through on. This means I need some nice one-off jobs. Not the easiest to find.

I still have a load of stuff to do, but not much that earns anything. Nevertheless, I seem to keep very busy. This house is in chaos right now as we prepare for the damp proof course to be put in on Thursday. The skirting boards are up and the radiator off in readiness. I'm guessing that there will be a significant amount of dust and rubble lying around afterwards.

It will be nice to have some confidence in the house again, when more potential buyers look round. We'll know that it is sound and ready for them to move into straight away. That's a very good thing. TL continues to apply for jobs, and I hope that the educational bosses in SE Northumberland will quickly snap up her experience and skill. A September job start would be perfect.

So, I think you have it there. Thanks to Christine for hitting the nail on the head in her comment on “Virtual Huddersfield”. I am so eager to come home, but I know that I have to be patient for a while longer. It will surely make the homecoming sweeter.

Thanks for wading through all of this.

Jason, go back and read it properly, I know you skim.