AndyBlog

Blyth ASDA

Today, I visited Blyth ASDA, and saw the pool.

Sure, I'll post from the laptop...

...but this is the last whisper from me from my micro-shack in Huddersfield.

It's been a smashing little place in which I could do my stuff to a limited degree, and I thank it sincerely. It feels a bit like when they say good bye to the lunar landing module in the film Apollo 13.

She's been a fine craft who has served me well in difficult circumstances. I will shed the tiniest of tears, for though she was humble, she was truly shack Mk.3.

May God bless her as she goes on to face the challenges of new owners and demands in the future.

For now, it's good bye and signing off from the micro-shack.

Tranquility base, out.

Packing Up, Heading Off

Not much time to blog as we are in the middle of hastily packing up the house here in Huddersfield ready for the move northwards. The house is filled with boxes and it really is pretty much complete chaos.

Amidst it all, I am very excited. It's fundamentally wonderful to make it finally to NBTS. It's long been my dream to live there, and I would love it even if it were not for Jason, Antonia, Ian, Rebecca, Chris, Alison, Elaine, Paul, Will, Christine, Joan, Christine, Steve, Linda, David and everyone else we know up there.

So, I'll blog when I'm able, but expect lots of “Gosh how hectic this all is” type of postings.

No matter how I moan and complain, I'll be loving it. Remember that.

Haircut, Sir?

I arranged with Jason for us both to post a before and after picture of our haircuts today.

Here goes:

Before...............  &  ...............After

UPDATE:::UPDATE:::UPDATE:::UPDATE:::UPDATE:::UPDATE:::UPDATE:::

Many thanks to TL for doing the honours with the buzzing thing.

Change Is Good

“Excuse me while I get this out...”

(A quote from Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974)

We hear so much about change these days, particularly from those on the business ladder. Managers, we are told, must be excellent at “change management” and able to effectively communicate change in a positive manner.

So many of us say that we want to change, and the world is full of standards it wants us to change up to. We have to be fitter, eat a better diet, attend health clubs, recycle, be kind to the environment and look great naked. etc. etc.

So many standards, so much change - and all of it portrayed as good.

The funny thing is that when change is actually forced upon us by something such as divorce, changed employment or relocation we rarely see it as anything other than bad, or at the very least, hard to endure. It seems to me, on observing myself, that whilst I say I like change, in reality, I'm a lot happier when things stay much the same.

The only trouble is that after a while of this I start to complain that not enough is happening. Then, I start to wish that something would happen, and I imagine I am stagnating. I worry that life is just passing me by and I am not properly contributing to the loveliness of it for others.

So it goes on. Humans. Honestly.

All I would say, by way of summing up, is that perhaps we should stop and take stock in the midst of the mad stuff that sometimes happens around us, and glimpse the truth that at that time, for us something is happening. Possibilities exist that do not normally exist. Life is not passing us by, quite the opposite. We have an opportunity to take it by the scruff of the neck and rejoice in the freedom we are presented with - in whatever form it takes.

I think it's possible that change is as good as we want it to be.

Blog Someone Else's Dog

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the delightful Casey.
Terry's Dog.

Forgot this one...

A nice picture of TL (Liz), Andy (Me) and Audrey (my mother)

Persian Goodbye

My mother joined us for a final ARYAN trist

After a sublime meal, we repaired to the upstairs smoking room for an upstairs smoke.

We all smoked the nice Shishas with mint and lemon in a non-tobacco format.
It makes for a very pleasant smoke which really does seem to aid digestion.

So, goodbye ARYA. It's been wonderful having you nearby and we will miss your endless supply of fresh, delicious food and wonderful friendly staff. Rest assured, we will be looking for excuses to visit again when we are down from the North-East.

Is it weird seeing pictures of us all smoking? I hope so.

Girls Smoking

 

 

Puff, the magic dragon...

...soon to live by the sea.

The smoking dragon, photographed at ARYA - tonight.

The bottom line with this story is the TL and I are proud to announce that we will be moving to NBTS on Wednesday the 2nd August 2006.

We will, initially, be living in a rented house, until the repairs to the Huddersfield house are complete and it is finally sold. Once we have the money from that house sale we will be able to go ahead and purchase a more permanent residence in the delightful rurality of NBTS.

The feeling is that we may well choose to winter in the rented house and move the following spring. That said, almost everything is open to change, and I see no particular reason why this should be any different.

For now we have one shining fact to enjoy: The move northwards is on.

For me, it will be like returning to the home town in which I have never lived. For TL, I suspect it will be a big step into the unknown. I do sincerely believe that it will be a lovely, smashing and relatively happy unknown - but I'd be daft to assume that it will be anything other than a massive adjustment for her.
So, I'm delighted to have something definite to announce, but maybe a little sad that we are not moving directly to our own house straight away. The house we are renting is not a palace, far from it. That said, it has hot water, a kitchen, living rooms, bedrooms and a bathroom. We can live there for a while. It will be OK.

The kitchen is one of the smallest i have ever seen, so we will need to be creative. The window you see here - the little blue one - is a bit of an enigma. Not accessible from either the outhouse or the kitchen. a false wall is in place in the kitchen, sealing it off. Already Ian has plans to naughty the window and see what is inside. Reckless vandalism I call it. Lovely.

See the “To Let” sign? It's that one.