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I use ReadIris Pro - hailed by many as the world's finest cross platform OCR package. That said - see how it crumbles when met with a sheet of words with guitar chords written in. These things are sent to remind us that technology may be good, but it has massive limitations, and it would be quite wrong to think that "they can do anything with computers these days".
Really, quite dreadfully wrong.
I only know two things about the secular Easter. One is that there is a bunny around, somehow. The second is that we give and receive easter eggs - round chocolate eggs which contain little bags of smaller chocolate things, or perhaps Jelly Tots.
Yesterday, we saw from our elevated position, a bunny walking up Front street, collecting for some worthy cause. Proof positive, if proof be need be, that the bunny part is still true. Sadly, it seems that the wearing of fancy dress is necessarily accompanied by some charitable cause these days. I wish we were back in the halcyon days when a man could put on a bunny costume for little or no reason - but the biting reality of these present times is that it is quite wrong to dress up as a bunny if one is not collecting for cancer relief, Barnado's or NCP.
I'm pretty sure I'm right on this.
The second part is related to the "Easter Eggs" themselves. Put simply, there is no longer anything inside them. Included in the packaging are a couple of standard chocolate bars, but no special treat exists at any point inside the Easter egg.
I feel rather let down by the companies who make these yearly treats. Sad that they can no longer be bothered to manufacture the delights that used to reside within.
And so another mainstay of my life disappears. Feel free to respond to this posting, detailing the makes of eggs which do have a lovely treat inside the egg. I'd be so glad to know who is taking the trouble to do this, if anyone.
Often the hardest part is deciding what to order...
In NBTS, one of the most reliable ways of getting a good hot meal is to go to our only conventional restaurant - The Shaj. The excellent Bangladeshi cuisine offered here is coupled with friendly service and and ever-present "After-Eight" mint with the bill. Maybe they think it will sweeten the pill slightly. I really don't know. All I know is that it tastes nice, and fulfills my need to have "a sweet taste" in my mouth following a savoury meal.
But I digress - the real point of all of this is that it was Jason's Birthday meal tonight, and a goodly (although not necessarily Godly) number of us gathered to eat a lot of food in order to mark the event.
It's never possible to be completely sure that everyone had a good time, but I feel pretty convinced that most of us enjoyed ourselves in one way or another. If nothing else, the food was excellent. Unlike so many kitchens we observe receiving the thoughtful and tender ministrations of sliver-tongued Michelin starred chef Gordon Ramsey, this one was clearly able to produce the highest quality food in very reasonable time and to not only a full restaurant, but also a demanding take-away demand as well.
So, respect where it is due.
After this delightful experience, which left most of us full to bursting point, we were eagerly ushered back to Jason's house for generous dishes, brimful with steamed and suet puddings, all adorned with thick custard.
Maybe this is a trick the Shaj would do well to learn. After all, there's nothing the people of the north of England like more after their exotic main courses than traditional stodgy puddings covered in custard.
We need to remember that this all happened because it was Jason's birthday last Thursday - and we really do wish him well in the next year he lives - and well done for making it this far, it can't have been easy. I know that for him, birthdays are important, although I sense that age is becoming less so.
As we cheerfully collide with the mornings that rush up to greet us, it may be no bad thing to remember afresh that this is not a trial run - and each year is precious. Each day is precious. Each hour is significant. Birthdays always make me acutely aware that time will slip through our fingers unless we launch ourselves into life with a little more energy - especially when we least feel like it.
So, I guess that's my little challenge to you. At the very least, stop wishing time away. At best, grab hold of each and every drop of life as it attempts to slide by unnoticed. If, in the end, life turns out to be a game, I suspect this may be the way to win.
I find myself feeling rather strange this evening. Nothing unusual about that, you may think, in some sort of cleverly affected comedy aside. The reason I feel strange is that a decision has been made. It is a logical decision, a sensible decision and one it is very hard to fight against. It is, none the less, a decision which affects me fundamentally and fills me with a real sense of sadness.
The reality of this last week is that I have not left the house at all. I have spent the week on the "sick". It's been a weird feeling. The realisation that actually, my leg problems have caused severe enough pain to prevent me from walking even to the bathroom without having to stop on the way to recover. It's ridiculous - but sadly true. I have not been able to sleep nights, because the downward pressure on my lower legs causes too much pain. I must, instead, wait until I am utterly exhausted in order to grab a few hours rest. This is unsustainable, at best.
In truth my productivity as a worker has been compromised for some time by pain and related issues. I have not been working as fast, or as well as I should. All the time I am distracted by the pain from my calves which attacks me 24/7/365. (No Jason, I am not a farmer) Partly through swelling, partly through whatever damage done to the nerves and tissue down there - for whatever reason, it hurts all the time, and it seems to be getting worse as I lose weight.
So, the decision had to be made to register me in the support system. It's a realistic move, to reflect where I am at at the moment. I don't like it, I hate it actually, but the reality is that it is unfair to rely totally on TL to provide everything - and I am not in a position at the moment to be completely self-reliant. I suppose it is time to get real, on every level, and live my life as it is. I don't want to be trapped here forever - and I never wanted to be branded "disabled" or "in-valid", but things are as they are for the moment. It is time to get a bit of practical help. I'm not sure exactly what is on offer, but I will find out. I might even let you know.
Let's hope the good people at Chester enjoy reading about my life, as defined in 50 pages of questions. Is even 50 enough to sum up the richness of a person's existence? What's that I hear - you could manage with 2?
Honestly.
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