Parent theses

Weird things pop in my head sometimes when I'm writing these missives. (To be fair, weird things pop in my head all the time, but to be specific today, and to be relevant to this posting, they pop in my head while I'm writing). I commented yesterday on the fact that I had put one set of parentheses inside another, (and for fans of things grammatical I am sure that was a cardinal sin to commit). But I noticed while writing that line that the word parentheses seems to be a combination of the words parent and thesis even though it bears no relevance to either. Things like that stand out to me. I have some kind of weird word savantism or something. So I looked up the definition and background of all three words to see how - if at all - they connected and I thought about writing a very long post explaining it all here, but then I realised how catastrophically boring that would be to read, so I shall leave it there and say 'see you in October'.
See you in October!!!

RC 30-9-24

Woof

I met one of the weirdest dog combinations I have ever encountered today.
We were walking back to the car after a fun play on a beach-side park (where Mathew very bravely climbed to the top of the rope-frame (or whatever it's called - the weird climbable thing that looks like the inside frame of a tent, and is made of tightly-taut rope) and yes - I just put one set of parentheses inside another) and we met a woman with two dogs. One was some kind of Great Dane-Newfoundland mix and the other one was a chihuahua. The big one was walking as slowly as he could; the little one was sprinting his little legs off, and they still couldn't walk in step with each other. It was hilarious. It was like seeing a canoe travelling next to an aircraft carrier. They stopped to say hello and I enjoyed fussing the larger one while Mathew was, not surprisingly, much more comfortable with the tiniest. My dog was a friendly, soft bear of a thing called 'Gus' whose coat seemed to have seven different shades of brown. The colour was remarkable. Unfortunately, so was the slobber.
And maybe I shouldn't say this, but I have to admit that I found their owner to be in possession of the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen in my life. It doesn't mean I fancied her, and it doesn't mean I have any issues with my wife on the happiness front, it just means that when I looked into her eyes I was captivated, lost and bewildered in an instant. It was like looking into a nebula.

RC 29-9-24

Nice

A sunny day, and I took advantage of it by finding lots of outside jobs to do which meant I spent most of the day walking around the site in my shirt. Lovely. There's such a nice atmosphere at the moment. It's nice to be full of families and surrounded by happy children during the Summer Holidays, but it does tend to be a bit chaotic and stressful. Now we're back in term time, most of the people visiting are here for a relaxed break rather than a frenetic one, and there are lots of couples and lots of retired folk, here for the countryside and the beach and the natural surroundings. And as I'm not so flat out dealing with issues or inquiries I can spend some time with some of them and have proper conversations, rather than flitting from one thing to another and catching a few words here and there when I can.  I find it's a good way to get honest feedback about the sort of service we are providing. Online reviews are a waste of time because they're normally from people who just want to moan, and just like the sense of self-importance they get from posting their opinionated waffle on the internet (imagine people who do that!) Or they are written by people from competitors who want to invent stuff and bad-mouth you to provoke people to book with them, and not you. Or they're done by independent providers who get paid to slate your rivals so that you don't have to. And don't call me cynical and/or paranoid - I have actually met people who earn money doing that, and have been approached by companies who have offered to do it on our behalf. You really, really, really cannot trust anything you see or read online these days.
Anyway - back to the positivity. It is sunny, it is warm, I am relaxed, I am content, and I am looking forward to a family day tomorrow. Good times...

RC 28-9-24

Fri-ku!!!

It's the last Friday
In the month of September
How did that happen?

Time just pisses by
Like a drunk man in the street
Or a lonely dog

Don't hate these haiku
I'm not as good at them now
I'm out of practice

RC 27-9-24

Glad to be at work today...

One of our neighbours is having some work done on their garage and the noise is quite incredible. We're all detached houses as well, so it's not as if we have vibrations coming through an adjoining wall; we're a hundred yards away but it still sounds like someone is demolishing an industrial unit in our kitchen.
I think they're having it converted to use as an annex, (probably to make money through AirBnB, as that seems to be what everyone else in Suffolk is doing), so they're keeping the main part of the structure but adding to it, and altering what is already there. So from 7.30 this morning we had an angle grinder, a cement mixer and some kind of Bond-villain-esque-size drill going off together, and a cloud of brick dust wafting through the garden making it look like we'd been planted in the middle of a Saharan storm.
How on Earth people can have extensive work done on their homes that goes on for months is beyond me. After an hour this morning I was sick of the whole thing and ready to complain to the council.

RC 26-9-24

The Emerald Smile

I think I'd like to go to Ireland; sooner rather than later. We had a nice Irish couple staying a few times over the course of the year, and I got to know them quite well. I mentioned how lovely it would be to take the family over for an explore sometime and they offered us the use of their spare room if we ever want to 'pop over for a stay with the little ones'. And when I say 'spare room' what I actually mean is a converted stables on their large country property in County Galway. They showed me some photographs and it looks beyond stunning. Rolling fields, an orchard, and a house that must have been used in dozens of location shots for movies already, and surely will be if it hasn't. The room we'd use, I'm sure, would have a five-star rating on any review site and could easily cost thousands of pounds a night, and 'it's yours whenever you want it'.
Some people really are lovely and help to cast off my depressing, cynical, hateful view of humanity (a bit). I have their details and I said I would love to take them up on the offer. So last night I tentatively raised the idea with Philippa then handed her my phone with the photographs on, and the way the smile spread across her face as she flicked through them, and the way her eyes widened as she thought about the possibility of being there was wonderful. I think she had expected me to show her a run-down, rusty, dingy caravan on the edge of someone's muddy field.
We had an excited conversation about it and we're looking at the Easter holidays, or possibly June next year. We can pull Mathew out of school again for a week, and if I get the request in soon with Gavin he doesn't really have any reasons to refuse it. If he can't get a stand-in manager sorted out for 9 months hence then there really is no hope for him.

RC 25-9-24

Another Rory post about weather and time

I spoke to Beryl on the phone last night and she reminded me of something a little alarming (to me, if not to anyone else) - we are now, officially, according to the traditional sense of the season, in Autumn. I know different people, and different organisations, see it differently, but the way it was taught to me in school and according to traditional values and the positioning of the interplanetary bodies, Autumn begins with the equinox, which occurred over the weekend.
So that's it - Summer is gone. It may have been lovely and warm over the weekend and my sexy little nose may have got slightly burned while working, but the truth is, it's gone for another year. And again, it seems to have passed before I'd even registered it had started. We did, at least, I suppose, have some very good runs of nice days this year. I remember last year's school holidays as being wetter than a labrador's slobber and duller than a grey mannequin wearing a grey suit; at least this year we had August days where the temperature topped the twenties and the Sun was seen to be shining.
But now, Autumn be here. And with it come the darkness at 7.30 and the removal of jumpers from storage.
But let us step forth with enthusiasm! Here are a few GOOD things about the approach of the end of September...
FIREWORKS ON THE WAY!
DON'T HAVE TO KEEP MY SONS IN THE SHADE!
THE NFL IS BACK!
LOTS OF RIPE FRUIT TO BE PICKED!
LESS BOTHERSOME INSECTS!
NOT SO MUCH TROUBLESOME POLLEN ABOUT!
NO MORE HEADACHES FROM SUN GLARE!
BETTER SLEEP AS LONGER NIGHTS!
I'LL SOON HAVE SATURDAYS OFF AGAIN!

RC 24-9-24

Weirdreamageddon

I'll get back to 'normal' posting soon, but I need to get this one out I think:
Even by my standards, my collection of dreams last night was ridiculously mind-melting.
The pick of the bunch involved me driving onto some kind of military base to do some work. I logged myself in and went into a large room for a 'welcome chat' and it became very clear very quickly that I had actually signed up to be part of an elite unit. I wasn't a visiting contractor or a periphery employee, I was actually now part of the Armed Forces. The next bit is really hard to describe because it was so bizarre, but we all had a mug of tea to drink while we were being given our introductory lecture and part of the house rules were that we had to spit out the first bit of drink before we were allowed to swallow it, so I was surrounded by guys in their early twenties all spurting bits of hot tea out onto the floor like they were cowboys using a spittoon. And then we were all told we had to do a gym session to ascertain our levels of fitness. And it wasn't a gentle exercise class, people were being expected to lift huge weights and climb large ropes suspended from the ceiling. The first two blokes to try it both ended up injured, so then we had an ambulance turn up to decide whether they needed to be taken off the camp and into hospital. At this point, I was trying to talk to anyone official around me to tell them there had been a mistake and that I wasn't actually one of the trainees, only to be met by a volley of swear-laden abuse from everyone I tried to talk to. There seemed to be more officers and instructors than there were recruits and all of them wanted to ignore me and force me to take part in the program. I made up an excuse about my back being too damaged for the workout and someone ran off to get the commanding officer, who proceeded to guilt-trip me into participating by asking if I was sure I wanted to let my country down and isn't it about time I made something useful of my life? I insisted I didn't agree to any of this and that I wanted to leave and he said something like, "It's too late. Saddle up and put your shorts on."
There was then an argument between someone behind a lectern and a delivery driver (who apparently was delivering a tank) so I took advantage of that distraction to grab my things and get out. I then spent about 20 minutes walking around the base trying to find where I had parked my car (while carrying the large collection of scarves that I had with me for some reason) before panicking because I realised that I was going to be spotted on CCTV and would probably be carted off soon by military police and court-martialled.
And all the while, there was a baking hot sun and it was about 35 degrees Celsius.

Analysts might say it comes from a subconscious fear that I am trapped in something I never really wanted in the first place.
Or maybe it's because I watched 'The Dirty Dozen' and then fell asleep on the sofa....

RC 23-9-24

Movie Night

Philippa and I just watched the film "COBWEB" on Netflix, and very good it was too. if you're looking for a bit of scary-but-not-traumatising pre-Hallowe'en filmic fun I would heartily give it the Rory Seal Of Approval. I wasn't even that enthusiastic when we pressed play either - I just decided to go along with my wife's choice and enjoy having some screen-and-sofa time together - but then I was pleasantly surprised by the way it drew me in and held my interest. Genuinely creepy vibes, some great performances from a well-directed cast, and a lot of good cinematography including some cleverly put-together shot choices that I don't remember seeing executed in that way before. It was also made impressively more unsettling by the coincidence of our Netflix account freezing just as it reached a spooky exchange between the boy protagonist and his mum. I tried to persuade Philippa it was the demonic forces of the universe using the medium of movies to invade our house via the television signal but she just called me a twat and restarted the app.
All in all, a great evening, and it has set me thinking about other scary films and has made me excited about the prospect of watching some of my favourites as we head towards the Hallowe'en season.
So... off the top of my head... (and bear in mind I'm not really a fan of the scare genre)... here are a few that I will DEFINITELY put on my list; and hopefully persuade Philippa to cuddle up and watch with me....
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
THE SHINING
NOSFERATU (the original)
POLTERGEIST (also the original)
THE THING
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Swedish one)
And I think that's probably enough of a challenge for one Autumn...

RC 18-9-24

A break, broken

I can't believe it's been over a week since I last posted!
But it is, and I did (or didn't), and it is what it is, so I'm just going to jump back on the horse now and do my best to make up for lost time.
As usual, there is no excuse for my absence, just a middle-aged lethargy and an embarrassing habit for being easily distracted.
Anyway - let us catch up... Do you remember a while ago (with my bad memory I'm not sure if it was last month or back in 2011 or somewhere in between) when I bought those books online about The Bible? When I was revisiting an old obsession and wanting to do a bit of study about The Good Book and its history and its influence? Well, I've actually been reading one of them this week. And very good it is too. It's not a full-on 'God is Good' attempt to convince the reader to convert to some form of religion or other, it's just one man's honest account of his own journey to, and with, God, and how beneficial he has found the whole thing. He talks about stories from The Bible, equates them to his own life, and looks at how they provide good guidance, rather than shoving them at you as the 'you must follow this or else' Word-of-God life laws that some people claim, and others complain about. I'm really getting a benefit from it and I'm seeing the teachings of Christ in a new light. And it helps to pass the time at work when I'm on a break and can't be bothered to do anything else. I've taken to perching on a bench not far away from the car park and enjoying the calm countryside sounds while munching my healthy lunch (or terrible takeaway Meal Deal) and perusing a chapter or two. A month ago it would have been Sunburn Central, but now we're well and truly in Autumn it's really nice to sit there and just be.

RC 17-9-24

A quick 'Friday Feeling' post...

It's weird how quickly this week seems to have gone, even though the days themselves have been less hectic. I guess when I'm flat-out busy, I'm locked into dealing with each moment as it happens and there's no break in between tasks to acknowledge the passing of time. Now it's quieter and more settled, I'm more aware of downtime and noticing the clock a lot more.
Anyhoo and anyways, it's nice to have got to the weekend, even though I'm working tomorrow. It should be a nice day again and I'm planning to put together a barbecue when I get home from work.

RC 6-9-24

The World seems completely f**ked

One good thing about working in the holiday industry is that you tend to see people at their best. Yes, there are the occasional moany w**kers who will find something to complain about, but generally everyone is relaxed away from home, and they're looking to enjoy themselves, and they appreciate your efforts in trying to help them do that. And another good thing is that you get so busy and so involved in that trade that it is possible to completely shut out what is going on beyond the walls of the holiday centres; especially when you have young children who take up what little spare time away from work you do have. The outside world fails to penetrate your thought-space. You become oblivious to reality. It's an ineffective issue, hovering on the periphery of your life.
So now we're not so busy, that 'real' stuff has had a chance to come crashing through the walls of my existence, and it's horrible. I haven't deliberately gone out of my way to look at news sites or catch up with the global goings-on in the past few days, but it's impossible to ignore indefinitely, and once you open the door a crack and let a bit of it in, it seems to gain in strength and force its way into your head. And the more I've looked at, the more it has made me despair. You've got Russia and Ukraine invading each other, half the Middle East going up in smoke, and a situation in America where - as far as I can tell - no-one seems to be in charge. If Joe Biden is no longer fit to serve, and Kamala Harris is out and about on the election trail, who exactly is making the day-to-day decisions? I know people would tell me it's not my concern, but this is America we're talking about, and I really do think (and I think I've posted about this before) that what happens in Washington affects the UK as much as what happens in Westminster, and so even though we don't live there, it will have a huge impact on how things are here in Britain. And it just seems so chaotic.
And the more you look around, the more this seems to be pervasive. There doesn't seem to be one part of the world right now where things are going well.
I've never been one for burying my head in the sand, but in this current state of tribalistic, jingoistic, post-Covid, pre-pandemic, economically-ruined, divisive, leaderless worldwide maelstrom, maybe it's the best idea!

And now I've got that out of my system, I'll try and be funnier tomorrow. The last thing you need right now is yet another depressing online read!

RC 5-9-24

Update Upload

Things really have settled down lovely at home now. The Wife and I are getting on swimmingly well and Mathew even seemed pleased to be going back to school this morning, although I am thoroughly expecting that to wear off in a matter of hours.

The change at work this week has been palpable too. We're still almost at full capacity, but it's a very different vibe. Many caravans only have couples in, rather than the families of 4 or 5 (or even more at times) that were using them up to the weekend. It's all very calm and relaxed, too, rather than the sugar-fuelled chaos of the past two months or so, and the noise levels are so low it's almost like we're an abandoned site. You get so used to the sounds of children playing, crying, shouting and laughing that it just doesn't feel right when it's missing. I mean, don't get me wrong, my workdays have become infinitely easier already and I assure you I'm not pining for the busyness of the past few weeks, but it is weird to walk about and not have a cacophony of deafening outcries assaulting your eardrums, or to be constantly sidestepping to avoid hyperactive young 'uns lest they accidentally dislocate your kneecap.

RC 4-9-24