Thursday 31 January 2013

snapshot

-da-da- hey hey hey hey
-da-da-hey hey hey hey
don't you - forget about me

simple minds on the radio in the cab of the lorry. the lorry is so big i have to reach above my head to open the door. i'm sitting in the front seat looking out at sheets of rain through a foggy windscreen. london looks different from up here. the lorry belongs to our removal contractor. i have a crew out today picking up desks and cabinets from another site that i will need for the weekend when we're re-designing a floor in our main building. the boys let me ride along because it's quicker, even though we're not really supposed to. the driver is giving a running commentary on how senseless london drivers are. there is an obvious fraternity and courteous respect between the drivers of these huge trucks on narrow roads. there seems to be a code, but if i asked, he'd drive in silence for the rest of the job. two young guys and my foreman are talking shit in the back of the cab. something about football transfers. "it sucks being the only kid not opening presents at christmas" one of them says. they all laugh.

the music is a perfect fit.

laa la-la-la-laa la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
laa la-la-la-laa la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

Thursday 17 January 2013

snow

as witnessed in the post below, the uk really loses its collective head over snowflakes. i've lived here now for 16 1/2 years and this is one thing that i still fundamentally do not understand. it is forecast to snow tomorrow -  in wales, quite a lot of snow (even for canada!), and maybe 5-10 cm for the rest of us. maybe. for faversham, there is an amber cold weather warning, and light snow forecast from friday lunchtime until monday, more or less.

no big deal right? well, ordinarily i'd just be doing my snow dance and keeping all my fingers crossed - i love it when it snows here. but i have an office moved scheduled for saturday, and today i had to weigh up the pros and cons (and likelihood of disruption) and i had to do so by 2pm. here my rational mind and psyche divide.

my rational mind knows perfectly well that 24 hours of snow = major train cancellations, and that southeastern's response to trains being stuck overnight with no power, heating, light, or food has been to issue train conductors with foil blankets and glow sticks . not to mention the chance that my lorries will get all gummed up in the ice/idiot driving that surfaces upon london snowflakes. so i rescheduled the move.

my inner canadian is having a fit.

i tell her - look - you are being rational. this is how it works. you know this. even though every winter on the one day it snows you still trudge to the station and are still surprised (every year) to find no trains running and you come home and feel guilty all day for not trying hard enough - you know this. it will snow and the lorry won't get through and the train will be cancelled and you could be stuck in london or worse (much much worse) on an actual train and you will be forced to go to plan b anyways. so? what's the problem?

but it really really bugs me.

anyways on the upside - SNOW!!!!

commence snow dance in 3 - 2 - 1

seriously?


ah bbc. it's your subtlety i really love...

Sunday 6 January 2013

Saturday 5 January 2013

i'm alive (croak)

this latest distinct lack of posts has been brought to you courtesy of a really crappy and persistent bout of flu. my 11 glorious wine-soaked gluttunous days off transformed into fever sweats and a throat so sore that little tears welled up in my eyes on each swallow. my christmas fairy is obviously a sadistic little bugger.

i'm on the mend now, and on the up-side, i still have leftover christmas wine and champagne. january is looking up.