Fascinating Aida

I've long been a fan of theirs and their "Cheap Flights" about Ryanair is as good as it gets.    Here's their latest "Down with the Kids".....have a good chortle....

here   http://youtu.be/VtAy0AhKKsk

Jottings for July

The new PC is up and running and now whipped into shape and behind me in the study el jefe is battling with a new system for himself.   In computer generated images there is always a demand for more and more memory ( I know the feeling - if only there were little DIMM slots for humans), so he is upgrading his system amid curses. lamentations and whoops of joy at something going right.

So we are settled back into something like the old routine, except we couldn't get out in the garden in the teeth of a Levante wind.   10 minutes and it felt that every ounce of moisture and energy had been sucked out of us.   It went on for almost 9 days and although there is a lull today, we hear it will be back any time now. 

Anyway, I said I'd post some holiday pics and here are just a small number to show steam locomotive stations and trains as they have been renovated by enthusiastic volunteers over the years, even down to the pre-War advertisements on the stations. 

First, here's a pic of a de-luxe 1st class carriage with its red velvet upholstery.

 This is the Tornado which had journeyed from Kings Cross to York and there was quite a crowd to see it arrive.

The journeys through the moors and dales were the highlight of the holiday, plus a 2 hour guided walking tour through York.  

Cats overjoyed

We arrived home last week at 1 a.m. and were wary about the reception we'd get from Yin and Yang.   Our friend had told us that they could win an Oscar for sulking while we were away.  They've known her for about 4 years but during our absence, if she walked in a room, they walked out, only turning up for their meals.  

We were gobsmacked by the warm greetings - lots of yowling from both and following us around for the next few days, sleeping on the bed at night.   What a surprise.

I have pics and more to write but the PC crashed the day after our return and I'm busy now loading up and trying to get back to normal with a brand-new one.   Man oh man, what a lot of frustrating work.  

Yorkshire Holiday

They know something's up.....they're eyeing up the cases, sitting inside when they realise I haven't closed them, and generally have a reproachful look in their eyes.    "You're going without us, aren't you"!

Yes, we are - for the first time together - because a kind friend is moving in to look after Yin and Yang as a substitute servant.   We are off to Harrogate, York, Whitstable and Bronte country.   From the various recommendations from friends about places of interest, we are going to eat our way round E. Yorks... Yorkshire curd cake, and a long indulgent visit to Betty's team room for her dainties, Wensleydale blue cheese, fish 'n chips at the Magpie in Whitby while dodging Dracula memorabilia.  And all this in between the purpose of our holiday:   journeys on steam locomotives.   This is el jefe's special interest (see his website here  www.elegantsteam.com )  It's full of his graphic illustrations of 19th century steam locomotives in glorious colour. 

We are getting very excited.

Socks in Seville

We had a jaunt to Seville, despite wall-to-wall rain.   El jefe's shoes let in water, we had no umbrellas nor protective clothing......disaster.    So, new shoes for el jefe, lovely Spanish leather boat shoes.   But the socks had to be dumped - they were soaking.

We were in a very posh area and the only shop (apart from MaxMara and Loewe's) was Carolina Herrera, haute couture, and the only place for socks: yes, they had them.....lovely silky black ones with red toes and heels 15€.  We could probably have bought 6 or 10 pairs for that in M & S!

The hilarious thing was the packaging - presented to us in a beautiful monogrammed red box, ditto small designer carrier bag and the receipt looked like a flyer for the fashion house with the name of our server printed at the bottom.     All very tasteful, elaborate - and expensive.   But who cares:   his feet were dry!

Take a look at this

    

"Vaping"

I write so infrequently on here that I'm half ashamed to return to this blog to write about stopping smoking tobacco.   Ah, to hell with it - it's quite a milestone for me so why not share it with everyone.   I say everyone, but I think anyone who did stumble across this blog quickly faded away because of my lack of input.

Anyway, back to the point of all this post.    I am 72 today and apart from an 18 month tobacco abstinence period back when I was 54 or so, I have been a dedicated smoker since I was 14.   It was the thing to do then, it was normal.  Go and see your doctor and he'd be sitting there, smoking.    Spend the evening nursing a glass cup of Expresso in the new coffee bars back in the 50s, everyone was smoking.    Cinema, ditto; same for department stores.....anywhere and everywhere.  Bachelors  (the brand of ciggies!) were my poison of choice,  with a short period of those elegant Du Maurier in the red flat flip up box; short-lived because they were more expensive.  

In my latter years I've stuck to Silk Cut Silver, the very lowest tar and nicotine that you can buy and as I used to say to anyone who wanted to try one, "don't give yourself a hernia inhaling - there's nothing there".

Last month I went on a rare visit to UK for my niece's wedding.  It was freezing and I spent a great deal of time outdoors in the wind and rain having my ciggies (no-one else smokes and I was banished from the house).   Everyone was either just getting over or just acquiring a vicious cold and bronchitic-type cough and there was no escape for me.    That was nearly a month ago and I'm still wrestling with the aftermath.   I gave my germs to D, el jefe, and he gave them back.....and so it goes on.    Last week, el jefe wondered if I should not smoke and try to get rid of this whooping-type cough.   It was obvious he was worried.  

I saw an ad in our local internet forum for vaporised electronic ciggies so gave the guy a call and he visited that evening with all his wares.    I chose the psychadelic-looking one in the picture above.   It's light, neat and does the business.   I get a nicotine hit (there's a choice of strengths from 6-24 mg) a cloud of vapour that looks like smoke but isn't, and a lovely vanilla smell as that's the ejuice I've chosen.   I've got a standby of cherry, also very fragrant.   I just have a puff now and again, rather than light up and smoke (or let go out while I'm busy) a whole ciggie.   I've removed the ashtrays from my desk and side tables so the areas are now clean - so is my keyboard that used to get silted up with ash, along with the front of my clothes!  

And I don't want a real fag.   Aint that amazin'! 

No, I don't know the long-term effects of using ejuice and I don't care at the moment as I'm breaking the tobacco habit.   I'll keep you posted.

The Purpose of LIfe

So this is what it's all about



Hope this comes out o.k.  

Have not written on here for aeons.   Have been very bogged down with visits to northern Spain for a sick friend, getting involved with volunteering with Age Concern and continuing to enjoy gardening, reading and cooking.  Aand am still pretty obsessional about keeping up with world news.

Just not enough hours in the day these days.