Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable. - Francis Bacon

Sunday 4th August

Walcott Sunrise

Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny, I got up to go to the bathroom then went to the back window to enjoy the beauty of the morning and the sounds of the sea. Then I crept back to bed, I was tired, it had been a busy few days, and there is nothing better on a Sunday morning than listening to Radio 4 in bed. Sleeping Beauty was still in 'the land of nod', he'd stayed up late last night enjoying the freedom to do as he liked without worrying about an early start in the morning.

It was nice to have a lazy start to the morning, but we weren't going to waste the day - and we weren't going to miss the Archers! We drove back to Mundesley at midday, Sunday lunch at Jonet has become a bit of a holiday tradition with us, this week it was roast chicken. Robbie grudgingly agreed to have a few peas but he left all the cabbage and carrots for me - I love cabbage. We spent a couple of hours in Mundesley, then we came back and sat in the garden until about 8pm. It was a beautiful day.

I have a lot of writing to do while I'm here (I'm writing a book) but I want to have fun too so I've brought a book with me called ' From you to me - A journal of a lifetime' my older daughter bought it for me. It gives lots of questions and prompts to write about my life and hers. With a bit of luck it will help to get the 'grey cells' working so that I can get on with my book. I also have my question and answer journal with me (another gift from my daughter), some of those questions are really challenging. Anyway I made a start on the lifetime journal, it is harder than it looks, but I am enjoying the challenge.

'You either get Norfolk, with its wild roughness and uncultivated oddities, or you don't. It's not all soft and lovely. It doesn't ask to be loved.' Stephen Fry

We woke up to a lovely quiet and sunny morning, I felt much better after a long sleep and after a refreshing shower and one of Robbie’s legendary bacon sandwiches I was ready to face the day. I finished off the unpacking while listening to the Archers and Robbie had a shave and shower, then we were ready to go to the local car boot sale. I love car boot sales, but we only go when we are on holiday because we already have far too much junk in our house.



Robbie had very bad cramp in the night and it had left him with a very painful leg, but he managed to walk around the reasonably well. He didn’t want to buy much, just a couple of music cassettes and a book of railway postcards, but he enjoyed searching through boxes looking at old die cast vehicles and various model trains. I bought several cds including Summoned by Bells, the verse biography of John Betjeman, we enjoyed listening to the first part of it when we got back to the bungalow.


It was mid afternoon when we got back from the car boot sale. It was nice to have time to just sit and look out across the sea and enjoy the calm that time away from reality brings. There was plenty to see first of all we saw a life boat travelling at speed along the coast, Robbie went out to take a photo, but his blackberry was not powerful enough so he dashed back for his camera. Then there were two lifeboats and a little dinghy type lifeboat and then he said that there was a fourth boat. I wonder what was going on.

Robbie had only just settled down again when another boat came past, it was fairly close and Robbie rushed out again for a better look. He said he thought it was a customs boat and he came back in to look on the site he uses to identify the shipping in the area. It was a nice relaxing evening, we watched DVDs, and enjoyed the unusual feeling of having nothing pressing to do – I could get used to this!

I Am So Angry

I feel cheated and let down, I have been totally loyal but it seems I have wasted a huge chunk of my life. I am so angry, how dare they do this! I expected far better from them, I will never trust them again! Who am I talking about - the BBC of course! Poor Nigel, he didn't deserve such a stupidly pointless thing to happen to him, he has never done anyone any harm. What a let down, dreadful writing and stupid unbelievable plots, as a very long term listener I feel cheated and disrespected. They said that Ambridge would be shaken to the core in a special 60th anniversary edition of The Archers but sadly, the only core that has been shaken tonight is that of the programme's long-time faithful audience base

I would have danced for joy if Helen and her baby had died, she is so annoying. In fact I could have provided them with a list of annoying people that need culling. Shula, Kathy, Jennifer, Susan ..... but after tonight Vanessa Whitburn is top of my hit list!

Memories

I am a Radio 4 addict, I even listen to the radio in the bathroom. My favourite radio programme is the Archers, I have been listening to it for so long that I couldn't imagine life without it. I will not admit quite how long I have been listening to the Archers but when we were talking about it last week I realised that I have been listening to it since before Robbie was born! Over the last week or so the series has been dealing with the death of one of the main characters Phil Archer, we knew it was coming because Norman Painting the actor who played Phil died before Christmas, but it is still terribly sad. However the character and the actor who played him had lived long and fulfilling lives and you should not be sad about a life well lived even a fictional one. There are some deaths that are much harder to come to terms with. It is three years this month since Emily's friend Charles died in a car accident. It was such a shock, he was a very careful driver and it was one of those freak accidents that didn't involve excess speed or alcohol, it should not have happened. It happened on a bend on a country road, I think he may have swerved to avoid an animal but I guess we will never know, he came off the road, hit a tree and died of head injuries. He packed a lot of living into his almost 18 years, but it seems such a waste, he had so much potential. His friends friends will not forget him, they still miss him very much. I hope his death with remind other drivers to be extra careful on the road even on routes you take every day.

The End of an Era

A voice has gone out of my life and he will be greatly missed. Norman Painting who played Phil Archer in the Archers radio series died yesterday. He had Phil since the trial run of the series in 1950 and he has a place in the Guinness Book of Records for having played the same character without a break since 1951 when the series started. I have been a fan of The Archers since I was nine, the characters are as familiar to me as the voices of my own family. Norman Painting in his role as Phil will be sadly missed by me and countless other Archers fans.

An Odd Weekend

I had a really odd weekend, Robbie went off to his dad's on Saturday and the children were out and about doing their own thing, even the dog was out! I am not used to having time to myself, there were hundreds of jobs that I could have done, but I got side tracked and spent a relaxing couple of hours sorting out my jewellery and finding a better way to store my earrings. I like jewellery but I don't wear it very often so it was nice just to remind myself what was hidden away in my jewellery box. I enjoyed the luxury of time to myself, but I had to drag myself back to reality to get on with my writing work, prepare a meal and as always 'mum's taxi' was much in demand.

Sunday morning was quiet, Laura went off to work, Emily was out and Sam didn't emerge from his room until much later. There was nobody to wish me a happy Mother's Day until Emily got home later on, Sam eventually managed to wish me a 'happy female care givers day' (I wonder about that boy sometimes!). I had a number of phone calls from Robbie, but it was a luxury to listen to the omnibus episode of the Archers in peace.

Later in the day I went off to see my mum and then to collect a very talkative Robbie from the Station. He'd had a lovely time at his dad's, he'd seen many family members and he had 'topped up' his accent and was talking even faster than usual. It was now clear why he didn't want me to go with him, I would have cramped his style, he admitted to drinking far more than was wise and knowing Robbie what he admitted to was probably an under estimate! Anyway when he got home he smelled of stale alcohol and smoke (other people's smoke) and he was pointed in the direction of the shower as soon as he got home! Even so it was nice to have him back.

Feeling Like Death Warmed Up!

It's official Robbie is ill! I just want to make sure that everyone knows that, because every time he has spoken to me today he has informed me that he is 'not very well' and then he has gone on to accuse me of not caring. Of course I care, I know how rough he is feeling because I have had the cold/flu or whatever it is for a week and I still feel rough. He has an evil sore throat, a high temperature, a heavy cold, a nasty cough and he feels like death warmed up. I am not unsympathetic, but honestly we need to get a sense of proportion about this! I went out and bought him two giant boxes of tissues, some maximum strength cold relief tablets and some stuff to stick up his nose to help him breathe. He is sitting in the corner sniffing and sighing surrounded by a mountain of tissues looking like misery personified. I hope he gets better quickly because I'm not sure how long I can cope with this!

This morning Robbie listened to The Archers while I tried to get on with my writing work. Despite his sore throat he couldn't be quiet and he fired a series of questions at me about storylines in the Archers. I answered each question and tried to get on with what I was doing, but then he began to ask about another character and we had a slightly confusing conversation for a few minutes. Suddenly I realised that he now talking about a family member who by coincidence shares a name with the character I thought he was talking about. I moaned at him for not giving me any clue that he had leapt from one subject to another, but he just grinned and said 'they don't call me Random Robbie for nothing'.

The Demon Strimmer

After being 'allowed' out to play trains on Saturday Robbie said that he would give me his undivided attention on Sunday. He told me that his body was at my disposal, so I booted his body out of bed and sent him off tho establish a deep and meaningful relationship with the strimmer. I stayed upstairs doing some jobs and listening to The Archers, but Emily kept popping in with regular bulletins on the lack of progress in the garden. The strimmer thread kept breaking and Robbie would have made more impact with a pair of scissors than with the strimmer. Being a man Robbie had an answer - when in doubt head for the DIY superstore! The garden was finally tamed at about 8.30pm!!

A Question of Time

We changed the clocks on Saturday night (strictly speaking it was Sunday morning). I love the lighter evenings that come with British Summer Time, but I absolutely hate losing an hour because it takes me weeks to adjust. I set my alarm clock for Sunday morning because I wanted to make absolutely sure that I didn't miss out on my usual Sunday morning routine and to make sure that I was wide awake in plenty of time to enjoy the omnibus edition of The Archers. We were awake by 8am and we enjoyed a nice relaxed morning, but this morning I was much more reluctant to get up, it felt like the middle of the night. Why do we have to be so tied to time?

To answer my own question, it is all the fault of the railways. In the middle ages towns and villages managed perfectly well with local time, set from a sundial, but everybody had slightly different local time. Mechanical clocks were created and they were also set using the sun and local time continued. When the railways developed it was very inconvenient to have various local times, imagine the timetable nightmares. The Great Western Railway was the first to adopt London Time in 1840, others followed and by 1847 most were working to London time, this is confirmed by the January 1848 edition of Bradshaws Railway Timetable (no Robbie's collection does not go back that far!). By 1855 most public clocks were set to GMT, but this held no legal status until the Definition of Time Act in 1880. There is a certain irony in all this, the railways 'invented' standard time with GWR leading the way, now time is their master and it seems that punctuality seems to create greater problems for FGW than for anyone else!

Normal Service Has Been Resumed

I am pleased to report that normal service has been resumed, Robbie is his usual cheerful self again after a very challenging weekend. It was his birthday on Saturday, he was 36 and he was an absolute pain. I'm not sure what got into him, he said he wasn't happy about getting old and I came very close to solving that problem for him - there is only so much moaning one person can take in a day! He had some nice presents and cards, two expensive railway books from me, binoculars from the children, another railway mug and money. He'd asked for money because he is saving up for an a camera, not just any old camera, the one he has his eye on does everything except make a cup of tea - and it has a price to match, so he will have to save up. We had a lovely afternoon at my mum's, she spoils Robbie, she cooked him his favourite meal and she made him a lovely birthday cake, so he managed to feel a little better about getting old by the end of the day.

On Sunday I put him in a bad mood by listening to the morning service on Radio 4, I was enjoying it but Mr Moan announced that it was too 'happy clappy' and he sat up in bed with his arms folded and his bottom lip sticking out like a toddler having a strop. He irritated me so much that I was almost tempted to sing along and join in with the service, but maybe that would have been too much for him to bear. I had a couple of errands to do, but I when I got back I made sure that I had some peace and quiet to listen to the Archers. Robbie was kept busy with mending the fence (just the job for a rainy day) and then building his new bookcase (at last).

So now it is Monday evening and the bookcase is positioned neatly in the corner of the lounge with just two books on it. Having waited weeks for Robbie to build it, I thought it would be a simple matter to put the books on it, but there appears to be some delay. He says he has to work out how to arrange the books but I think he has suddenly realised that he will not be able to read his Quail Maps in bed anymore. I have a feeling that this isn't going to be as easy as I thought!
Favourite Railway Books

'Me Time' 08.03.08

Robbie is out playing trains again today, he has gone to Carlisle on a charter, he mentioned something about tractors but I am not sure of the details because I tend to 'tune him out' when he goes on and on about trains (or anything else for that matter). He had to leave soon after 5am and he assured me that he wouldn't wake me up, as always that proved a forlorn hope, the sound of Robbie galloping around the house was enough to wake the dead, but just in case anyone in the street was still managing to slumber he shut the door with such force that we thought there had been another earthquake!

I had expected him to encounter some sort of hold up, he always seems to attract trouble when he travels north. Today he had hardly left the county before he encountered problems, a cable fire between Birmingham International and New Street had caused chaos. He rang me to tell me about it, but I begged him to just give me the abridged version, so I am a bit sketchy on the detail, but I know that they got away safely in the end.

I decided that I was going to have some 'me' time too, so after providing Laura with a chauffeur service to and from the hairdressers I settled down to some family history research, but it was one of those frustrating days when I just kept hitting brick walls. Laura had gone to town to buy yet more shoes (something else for me to trip over in the hall) and Sam had scurried off to his room allegedly he was going to rediscover the carpet and have a general tidy up, but judging by his lack of progress I suspect he was watching a DVD. At least I had a couple of hours of peace, I gave up on the family history because it was making me frustrated, but I managed a few more chapters of A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton Walsh and Dorothy L Sayers, I have read it at least twice before but it is just as good the third time.

Robbie will not be home until after midnight and I don't suppose his arrival will be any quieter than his departure, but if the wakes me up to tell me about his day I may not be responsible for my actions. Tomorrow I intend to listen to the Archers omnibus before I even think about the routine of the day, and Robbie can make me lots of cups of tea to make up for abandoning me today!

One of Those Days 25.01.08

Thursday was one of those days. I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but our hot water failed a couple of weeks ago, the central heating still works but it is so frustrating not having hot water. We still have a working shower so we don't smell, well not unless Robbie has been over enthusiastic with the aftershave again - that can be a breath taking experience! Anyway I am grateful that we have a working shower, but I miss my bath, there is nothing quite like a leisurely Sunday morning listening to The Archers in the bath - with two cups of tea, of course! Having been messed around by the first couple of plumbers we contacted, we finally had an appointment for someone to come and fix the problem yesterday. I had spent the whole day planning a long hot bath that evening, but when I arrived home at about 6.15 I could tell by Robbie's face that it was bad news. Still no hot water! Apparently the plumber thinks we need a new cylinder and it can't be fitted until next week. I'm not convinced that he is correct, so I intend to check that out first but whatever the outcome we are facing another weekend without hot water. Our boiler is only 4 years old, so I am unimpressed to say the least! Oh well, I expect we will sort it out eventually.

Defeat! 18.11.07

OK, I give up! Sunday morning dawned to reveal a dismal wet day and there was no hurry for us to get up. Finally we could fit in some 'us' time. I snuggled back into bed and cuddled up to Robbie but he chose that moment as the ideal moment to discuss a current storyline on the Archers! I thought I had made my disapproval fairly clear because he curtailed his monologue on the Archers, but I was mistaken. He put his arm around me, looked into my eyes and explained in detail about the problems he has had with Network Rail regarding the timing of his empty trains going through Laira depot! Maybe it is just me, but I don't find the lurid details of emptying train toilets are much of a turn on! Oh well, I guess I could take up knitting.

Standards! 02.11.07

One of the qualities that attracted me to Robbie was his less than obsessive interest in watching television. Usually he preferred to talk, or to work on the computer, and as he got to know me better he soon became hooked on Radio 4 and was content to listen to the radio rather than watch television. Unlike most men he does not get all territorial about the television and he is one of the few men I know who isn't driven by some irrational instinct to jealously guard the TV remote control as if his life depended on it. Maybe that is because he already has his hands full, pager in one hand and mobile phone in the other he would have to become a juggler to cope with any more phallic symbols!

Anyway life has ticked along steadily and Robbie has become so passionate about Radio 4 that he even gets podcasts of The Archers and Woman's Hour, but he has not been obsessively interested in television. At least that was the case until recently, first he became very macho about absolutely having to watch Spooks - I hate it, then when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it did exactly that. We sat down after our evening meal and I decided to see what was on TV. I flicked through the channels looking for something cheerful and interesting to watch, finding that Eastenders came nearest to that specification, I declared that we had a choice of 'television to top yourself by' or complete silence. Not for the first time I wondered why I bother to pay for a sky subscription when it only gives me a greater choice of rubbish. Robbie suggested that I should flick through the menu once more as there must be something worth watching. He was nearly ready to give up when he spotted Dog the Bounty Hunter and asked to watch that. I was incredulous, as far as I was concerned it was little better that the dreadful Jeremy Kyle, but Robbie seemed to think it was cool. We didn't watch it - we still have standards! However I have seen trailers for Dog the Bounty Hunter and I am worried that Robbie may decide to take fashion tips from 'Dog' - it would be terrifying. There is another possible explanation as to why Robbie feels it is worth watching - it could be the amply proportioned women in the programme!

An Awesome View 27.05.07

The view from our window is awesome we look out over Mother Ivey’s Bay towards Trevose Head and the new lifeboat house for the Padstow lifeboat. Perhaps there are more beautiful places in the world, but there is nowhere I would rather be. Today is wet and windy but it is still beautiful looking out towards Trevose Head and watching the waves break around Merope Rock.

Time is a luxury, today I had nothing to clean or iron and no gardening to do, so I was able to just sit comfortably looking out of the window and listening to the Archers, total luxury! Robbie says that his workmates think he is sad for listening to the Archers, but they don’t know what they are missing. I have been addicted to the Archers since I was 9 (and that is a long time

You Can Lead A Horse to Water, but ........ 03.03.07

So far on the blog I have talked mainly about Robbie's interests and the various ways that I get involved in the things he likes. Robbie has also learned to like some of my favourite things too. I have already mentioned Radio 4, he loves it, and despite his initial scepticism he even become an avid Archers fan.

I like art too and Robbie has become interested in some of the artists I like. Robert Lenkiewicz is one of my favourite artists, his work is not always comfortable to look at or to think about, but Robbie has become quite interested in his work. I suspect he is much more comfortable with my other favourite artists, Martin Taylor and Nicholas St John Rosse. I enjoy painting and drawing when I have the time, but Robbie is realistic about his own rather limited artistic abilities.

I enjoy poetry, but I didn't expect Robbie to share my enthusiasm. Oddly enough it has been easier to introduce him to poetry than art. I was sneaky and found all sorts of railway poetry for him, and once he got used to it he was willing to discover other poetry too. One of my favourite poems is Adlestrop by Edward Thomas but I think Robbie prefers John Betjeman. He listens to Poetry Please on Radio 4 and he has been introduced to a variety of styles and voices. You can imagine my disappointment this evening when he announced that his favourite poem is the Tay bridge disaster by William Mc Gonagall - this is one of the worse poems ever written and it doesn't even have brevity to recommend it! I blame Billy Conolly (another one of my heroes) for all thisbecause it was him that introduced Robbie to the Mc Gonagall poem. I suppose there is no accounting for taste!

The Shipping Forecast

After my rant about Network Rail yesterday we are back to the more sedate subject of Robbie's reading matter. Robbie and I had quite a lot of adjustments to make when we decided to marry. I accepted his Dr Martens, his trains and his music. He had to accept wall to wall Radio 4. At first he teased me about it, but after a while he was addicted too, and now he listens to everything from the Archers to the Shipping Forecast. In fact he became fascinated by the magic of the Shipping Forecast and he wanted to know more about the place names that were recited in the daily forecast. A couple of weeks ago he bought himself a book called Journey Around the Shipping Forecast. You know what that means don't you? It means that Robbie will read a whole book with no trains - just a lot of seagulls!