Tag: laughter

More moving shenanigans

Yet more moving shenanigans, we’ll get there one day.

I apologise for occupying my timeline with these random updates regarding our impending move to a new home, and the weird process that goes on behind the scenes whilst buying and selling.

However, our life at this particular moment is totally consumed with these activities, and anything else such as projects and hobbies have long since been packed away into boxes and are currently sitting in another town, elsewhere in the county, in a storage container in preparation of that impending move.

Part of our life in this little 10×10 unit.

We’ve been away for 8 days in Madeira, even during this time the solicitors have been a pain in the ass, wanting information and paperwork that was just not accessible whilst sitting on an island in the North Atlantic. These are highly paid and extremely intelligent beings that couldn’t even open a pdf file that I was requested to send, “It won’t open”, they said. I opened it quite simply as it has always opened, and eventually had to phone the solicitor to explain to them how to open a pdf file. (I bet that call cost won’t be deductible from my bill)

I was baffled at the lack of ability to open a simple file.

Today my wife walked to the estate agents to give them her weekly pep talk that usually includes the words “inept” and “incompetent” however to her surprise, this week they were waiting for her to say “ohh you will be exchanging contracts by the end of the month”. My wife stunned at this comment laughed and walked out to where she met me on the high street, I wasn’t sure if she was funny ha ha laughing or just starting to lose it. I suspect it was the latter….it was.

Because….

Our buyer apparently still has a few documents to submit, and they have not yet even arranged a survey.

Our new house isn’t ready yet either. We popped over today, and we now at least have a garage, but no door or drainage, decoration is not complete and they are yet to talk to the wife about her choice of tiles and other decor. I suspect the house will not be finished this side of Christmas, but I’m happy to be proved wrong. Our builders want a sign off of the 17th October, having seen the property today, and the fact that this deadline is only four days away, there is more chance of me qualifying as a trained neurosurgeon in that time than the builders meeting that deadline. It’s just not going to happen.

Still quite a bit of work, in and out, to do

So, she was laughing as she was starting to lose it….

Bless her. A little cuddle brought her back to reality and we then laughed, funny ha ha style 😂

So to cut a long story short there are about three deadline dates out there and to be honest, in lay man’s terms, and to use quite a course old English saying, they don’t know their “Arse from their elbow”

And no, as I have always stated right from the start of this process, I still don’t trust a single one of them and quite expect the whole thing to collapse due to their collective incompetencies.

Hey ho, we’re keeping a sunny disposition, there are far more important things going on in the world, and we accept that. I just can’t stomach incompetence though, and that’s my pet peeve.

Have a super day, wherever you are. Stay safe, be kind.

Even to estate agents and solicitors 😂👍

Happy Easter

I’ve been very fortunate to have my entire family around me these last few days and it has been a truly fantastic time. We get together very rarely and it’s hard to predict a date when this many of us will be together again.

It’s pure luck that’s it’s fallen on Easter weekend, and that’s just added to its appeal for me.

We are not in anyway a religious abiding family, in all truth I’m probably the most active one in that sense as it’s just something that gives me comfort, although I’m by no means a practicing member of the religious community and my attendance at a place of worship is woeful to be honest, nether the less it’s something I hold onto, as I’ve said before, for a little peace and comfort.

Today we have another family gathering at a family members house for a house warming, soirée for want of a better word. This will be the gathering where we all say our goodbyes as we swan off to all parts of the country after first making brief plans for dates, where the wife can work her magic and get the next “Gathering of the clans” arranged.

Prior to that though, a group of us men in the family will move off to the city centre to watch today’s game of football. We are destined to be further pushed along the road to relegation from the premier league, but it’s nothing less than we deserve as we have been awful all season. Personally I’d rather not go, but that’s the point of being a supporter, you give support through both the good and bad times. It’s very much the latter at the moment for us.

We lost, but enjoyed the game

That said there will, I know, be plenty of laughter along the way.

It’s been a lovely weekend where the whole aspect of Easter has been observed. Togetherness, happiness, sadness, whilst reminiscing for those no longer with us and a time for giving gifts and compliments, and compassion for those who are going through difficult times, who couldn’t be with us this wonderful weekend.

It’s rare to have these weekends timed to such perfection but the wife has surpassed herself yet again with this weekend.

Later tonight when all the good byes have been said, the family messaging group will come alive with all the wonderful, fun and smile inducing pictures of this weekend. Memories have been made.

A happy Easter, or a happy weekend to you all, wherever you may be.

Stay safe. Be happy.

Ironing running shorts


What is the oddest way you ever accidentally hurt yourself?

I had this question my head and thought it would be good to post here. My mum, bless her soul was a beautiful presence in my life but her cooking and ironing skills were questionable. Back in the days when it was fashionable I brought a lovely parachute effect baggy shirt from “Top Man” these shirts were made fashionable by the likes of Rod Stewart and David Bowie in that they were baggy and naturally very creased. I think I paid what was about £25 for it at the time and that was quite a layout in the early eighties, it used a fair amount of my wage packet for that time. I had one use of it at the local nightclub before it went in to be washed, mum did the business on it and it came back totally creaseless as she had ironed every single crease out of it killing the shirts appeal instantly, and now making it into a grossly oversized formal shirt. “That was a bugger to iron” she stated, only for me to inform her of how it should look and my inherent disappointment of what I now possessed. Her reply was short and simple, “You can do your own bloody washing and ironing from now on then.” And that was how it turned out. From that point on I became an independent teenager.

Here’s where the story starts.

One night I was doing the ironing, I was standing with nothing more than a pair of nylon running shorts protecting my dignity, whilst happily singing along to the radio ironing my latest batch of washing. At some point i foolishly leant across the iron to pick something up, when the hot iron made contact with the crotch area of said running shorts and all I remember is howling like a wolf, and running around screaming at the top of my voice that I had burnt my privates. This brought Mum and Dad into the room, and howls of laughter from the pair of them as I had successfully welded the pair of shorts to the most sensitive area of my body. They were no help to me at all. As we had no car at the time father spoke to a next door neighbour and he kindly offered to take me to the A&E department at the local hospital. I now had two grown men in the car laughing at my misfortune.

A similar pair of 80s nylon running shorts

At hospital things didn’t improve much as the nurses were also laughing at my misfortune, I did however get the offending material “Peeled off” and that was not a pleasant task.

Arriving home later, slavered in ointment i was on the road to recovery. It was another one of those stories my parents enjoyed telling people of for many years to come.

I learned my lesson and made sure that from that point onwards I was always properly dressed when ironing. Underwear and a good pair of jeans are always used, and remain so to this very day.

Believe me the scar that remains is not one you can show off and boast about unless you wish to be arrested for indecency.

And therein lies the lesson for today. Us teenagers back then, very likely just as now, knew it all. We didn’t and they don’t. 😂

Have a super day everyone and be careful.

Laughs & Giggles

List five things you do for fun.

Good morning all. I’m having to get my thinking head on today for this one, not that I don’t have fun, but when put on the spot like this you have to think the answer over. There are probably things that I call fun that others out there would probably find nauseating and strange. Hey, we are all individuals and it would be boring if we were all the same. I’ll do a little list now but it’s not an exhaustive list, this is only a list of things I might do. I’m sure there are plenty other activities I can turn to:

  • Football: Been following my team Leicester City, through good and bad in excess of 30 years now. Unfortunately, now is a bad spell but that’s the trials of being a fan of any sport. And I love having a Balti pie and a pint, or in winter a nice hot cup of Bovril. It’s tradition.
  • Walking: to be honest haven’t done a lot of late but I’m already planning some nice walks to do in the next couple of months. There is nothing better than getting out there into nature and just drinking it all in. You have time to think and clear your mind, and it’s probably one of the best and healthiest activities you can get involved in.
  • Art: I love art and have a genuine appreciation of anyone that gives it a go. I’m really bad at it but I’m a trier. let’s be honest some of the worlds finest artists must have been bad at some point, it’s just I’m making an art of being bad. It gives me immense joy and satisfaction just creating something, so it can’t all be that bad….can it?
  • Holidays: My wife and I have found that since our dog passed away we now have a lot more time and availability on our hands. We are now taking a good few holidays and having more short breaks away. We love each other’s company and that’s a good place to be. We have holidays in Iceland, Uk and I believe we are planning one to the Caribbean later in the year. I say “I believe” as the wife is concocting a plan with her cousin for the big holiday at the tail end of this year.
  • Family days/nights: Our families are quite spread out around the Uk/Sth Africa/ Australia so it is rare to get a good gathering of the clans together. When it does occur as it did around July last year it is pure carnage, but good old fashioned raw fun and laughter. You need this every now and then to charge the memory banks. Here’s to the next one.

And that’s probably that, for now, I think these activities probably rate in my mind as the five things I most enjoy participating in, for fun.

Have a great day everyone, may peace and joy radiate throughout everything you do.

Thoughts 01/04/23

What makes you laugh?

What makes me laugh? Really, I try to laugh at most of what I see and do partly because it cheers me up and partly because if I can’t see a sensible logic to something, laughing helps me get through the situation. Not perfect or suitable in many a situation and to some people I guess I might come across as quite inappropriate however it’s a coping mechanism for me. My dog Alf makes me laugh, he’s been a comfort to me throughout his short life and now as he’s starting to slow down and enter senior life he can still do it, he’s a beautiful soul.

My dog – Alfie

Humour has allowed me 32 wonderful years of marriage with my lovely wife who also has a wonderful sense of humour, it’s gotten us through some really tough times, and it works for us.

My sense of humour was inherited from my father, one of the good things he gave me. It’s kind of very low rate humour at times laughing at some quite crass things but hey, you’ve just gotta laugh. I’m laughing as I write this piece because a rude text has just popped up on my phone from a friend 🤦‍♂️. And that’s it I guess, you can use it as a measure to how someone is feeling, he’s told me without saying anything that he’s fine because I know his sense of humour, if he’d been more serious I’d be asking myself and him questions.

There is a time and a place I guess, but laughing makes you feel good and happy, and I believe the world needs a lot more of that.