Metal Ox

 Here we are in 2021 locked down once more. The vaccination programme is due to reach a significant level by the 13th February. It is interesting that as far as the Western world was concerned the virus started in China during its year of the rat, and in February we enter the Chinese year of the Ox.  Not sure what the significance is but just thought I would throw it out there!!

The time between Christmas and now has been somewhat low key as I suspect it has been for everybody. Lockdown has made it a tad more challenging as I can't use the golf course now so will have to embrace Joe Wicks  and the online spinning classes. Why was he not even nominated for SPOTY?

There are interesting anomalies within the regional lockdown guidelines. I can play golf in Scotland but cannot go to church. The opposite is true  in England of both. There is talk of Wales relaxing the golfing rules shortly leaving England and Northern Ireland still excluded.

I have just been to Tesco as we re-introduce our ten day shopping windows. The store had more staff picking home delivery than it did have normal punters which was a big change from last year when the queue stretched half way across the car park. There was plenty of stock although  few  gaps existed for toilet roles, porridge strangely and bird seed!!

Still it's done now so hopefully I can just stay close to home now. It is a pity that the new car can't have a run out but it is bedding in well and I am working out all the bells and whistles. I now have some admin to sort out then the lockdown list will e as follows:

• scan all old photo's in and make a few photo books
• move Atmosphere from VHS to DVD
  
• put the decorations in the loft when the new loft lights arrive
• floodlight the garden
• find useful tradesmen for routine home maintenance
• repair the holes in the garden golf net
  

So that should get me to February when my new golf trolley arrives and I can get back to hitting balls in the net. The vaccine in late February would be the icing on the cake. Fore!

 

Deep and crisp and even

We were only in the pub about 90 minutes on Friday night,

but it was nearly enough time to get snowed in. There was not a flake when we arrived, but we then had the surreal experience of watching the landscape turn silky white before our eyes.

Yes we could have stayed longer and maybe experienced a lock in, but sense prevailed and we trudged home to our traditional take away curry. That in itself was almost a no go as the lads in the shop were very reluctant to deliver it, however, as we are regular users and not too far away from the restaurant they did the biz.

The weather scuppered our plans for a game of golf though.

Talking 'bout my Generation

I saw a trailer for a new film last night. Its call 'The Bucket List' and features two old guys working out what they still had to do in life before they popped their clogs. It got me wondering.

I had a list when I was at school identifying bands I wanted to see, and sporting events to go to, and much of that list was successfully ticked off. I got to see The Stones, The Who, Simon and Garfunkel and Led Zep, and went to an England International at Wembley, and the League Cup Final, under whatever guise it was called then.

I never saw Cream, although I have seen the sum of its parts separately since they disbanded, and I have not been to an FA Cup Final as I vowed only to go when Spurs or Argyle actually made it there.

So if I started a new list, what would I put on it?

Well the Cup Final would be a carry over, although I have seen Argyle win at Wembley in the playoffs some years ago, Spurs getting there is a bit out of my hands though, so it would be sensible to include events over which i have some control.

I decided to start learning the piano when I was 40, with a view to being able to go into a pub, lift the lid on the beer stained Joanna and bash out a tune before I was 50. I missed that deadline big time, but am still persevering. I will be able to do it one day.

All golfers want to shoot a score lower than their age, on current form I would need to live into my eighties to do that. It could happen though, check this interesting article out about age expectancy.

Holidays have started to be linked with the bucket list. I want to cruise to Alaska while there is still ice up there, and visit the Indian sub-continent, probably to watch some cricket. Seeing Aussie play in Aus would be good too, although whether they would better the Windies in St Lucia for atmosphere, I am not sure.

I have done an Olympics, and seen the All Blacks in Auckland and attended a Rugby World Cup or two. The kids are all reasonable settled so there is not anything I particularly need to do for them over and above the usual parental bit. It would be good, though, to see a grandchild play or perform on a major stage or sporting arena, something else over which I have no control though.

Culturally, I have done the last night of the Proms a couple of times, but never been to a ballet or opera, Paris or Rome seem good venues to do that in. I have stared in wonder at the Grand Canyon and taken the tram to the top of the Peak in Hong Kong.

So it looks like I need to spend some time getting my top ten together, and then hope I don't find a bucket where a footie should be, in the foreseeable future!

The Only Gay in the Village

I am on a golf jolly in North Wales at the moment. There are ten of us playing some cracking courses. Already we have played Conwy, Nefyn and today, Royal St Davids in Harlech. All have most spectacular scenery and are to be recommended to all ardent golfers. I was third in the 'Masters, last yesterday and fourth today, so a bit up and down. We are staying in a small village called Criccieth, which seems to be dominated by gay hoteliers. They are all very hospitable, but mostly resemble characters from Lord of The Rings, rather than Little Britain.

Criccieth itself must have been a pleasant seaside resort in its time, but is now dominated by Chavy type people, and is quite run down. Whatever they do with the village though, it will always remain in Wales, so there is not a lot of hope for it.

Tomorrow we play Porthmadog before returning home, I need a good score to avoid winning the 'Rabbit'