While it's nothing earth shattering there were a lot of nice things going on today. This follows on from yesterday where I heard a friend had an offer on a house accepted , and was so pleased for them, and they were happy. And yesterday was extremely good.
And then today I had tasked myself with getting some new jackets , and after trailing through shops found a pair of linen ones in John Lewis and when I got to pay found they were half price , so it was effectively 2 for 1.
I wandered through the Grainger Market stopping off in Reflex and a chat with my mate Phil who works in there, then down through the Bigg Market towards RPM and noticed a shop that had replaced the beloved Attica , The Glamorous Owl and it is a wonderful and joyous place full of locally produced things and the people are wonderfully welcoming. You have to visit this place it really is a jewel.
Then on to RPM where Marek told he had something coming in , a collection of local 60s / 70s vinyl coming in , which should be very interesting.
Then in Fitzgeralds was served my a waitress who had the most amazingly stunning Medusa Tattoo , a true work of art , but I was too much of a gentleman to ask her for a photograph of it , but it was very impressive.
Anyway , the Joe Walsh song should suffice for the soundtrack to this post because the title sums up my feelings today even though I am very tired,
Oh and Preston won today which is always puts a smile on my face.
So enjoy the rest of the weekend. I know things are going to get much, much better
Don't know what brought this into my mind , but as you know my mind does veer off in weird direction , with or without and inspirational muse to direct me. I usually post because someone or something or some event has inspired me.
Anyway was just thinking of a time recently where I was watching a particular exciting TV program that was coming to a climactic scene and ....... there's a loud banging on the door , completely dissipating the moment. It was my new window cleaner (not had one for a while) who has the loudest knock you could think of.
Now if I hadn't got a new window cleaner , the TV progam would have had it's desired effect , but
because I put in motion the new window cleaner thing , that happened , and is likely to happen again as you need to be in for him to catch you.
Sometimes things you do can have completely unexpected but still valid results.
Anyway it's been a brilliant end to an amazing week , and now it's time for the weekend to kick in . Have a wonderful one my fantastic friends.
It's summer , it's hot and often you don't feel like eating a great deal, but it is nice to have something that's both cool and good for you. While I love apples and grapefruit that have been in the fridge at least a day, sometime grapefruit can get a little messy with juice going everywhere as you cut into it, but the taste as the pulp hits your tongue is tart and amazing.
But also grapes , strawberries and baby plum tomatoes are an absolute treat for the tastebuds slipping down a treat and you just find it difficult to stop. Just one more, just one more and then you stop. And it's amazing that there are readily available everywhere, so it's not as though they are exotic.
Raspberries are another and even bananas , which are also full of goodness and are very pleasant decorated with cream and ice-cream.
So I hope my culinary escapade has kept you amused and given you ideas to try.
It's time for bed now , early start tomorrow
And it's an excise include Prince's Cream as the decoration although I could have had Peach!
I saw a post on Facebook asking people to describe their day in three words. What shocked me was the amount of negative sets of words . While there is a lot of negativity happens , it's just something to deal with like missing a bus , losing your wallet , and there are really big bad things , but when it gets that bad you call on your friends for support , because that's what they are for.
So an example of a couple of things yesterday is someone asked me how things were going , as usual , I said "Absolutely brilliant" , and they said it was such a refreshing change for someone not to be moaning about something , which actually made me feel even better.
A colleague asked for a favour , she was feeling under pressure, as things had conspired to corner her, and she needed to get some information for a deadline . We sat and worked through and very quickly got what she wanted. I told her to set up a short "informal" training session for next week for her team. That was great and she did her presentation and apparently some senior people were so impressed that they will be joining next week. I just emphasized it would till be informal but we all felt very very good.
Then I checked an email and saw I had missed a mail from my friends at Geek Talent. A quick change of plan meant I had tea with them at Za Za Bazaar in the Gate and met lots of new people and many old friends had an absolutely wonderful day.
The song I've chosen is just so uplifting , and had to put it in because the way I'm feeling even though I used it in a post about Peru recently, Big Day by Phil Manzanera featuring Brian Eno.
This post was going to be about negative stuff, but I thought I am always telling people to concentrate on the positives , because it's the easiest thing in the world to find fault , so maybe I am a bit special because I will always look for the good in everything.
I miss a bus , I walk to the next stop and benefit from the walk
I miss a train, I have longer to read a book , listen to music, talk with friends.
Last night I became a Friend of the Tyneside Cinema, because it's the only Cinema I'm aware of north of somewhere South and it's a wonderful place , the people there are lovely and I love going in there.
You also meet lovely people there , last night I ran into Craig and Krista and they introduced me to a young poet and we chatted about diverse thinks such as South and Central America , film , Vamos and Isabel Sarli. Craig and Kirista went to watch a film and the poet left with a hug.
Then we went for a lovely meal at Prezzo before coming.
Had correspondence with various good friends during the day and there was so much good happening.
And this came on to of an amazing weekend with friends and family enjoying the Chase Park Festival under gorgeous sunny skies.
And when you concentrate on good things it sets you up to look for more things.
I know negative and bad things do happen , but if you are in a positive frame of mind it will help you. There are times even in my new job, when things seem that they are getting too much , with belief in myself , and so much support and positivity from my friends and colleagues there , as well as the company ethos , makes sure that I succeed.
Anyway I hope you all have a great day, I am going to have one , and what else could I have but Baxter Dury's "Pleasure" my feelgood record of the moment.
Yesterday I went to the amazing Chase Park Festival (see my review here) , and the power on my phone ran out , so after the gig had finished I managed to lose everybody but expected to see them at the bus stop. Although everyone is capable of looking after themselves I thought I'd use the public phone box, not a la Clark Kent , but to actually make a phone call.
Then it struck me , I don't know any phone numbers because I don't need to know any numbers , because the phone does that for me. Luckily I know my home number , but then thought how the hell does this work. I finally realised I could use a 50p and a 10p so picked up the phone ... no sound ... put the money in nothing , so I couldn't even make a phone call.
Having said that A very drunk guy tried after me and came out cursing , and he couldn't get it to work either so maybe it's not me.
I used to think that it would be wrong to close down phone boxes , but technology is making the
things redundant. But they are essential in an emergency ,,, but you need to know your number and how to use the things.
I am diabetic , you all know that. I treat it very casually , you all know that. I do what I'm supposed to do you all know that, and the fact I am still here is testament to my general life regime. The NHS has been brilliant in their support of me, with some superb support from across the spectrum , especially my brilliant surgery , Thornfield Medical Group, who I would recommend unreservedly to anybody and NUTH Hospitals who I have both worked for and been treated by over the last few years.
You get the odd well meaning pedant , like the nurse who told me I had to live off carrots and celery, and the nurses and doctors who keep banging about me getting out of a car and sitting in the passenger if I have a hypo while driving. As I diabetic I have to check my blood sugar levels at least every two hours when driving , and I always do this before getting behind the wheel. If the blood sugar was low I would not get in that car, and the day I have a hypo while driving is the day I give up driving. But as I bang on about the odd pedant I have to tell you about the nurse who brilliantly analogised the benefits of Omega 3 Oil as a brillo pad for your veins and arteries (everyone and I mean EVERYONE) should take Omega 3, the brilliant consultant who , although trialling me on a liver drug which resulted in identifying my cirrhosis (which means I can take extra care of myself in that area) , who also noticed muscle wastage in my left hand which I had lost the horizontal use of, eventually kicking of some tests that discovered a weird trap nerve carpal tunnel syndrome combination that has resulted in a 90% restoration of the functionality of my left hand, we original thought it may have been a TIA or a stroke (which I may have had around the turn of the century when I got hit by ITP).
But as usual I've gone sort of off subject before I've started, but it's really that porridge is the best breakfast anyone can have and it's particularly good for diabetics. It is one of the few foods you can buy that does have sugar as one of it's ingredients (most other cereals have loads) , although the sachets and quick porridge brands have loads of added sugar., just go with a box of Quaker Oats and you can't go wrong (though I'm on Aldi's stuff at the moment). Anyway the way I make porridge is half a cup of dry porridge oats , a cup of skimmed milk , then put in a pan and stir together and but on the hob on the lowest heat and come back when you are ready to eat (at least 30 minutes) , add some fruit for taste , chopped apple , banana, raisins or sultanas , and you have a perfect start to the day. After that you DO NOT feel like snacking at all , it's very slow release, Perfect.
And now the dangers..... I was once working from home , put the porridge on about 7am and the started work. I was so engrossed in my work that I forgot about the porridge until a cooking smell wafted upstairs that I noticed about 11:30 am. Amazingly because of the low heat, adding another cup of skimmed milk and stirring it it resulted in a great breakfast ... at dinnertime.
Then yesterday ,I had porridge for breakfast , but came home to find I had forgotten to switch off the hob , so it had been on all day, but luckily only on the low heat which means you don't see a red glow when you take the pan off, so that didn't do my energy conservation much good.
Anyway today I'm going to see Ash with I used to soundtrack my YouTube video that I did when I took part in Lighting Hadrian's Wall which I've include with this even though the only connection is me. Have a great day, I'm going to the Chase Park Festival with my girls , and friends and their families (who are all girls!) so you enjoy yourself , I'm gonna enjoy mine
