Blog

It’s a privilege to get old because not everybody gets the chance. ~ Sarah Millican

This month has been spent mostly not going anywhere as my wife has been looking after an elderly friend in Dorset. I’ve had the car but I’ve had to limit my journeys as I can’t bear leaving Reggie on his own too often and for too long. A friend has left his Jack Russell alone regularly for 11 hours without a problem and so far Reggie’s maximum alone is 6 hours, which means I can still go to University some evenings to continue my sign language lessons. But because I have mostly kept my own company this month, there’s not a lot of photographic record. I’ve taken on board getting rid of some of those jobs that have been niggling me like bringing all the tools into one place, constructing some shelving in the shed to accommodate them; cooking last year’s plums which have been in the freezer and converting them into chutney; sorting out old clothes and preparing to throw away a lot of stuff that isn’t being used and effectively decluttering a tiny house making it more liveable. But as John Conway (Quality Manager, Neasden depot) told us in 1990, things always get worse on the path of getting better. My neighbour had some pears remaining whilst he went to China, so pear tarts were created but no-one to share them with. On the plus side, waking up early and seeing some nice sun-rises, clearing the freezer of stored fish and the cupboard of Thai curry makings and uninterrupted long hikes with my walking companion. Local contractors Land + Water have been working on dredging ditches and killing trees ready for the flood season, blocking footpaths and making them into mud swamps. A few opportunities to capture reflections, the onset of autumn and mushrooms which will follow in a separate album.

As is a tale, so is life. Not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters. ~Seneca

My wife has gone to spend time with a dying friend, which has left me to declutter and to have ensure a varied and active life with Reggie. So we’ve been to Totley Moor near Sheffield, Outwoods, various local excursions, Leicester City (from Syston) and Swithland Wood (which has had a number of trees’ limbs detach themselves from their host) – all this has meant clocking up a daily average of 14,321 steps. A few months ago I bought some strawberry plants – two kinds: one which arrived almost dead and another which showed some life. The alive ones died and the dead ones sprang to life and now I’ve cultivating these twenty plants’ runners, so – fingers crossed – I will have a mountain of strawberries over the coming years. Decluttering is not limited to one position in the home, so some nice shelving has turned a bomb site of a shed into a vertical stacking system; storage boxes host an array of filing, all destined for the tip/reselling/recycling. I lost my remaining milk tooth this month and am eating better without the need to avoid that area, but the fish diet continues. Helped out a friend who was helping a friend take the solar panels of their roof in order to paint said roof and took a photo of the home’s fuel system. September has been a lonely month for me, but I have occupied this space by addressing a twenty year storage problem. It has by no means been completed. Much of my photos this month have been of fungi, but I’ll leave those to another gallery as the mushroom season continues.

I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming… suddenly you find – at the age of 50, say – that a whole new life has opened before you ~Agatha Christie

First load of potatoes that I grew under the careful gaze this year, but I’m planting them in tubs and filling my front garden with them, so I know exactly when they need watering and saving from drowning.. So many colours everywhere! Barges, flowers, even litter bins and graffiti, urban decay’s half life has some defining qualities. We had an eclipse and I tried to photograph it but made for an interesting sunset – the housing estate where I live shielded it from view but for the first 20 minutes, a colander sufficed! Opposite the Great Central bowling alley is a new block of flats which have built-in nest bricks and a telltale line of guano, like the ledge of the Baltic Mills in Newcastle. Considering they spend most of their time flying, evacuation mode must be like taking your wellies off before you come indoors. I’ve seen Mum twice this month and treated her to my favourite Fish restaurant in Ongar, as well as some home cooked fish in some nice new saucepans –  I binned the cheap ones for some which are free from forever chemicals. It’s nice to have something to make restaurant quality Sea Bass with crispy skin. Sapori restaurant in Anstey is a good recommendation this month, it’s Michelin recommended but not starred. Italian modern cuisine and a delight to treat my wife and nibling to dinner. Our local nature reserve – a lake given as part of the roundabout improvement works some years back, is an 800 step loop. Recently I reported young lads coming in with their bikes to the lake and destroying much of the habitat and making a den from rotting wildlife logs. When they left their litter behind, I reported it and subsequently we now have a bicycle free lake with gates at either entrance. 

A bit of a slow month this July. We went with Mum to the Goring again, we haven’t been for a number of years and the food was delectable as ever. Happy Birthday Mum, now 93 years old, and still fit and bright as a button. Lots of walking, in fact I’ve walked the same distance as from Leicester to the Scottish border. Diet is now almost exclusively fish I can safely call myself a pescatarian and for reasons I can’t yet explain, fast food is off the menu as well as red meat. I’m going for the four Ks to improve gut health. I am a hoarder, and I have been breaking that spell by starting a project that will last me about six months, by clearing out loads of stuff I don’t use anymore – clothes, tech, books, etc. If anyone wants some mugs, I have plenty. First crops from the allotment have yielded some broad beans, shelled, parboiled and frozen and now the first of the potatoes are coming up. Charlotte has been working the allotment this year as I needed a break from the politics of plot holders, it was getting a bit overwhelming for me. Barkby Brook – which flows through Syston isn’t dried up just yet, but it’s getting there. Rain is now needed, though I’m sure we’ll not see any in August either. On a whim, whilst visiting Mum, I walked to her local park and discovered a car show in progress so took some pics of some cars I have had/ desire. Egg shells are appearing in the strangest of places, on footpaths and now on my drive, of recently departed fledglings. Other signs of summer included some very delicious blackberries, now only available in the furthest reaches as the Tupperware brigade have helped themselves (and why not!). Some walks, in the dry and parched farmlands are reminiscent of our trip to Provence a decade ago. The month was rounded off with a particularly enjoyable birthday party for an autistic 20 year old and I met lots of very delightful students, all doing their own thing and how refreshing it was to see them not giving a hoot about what people think! Marvellous.

Happy Birthday to Uncle Curly who made it to 96 this June. He is the same age as my Dad would have been, had he not died 12 years ago. Curly and Dad were at University together, with another friend Peter who also perished some time back… You may remember in May, I mentioned the storms we had, with some pretty hairy lightning and thunder, so June was a fest for heat and hail, the latter dropping tons of it in the north of Syston one day when I was out walking. The heat has been challenging, in order to get Reggie exercised, I’ve been out to Swithland Wood at 5am amongst the shade of the trees, although the poor blighter wasn’t allowed out one of the days, it was sooo hot for him and us, it was just the evening emptying session that had him out in the extreme high 20s. This month’s fish menu has included Sardines, Hake, Pollack, Crab, Salmon, Pomfret, Sea Bass and Herring with lashings of Samphire. I’ve treated myself to a new gadget, a UK Departure Board which will give you the live dot matrix feed from any UK rail/tube/bus/tram station and includes (with a regular payment) the voices also. Much fun. My brother in law died suddenly in Zimbabwe – he was three weeks older than me, so rather sobering, and my sister-in-law went over there to represent the UK family at his funeral. When returning she bought some gifts and we all devoured some sugar cane and other delights. My friends Jemmah and Charlie took me to Queens Park, Loughborough so they could feed the pigeons, I wasn’t keen to share the excitement and later in the month, some other pigeons decided it was OK to hump each other in broad daylight. After some planning and visits, we’ve finally had our replacement french doors installed, which were over 20 years old and the seals were rotting, so time to replace. Once the weather cooled down a little, I found time to replace the compost bin which had decided to start listing, starting as Eshaku and was almost in a Saikeirei before it was eventually changed and it relaxed itself back upright once emptied. A visit to Stratford upon Avon with my friend Simon now completes eating at all the Thai restaurants in the town and now we look forward to a new challenge. Whilst there are no litter bins provided, the problem is that litter is not taken home. I understand the Keep Britain Tidy campaign is being resurrected. As I write this I’m still waiting on the results of my final exams for British Sign Language Level 2.

April 2026

I normally associate bluebells with May but with nature under pressure (which the King succinctly told congress was a very real thing – do watch it on YouTube, it’s moving), things are approximately two weeks earlier than usual, so there is a definite change. Pollen rates have been off the scale and I’ve been suffering from it. Swithland Wood was surprisingly full of bluebells from the 4th April and they continue to provide a purple haze in the woodland among dappled light. April has been a very warm month which still carries the risk of a frost, so us gardeners are still apprehensive about planting early, through there’s a full moon on 1st May which often brings a temperature drop. Perennial vegetable Asparagus – which I’ve grown from seed – is yielding now and will soon be providing me with some nice breakfasts. This may herald the beginning of the planting season but with nature under stress, I’m not sure what comes next. April has also been a month of upheaval and decluttering in the garden and in the home, a spring clean if you like, but addressing years of collecting stuff and doing nothing with it has been challenging on the mind. In order to give myself more time I’ve given up choir and said goodbye to a lovely group of supportive ladies, but level 2 Sign Language is coming to a close and I need to really be on top of my game for Level 3 in the Autumn. I made time this month to meet up with old colleagues from Belgrave Hall with lunch in the World Peace Cafe opposite the Cathedral which happened to be on Maundy Thursday so the church was in full swing. I’ve been adding fresh fish to my diet, with a possible change to becoming a pescatarian (I no longer have the teeth for carnivorous meals). This has led to trips to the fish markets of Leicester and Epping which have provided some lovely meals and I do love a nice wing of skate or rock eel (never outside London). In Ongar, the family were treated by our 95 year old adopted Uncle Curly and I managed to quaff down Herring, Cockles, Anchovies, Monkfish, Scallops, King Prawn and Lobster and a trip out to Westmill in Hertfordshire yielded a very nice smoked trout crumpet. Whilst in Leicester, I paid homage to Lee Circle car park – NCP has gone into administration and several car parks have been shut down with news that Lee Circle (a listed building) will be demolished. Lee Circle, when opened in the 1960s by Sid James, was the UK’s first automate car park with barriers and had a Tesco superstore where staff would carry your shopping to your car. Now it’s a shadow of its former self and will soon become a den of iniquity. I bought myself a white five pound note from the 1950s which will, when I manage to find a bank that’s open, be paired with a Charles III note for a little hanging piece of art I’ve been planning for a while. My friend Gordon was kind enough to invite me on road trip of Leicester > O2 > Birmingham > Leicester and although the van broke down near South Mimms I did get to spend time with a good friend who is very generous and fun to be with. The warmth this month has also provided some rather stunning sunsets – My Mum had us out in the garden observing one in Epping. Due to the tube strikes, I was unable to get back home for my BSL lesson so Mum had me all week – a benefit to her in her semi-loneliness and a nice Roast at the Green Man in Toot Hill. Finally, I went to a leaving do of two friends who have escaped the clutches of London Underground, celebrating 80 years of service between them and the last of the longest serving staff from Buckhurst Hill and Loughton – one of which was the foreman when I passed through Roding Valley on my way to school in the mid 1980s. Good luck Brian and Dave in your next chapters.

Spring has sprung, the grass is ris,

I wonder where de boidie is

De boid is on de wing,

But that’s absoid

From what I hoid 

Da wing is on de boid!

Spring has most definitely arrived and flowers are popping up everywhere. A visit to Rugby yielded a whole new way to practise BSL with the Rugby Deaf Club and possibly some new friends. I’ve had a little windfall and I’m looking at how to spend a little and am looking at (a) new car (b) greenhouse or (c) treating family to nice meals and the latter has won. There’sbeen some clearing up from some flooding, though making a den out of destroying a wildlife habitat is the best Syston’s youth can offer. I attended an event at Glenfield Hospital the ‘share project’ (art experiences invited participation in BSL and body art, exploring how expression and community sharing supports wellbeing), which was the climax of months of work by friend Emma who I met on a BSL course some years ago. I also attended a skittles night with some of my choir, I’m fairly skilled at ten pin bowling and lawn bowls but this was a new experience for me. Fuel prices set to carry on rising, but if you only have £20, then that will do.

Winter is almost over. Summer time commences in four weeks time. I have an exam coming up in March as well as an allotment needing digging and a birthday. Lots to do and February makes a good reminder that the spring cleaning needs to start in preparation for the growing season. Onions have started and some seedlings planted, trying melons this year and growing my potatoes at home. I have seen Azuma trains passing through Syston and now I have seen one up close, though it was withdrawn from service due to faulty doors. There was another opportunity at St Pancras to board one, but alas, it was withdrawn from service due to faulty doors. I see a pattern emerging. When I visited Kenya in 1996 and 1999 I learnt about the long and the short rains – two distinct seasons of pre-Winter and mid-Summer. This seems to be the pattern we’re getting here, where winter is a long wet period, once cold enough to be snow and now just rain, though this year was a strong and unusually southerly jet stream which steered a succession of low‑pressure systems towards us. This has resulted in very wet ground but as yet – in Leicestershire – no major flooding, although we did have some pretty hairy frosts with temperatures as low as -8C. A visit to Buckhurst Hill resulted in my not favouring Waitrose anymore and thus no calling to the old place, but whilst in London I managed to check upon my Aunt & Uncle’s final resting place, and managed a visit to DLR Cyprus, to visit a cafe run by BSL speakers. The building is opposite city airport so you can watch planes taking off. The old NHS building in Thurmaston beside Watermead has been razed to the ground after being empty for many years. 

Remember the days of cheque guarantee cards and the process of putting them into the cheque imprinter? Then being told the cheque was dated January last year? Banks used to accept the previous year of cheques for three months. I heard news this month of an ex-colleague who used to like to thrown these at the wall to alleviate his stress and now, he’s no longer with us. This month’s synopsis is severely alliterative purely by accident.The Deaf centre has moved to a temporary location in an insalubrious part of town which may cause difficulties in the deaf community. Snow came in a storm which left a short smattering on the ground and provided some snapshots with long shadows. I saw a solar powered postbox for the first time with many more to follow. The snow turned into high river levels a few centimetres short of a flood and quickly brought ice and driving challenges. I did a short study of Leicester station for a video I’m making and had some short walks among snowdrops. London’s biweekly visit included visiting the most recent Step Free offering at Colindale – where through poor communications and the old scenario of press office not talking to operations – the station was declared accessible with a lift that was out of order. Today, 31st, was a warm Spring morning and now – at the time of writing, we are back to a two week forecast of rain. Roll on April!