Category: Travel
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The ‘whew!’ of a successful road test (MOT)
The MOT inspector followed me and Harry Hymer into the inspection bay. ‘That’s an immediate fail,’ he opined, as matter-of-fact as you please. ‘Your brake light’s off.’ I know Harry’s been through the wars, and this particular side end has had an unfortunate encounter with our own little Fiat Panda as it scraped out around…
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Theatres . . . great joys from past to present
Snapshots from the past are often very evocative, and our January visit to Taormina, thirteen years ago now, hoves back into the present as my mobile phone reminds me. Those days seem like a lifetime ago, but then life has a way of crescendoing into its climactic periods before or after it’s been more of…
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On a clear day . . . you can see
Forever is a long way, but early yesterday afternoon we stood on the western seashore of mainland Scotland and looked across the Irish Sea, beyond the granite island of Ailsa Craig where all good curling stones come from, to see Northern Ireland beyond on its left, and the Mull of Kintyre a bit closer behind…
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But if it is broke . . .
I’ve often had cause to remember the adage, If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! But sometimes, as with our beloved Harry Hymer’s side front bumper, it is most definitely broke! It was a disagreement with the gate as we tried to squeeze through the narrow passage beside our new-to-us house. That altercation didn’t slow…
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Off the hook . . .
There are so many meanings, phrases and idioms associated with the word hook. This morning I’m exulting, just a little, in being off that hook, which is another way of saying that one particular task, or exercise, is no longer immediately necessary. I’ve had my head down, this past month, working towards a reasonable number…
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A place in the sun
We are all getting older, Kali cat and us, losing a few of our wits along the way, but still enjoying the sunshine. Kali is especially good at seeking out, and finding, the warmest place to recline, stretch out, relax. Yesterday morning, before she found this sunshine-warmed hammock, I spent hours clearing Harry Hymer, our…
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When snow is light, fluffy, pretty . . .
The snowfall was off and on last night, and the flakes began to fall again late this morning. It’ll put folks off the resumed LING Lunch, perhaps, but for those of us who know a bit more about the trials and tribulations of snow, this soft and gentle fall could only be pretty and pleasing.…
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Simple pleasures . . .
I’ve been beaten at Scrabble by my beloved, consistently, since we took our maiden adventure together across Canada on the Canadian Pacific railway, back in 1981. We’ve played on a variety of boards, though the travel game with corner feet in each tile has survived intact through those forty years. Some day, perhaps, when we’re…
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The joy of 50 words . . .
I’ve got so much work to do today, all on my keyboard. I’m behind in most of my writing tasks. But I was given a fillip of joy yesterday evening, and early this morning I think I’ve managed to finesse my 500 word short story with the grace of an additional 50. The task was…
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Harry Hymer in the queue for joy
We’ve not had Harry Hymer out on the road for over a year now. But yesterday we booked him in for his MOT, and by mid-December he should be road-worthy again. That will be timely, since he may be pressed into accommodation service during the big move. In any event, there’s a lot of tidying,…
Roads to Joy 