Monthly Archives: October 2013

International Day of the Girl Child

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Gary

A very long time ago, fishermen and small traders along the coast of the Red Sea built their small boats out of reeds. They used reeds because they had a lot of them. These boats would either take them out … Continue reading →

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Chinese flag

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Gary

When you decide to travel to Beijing, you have to apply for a visa. This means filling out a massive form with just about everything there could possibly be about you and your family for about 15 generations. It also … Continue reading →

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Splitting corms

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Gary

Today I spent a lot of time in the hot border, finishing a job that Mirinda started on the weekend. The crocosmia didn’t grow very well this year. Actually, it grew okay but then all fell over and became a … Continue reading →

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The jaws that bite, the claws that catch

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Gary

“An Irishman, a Scotsman and an Australian, walk into a football ground…” Said Mark as we walked through the Rec turnstile.“There’s a joke in there somewhere,” Replied Stewart. We’d just walked down from the Queen Vic having had dinner and … Continue reading →

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Wet grass and magazines

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Gary

Last week I had a phone call from a woman I’d never heard of. She was desperate. Could I swap an FATN magazine recording. Of course, I told her. I can only assume she’s a presenter from Friday’s. So, this … Continue reading →

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Walking round Puttenham Common

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Gary

A few weeks ago, Mirinda went for a walk on Puttenham Common and hasn’t stopped raving about how brilliant it was. And so, today, that’s where we went to walk the dogs and to show me one of the most … Continue reading →

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Enter the dragon

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Gary

Last week I booked us into a new restaurant in order to celebrate Mirinda’s first successful acquisition. The restaurant is called Bel and the Dragon and is in the old Pride of the Valley pub at Churt. When I made … Continue reading →

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Chinese tea

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Gary

The image below is of a ritual wine cup. It’s not very big so you wouldn’t be getting drunk from any imbibing. It’s Chinese and was made somewhere between 1750 and 1800 during the Qing Dynasty. It is carved lacquer … Continue reading →

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All’s fair at the funeral

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Gary

I had a Talking Newspaper today; the Alton shift…the late one. I was very tired (following last night’s late date night), which meant I didn’t have the same sort of energy as usual. Which is a shame. Still… My team … Continue reading →

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Sluice gates

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Gary

One night at dinner, a while back, when Bob was over, the three of us had a discussion about the tidal differences on the Thames. (Having checked the very handy tide timetable, I can verify that the difference between low … Continue reading →

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