Signs of our times

Okay, help me here.

What does this sign, seen on the Ouse between Ely and Littleport (during our recent trip to Brandon Creek for blacking) actually mean?

Older readers might well remember Julian and Sandy from 'Round the Horne'.... Perhaps it is an exhortation to the last remaining Polari speakers in East Anglia not to 'varder the lallies' round here.....

(Sorry, but if you've no idea what I'm on about, you'll have to get Googling. It would take far too long to explain it properly.....)

On the other hand, perhaps the sign was put up by three gruff billy goats who have access to one of the rickety bridges in the vicinity........

The mind boggles.

I saw this one on the road to our B & B when we were on holiday in North Norfolk.

If there were Olympic Gold Medals for 'Freestyle Bonkers', then everyone else might as well stay at home, the Brits have got it nailed........

As seen in Burnham Market. It confused me mightily: I couldn't work out whether it was an advertisement or an instruction....... but then 'oi is from Darset'.....

Now, this one really worried me. Vegan food is supposed to be good for you. This sign says it's toxic! I don't care if you don't have to pay for it, either... Poison, surely, is poison.......

Judging by this seeming graffito, 'Anna' clearly puts herself about a bit, for all her high-class airs......

A pre-Olimpic (sic) "Huzzah!!" for our side?

Makes you proud to be British!........

Checking in

The silence that followed the posts around the time of Rik's death and funeral has started to seem ominous......

Sorry, everyone.

We're okay.

We've had Pippin blacked, we've been on holiday, we've rubbed down all Pippin's upperworks and are painting between rain showers.

Or at least, Jackie is: I'm back at The Hole Making Shop......

We've also towed the engineless narrowboat from Cambridge to near The Parish, sold it's surplus engine for proper money (I think the owner was delighted..... he doesn't make it that easy to tell. :-), and we are going to resume work on installing the BMC 1.5 on Saturday.

Lots of photos to follow of all sorts of japes, but for now, I must don my Hi-viz armour plated Hole-making suit and dash off to work.

Have a lovely day, one and all!

Hail and farewell.

The service for Rik at Mortlake Crematorium was beautiful.

The place was jammed to the roof with his friends.

Now we have laid you to rest, my dear, dear brother, (for brother to me you most surely were), rest in peace.

And yet what part of me thinks there shall be more laughter in Heaven now you are there?

And a significant increase in the amount of vodka, Polish sausage, and fine wine consumed......

And angels being taught card games............

Love you, boy.

Sleep tight.

X

The night before we say goodbye....

We are both safe aboard Pippin tonight.

The flood waters have receded, and, much to everyone's relief, I am not singing 'Louisiana 1927' by Randy Newman so much......

The Hole-Making Shop was okay today.

My lovely neighbours are all more or less well. . . . .(one has a little girl who has a bit of a chest infection: they are keeping the antibiotic meds in 'The Mighty Pippin's' fridge as their boat doesn't have one.....)

Tomorrow, we journey to London.

Tomorrow, we say goodbye to Rik.

Annie has asked me to say a few words.....

Please hold us all in your thoughts.

This is going to be tough.

Hexamine rush.....

Hexamine.

Does sound a lot like something that any sensible person would 'just say no' to doesn't it....?

Or perhaps a product of a quiet corner of the sort of kitchen/laboratory favoured by zealots......?

Fear not, 'tis neither.

It is a chemical composite cooking block, used by NATO troops to heat water for a brew or cook up field rations on a special little stove.

I have just acquired a few boxes of surplus Hexamine to experiment with. I want to see if it will light smokeless coal quickly and thoroughly from cold, in the way that garden variety firelighters struggle with, lacking the essential, shall we say, OOOMPH......

Don't worry, I'm going to start small amd build it up until it works.

I don't subscribe to the 'more is better' school of thought, unless, of course, I am seasoning roast lamb.

But that is a story for another post......

I will let you know how I get on.

:-)

Happy Birthday James!!!

Today is young James Duck's birthday.

It does him no favours, in my book, that he is of an age that makes me, quite realistically, old enough to be his father......

(Little git............)

I am, of course, not....

But if I were, I should be proud to call him 'son'......

Have a lovely evening, James.

Relish every moment of this sweet youthful fullness of being, for it is fleet of foot, and one day, (like me), you will wake to find it gone.

But for now......

Enjoy!

Revel!!

Be free from care!!!

"Fill ev'ry glass!

Let wine inspire us and fire us with courage, love and joy!"

John.

A somewhat damp weekend.....

The drought is officially over, and to celebrate this, the weather decided to organise a Torrential Rain Party on Friday night.

The thunderous sound of the rain on the roof was enough to keep me awake, despite the elephant dose of 'feeling sorry for myself' beer that I had consumed.

I had to work the next day, as The Hole Making Shop is rising to meet the continual increase in demand for hole-making products by opening on alternate Saturdays.

I left the boat to see the river higher than I had ever seen it down here. The Conservancy were clearly dumping as much of the water as possible through Baits Bite and onward to us to protect Cambridge city from serious flooding. (Have a look at Lucky Duck's blog for pictures and accounts of nocturnal heroics from James and Amy as the river rose fast and hard there..... the post is called Keep Calm and Carry On.)

I warned Jackie of the need for flood poles, but then had to scurry off to our workshop to clock-on for 07:00.

It was a worrying morning. I'm not allowed to make or receive calls while hole-making, but both Julie, the day's Duty Foreman Hole-maker, and Kerry, The Workshop Lead Grandmaster Hole-maker agreed to let me sneak round the back of No.6 R&D shed to get updates on progress at the mooring.

Jackie told me the situation was in hand: she'd roused our neighbour Rhoda from her slumbers with an 'all hands to action stations', and the two of them spent the morning securing the mooring's flotilla with scaffold poles borrowed from the E.A.'s work at the lock sluice, our Big Mullahring Mallet and no small degree of courage from Rhoda as Jackie swung same with gusto, biffing the flood poles in while Rhoda held them steady.

By lunchtime, when the part-time hole-makers left us full-timers to finish the day off, all was sorted. There was no need for me to ask one of them to stay on so I could nick off early to help.

So, top one Jackie and Rhoda! I felt a bit useless really, as the girls have the advantage of me in all other departments except physical strength, but had done perfectly well without me.

(Not that I'm insecure or anything, you understand, just aware that big ol' Dorset ploughboys like me are kept on not for our lightnin' wit, but because we is froightninly strong......)

I was shocked when I got back to see what they had contended with and prevailed against:

Our cats, China and Thomas, were far from amused by the situation.

The heron was, quite literally, having a field day, though!

Rhoda had to help Oscar, the feline Black Hole in the space time continuum, to shore and dry land so he could carry on his own hunt for The Higgs Boson. (Rhoda says he brought one in the other night. They are messy as well as massy apparently.....)

Sunday, however, was mercifully dry. The combination of that and the tides at Denver Sluice meant the waters receded very quickly. It's still squelchy underfoot, but we are no longer wading. The flood poles will stay in as a precaution, though.

I've a feeling we'll be needing them again, e'er long.....

:-)