Tea? (Part 1)

[TheDoctor]

Most IT tasks seem to be 'clearing up other peoples' mess'.
Where's the audax?
I'll probably do the local one on the day the clocks change. It's called the Ugley Nasty ride, on the trivial grounds that it goes through Ugley and Nasty.

 

[Landslide]

"Rutland and Beyond", 100km looping out of Leicester. Taking my (not so cycle-experienced) mate. He managed 70km through the Peak District last week, so reckon he'll be fine on this flat ride.

I like the sound of Ugley and Nasty! Reminds me of the (Yorkshire) Dales Grimpeur. Went up near a place called Crackpot, and as we headed home afterwards we passed through Bedlam!

 

[Arch]

I'm a bit sad. They've taken away my bike shed. Well, not my bike shed exactly - opposite my flat is the carpark (about space for 6 cars at most) for the office of the Dean and Chapter of York Minster. In the corner there was a lovely little bike rack - about 5 sheffield stands, with a roof over, a proper little pitched roof with slates and everything. Very sweet. When Tom was living with me, his bike lived in this shelter, and whenever friends visit, they use it. It was months after Tom died before I stopped myself glancing at it when I got home each evening to see if his bike was there and he was home - I still do (did) sometimes.

And now they've taken it down. Dunno why. It wasn't ever full, but there was usually at least one bike in it that wasn't Tom's. I suppose it wasn't technically a public rack, but it was very handy, and so nicely built and there was nothing to say you COULDN'T use it.

Now they've started to prise up the cobbles that mark out the car spaces, so I don't know what's going on - it doesn't need resurfacing. The bike shed barely took up a whole space, and thanks to the shape of the car park, they'd struggle to fit another car in anyway, without it blocking all the rest.

It's remarkably unsettling, to have it suddenly removed from my view. I realise how sentimentally attached to it I was.

I need a cup of tea!

 

[Landslide]

*Passes Arch tea*
Biscuit?
Sorry to hear about your shed.

 

[Arch]

*Passes Arch tea*
Biscuit?
Sorry to hear about your shed.

Thank you. Much appreciated. Mmm, biscuit, yes, it is getting round to an eating sort of time of day (note: 'eating time of day' - anywhere between 7am and 11pm normally)

Yeah, I'm just a bit sad to see it go Not just for sentimental reasons, but it was such a sweet little structure.

Actually, I should go and have my lunch. The one I made yesterday for work and left at home by mistake....

 

[Chuffy]

Wah.
I may be going near to Costa. Would you care for a muffin?

 

[TheDoctor]

*passes Arch some more tea*
*offers pate and cottage-cheese-with-pineapple rolls, warmed in steamy oven so not too crispy*

It's not just the shed, but what it represents and reminds you of, I'm guessing.
The last time I had dinner with my Grandad, we had duck breasts and Chateauneuf du Pape. I still can't order that without feeling a little upset. Or even write about it, it would seem *sniffs*.
He died about 10 years ago now. I still miss him

 

[Landslide]

Yeah, I'm just a bit sad to see it go Not just for sentimental reasons, but it was such a sweet little structure.

Sounds like you lose out on both counts. I feel it's an endearing quirk of humanity that we can perceive things like sheds as cute (for want of a better word).

Actually, I should go and have my lunch. The one I made yesterday for work and left at home by mistake....

I know that routine. I've still got Wednesday's lunch sat in my desk drawer...

 

[tdr1nka]

Tea please, I've now been on hold for 10mins trying to book my bike on a train!!

God I hate the evident lie that is today's modern 'customer service'.

Sorry to hear about the shed Arch, here in New Cross Gate there is an enourmous demolition of old council blocks the scale of which is quite alarming, my whole locality is changing from the one I've known for 35 years.

Tea is the only remedy.

 

[TheDoctor]

*passes tea to tdr1nka*

The last time I tried to book a bike on a train I ended up chewing the carpet in frustration.
Going anywhere good?

 

[tdr1nka]

I feel it's an endearing quirk of humanity that we can perceive things like sheds as cute (for want of a better word).

The great British shed embodies the romance of the Russian summer resdidence, the estate folly and mountain cabin hideaway, all rolled into one.
I believe that an Englishmans home is his castle, but his heart lays in his shed.

T x

 

[TheDoctor]

Oh dear, missed it. I will watch more closely for the 3000th post.I will try and esteamate when that will be. *note in diary for ? tries to extrapolate the exponentiality of the rate of increase in Tea? thread.*
Need a strong cuppa now.

I think that honour should go to LOTP, but where is he when he is needed?

Having applied differential calculus* to discover rate of increase in posts, I reckon we'll be up to 3000 about this time next week, or maybe a day or two later. Lets call it next weekend-ish.

*may not be true.

 

[Landslide]

The great British shed embodies the romance of the Russian summer resdidence, the estate folly and mountain cabin hideaway, all rolled into one.
I believe that an Englishmans home is his castle, but his heart lays in his shed.

T x

Indeedy! There may even be some value in the theory that an Englishman's castle is merely a decoy to distract assailants from targeting his shed.

 

[tdr1nka]

*passes tea to tdr1nka*

The last time I tried to book a bike on a train I ended up chewing the carpet in frustration.
Going anywhere good?

*Guzzles Tea*

Off to meet Mrs.tdr1nka in Bakewell next week, Ms. tdr1nka's is with her mum for half term so I get a week to see the Mrs. and get in some nicer and longer rides in the peaks than I could do here in the Metrolop*ss.

I'm going to rail it to Sheffield and bike the 20mile to Bakewell, saving a 40 mile round car trip and giving my legs a good stretch.

I shall spare the details of my trying to reserve my bike albeit a case of 'if you don't reserve your bike online at the time of your initial booking, the only way you can reserve a space in the guards van is to physically go to the station in question, with your tickets'.

It may be the 21st bloody century but they can't do it over the phone with the reference number, and I cant arrive earlier on the day and book it in before boarding????

I only want to book my bloody bike on the train.

Integrated Transport?

Great flaming Integrated Ars*sport is vastly more applicable.
So now I've gotta make a dash upto St. Pancs, which is not a major hassle as it is a beautiful day in the Metrolop*ss, but it means triangulating with todays 'must do' errand and going much further than I'd wished today, plus the quickest route thru means cutting thru the West End which I don't enjoy very much.

Bet you're glad you asked now! And that was the short version!!

Tx

 

[Arch]

*passes Arch some more tea*
*offers pate and cottage-cheese-with-pineapple rolls, warmed in steamy oven so not too crispy*

It's not just the shed, but what it represents and reminds you of, I'm guessing.
The last time I had dinner with my Grandad, we had duck breasts and Chateauneuf du Pape. I still can't order that without feeling a little upset. Or even write about it, it would seem *sniffs*.
He died about 10 years ago now. I still miss him

ooh, you HAVE been taking notice! Mmm, thank you....

Sheds are great. My allotment shed is a classic - the four walls and the roof are made of three different materials (corrugated tin, wood, corrugated perspex), and it's mostly held together by the power of prayer, and by leaning against a particularly strong bramble. All the allotment sheds are like that.

For my next diorama (assuming I ever finish the 'current' one) I think a little set of 00 scale allotments would be fun - all the sheds could be scratch built from odd materials, or old coach bodies or stuff like that. And then there's the allotments - some serried neat rows of veg, some mini wildernesses, some full of old bits of carpet and CDs-on-string bird scarers...

<drifts off into mental plan>