Thursday 16th February, 2023

A dead vole moon-bathing on the cold kitchen floor first thing for Thursday. Cheers, Dotty. We both slept right through all the fun and games.

Cricket breakfasts are back. It was decent to wake up with the commentary of the Test match taking place in NZ. It’s less than 50 days until the first ball is bowled in the new Championship season at The Oval. I plan to go FULL ‘RREY in the Champo this season.

WordPress offered me a new option in the compose panel: Blaze.

wtf?

It turns out that Blaze is an option to pimp out (and pay) to promote your content across WordPress, as well as… tumblr.

Erm, no ta.

Cricket commentary then switched to Late Junction. A Throbbing Gristle live recording from D***y back in 1979 wasn’t exactly the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

Some dub followed, described as having a “gossamer likeness“. Pump it up, etc.

It was back down to earth with some Ivor Cutler to close the two hours of oddities. Bloody LOVE Late Junction.

Buzzed: Lambeth set to dish out over half a million pounds to the Old Vic Theatre with the aim of boosting the local economy

“Lambeth is handing out the money again, this time to seven projects through the second round of the Future Workspace Fund.

The Fund, launched in December 2020, aims to invest in affordable workspaces across the borough. The idea is to accelerate Lambeth’s post-Covid economic recovery and growth.”

Album of the Day: Barry Adamson – Oedipus Schmoedipus

Well this was a WEIRD one. It started off as the ideal wfh music. I usually give any album described as ‘a soundtrack for an imaginary film’ a large swerve; but this was half decent. It then took a dark twist and got a little disturbing with Business as Usual. There was a sudden switch to light jazz on Miles. wtf is this imaginary film all about? I thought Vermillion Kisses what a stupid Spotify ad. An interesting sound collage, but not exactly a stadium filler.

⭐ ⭐

The Postman Delivers: wellies, Dunlop, green, size 8. My socks took a soaking in the boat on Sunday. The modern interweb has bought many benefits to humankind. Clicking a button and having a pair of green wellies arriving on your doorstep the next day has to be high up there.

The Friday sunrise row was cancelled. High winds, innit. That’s a shame. I quite enjoyed my return to the boat last weekend.

Buzzed a bit more: Lambeth LibDems cause a stink by highlighting the lack of public toilets in the borough

“In what can only be described as a stinky situation, Lambeth Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent action to address the borough’s lack of public toilets.”

I had another bloody dentist visit at lunchtime. I managed to get my annual schedule down from the ‘recommended’ quarterly check-ups and quarterly hygienist visits to one check up and a bi-annual hygienist trip. Bartering with a dentist is a great life skill, Comrades.

The hygienist was actually very cool. I was more focussed on her Steampunk style goggles than what she was doing inside my mouth. £63 later(!) and job’s a good ‘un. I celebrated with a toffee apple.

Some silly back and forth eBay offers and declines took place with another Uncle Joe Strummer CD that I’m after. We’re talking 25p, here and there. I got bored with the frivolities and bailed out.

A planned knock up on the Table of Dreams was cancelled. The drizzle and light winds weren’t ideal playing conditions.

And so a lunchtime swim instead.

In Mundane News: the new Chinese restaurant replacing the failed rooftop restaurant down by the Hythe looks as though it’s about to open. It should do well, given its location close to so many students.

The swim was functional, the water was green. I had been warned about this by A. Back in London and this would be a public health risk at The Serpentine.

EVERYONE OUT!

It was miserable and dull weather for the bicycle ride back to base. The half term family tucking into their ice creams back in Weird Wiv were a little optimistic.

I had to do a brief Coop trip. The £6 Creme Egg ice cream tubs were taking piss.

My new keyboard arrived late afternoon. These very words are being bashed out on it. First thoughts: it’s Italian. Oh. I thought the wrong model had been sent out. I checked the order. Yep, I really did order an Italian keyboard. Oh dear. That will explain the price.

I thought I would give it a go. There’s not a lot of difference tbh. It resembles the keyboard on the Chrome Book with the layout. It will take a little time to get use to the slight relocation of characters.

But the keyboard stroke is strong. I BASH out words at pace, and with little regard for the sensitivity of the keyboard. I should be fine with my new Italian companion.

SÌ!

Yello kept me company for the afternoon work shifts. You can’t but fail to smile whilst listening to Rubberbandman.

Lambeth Planning mailed. An officer has been assigned to look into my complaint about the missing bicycle racks at Lidl in Sunny Stockwell. Bloody cyclists are persistent.

I tried not to look annoyed when news dropped of the latest RMT strike dates. Erm, I’m with you all the way, Comrades. It looks like I have avoided the travel CHAOS I experienced over Christmas. At worst I will need to come back from London a day earlier than planned next month.

We watched the Man Utd match early evening. Football. Bloody hell, etc.

The ‘ever so keen’ builder got back to us. He’s keen for the green light. We had a fella offering a second quote pulling out yesterday who wants to rearrange. We like the first quote. After a lengthy evening meal conversation we decided to go ahead with the ‘ever so keen’ builder.

The experience of the the Fuck Face gas engineer still looms large in this house.

Links for Thursday 16th February, 2023

The latest David Millar-ised Brompton is millennial grey and costs £2,595 | Cyclist

BEAUT. Schwalbe tan-walls ride incredibly light. Chapeau!

A Pub Crawl Of South London On The Trams

“Michael was the guiding heartbeat of the Moulton Bicycle Club for many years. We miss his enthusiasm & dedication to the world of Moultoneering”

Much missed. Michael restored my original Deluxe. His enthusiasm for saving another #Moulton was wonderful.

KEIR STARMER’S Times interview exposes a Labour leader as arrogant as he is dishonest

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