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My Mate Marmite.

My Mate Marmite.
Tired and Jet Lagged from my homecoming I am once again back in all that is magnificent Canada. A place whose breathtaking beauty and extraordinarily wide expanses welcomes you and lets you know anything is possible for the adventurous spirit, if you are truly ready to give instead of take a reminder  that true greatness is still to come. This is the last frontier; possibly “The final front ear” (for me anyway, I don’t suppose anyone is going to give me a space ship anytime soon.) So what’s with the Marmite, well I have been thinking how to express something that I want to be understood clearly. ( So is a dark brown opaque gunk the right thing I here you ask ? Absolutely and I will tell you why.) Whilst everyone gets comfortable and ready for the story its probably a good time to mention that for some reason I can’t get my head round not everyone likes Marmite! ( and my Canadian friends may not have any idea what I am talking about, Aussies will be familiar with Vegemite. ( So will a few others thanks to “Men art work” and if you read Terry Pratchett’s “The Last Continent” there is sort of a recipe in there to give you some idea. ) Marmite is applicable because I am half expecting that sort of polarized reaction to this particular post. To Paul and anyone else who I have raised the question of living with density as a concept I take Marmite to be the quintessential denseness. ( yes I know some metals, bits of space and a fair few people also show a great amount of density, myself  included but as a metaphor I think this will nail it on the head, oh and I am also going to use Breakfast and possibly Toast as a metaphors as well, just so you know ( But you will have to work out those for your selves.) So every morning you leap? ( Please change for you appropriate morning speed) out of bed rush to the kitchen to start your Breakfast put on some Toast, open the kitchen cupboard and frantically look for your jar of Marmite. Where is it? I can’t see it, what if its been stolen or someone else has eaten it what am I going...

And did those feet in ancient times….....

And did those feet in ancient times…..
So did those feet? No doubt and mine have just made their way from Woodseats to Totley, not an inconsiderable feet. So what’s it all about “Life the Universe and everything?” To be totally honest the more I look at it the more worried I become that there is no purpose to it at all only the one you make for your self. So what makes for such a topic on a late summer afternoon Moonshine in hand (Moonshine is a beer by the way brewed by my local Abbeydale Brewery here in Sheffield.) Well I have just been up to the remembrance garden and sat talking to my Granparents memorial plac’s and had a long conversation accounting for myself. More of a thank you really as I talk to them all the time in my head but it seems more official to be where their ashes are laid to rest. Not a miserable task for me,friends relations dear departed are,like just stepped out of the room they may or may not be coming back but that does not deter me from talking to them anyway. I live on faith that they will be there when I need them and have not been let down so far; am I cavalier and thoughtless in my friendships it may seem that way but it never crosses my mind that any of those that are close to me will take affront, friendships rise and occasionally meet their demise but not really.Everything can be forgiven on your journey through life ( Now obviously there are a few grand things that pose a difficulty and I am sure those don’t need mentioning here, but I would prefer it if you didn’t rodger the wife over the back of my Ikea futon, not unless you were looking for a good slapping.) So what did my esteemed Grandfathers tell me? Nothing new I received all the venerable advice long before they passed. What I was formulating on my treck over here was something a bit more fundamental. “If a tree falls in a forest, even a very impressive old revered tree, if there is no one to bear witness did it exist at all.” That is the dilemma are we all only legends in our life times’ who will bare whiteness to our passing? Few will...

Battle and Humbug.

Battle and Humbug.
Well that’s another 5 pubs off the list, thanks to Mr Battle. Yet another good friend who after approaching 20 years without saying hello was willing to to throw caution to the wind and agree to drink beer and talk up a storm. I have to admit in hind site that I had no idea how fundamentally important we were to the well running of trade group 14 and the Air force in general, but there you are. Some names from the past came up and they were the usual suspects. For the more senior of you that taught me the fine skills of Beer drinking and Pond building BBQ and the ninja deployment. It’s all gratefully received. And believe it or not frequently used to show those in civi street how to party properly. Well in the theme of partying properly I am about to undertake another night out knock off some more of those elusive pubs and stuff myself with CURRY. No wife to complain about the smell however my mum has already opened my bedroom window and laid on the breath mints. The night was further enhanced by my top decision to knock on my good friend Peters door on the way home after a bus ride (even the bus has WI FI what’s wrong with my old mum and dad I keep telling them to move with the Times but they just think I am annoying whine to be ignored) Anyway thanks Peter for opening the door in your wife’s dressing gown the image will stay with me. I am not sure what she thought when she came in and a strange man was sitting in the front room with her scantily robed husband but I think we coved it...

Stupid app or Stupid Richard?

Stupid app or Stupid Richard?
Well am finally awake enough to blog, having found free Wi Fi in the Crossed Scythes pub of all places. This is going to make the whole blogging thing and reading my mail so much more pleasurable. So here I sit wanting to upload a special photo and my iPad is resisting. It’s the first 35mm I took over 30 Years ago down at Totley Rise S17, on the corner was a strange collection of scrap cars Minis Angle boxes ford cortina and older all rusting gently into decay, the way we should all hope to go. But damn me I just can’t get this thing to load it, I guess I will have to get on someone’s computer and post a gallery of them So what Am I doing back here, well visiting parents and friends and old haunts now shame on you for thinking I am talking about Pubs as I only have 37 of those on my list. It’s going well 3 down already and I arrived late Tuesday after a bit of airport shenanigans. Fortunately they had some Johnny Walker on hand to calm the natives everyone was desperately hanging on to and gulping their doubles as we plummeted into our descent in Manchester. The Snake as serene and beautiful as ever. So what next, well it would be rude not to have another beer in celebration and recognition of the free wi fi. Well bugger me it’s Richard who is the idiot looks as though the app knows what it’s doing who’d have thunk...