I was wondering how Munguinites pass their time during the lockdown.
Me, I get up late, read comments, look at Twitter, watch some “Big Bang” videos, make food, consume same, read, check Munguin’s Republic, go for a walk, work in the garden, read some more, wash dishes, run ragged after Munguin, read in bed and then, sleep.
Munguin sits around and dishes out orders, then gets stuck into the champagne.
Every day is pretty much the same except when I have to go shopping, which I do at local Lidl or Aldi… in and out as quickly as I can and back to the Towers.
Most days are pretty much the same for me.
Kind of reminds me of the description (which I loved) of a typical workday in Paris.
Dodo, métro, boulot, métro, dodo…
Dodo is the children’s word for sleep (dormir); métro is a bit obvious; boulot is slang for job and for pronunciation purposes, they all end in the “o” sound. So sleep, train, work, train, sleep!
If you feel like it to, tell us what YOU do. Maybe someone a bit more interesting than I am will inspire us with some good activity ideas.
MUNGUIN'S NEW REPUBLIC 
My usual day, these days?
I wake up and I check in here.
I check in on Craig Murray’s defence fund. (Hurrah!)
I decide whether I really do like fish. I make the douglas clark version of Cullen Skink ( and, no, you don’t want the recipie).
I drink some white wine, and usually save the Cullen Skink from disaster.
I look at comments btl on both the Herald and the National. I despair for the rest of the day.
At about a quarter to midnight, I read the btl comments here, and I cheer up.
Sommat like that.
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I can’t offer the Douglas Clark version recipe, but here’s a recipe which you might want to try if any of you fancy Cullen Skink (which Munguin suddenly does. How can you make him understand that teh fishmongers isn’t open at this time on a Thursday morning?)
https://www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-scottish-cullen-skink-recipe-435379
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Here’s how this resident of Norwich passes the time…
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-plague-doctor-hellesdon-norfolk-police-a9489781.html
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Ha ha ha haha ha…
Must get one! Munguin likes scaring the hell out of his neighbours.
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Choose carefully and only after some consideration of the subtleties of style.:
Here you’ll find a selection of historical styles as variously worn or imagined;
https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/plague-doctor-costumes
Incidentally, for those wishing to pass the time https://publicdomainreview.org is a great site ( imho). Explore, enjoy and be amazed!
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Interesting site, Jake.
I love how they all appeared to have beaks.
I may just get myself one. It would certainly put the fear of something into my neighbours, especially if I squawked loudly and chanced them.
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I’ve started painting the spare bedroom. When I moved in 6 months ago I dumped in there all the stuff I took with me, didn’t need but couldn’t bear to throw out. But last week I left the door open to annoy myself every time I saw the mess. So on with the overall ….
I did paint the front room when I moved in and it was such a huge job that I swore I was too old and wouldn’t do it again. But I got guilty not taking advantage of the hours in lockdown.
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Hat tip to you, Dave.
Most of the rooms in the tower could do with being painted, but I’m far too lazy for that. It is, I think, my least favourite job.
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Mourning the terrible loss of the Labour Party which was the
Entirety of my life and soul.
And some gardening
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Sir Keir is supposed to be the answer, Niko. So, question: What do you think of him?
There was an article yesterday somewhere (Guardian or Independent) that said he (a QC) washed the floor with Dominic Raab (an ex-country solicitor) at First Secretary’s Questions.
To revive in Scotland they really are going to have to replace that Jack-in-the-box, Kenneth Williams lookalike. What do you think of Leonard?
In my opinion, with probably one exception, the leaders of the Scottish branch of Labour have become less capable with every change, and god knows there have been many.
I’m genuinely interested in your answers.
We need opposition, in England and in Scotland and Richard Leonard and Jackson Carlaw, are hopelessly inadequate to that task.
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Thanks for asking tris. The answer is not a lot as far as my wife and I are concerned. Being octogenarians, its up in the morning, feed the dog, feed ourselves,and as Douglas says check in here, take the dog for a walk, and settle in for the rest of the day. Our family, some of whom live nearby, have been very good at going to the shops and getting us what we need. My wife misses going to her charity shop where she has worked as a volunteer for many years, and I my leafleting/canvassing for the S.N.P.
But hey ho, we’ll try to stay safe, and be here when once more we are needed.
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Seems a peaceful sort of day there, Alex. I’m glad to hear you have family to do shopping for you, but I hope you’re both getting out for some fresh air and exercise (even if there are no customers to serve and no leaflets to deliver.
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Octogenarian?!? Suddenly I don’t feel so geriatric any more. I’m catching up quickly, Alex, although I’d never have guessed. If anything I’d have gone in the other direction. And if I I’m as sprightly as you when I do – physically and in your comments here – I’ll count myself well off.
My dad was 80 in 1990 and of course that was an essential visit to Scotland. Better be there for his birthday than a forced visit for funeral. Same rationale the following year, and so began a 16-year birthday pilgrimage frae furrin pairts tae the Hielans. Just hope I have inherited the longevity genes. I suspect yours are already proven.
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Yep… well we all hope that too, John!
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Much like your French line.
Awake,pinch myself,yes still alive.
Light breakfast and decide on a shower or wait until later.
Have a look at the blogs and the propaganda.
Today it’s auld tam is made a colonel, the fly past, the baby with no name, the new navy fighter that would be allowed to fly supersonic, the target that won’t be met.
Get the coffee pot on and have a real coffee.
Light lunch.
blogs
Afternoon coffee.
Dinner.
Book reading, the ebooks from the library have been great but the user rate is going up and it’s getting harder to get one.
Bed.
Repeat.
Have managed to fix some projects that have been on the back burner.
Took the moss out the lawn, fixed the scarifier.
Fixed a battery charger and put the car battery on charge.
This blog keeps me on the move, I’ve stopped listening to the radio,just put on some music.
Keep in touch with family and friends.
The media seems to have a problem with NEWS verses their predictions, they’re continually telling what’s going to happen then it doesn’t.
Keep safe.
Loved the idea that the white house managed to get stuff made to celebrate the trump’s success or is it a false news story?
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Well, as I would have guessed, Dave, you’re keeping yourself busy.
I started taking moss out of the lawns, then I discovered that there was sooooo much of it and great sections of the laws would be bare earth if I continued.
That’s a good point. I should go for a run in the car and recharge the battery. I suppose I need to get some petrol for the lawn mower, so I’ll brave the petrol station at Morrisons.
Ebooks are a godsend.
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AYE Tris,
Modern cars are fitted with alarm systems and immobilisers which take current from the battery 24 hours a day.
After about 6 weeks of no charging it might be hard to get it started, not too bad just now as the temperature is up around 10-12 degrees but in the winter months a none starter.
A quick run will not charge the battery as they’re fitted with alternators which tend to sense the battery voltage and reduce the charging rate, an old dynamo would just bang in current.
Anyway a 20 minute drive should do the trick.
In the old days a bump start and a run round the block would start it a second time with some warmth in the engine.
Keep well All
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Thanks, Dave. I’ll do a 20 minute run, get some petrol and some for the lawnmower at the same time.
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Get up,feed me,feed the dogs,watch the news from the UK of E and then decide whether to commit suicide or not.
So far,as you can tell,not.
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We’re somewhat relieved to hear that, bringiton!
I used to listen to the Today Programme on Radio Four, but as virtually all news is about Corona these days, and almost without exception it is English news, there isn’t any point in it.
Matt Hancock isn’t the Health Secretary. NHS England isn’t my NHS, etc, etc.
You could say I should listen to Radio Scotland’s new programmes instead but the BBC is so anti SNP and the tone so dismissive of anything the Scottish government is doing that that is out of the question.
At least if you have dogs you must be getting out for walks. 🙂
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Tris
Working from home so logged on to the PC at 9.00am. Check email, decide if I should do yet another on line training module, post on social media for work, check in with young volunteers. I do some chores, moan at my son for not being logged on to school work before lunchtime, watch Euronews as its better than any of the crap we have in the UK when it comes to news, do my blog, pace about and go shopping twice a week. At night if I’m not on the evening live Facebook and Twitter for two hours that nobody contacts but that my employers want manned twice a week I watch tv. Been catching up the last two series of XFiles, pretty crap but I will get to the end, I might read a little and have a beer. That’s about it for me, eat sleep repeat. Have been surprised by how many people have been reading the blog though, nothing like yourself or wings etc but still very flattering that there are some many hits each month according to wordpress, the blog really is just my rants and ill informed opinion. Anyway take care.
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Stop putting your blog down, Bruce. It’s good and very readable.
Have you stopped putting up your posts on Twitter? I haven’t seen one for a while. Will head over there now and catch up.
Must be a nightmare to have kids stuck in the house all day, missing their mates and wanting a good game.
You’re doing essential work there. Keep it up. But get some exercise too. 🙂
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I always read your blog Bruce thoughI limit the blogs I comment on when they ask for email addresses. But anyway I was peeved at the comment today from James Sinclair who said “The flu is a Coronavirus as is the common cold. ”
NO, no, no. Flu isn’t a coronavirus, it’s an entirely different family of viruses! I mean jesso it’s easy enough to check on the interweb.
In answer to Tris’ question, I spend part of the day getting annoyed at factual inaccuracies even when in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. I’d get a life but there aren’t any to be had at the moment 🙂
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LOL. Have you tried Amazon, PP.
They seem to sell everything these days.
There, I’ve done the research for Mr Sinclair.
http://www.labnews.co.uk/article/2030503/coronavirus-is-it-just-a-type-of-flu
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When I wake up I wish for the “getting me ready for the day” fairy to wave his/her magic wand so I am upright, washed and dressed with no effort from me. Disappointed again!
I go for a walk in the local cemetery which is quieter than the local park. I became interested in the War Graves since the British section contains RN and Merchant Navy sailors and I wondered why they were in a suburban Glasgow setting. (The youngest was 18 and the oldest was 71. Makes you think.) There are a number of Polish nationals there too, and some German POWs, I presume.
Scattered throughout the cemetery are a lot of other War Graves from all different parts of the armed forces. I am currently trying to track down a group of War Graves of Norwegian sailors who are buried somewhere in the cemetery.
I email a friend who is caught in the Middle East and is unable to get out for lack of flights at the moment. My friend is safe and well and getting very, very bored. She is , however, in a much better state than the sub-continent workers who are often very poor and are having a very hard time. However, the government has suspended visa regulations for the time being for both legal and illegal workers and has put in place some basic relief for them as well as – UK government take note.
If it is nice I can sit in the garden and admire the patch of weeds and moss called the grass and also admire my collection of plants pots with herbs, lettuce and flowers.
A quiet life, all in all.
I hope everybody is and stays well.
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Ahhhh, getting up. Since I was a little kid, I’ve always hated going to bed and getting up. I guess I’m just resistant to change!
It’s great that you have found something to interest you in the graves. I’ve found, as you have, that the cemetery, about 1,500 steps away for when we live, is much quieter than the park so I head up there sometimes on the daily walk. You’ve given me an idea to look at some of the graves.
Normally we would go out into the countryside and walk in one of the lovely woods close to Dundee, but we’re not leaving the town at the moment, for fear of being accused to taking “it” out to the villages.
Life must be incredibly awful for people who don’t have furlough pay, or, albeit very little, social security, to fall back on.
The Middle East countries are, by and large, rich, so they can afford to do something to keep people alive. But there are countries, particularly in Africa, where there is, and can be, nothing in place. I really fear for them.
We don’t grow any produce here, but we do have apple trees and I’m pleased to see that, unlike last year, there are flowers on them. So in a few months we can look forward to apples!
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Envious of your “get up late” Tris. We have Meabh who will start head butting the bedroom door, to alert her servants there has been a toilet event and demanding appreciation for her patience waiting for breakfast. Can start at 6am, sometimes earlier. Meabh is our Bengal cat btw. The head butting and shoulder charging of the door I can ignore, the meowing at 1 second intervals (I’ve timed them in fuming irritation) is mood altering to beyond sleep.
Projects and study mainly. The lockdown, my partner is in the shielded 12 week group, whilst halting my work projects it has given me the opportunity to pick up on projects that work left no time or energy for.
I finally managed to build my fuel polishing setup. Looking forward to testing it in earnest on a boat with twin fuel tanks and diesel bug.
Resurected and planted out the garden cold frames with a new/other wind resistant system (possibly?) This will be vesion four, three sorry tales go before it.
Picked up on my electronic studies again and bought some test gear bits and bobs to build with. I think this counts as cheap retail therapy. My interest at the moment is around measurement of variations in the earths magnetic flux and resistivity. When my first instruments have been built and tested I will get in touch with our local archaeological group.
Built a shed at the back of the house where I will have a work bench for building the electronic stuff, insulating it just now.
If I run out of projects I may even wash the car.
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Wow!
I think Meabh must know how much you have to get done and so gets you up early in order to ensure that you get it done by bedtime.
It must be great to have so many projects to interest you… and of course to be capable of doing all that.
I think Munguin doesn’t need to worry about you! 🙂
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Could be worrying if found washing the car : -)
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I’m realising how retirement could’ve been, add more freedom of movement to the mix and I will be smiling broadly.
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Your honesty is superb!
I start the day with an opera streamed free from the Metropolitan opera house in New York (there is a different one each day) so far I’ve done Wagner’s entire ring cycle, Donizetti’s three queens, Nixon in China, Norma, Elektra, the Pearl Fishers, Aida, Don Carlos, Das Rosen Cavalier, the Barber of Seville… and well quite a few more!
Then either sit or work in the Garden for a few hours. Do any odd jobs/spring cleaning around the houseWatch the news, twitter, Facebook and on here. For a bit of a change I might wash the cars, although they rarely move its amazing how dirty a car can get standing still.
Watch a film noir or two in the evening (there is s comprehensive list of titles on Wikipedia that I’m working my way through)
Then have glass of the water of life (or two) then read a book before bed
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How intellectual, Dr De-la-Zouche. You will undoubtedly be an operatic aficionado by the end of lockdown.
I washed Munguin’s limo the other day, lest he should require to go someplace in it. However, when I saw it yesterday, a Herring Gull had … can you imagine the effrontery… used it as a toilet…. right on the top where it is difficult to reach too!
I wish Herring Gulls would get it into their thick heads that they are so called because they eat fish! And that given that the river is a half mile away and the sea no more that 3 miles away, that might be the best place to go… where they could eat and evacuate at their ease without causing me any more work.
You’d have thought that with the kids not at school and no one using the lunchtime takeaways, it would have occurred to them that hanging around here is a waste of their time.
But no.
Birds, huh? What can you do with them?
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Eat them?
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Don’t let Munguin hear you say that.
I mean you can’t get him to part with a 2p piece for most things, but he insists on feeding his birds, no expense spared… Bertie Blackbird can hardly get himself off the ground after some of his gourmet meals of sultanas, mealworms and red-berried fat. It’s all considerably better than he feeds me!
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Ablutions, a light breakfast of caviar on toast and a few hours putting the finishing touches to my latest novel. A light lunch, perhaps poached sturgeon with a glass of Veuve Cliquot then it’s back to work, either on one of my huge paintings or a little marble-sculpting in the outdoor studio. An afternoon stroll around the policies then dress for dinner, normally 5 – 6 courses with suitable fine wines. An after dinner liqueur and an entry in my journal for posterity. After all that, I usually wake up around 10, slouch about the house, drink wine and wonder where the day went. Not really all that much different from my pre-lockdown routine 🤪
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LOL. The first part of that sounded vaguely like a day in the life of a Munguin.
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I’ve tackled some of the Spring cleaning jobs because well it’s actually Spring. But because they are so boring and actually difficult, I’ve not done them all. Unlike Alan, I’ve actually cleaned the car inside and out and found it quite therapeutic.
I’ve planted up veg seeds in the plastic mini greenhouse and the peas and beans and marrow are already germinating though not ready to plant out yet. Also been watching some tv series that I’d missed but have been recommended.
So Blood on channel 5, the new series is on this week but I’ve been watching series 1 on catch up. I’d recommend it for a glimpse of dysfunctional life in rural Ireland with murder mystery throw in . Also channel 4, Crashing which is WAY better than Fleabag, both written and starring the ubiquitous Phoebe Waller-Bridge. If you have a tv licence, the Last Tango in Halifax is way better than it ought to be due to fab acting and writing.
I wake up every day promising to register for Duolingo’s Scots Gaelic course but alas not yet. And I’ve also found a free Scots language course, but yes not started it yes either. But I will!!!
https://www.scotslanguage.com/news/5593
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Ah, spring cleaning! Don’t remind Munguin or he might send me to the shops to buy cleaning materials.
Thanks for the recommendation on tv watching. I think I can watch Channel 5 without a licence, and indeed, Channel 4 and STV.
The BBC is out of the question, of course,
That Scots language thing looks good. I think there was something on STV about the language the other night. That has reminded me to go and look it up.
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I think the Scots language thing was on the Beeb. Unless there were two of them of course. You can watch channel 5 without a licence but you need to register which is easy enough, same with stv and ch4.
Just tell Munguin that cleaning materials aren’t essential. He’s a penguin, he might believe you. Penguins not great cleaners as I’m sure you have learned to your cost.
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Well, they aren’t when they have Trises to run after them…
It was that Alistair bloke that does these wee vids on Twitter, who did the programme. It may have been on BBC… although they aren’t reknown for producing pro Scottish stuff.
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I may try washing and valeting the car PP, to see if it’s therapeutic for me also.
There is an admission in the above that should shame me. I am quick to mention that my attitude and “hygene” arrangements for my vehicle does not extend to me or where I live. Had to state that, looking forward to the official invites to the Munguinites get together 😊
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Written, I presume, in Munguin’s own fair flipper?
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How do I pass my days? Actually by not staying at home most days as I am doing chemist runs and shopping runs for a few older folk than me who don’t have any family near. I try to have 2 days at home doing not much as you need to rewind. I keep my distance from all and also going to the supermarkets for them by bus, got used to the new reduced timetables and the various queues at the shops. A couple are vegetarian so I have be careful that I don’t mix up the orders. I try to put in a treat with each order saying that the shop gave me this for you at no extra cost as you are stuck indoors.
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Brilliant Marcia. Actually, I was in Lidl yesterday and they had a stack of chocolate bunnies at the tills with a notice saying to take one. Ok,chocolate bunnies after Easter aren’t really saleable, but they didn’t have to give them away for free.
Now, if you are still there, and haven’t rushed off to Lidl for free chocolate, Munguin and I think you are doing a great thing there, and we raise our hats to you.
Stay safe though…
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Let me second Tris’ appreciation to Marcia for the work she is doing. Older people can really be very isolated.
And a tip of my hat to Lidl and the chocolate Easter bunnies too. 😉
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Hear hear.
The only older person around here, and we checked, has a son who is bringing him in food. His nearest neighbour is a friend of mine, a horticulturist at St Andrews uni. He’s keeping an eye open for him.
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Excellent! Going to the grocery store for food can be a real problem for older people. We were at a WalMart at a busy time the other day and briefly had to stand in the line that limits the number of customers in the store. We usually go earlier. Everyone in line was observing the 6ft separation rule. WalMart has strips of tape on the sidewalk as a guide.
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They all do here too, and Aldi had someone on the door doing a one in one out policy.
I see too that Aldi are now asking (at least in some stores) that people wear face masks in the store (and are providing them… as they have been with hand gel and disinfectant for trolleys and baskets).
Nicola Sturgeon suggested the use of facemasks yesterday and this was met with howls of protest from the Conservatives (who presumably think that faced with the true grit of an Englishman, the virus will turn on its heels and make for the hills).
People will be confused at the border, they said.
It’s a waste of time, they said
I’m confused. David Mundell said…(Nothing new there, then).
We now know that Doctor Leo Varadkar, Taoiseach of Ireland and Frau Doctor Angela Merkel are advocating them in places where you cannot be 2 meters apart.
I have this feeling that the Tories are going to be left looking foolish again.
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Tris…..It’s truly bizarre that people turn public health matters into political issues. In the US, it’s a state matter as usual. California and New York have very strict shutdown rules and as far as I know, everyone there probably must wear a mask in public. Masks were never mandated in Missouri, but all of the Walmart grocery employees here are wearing them. A masked attended gives you a cart that he’s newly wiped down with disinfectant when you enter, with other wipes and disinfectants also available at the door and around the store. The other brand name stores are doing much the same I think, although I’ve not been in a lot of them. Maybe half of the shoppers in the stores are wearing masks where I’ve been in Missouri.
Several states…..generally states with Republican governors who want to pander to Trumpy…….are lifting the most extreme shutdown rules for some stores and businesses. As far as I’ve seen reported, employees in such newly reopened locations are wearing masks and observing distancing rules. I think some restaurants have now reopened in one or more states with a limit on occupancy. Such as 25% or 50% of their formerly used tables, with suitable separation between them.
I’m pleased to learn that the true grit of the English defeats the virus. Or is it the “muddle through?” 😉
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The trouble, you see, Danny, with all those soft foreigners who aren’t Tories is that they have no backbone.
That’s not the Blitz spirit, say they who weren’t born during the Blitz and if they had been would have been off to the country to escape it.
What would Vera Lynn do? they say.
Well probably stay in her house, I should think.
What would our dear Queen do., they wonder with teary eyes… Oh that’s easy… she’d take herself off to one of her country estates and self isolate with only a few hundred servants.
I hear, talking of the queen, that we’re about to get another talking to tonight.
Is that right everyone?
“We’ll meet again”, old Liz will be telling us.
Although, as most of us have yet to meet her, there’s no “again” about it.
And Munguin just made it super clear that if she comes to the towers to meet him she’ll get the door slammed in her face until she’s been wiped down with anti-viral wash and left to stand for 10 minutes!
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LOL….LOL…..I do love Munguin’s protocol if the Queen comes to visit. She probably doesn’t get wiped down very often. 😉
I wonder if the servants had to wear masks while Charlie was recuperating in Scotland.
I had forgotten about the VE commemoration. The sort of thing that Liz would be expected to have something to say about I guess. She was 14 when she gave the radio speech during the Blitz in 1940.
With the pandemic coverage, VE Day has not been mentioned here at all that I’ve noticed. Of course VE Day was not such a big thing here anyway. There had been no Blitz here, and on VE day on May 8, FDR had died less than a month earlier on April 12, and the Battle of Okinawa, the largest amphibious operation of the Pacific war, was underway and went went on to June 22. Victory in Europe was a big deal for the American troops in Europe of course, but they all expected to be shipped to the Pacific. The atomic bombings ended it in early August, so I doubt that any significant American troop deployments from Europe to the Pacific were ever made.
I just noticed the Blitz speech on YouTube….October, 1940:
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Dear god. That accent.
Still, it was different times and different standards.
It just occurs to me that just because the king and queen talked to them about Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc (and obviously none of the countries in Africa) it didn’t mean that they had any idea how anyone lived. I wonder, given that the royals had houses of their own in Sandringham and Balmoral, how many of the kids from the badly bomber places did they put up there?
And, saying that God would prevail and give victory to the Brits, presupposes that he didn’t much care for Germans… Anyone know if that’s true?
When it comes to making something of the future… well, you pretty much failed, Liz.
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Her accent really hasn’t changed much. 😉
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Not really, just a little less yukky now that it was.
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And it’s been 80 years!!
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Lovely thought and action Marcia, going for their messages and putting an extra treat in saying it was from tbe shop. Medal worthy.
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Hear hear.
Whatcha fancy Marcia… there’s all the usual crap from the UK, or Munguin might offer the Munguin Medal for Services Rendered… mind you, you’d probably have to render service unto him to get that.
He’ll get you a nice big box of chocolates when it’s all over, Howzat?
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MGE, Medal for Going the Extra the size of a frying pan.
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Or, in Marcia’s case, a cake tin!
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TELEVISION! I freekin LOVE television! Always have!
The much ballyhooed internet is after all just small screen television without much of the entertainment value, and which doesn’t do live action videos nearly as well.
The WiFi-connected modern “Smart” TV, which streams video from the internet in addition to the great old network television shows from years past, is surely the greatest invention in the history of mankind IMHO.
I’ve re-watched Lord Clark’s “Civilisation” series, Alistair Cooke’s “America” series, and many others from YouTube, the “Frasier” series from commercial cable TV and streaming video, the “West Wing” series now commercial free on Netflix and Amazon, and all the other fine programming from cable TV, and non-commercial fare streaming from Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.
I’ve been studying graduate physics on YouTube. Complete Stanford University graduate courses in physics are posted on YouTube, with Stanford Professor Leonard Susskind. I’ve finished Dr. Susskind’s course on cosmology and astrophysics (the big bang expanding universe in about twenty hours of Friedmann Equations,) and am now getting into his lectures on Einstein’s Special and General Theories of Relativity.
Also on the computer, I’m doing some work at home.
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Oh, well done, Danny.
Much more demanding than me watching “Big Bang Theory”
It’s very good of you to fit in a little work from time to time though. Well done!! I’m sure your boss will be gratified!
🙂
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Tris…..Imagine that there are in fact TWO Big Bang Theories on TV. The TV series and Dr. Sussskind’s astrophysics lectures. 😉
And I even do a little actual work.
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… and you chose the difficult one to watch, and I chose the easy one!!!
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LOL……Dr. Susskind’s lectures are a little dry I must admit.
Off topic……but there’s now a drug that has some effectiveness against Covid-19. Unlike Trumpy’s ideas, this one is real, since Dr. Fauci is obviously impressed. It was great to hear something other than BS coming from the White House Oval office as Dr. Fauci explained it and Trump managed to keep his mouth shut.
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That is superb news. Well explained too so that even I could understand it.
That was the most sensible I’ve heard Trump for a long time.
Where was the cardboard cut out of the VP?
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Yes, it was nice hearing Trumpy not talking.
I don’t know why the Pence cardboard cutout wasn’t propped up in the shot somewhere. 😉
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“this one is real, since Dr. Fauci is obviously impressed”
are you sure it’s Dr Fauci and not Brad Pitt? Just saying. I mean Brad’s been known to imitate…
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LOL< PP, Brad Pitt was pretty good at that!
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Panda Paws….LOL…..It’s something that you have to be careful about since Brad Pitt does such a great Dr. Fauci impersonation. But this was pretty clearly the old short guy, so he seems to be the real thing. 😉
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Panda Paws just wishes it was Brad Pitt!!!
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I suspected as much. 🙂
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I try to do a daily pilates session – my class teacher sends us all a video of exercises twice a week.
We have four dogs, one of which is 17 years old and she takes up a lot of our time as she is very unstable on her legs, but also has dementia and almost has to be forced to sit down, or she’d walk about all day long! We have a large garden/plot here in Extremadura so the dogs and cats are pretty good at self exercising.
I go to Lidl and or Carrefour once a week (complete with my face mask and the flimsy shop gloves). I love cooking and have enjoyed the time trying new recipes (depending on availability of ingredients).
I also love reading and have started ‘re reading the Sue Grafton Alphabet series. Between the actual books on my shelf and the rest through Kindle, I am now about to start W is for Wasted. My husband and I enjoy watching the tv in the evenings and have been enjoying Westworld and Bosch and the odd old Grand Designs on YouTube.
I miss family, especially today, as its my grandson’s 3rd birthday
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It’s sad to miss kids’ birthdays, Tatu. I hope you can skype or facetime with him. He’ll be missing you too.
It sounds like your days are full and interesting, and with your husband and loads of dogs for company, you’re not gonna feel lonely.
Isn’t Kindle wonderful!
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Yes we’ll its all right for you lot having a great time but I’ve been run off my feet. My problems started on the day lockdown was announced when a bus that was transporting a load of Scandinavian lingerie models to the Kinglassie Kinky Costume Convention, broke down in front of my house.
I did as any right minded citizen would do and invited them in for tea while the driver phoned a mechanic. It definitely wasn’t my day though because we were told the bus could not be fixed just as lock down was announced so they’ve had to stay here ever since.
It’s not all glitz and glamour you know? There’s all that washing and ironing. The weird thing is a lot of clothing has went missing from my washing line. It’s unbelievable because we haven’t had high winds or anything. Fortunately and inexplicably none of my stuff has been stolen so far.
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The strange things that go on… I just don’t know.
Why would your clothing be left while others were blown away.
It is indeed a mystery.
Still, all the ironing is keeping you busy. Look on the bright side: the more that blows away, the less you’ll have to iron.
If we suddenly don’t hear from you, we’ll know that you have worn yourself out (with all that washing and ironing, I mean).
Lykke til.
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That a bra’ post.
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LOL!!!!
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Red Vino
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There are worse ways, Panda.
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Even rhymes with metro, bulot etc
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Dodo, vino, métro, vino, boulot (*mais pas trop), vino, métro, vino, dodo…
La vie selon Bugger le Panda…
* La seule chose qui est trop, c’est le vino.
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D’accord
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🙂
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Thank you all for such entertaining – and informative – comments. I feel I now know Munguinites a lot better after so many personal insights. Not much I can add from Bulgaria. We have an official state of emergency, with pretty much the same restrictions that apply across Europe, but other than pubs being shut life carries on fairly normally.
Our village, Srem, in the south-east corner of the country, is small (pop 350) and relatively isolated. If we had one carrier, we’d all have it by now. As a result, we don’t have the house arrest or social isolation that so many have to put up with. Home bar opens at 5pm and friends and neighbours drift in for the usual sun(lock) downer chat. Resident Sassenach calls last orders about 7:00. Grab some grub, RS retires to watch telly, and I resume whatever I was up to earlier.
Personally, the daily routine is unchanged. Much like Tris’s French example, it’s work, eat, sleep, drink – not necessarily in the same order. I’ve always worked from home anyway, so no change there.
Roll out of bed about 6:30am, top up caffeine and nicotine levels at my desk, and catch up with overnight mail, news headlines, and of course MNR. Knock off any urgent wok demands, ignoring everything where deadline is not biting me on the bum.
Attend to sh- requirements, just shower and the other one in my case, shave being long redundant and shampoo only occasionally needed since spring shearing last week got rid of the winter thatch and now back to 3ml hairstyle.
Unaffected by barbershop shutdowns as ‘no skill required’ hairdressing has long been the responsibility of the RS. She just sets the shears to the right height and mows away till it’s all an even (sort of) close crop all over. Adjust setting and move on to beard, getting rid of Santa Claus whiskers and creating some proportionality with reduced head foliage. That will take care of that for another three months.
Shows what an exciting life we live, when spring shearing is an event worth noting! Now back to work, eat,sleep, drink in whatever order today brings.
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The utter joy of living in a wee place with only 349 other people.
Sounds ideal.
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We are trying to find that extra something to do during lockdown, so after we have walked around the garden 20 times( doesn’t take long; being relatively small) however each time we pass the pointy corner bit, there sits a petrol golf trolley from the 1980,s, which we rescued, Having asked around, we discovered the owner had sadly passed away, and the golf cart had lived on the edge of the links for a year or two, we were happy that we were allowed to take it home and it was free.
Why I do not know.
We are not mechanically minded, and we don’t even play golf, it was just one of those crazy, awww poor thing moments,
Now we looking at it and wondering, maybe, just maybe we could convert it into a little road thingy ma bobbers, or into a disability scooter of some kind,
Any thoughts or advice would be great and most welcome, it did go last year, but someone said the solenoid was a bit dodgy.
Great time for us to learn something new.
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Dave’s you man for that sort of thing, James.
I see you are like me in that you feel sorry for inanimate objects have have been badly treated…
Anything that is slightly pathetic or a bit broken, is looked after at Munguin Towers…
Over to Dave.
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Oh yes,We sound just the same,
We rescued a clothes wringer (mangle) from a house that was being demolished,
A qualcast push lawnmower from the sixties or seventies, where the shed had rotted and clapsed in on it.
An old style electric sewing machine, that someone was throwing out “cos they bought a newer model”,
Old garden tools bought second hand,
We bought a second hand living room suite from the seventies, re-upholstered it, and changed the pouffe into a coffee table
. We rescue almost any animal that needs rescuing, even a crazy cat that used to spit and hiss at us one minute, then purr the next time, our wee dog is a rescue dog, and we have had her nine years now.
I suspect we actually might be far worse than you tris, because we also rescue plants and flowers other people fly tip into lay-bys, most of the flowers and shrubs in our garden are not payed for at the garden centre, and yet many a person comments on how lovely our garden looks and the sweet scent from the flowers.
We,re not mean or grippy with our pension, we just enjoy recycling
The old mangle painted up, makes a lovely antique garden feature.
And the settee and chairs are so comfy, with new covers sewn on, the old sewing machine.
And of coarse the petrol golf cart,
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Oh, James. You guys sound perfect. I’ve got a patch of garden where I put weeds I don’t want to kill and a lot of my pants were bought for next to nothing because they were damaged and sad looking!!
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We would get on like a a house on fire Tris, we also leave a patch of nettles, red butterfly’s lay there eggs on them each year, foxgloves and willow (catkins) for the bees, and a little pyramid of rotten wood for beetles, wood lice, forkytails and hedgehogs, in the pointy part of the garden, hidden behind the golf cart, we have increased the blackbird, sparrows , robins and occasionally a thrush population since we started four years ago, we may think it’s an eyesore, but the wildlife love it, amazing what can be done in a small space, oh our bird bath is an upturned bin lid that was being hurtled down the road one day in winter gales..,
Are you and I the only crazy people, or are there others lurking here on this site.
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LOL. That’s a good question, James.
But it’s not in the least mad to make a little nature rescue patch in the garden. I have piles of wood and an area where all the old flower pots go to die where little animals can shelter. And a big slightly broken one where even bigger animals can keep warm.
My biologist friend got seeds of plants which are particularly attractive to bees so we leave places where they can nest.
We’ve had great fun watching them make homes in the garden.
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What a lovely place your garden sounds, and we love the idea of all the old flower pots, we might incorporate that into our garden if you don’t mind us following your lead, any advice on the kind of flowers your biologist friend recommended would be appreciated,
When we retired our last wages, we spent on metal detectors, as we love the outdoors, nature and history, great combination, and keeps us fit as well.
It means we visit areas that are isolated, where Croft’s and farms used to be, old distilleries , or water mills that were used for grain or fabric, Now growing wild in these places we have found field marigolds, teasel, red and yellow poppies , old roses, lilac trees, monbriesa, rhubarb, current and gooseberry bushes, apple trees and even a pear tree. Nettles, dandelions Dockens, variousWe leave all these plants in situ as the wildlife needs them.
Nature has a great way of taken back what used to belong to it when left to its own devices , we have encountered stoats, trout, foxes, buzzards, squirrels, badgers, even birds nesting in old tyres, and ivy that smothered old buildings.
We can’t go out and about at the moment as you know, so we are trying to bring nature to us, by remembering the habitat of where and what thrived in adverse circumstances and why.
Found plenty of old coins, harmonica reeds, bits of old Tilly lamps mountains of old lead, old bottles and jars, horseshoes, broken cast iron pots, a few bronze items that are in Edinburgh museum ,an iron Celtic pin for a cloak, We have not found any gold, yet but the fun and treasure is being out in nature .
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Your walks sound fun…even if you’ve not found gold, YET.
You are so right about nature taking back what is hers (or his) when the dratted humans back off.
I’ll go down and take a couple of snaps for tomorrow’s Soppy Sunday… habitat for wee animals.
We had a squirrel in trying to get birds nuts yesterday, I’m told, but I didn;t see the little fellow.
Around here, they are greys.
I was out shopping this afternoon for the bird food that the fussy Munguin Towers birds like and… disaster. There was none.
I’m not desperately looking forward to seeing Bertie Blakcbirds beak being out of joint.
I’ll get some bee recommendations from Dani (who is working on crop research in Budapest at the moment).
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Love the pics of your garden, and homey flower pot habitat, great idea for bees, although I suspect we might get friendly house or field mice instead😀
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Our mice live in the shed and get sunflower seeds and seeded bread to eat with the occasional muffin thrown in. And of course, a bowl of water so they don;t have to venture out and brave the cats.
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