The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Though I rested much of Sunday, having enjoyed a wallow in the bath, I then woke on Monday with a continual, aching pain in my lower back. Now, I’m putting it down to the walk to Clatterbridge Hospital; as the tense feeling I had in my thighs had been felt in my lower back, later. Couple that with my active Saturday and, the base of my spine was left feeling tired, very tired… and, sore. That said, I took myself to bed, for an unheard of second early night in a row as, the wind blew hard, outside my bedroom window…

Barry called on Saturday and we went to Manchester, visiting the collectors shop I had recalled so well, from a previous visit to the city. There was a lot of snow on the ground and, as the day progressed it had thawed somewhat, sluicing slush upward from the cars before us. We even saw a rainbow, through the arcing spray on the journey, which had delighted me somewhat. All-in-all, it had been a good day, seeing places I’d only seen on tv, since I had been there last thirty-odd years previously...

I needed an xray; arthritis in the left knee. Doctor Brocki insisted I go, as my last xray on the knee when they offered me the op had been in 2009 walked coz I still can.



Friday I went walking 3/4 miles in the snow, to hospital today: a damn good walk and, I’d got to see stuff; stuff like the two fellows in high-visibilty jacket, at either end of the entrance to the car park at The Old Wirralalians Rugby Pitch and Social. They were just standing there and, as it happens they were directing the managers of car dealerships to their next chosen car, from as choice of Seat Cars, all luxury lines, it looked like. And, as the snow fell I chatted, before carrying on my walk, asking the fellow from Kent to take my picture, before the batteries died on me. He had. The other fellow was from London. And, I do recall saying that the Wirral doesn’t usually get bad weather when the rest of the country does, because of the river both side and the hills the other. “Don’t worry,” I’d said, “It won’t last long”

“I’ll hold you to that and, we’ll see.”



“Well, by the time I got to the hospital, an hour and twenty minutes had passed by and, I do emphasise as I said to the pretty Iraqui or Iranian, or… wearing a headscarf and a rare smile, “…it was with distractions” I hadn’t had to wait long before I was seen to and on the way home. Needless to say, the fellow from Kent had smiled as he indicated the snow still falling, inferring I was wrong: “Just wait, hardly any time has passed by…”



As I walked down my road, toward home, the snow was thawing underfoot and I’d thought of the fellow from London.



And, the ducks on a frozen Raby Mere were amusing; as was watching a lotta blue-tits, dead small, flying en masse, from one tree to another, as I had my smoke, on the way back. Now, I needed the xray, as it happens and, it’s almost funny; I goto see Doctor Brocki about the results in the morning of the day I get to see the pain specialist in regard to my spine at the hospital. It’s almost funny, yet at least I get to see the pain specialist I’ve waited a year to see, bein offered multiple alternatives on the way. Anyway…



Barry called in the evening and watched most of the second episode of Utopia with me and, as I saw him out the front door, it was Snailing, my new word, to describe a mixture of snow and hail…



I finished up in the back room, then watched the end of Utopia and, actually went to bed early; well, early for me.

Come Friday morning I’d opened the curtains to see a layer of white had been layed down over the Wirral. Aye, for a change the forecast had been right and, it had snowed. Barry had called round in the evening and, after a chat I’d put ‘Django’ on again. He’d had to go at 9:30 and, after he had, I’d finally got to see those last twelve minutes. And, Tarantino has a winner on his hands, I figure, particularly after seeing those last twelve minutes, which had been quite audacious. I’d enjoyed ‘Django’, immensely.

23rd January 2012



On Saturday I hid from the cold weather, finding things to do to stay indoors, like darning socks: I’d no need to go out, so there was noway I was going out, so I’d darned socks and watched a few tv shows; ‘an I had to darn socks, as I walk so much, I wear them through so easily. Then, come the night my internet connection died, inexplicably, while the modem seemed to suggest I’d had a connection, when I hadn’t. Well, I tried all I could think of, including plugging in a laptop. But, it was all to no avail. So acknowledging my limitations, I sought out my bed. Thankfully, the next morning, things were working well, so I had been able to go on the governments Jobmatch site, as I’d intended the previous night. Thankfully diversion presented itself, when Barry called and, irrespective of a little cold, we went travelling. En route we had called at the shack, on the car park, before the access path to the Prom and Moreton shore. It had been open and, I’d got the cup of tea and egg ‘teen toast, that I like so much from there; in part because they always use two eggs and, they’re fried to perfection, fror me that is.

And, come the evening meal, Dad had served the chicken with a particularly good red wine. And yes, I’d spent part of the evening pleasantly crashed-out, just ‘resting my knees’, of course. Later I’d gone on VR awhile, my first time in days. I’ve been a tad low, of late and haven’t really wanted to socialise, much. And, I kinda know why, in a backwards fashion: I’ve been feeling lonely.

Anyway… Monday was a housework morning, as usual, with much of the day spent on the ‘new’ laptop, getting it to act like a ‘Neil machine’. Unfortunately, AVG proved difficult to remove; well nigh on damn impossible; thankfully, come Wednesday, Karl had worked his magic and, as I left for home, the Mac laptop in my bag, the Inspiron found a temporary home with Karl. And, I had got to see Dawn, the Daryl Hannah lookalike, who used to ‘pink’ my black desk diary, at work, when I’d encountered Karl, as a sixth former, for the first time. It’d been well cool to see her and get to see her wedding photo’s. Put that together with the meeting on the train to to Karl’s and, it was an interesting time, for me. Ah yes, the train journey: well, that story has it’s routes in ’76 and Now, with my video’s on Dailymotion. In ’76, or thereabouts, someone saw me doing my stuff, as I do and decided to follow their own way, becoming a rather good pub act, doing Elvis, Presley of course. And I met Kevin on Bromborough Station platform and, boy he’d looked sharp in his grey suit, smart casual black shoes and a black shirt to match the shoes and hair, think brushed back, with sideburns to match the image of Elvis, which he does do well. And, we sat together, as I’d rambled away telling my stories. And, I’m doing Dad Dancing, on his sister Becky’s phone, which I’ve found weird, since I learnt that. Now I find that she thinks I’m ‘lovely and funny’, according to her brother, tapping his phone, which has my number in it and he’d said, “I nearly ended up giving her your…” And ain’t Life just strangeness indeed. Heck, the first time I saw her, about a year before, I’d been in Bromborugh Village, when this slim, young woman with long brown hair runs over, shouting “Kend!” That’s my brother’s knickname and, Kevin knows Ian. Anyway, she had run over as I say, then stopped just short of throwing her arm round me and, she’d been all smiles and pure gushingness, as she had told me she had me on her phone, as she thought the video so funny. Now back then, I’d thought her a buoyant seventeen, to twenty year-old. Before I’d got off the train at Birkenhead, Kevin had told me her actual age, which was twenty-eight: so this is no kid, who thinks I’m ‘lovely and funny and, truth me told, I feel flattered...



And I did like my doctor’s reaction, when I said I’d walk to hospital, for the X-ray she tells me that I need to have, as my last had been in 2009. She had sat back, mouth agape, then looked to me, her chair legs back on the carpet, as she closed her mouth and said to me, “Oh yes, I nearly forgot, it’s you…” At that I’d grinned.

been watching Betty Page and Django Unchained. in that order. then... back to Betty. more Django Friday... it's as good as any of Sergio Leones movies.

COMMENTS

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RedQueen
00:26 Jan 18 2013

It was indeed a well done movie- Tarantino has always been a favorite of mine, and this movie absolutely proves that in spades. No pun intended.

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POST COMMENT

Wednesday evening I went round to Karl’s, taking my ‘new’ laptop with me. [Well, it is NEW, to me…] He’d had that damn Brian Cox on televisn and the stars programme and, though I abhor the fellow, I was moderately tolerant, as Karl had been quite so helpful, to me. And, by the time we left his home and he walked me to the station I had a powerpack for the machine, we’d isolated a discs worth of stuff to be burned and had deleted a lot of unnecessary files and, a copy of ‘Cloud Atlas’ on the desktop, for me, to view.



Just before the Christmas just gone, I’d signed on and, I had been coerced into joining the governments new, privately run website, to jobmatch. Well, this week I went to sign on and it transpired that the young woman I saw at the desk did not have the correct email address for me – so she could access their end of the jobmatch porthole, which I’ve been using since impelled to.



So, I gave her the right one for her use and she input ,com, instead of the suffix .co.uk and even when she had the right one, it seems she could still not access my information, having denied them permission.



As I explained, it was still on default settings; and the only thing I’d changed was make my cv public, instead of private. No-one had trained me, so I could do no more.



I’d been totally non-plussed, so asked the obvious, “How did I do that?”



Come the evening it was ‘chilled to the bones’ cold. “Don’t go out,” Dad had said, as he so often does on a Thursday.



“On a night like this I’m needed and, if just one person gets the hot meal they need? Well, you never know, it might just save a Life…” I’d told him.



As it happens, Thursday night , I met that one person who’d needed our help. He’d lost his home after losing his job and, was quite literally ‘on the streets.’



And, after fourteen or fifteen years doing the project, that fellow was a reminder, if one had been needed, as to why I go out on ‘chilled to the bones’ nights. And, I’d been dead-chuffed, when he said, as a few say to me, “The front [of the church] is all tidy…” And, like those others, he ties the front of the church, “for Neil.”



Come Friday and my appointment with Keith at Ingeus, the work programme provider, I told him about what had happened at the dole and, he’d asked me the same as the dole had, “How did you do it?” Well, without traing of the damn system, how on Earth am I to know?”



I mean, I’ve been working with computers for nearly thirty years and, I’m no slouch on studying, when needed. But, without being shown the correct coaching, how can one use software correctly? It is a good question.



Anyway…



I arose at eight on Saturday, to get ready, ensuring that I’d prepared the grravy for the evening meal, before I put my coat on. Barry called round just after ten-thirty and, thankfully I’d been ready. Barry can be a bit testy when I’m tardy. We’d driven aways, then picked up his son, his wife and child and went to Bury. I was struck as to how much Barry’s grandson looks like his Father at the same age, as I knew him, way back then. We dropped Barry’s son off, to go shop, then went for another drive. We ended up in Ramsbottom, a name that always has me laughing, everytime I hear it.



My Little Mother would have described Ramsbottom as a small pitureque village. Well, it was that, but big enough just, to have its own swimming baths.



We had travelled to the Pennines, the backbone of England and, although I live in the North West of England; as far as I was concerned, I was “Up North” where there were different, accents, scenery and way of Life.



We had walked down by the River Irwell, the canal to our right, that used to carry so much traffic, when there had been industry there. As we walked along the river-bed awhile, I found a small pot, intact except for its lip. I also found a piece of pottery with, blue patterning on it. Carrying on our walk we got to the Old Weir, where I had stood and zoned out awhile to the sound of the water-flow. Well, from there we’d gone to Bury Market, which I think is the best outside Market I’ve ever seen, or smelled.



Well, we finally picked up his son, wife and child, who had bought loads of bedding, with their new bed and, having loaded the car, we had travelled hom, going quite fast, so I’d be home for the evening meal with Dad at five. I got in at four minutes past five and, the wine was god, the chicken tasty and later, I’d rested. I’d needed it. But, after saying that, the weather had been good, the journey good and, the day had been good.



As I wrote later, I re-watched the Doctor Who Christmas special, after an episode of ‘Person Of Interest’. And, that shows building to its season’s climax, I’m sure…



Well, come Sunday my pleasant weekend had continued, with a visit from Janet and John and, a meal at The Dibbinsdale; and I was tasting Italian foods I’d not done so before, in a Chinese banquet style. It’d been great to see them.



Monday night I watched 'Cloud Atlas, again... with Lucie...

After a poor nights sleep I awoke on Tuesday with its of my body aching that hached as badly in ages, the left knee was worse; the base of my back to the left ached and, my upper back and, the left of my upper neck and, truth be told, I felt a wreck. And, it’d been back to raining again, much as it had through the night. Well, needing to renew a script or two anyway, I went a walk, in my trenchcoat and carrying an umbrella, to go to the doctors. I got what I needed and, an appointment, for before th one with the pain specialist, then walked home. By the time I got back home, I felt a good eighty per cent better. I knew there was a reason I like my walks.



I spent the evening watching a couple of episodes of ‘Blakes Seven’, delighted that I’d not seen them at all. So had I been, sitting cross-legged on my bed, typing with memories before me, dragged from about thirty odd years ago

On Friday the day was bright. Dad and I have a joke, It either rains on a Friday when we go shopping, or… it’s so bright one can hardly see. And, so it was Friday morning. It was also quiet on the roads and, once inside the Azda, one could almost say there were more staff working than there were customers, it was so quiet. Needless to say, we did our normal shop at least a quarter of an hour earlier than usual. When Barry called he’d had several objectives in mind, one of which became the egg toasted sandwich from the café off Moreton Shore, which we’d not had on New Years day, as it was closed. And, that’s one of the few places where I like an egg done for me and, upon checking, I found that they served two fried eggs ‘tween the toasted slices. And, after doing his shopping, we toddled off to Elton, to have a quick look at his pc, before going to meet Mike, his nephew, who has a dead boss man-cave at the bottom of his folks garden, which had been their summer house. While we were there we had seen some of my video’s on dailymotion.com and, truth be told, till then I’d not been aware how the displacement of my back actually looked. In truth, it doesn’t look too bad, but you can the area of the spine where the displacement occurs. Well, I got home as confused as Dad, when it came to recalling what we were to have for tea, finally recalling, so that I had not looked too stupid, in front of Dad. Well, much to my surprise, when I opened the curtains after another poor nights sleep it was a sunny blue-sky day again and, Dad had another good washing-day. That had made two of them in 2013 and boy, did it look wrong, writing that down. After all, it does take me about six months to get used to writing the New Year down; it’s always the same…

Anyway, he ended up bringing it in, putting it on two maidens and then by the fire, ‘coz just like most day’s in 2012, the day was damp. I had got most of the windows done though, with Dad following my with a plastic cleaner, to do where I’d finished.

Barry phoned at about nine thirty, as I’d told him I’d be ready for ten thirty and, he seemed to be running late. As it was, it had been the third party involved who had inadvertently screwed up plans by going to a New Years Party. As it happens, I’d been up till late myself thinking; well dwelling; as I can and do on occasion. Well, he had called at eleven fifteen and I’d been ready to go. To go where I had not known, but the sky had been blue and, for the first time in almost a year, my Dad had the drying day he’d been waiting for and, in this event, my bedding that he had washed.

Barry and I had the good New Years Day I might’ve wanted, with a blue-sky overhead and, only a faint chill to the wind. We’d driven in the countryside, seeing rolling hill and, fruit-vines in orchards and, by the time I got home I’d needed rest. I’d done fish ‘n chips for tea, then went to rest my knees. I arose at ten or so, as Dad was going to bed. I had typed awhile, before going to bed myself… Well, needless to say, Dad had more bedding washing to do and, no pleasant day for drying, the next day, the Wednesday. And, with the rain falling and, a hip that needed a walk, I’d gone out with an umbrella and, got the walk that it needed. Grant you, it helped the knees, as I’d sought plasters and a lighter gas-refill, but what with my general state of lassitude an all, the walk took it out of me somewhat, so I’d taken the day as slowly as possible, nevermind the knees and the laugh, that led to coughing fits galore!

It still somewhat amuses me, one can get one’s milk and eggs cheaper at the off-licence Thoroughgood’s, rather than the CoOp, where it had been cheaper than at Thoroughgoods, to get the ginger wine that my Father and I both like.



I was reminded of that anomaly on the way home from picking up my money, days later than Steve at the dole had led me to expect. I’d done some shopping, as I’d been requested, getting milk from the off-licence as I had.



Come twelve and the New Year, I was watching the end of a film I’d taped, ‘Prince Of Persia’, when I heard fireworks going off outside. I finished watching the film and, then went to the lounge, to acquire some of my Dad’s Glayva and some of the ginger wine. I poured myself a glass, containing a little of each, then opened the backdoor and raised my glass, to all those I have lost; my little round Gran, My Mum, Beverly, Valentina, Debbie… and, Love itself.



In their memory, might I Live for tomorrow.