Again I'm doing the writing as I go technique. So far so good. I should warn you I've been looking after Julie all week so the blog will basically be all about my woeful nursing techniques. Did make a splendid shepherd's pie though.
Here goes:
Monday 16/06/14
So Julie has a trapped nerve somewhere in the right shoulder region, or something, and as well as being able to do little she's also in agony. So of course she went to work! I gallantly stayed at home. In my defence I did offer to go in and help though I had another online auction to sit through. A coffee machine was today's goal. It went for £1300. I gave it a miss.
I actually put the football on. Germany v Portugal as I fired off more emails about premises. Still the football failed to grab me and I missed all four goals and the red card. I'll give the next England game another bash and if that fails to hold my attention I'm officially giving up on the world cup.
Tried to fix a kettle but my fingers are too fat and then Julie came home surprisingly early for a Monday due to the pain she's in. Obviously being her busy office day the phone then never stopped ringing and we had the most truncated game of Scrabble ever. She hammered me. 27-5 now. Serves me right for my 'would have been 3-3' comment last week. If we'd started last Tuesday I'd be losing 5-0 now.
Bed and every time I moved Julie let out a little yelp so I headed for the spare bed only to find it had reverted back to wardrobe status so off to the sofa. Very comfy unless you're a 6'5" bloke trying to sleep. Walking like the letter 'S' all day Tuesday.
Tuesday 17/06/14
Julie took the day off. That's how bad her pain is so I headed into town to do some shopping for her and view more premises. Not ideal sadly. The search goes on whilst the mushroom people ignore my calls.
Back to my flat to finally transfer all my money over to new accounts and inadvertently left me with no access to any funds. Genius.
Julie's washing machine has packed up (worryingly I was the last to use it) so I took washing with me only for my washer to decide it wanted to join the party and play up. I'm writing this while my feet dry out
I'm struggling with the smoking thing. I'm on 40 mints a day and the patches vehemently disagree with me. We argue long into the night. I'm covered in angry red squares. I look like some kinda psychedelic chess board. So I'm trying the e-cigarette route. I shall let you know.
Julie went to see a chiropractor and it's not a trapped nerve but acute bicipital tendonitis and a tear to the transverse ligament. She doesn't do things by half. Went to San Remo's with the in-laws for a belated Father's Day meal before heading home for more Scrabble and another surprise victory for me. I can only presume Julie was distracted by the pain. 28-6.
Wednesday 18/06/14
Still looking after the invalid and inadvertently nearly killed her. Julie has to eat gluten free and I've got reasonably good at checking ingredients but I didn't check the oven chips I'd bought. Well who puts flour in chips!!? McCains it would seem. Thankfully Julie checked to see if they were done, decided it tasted too good to be a gluten free chip and showed me the error of my ways.
Went over to my good friend Alistair Pearson's to record some bongos for his EP. The last time I recorded any music, which was bongos as well, was in a bedsit in Golders Green with one of my oldest friends Nigel Smith. We were called Woefully Short and the album was called Delete The Ham and we recorded it on a tape deck. Oh how times have changed. Thankfully Alistair was very patient as I danced all round the click track and failed abysmally to repeat anything that he really liked because I couldn't remember what I'd done. We got two tracks done though and had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.
Julie, not my girlfriend Julie but Alistair's fiancee Julie, insisted on feeding me. Buffalo cheese pizza (I won't tell you what Alistair called it). I was obviously badly taught at school. Didn't think you got cheese from a buffalo, but then again I never knew they had wings either.
Back home for another night of Scrabble. Open Mic night at Cask, Julie's favourite night, so the pain really must be bad for her to miss it. She took any frustration she had out on me, winning by 150 points. 29-6.
Thursday 19/06/14
As you'll have gathered I still have my flat in Balby but spend most of my time at Julie's in Wheatley. I love it for so many reasons one of which being it's where I grew up. My Mum moved us to Wheatley from Hatfield when I was about 4, to the house with no floorboards and only one usable room on Raby Road. We used stools as stepping stones and all slept in the one room. My Mum and brother on the floor, me in the wardrobe. It wasn't till I started school that I found out that this wasn't how everyone lived.
Anyway I digress. Walking to the shop last night I drew a mental map of where all my school mates lived back in the day. Ian on Woodhouse, Wany and Trev (R.I.P.) on Wentworth, Coops on Ferrers, Tit Taylor, Johnno and Crammy on Dundas, Nidge on Gloucester, Slacky on Rockingham, Braze on Stanhope, Nelson on Lifford. Walked past the green garage door we used to play football against and past the overgrown garden that me and David Johnson used to hide in. We once found some discarded tins of purple paint in there and painted all the walls. The walls are still purple. All this was well over 30 years ago but I found the reminiscing so therapeutic.
Oh and the house I grew up in is up for sale. Might pretend I'm interested just to see if my built in bed/wardrobe is still there.
Just thought I'd share that with you.
Julie had a doctor's appointment and another session with the chiropractor this morning. Could be weeks before she's better and she's been given some painkillers that seriously knock her out. We had a bonus Scrabble game and I got off to a flyer. Opened with ROADIES (64 points) followed by SOULMATE (another 64 points) only for Julie to start clawing her way back. I was leading by only 5 when I think the drugs started to kick in. I eventually won by 64 points but it's a hollow victory. Still, 29-7. I'm approaching double figures.
Today is when the shepherd's pie happened.
World Cup fever still isn't here. England's crucial 2nd game very soon and I still couldn't care less. I've loved football for over 40 years, been to over 1,000 Rovers games and watched every ball kicked that I possibly could at every major tournament since 1978 but just cannot get excited about this one. Maybe if England win it'll kick in.
So much for that. We played Scrabble instead. The England game was on my laptop but just failed to grab my attention. The Scrabble on the other hand was another splendid game. Another 8 letter word from me (BUFFOONS - 67 points) but again the drugs may have had an effect. Had Julie known I only had two letters left she'd have won. As it was my penultimate word FOXIER won it for me. 29-8.
Friday 20/06/14
I'm getting very domesticated. More tending to the invalid and taking washing over to my flat before heading to Sine FM Towers. Sitting in for JJ on The First 45 again. JJ's in New York getting wed. I love doing JJ's show. It's all new music and I do enjoy hunting down 20 odd decent new songs to play. There is a spot of blind panic too as I listen to some of the dross I get sent. I do throw in the odd old un though. Just 'cos I can.
The First 45 Playlist
New York City Cops - The Strokes
Jules Verne - The Clox
Pirouette - Puppet Rebellion
Fallout - Catfish And The Bottlemen
Stand And Fall - The Velcro Teddy Bears
Fever - Black Keys
Play Piano - Barstow Bats
Rags - The Waterboys
Shimmer Gold - Dexters
Put Your Money On Me - The Struts
Better - The Tricks
Pools - Glass Animals
Snake Drive - Crosscut Saw
Magdalene 318 - Pixies
The Catfish - Polkadodge
Suffering You Suffering Me - Slow Club
When I Close My Eyes - Middleman
To Ohio - The Low Anthem
The Legend Of Dandelion And Shoe - Alistair Pearson
Johannesburg - Bang Bang Romeo
Lonely People - Jade-Lee Saxelby (Music Bomb)
The Rattler - Goodbye Mr. MacKenzie
Silvertown - The Broadcasts
Follow You Home - Embrace
Giant Tortoise - Pond
Seven Seas - Echo And The Bunnymen
Was joined on the show by Mr. Dannatt and we headed to Cask for a beer after the show and to totally fail to dissect England's exit from the world cup. I still don't care. Stayed around to watch the brilliant Crosscut Saw and keep Julie updated on how busy it was and how her staff are more than capable and how she really should stay at home and how she really should rest her shoulder. I headed home as soon as she agreed to stay on her sofa and I let her watch me polish off the shepherd's pie.
Saturday 21/06/14
Actually writing this having just got up so nothing to report yet apart from expect pretty much the same as yesterday without the radio show. Hauling washing across town again. Times like this I wish I could drive.
I had lessons when I was 18ish and hated it. Then my driving instructor had a heart attack and his replacement laughed at my inabilities. That was that really and I've relied on public transport ever since.
This is where it all goes out the window. The weekend happens, gets a bit messy and then I cant remember a thing.
Met up with Ian and Al The Loon Saturday night. Al's down from Sunderland for the weekend. It's always a joy to see him but I'm glad when he buggers off back up North. Lots of beer and dancing but few actual definite recollections.
Sunday 22/06/14
A shaky start to the day. I may have to move my bed. When it rains I get dripped on and then covered in plaster and when the sun shines I'm like an ant under a magnifying glass. Not how I like to be woken. Pottered, shakily, then headed over to Julie's. She's getting seriously fed up now. She's either in agony or knocked out from the painkillers. She bravely went without the drugs just so she could be awake and have a conversation.
I headed off to Sine FM Towers for The Other Way, got the word flibbertigibbet into my waffle. Twice. Played some top tuneage. Went home for Scrabble. Julie had gone 8 hours without any painkillers but had to concede defeat. Sadly they didn't kick in soon enough to save me from a beating. The word UNFAIRER won it for her. As if unfairer's a real word. Summed up my feelings perfectly though. 30-8.
So that was my week. A quick mention of a gig happening next Saturday. MIND Aid at Cask Corner. Music all day from 12pm and money being raised for MIND. Great cause and a great gig. See you there.
Laters
SS
The Other Way Playlist Sunday 22/06/14
The Other Way - Polkadodge
Stop Your Crying - Spiritualized
Papa Was A Rolling Stone - The Temptations
Put Your Money On Me - The Struts
Beverly Penn - The Waterboys
Chevy Thunder - Spector
Hot In The City - Billy Idol
Glory Box - Portishead
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
The Rattler - Goodbye Mr. McKenzie
China Grove - Smoking Beagles
Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People
The Messenger - Johnny Marr
Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks
Suffering You Suffering Me - Slow Club
We Take Care Of Our Own - Bruce Springsteen
Chi-Town - The Cribs
Cure - The Missing Pages
Walk On The Wild Side - Lou Reed
Low Down - Tom Waits
Sometimes - James
Oceans - Dexters
Mama - Genesis
Fingers Bleed - Martin Black (Music Bomb)
American Slang - The Gaslight Anthem
I Wish I Was Someone Better - Blood Red Shoes
What You Do To Me - Teenage Fanclub
Egyptian Reggae - Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers
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