Dress Code

Today’s job interview was for a managerial post, albeit part time, so yesterday’s lecturer look of check shirt, knitted tie and zip-up jacket was ditched for the pinstripe suit and its sober accessories; not that they did any good as there has been no phone call since, and after an interview no news is rarely good news.

Degree of Difficulty

Interview number one attended, for a post as casual maths tutor, sparking a bit of a search for my degree certificate through various boxes of documents and souvenirs for a hopefully eye-catching twelve inch long bright red tube; it was found before panic set in (so that’s four years study I don’t need to repeat) but in the end was not needed today as I passed unscathed through the initial selection process to earn a place on the books.

Preston Hall

Likely to be the only fine day of the half term holiday so it was a family outing to Preston Park, last visited some years ago, and Preston Hall, even longer neglected and now a much more interesting museum with well interpreted exhibits linking to Stockton’s heritage; these include three items from the “History of the North East in 100 Objects” collection, including some of John Walker’s friction matches, and much about one-time Preston Hall owner Robert Ropner who left his native Prussia as a young man to sail the world but, suffering from sea-sickness, got off at Hartlepool and eventually became a shipbuilding magnate and local philanthropist.

Preparation

Two of the job applications have overcome shortlisting so today was spent doing some preparation in readiness to be interviewed for the first time in 20 years; I’m used to sitting on the employer’s side of the table and asking the questions so it will be a change not to know the answers in advance, but on the positive side I will only have to sit through them once.

Disorderly Fans

The second of the NFL international series, on live TV from Wembley, was as expected a bit one-sided with the San Francisco 49ers outclassing the Jacksonville Jaguars, whose flag bearing cheerleaders also got a bit befuddled and out of order as they proudly paraded JAGURAS with their flags; not as funny as the five lads from Darlington at the same stadium for the 2011 FA Trophy final who each sported a letter from DARLO on their bare and rather portly torsos but, unfortunately if not inappropriately, lined up as LARDO.

Two Blues

With no FA Cup tie within 80 miles I took a busman’s holiday to watch a Northern League game at Heritage Park home of Bishop Auckland, also known as the “two blues” for their halved dark blue and light blue shirts reflecting the club’s original formation by theological students from Oxford & Cambridge Universities studying at Auckland Castle; in a tight game today the two blues blew it, losing 2-1 to a Sunderland team that isn’t bottom of the league.

The Light

Yea I have seen the light, it cometh from the re-bulbed kitchen spotlights that dazzle eyes and brighten the dark corners of the world where dwell demons, or at least cobwebs; and further the light that illuminates the word now shines forth with renewed strength (due to replacement batteries in the ‘mighty bright’ book light).

Belt & Laces

The day is bright and sunny, perfect for walking a good stretch of the Teesdale Way Path from Piercebridge to Blackwell, but in getting kitted out I can’t find the belt to my walking pants, which should not be a problem as they have an elasticated waist (more and more necessary these days); however I realise my error before a mile is out as the pants begin to droop and require hoiking up irritatingly often, prompting a quick rifle through the emergency equipment that lives in my rucksack front pocket: cotton wool to plug ears in a cold wind; needle and tweezers for splinter removal; plasters and out of date medication; whistle to attract rescuers; multi-tool to take stones out of horses’ hooves – nothing of any use in a pants emergency – until I drag out a spare bootlace, long enough to circumscribe my waist via the belt loops with enough left over to tie a double bow that holds everything in place for the remaining six miles.

Diamond Geezer

Attaining the age of sixty confers fewer privileges than you might expect with the state pension aeons away, a bus pass a distant dream, concessionary tickets to sports events a bit hit and miss, and even the senior railcard available only at a cost; however there are no problems with joining the B&Q over 60’s Diamond Club entitling a 10% discount (on a Wednesday only) that today gave me a saving of £5.38 on wood and light bulbs, although the barn roof project has been held up and the kitchen has been a bit dark for the best part of a week.

Compost

Met up with ex-colleague and fellow retiree Bob today for one of our biannual catch-ups over a pub lunch in Yarm and although most of our chat would be meaningless to share, concerning the fate of former workmates and the scrapes we got into, I did gain useful advice in the matter of composting - my current heap is a bit sloppy and apparently needs 'layering with carboniferous matter and occasional turning'; this is not as bad as my previous heap that became something of a fast food outlet for rats that feasted on those wrinkly apples and soft bananas before being wiped out by the pest control man’s poison, which also did for the compost.

Filled In

The Big Hole in the street, or the moat that it briefly became after Sunday’s downpour, got filled in today when two men and a mechanical shovel mounted on the back of a lorry parked outside the house and started lifting loads of earth up and over the top of my car; it seemed churlish to point out the likelihood of debris spilling out, particularly as they were armed with shovels, were standing next to a coffin shaped trench, and had the means at hand to fill it – I didn’t want to be ‘filled in’ and anyway the car’s due a wash.

Fruit Crumble

When the apples in the fruit bowl get a bit soft, being too mean to throw them out, I sometimes buy a pack of berries to combine with them in a fruit crumble, but more often than not this just leads, a week later, to tipping both the apples (now soft and wrinkly) and the berries (now mouldy) into the compost heap; however this week it was money well spent and today a fine apple and blueberry crumble graced the dining table.

Billingham Ballboys

Last time I was at Billingham Synthonia’s Central Avenue, a cavernous arena within an oval running track and grassy banks, stray shots at goal were retrieved by a single superannuated bloke in a track suit, but today seven keen young lads were on duty, whose aggregated age would not match their predecessor; kitted out in fluorescent training bibs down to their knees they did a top notch job, totally earning their remuneration which included (and may have been limited to) burgers at half time.

Water Fowl

As part of the new exercise regime I plan to walk 7 miles a week so today, while in Sedgefield for shopping (Bolams) and the Library (no longer stuck on U – see 4/10), I walked to Hardwick Park and around the Lake in cool, cloudy but windless weather and took enjoyment from the water fowl on view: coots with their distinctive white foreheads, although they seemed more determined to show their bottoms as they dabbled for food; mallards with the glossy green necked males waddling after their plainer (to us) potential mates; Canada or barnacle geese – the ones with the white chinstrap – honking merrily; and two pristine white swans with a couple of downy cygnets; a very pleasant 3 miles to put to the week’s total.

Big Hole

How many days does it take to dig a hole? – seven so far, when it has to go from the cottages opposite, currently under renovation, over the village green, across the High Street and under the pavement outside our house to connect to the electricity supply there (why the connection cannot be made on the other side of the street is a mystery as there are adjacent properties there that clearly have power); so we have an ever growing hole slowly eating its way along the access to the block paved hardstanding which makes vehicular manoeuvres tricky, even with a Smart, but on the other hand the temporary stop go lights are quite an effective traffic calming measure.

Application

The early retirement was meant to be semi-retirement with the pension supplemented by some part time occupation that would also get me out of the house, but after one short term (if lucrative) engagement, a couple of training courses and a pleasant summer break, I find myself not bored but feeling under-utilised with just the occasional school minibus drive to do; perusing the small ads revealed a part time finance post that may be just the job so today the application went off, the third to be despatched into the current unpromising employment market.

Qualifier

The last gasp games of the qualifying group stages are always the best with caution thrown to the wind and tension high, and tonight’s game was no exception with England throwing everything at another Polish goalkeeper (with Jan Tomaszewski watching on) but after eighty-five minutes only getting one goal past him; it was squeaky bum time for Roy Hodgson, and the rest of us, until captain Stevie Gerrard surged through to poke in a goal that ensures England will be in the World Cup finals in Brazil next June.

Quilter

Not me, it is my wife who cuts and sews material into intricate patchwork quilts, and having supplied family members she is turning her attention to our own newly redecorated bedroom; this time, learning from experience the individual patterns are to be planned in advance to ensure a pleasing final aggregation, which is where my aptitude for order, symmetry and jigsaw solving is called on.

Roofer

Phase one of the cunning plan to fix the barn roof was completed today without a hitch as my supplementary roof structure was hoisted up the ladder and secured in place; the rain currently hammering down will be a good test but hopefully the repair will be successful and enable me to repeat the process for the remaining problem areas.

Marske Mascot

Saturday football took me back to Marske-by-the-Sea for the big FA Cup tie with Halesowen Town, and football aside (see other blog for details) the highlight was the home team’s new mascot, or should it be Marske-ot, in the form of a human bulldog dressed in the home strip with a head more resembling a wild boar than Churchill the insurance dog; he insinuated himself into the opening handshake ritual to the bemusement of the officials and opponents and danced a joyous jig at the final whistle before being mobbed by the players amid calls from some fans for RSPCA intervention.

mima

The Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art may be better known for hosting an edition of Top Gear than for its works of art, unfairly on the basis of this, my first, visit which took in the soon to close exhibition of Alex Katz paintings, watercolours by local-born and internationally renowned William Tillyer, and a celebration of the 20^th anniversary of the adjacent Bottle of Notes sculpture; I am no art buff (“but I know what I like”) so it’s mainly a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours looking at Katz’s bold canvasses, admiring Tillyer’s coloured swirls, and learning the genesis of the Bottle, before finishing off with a cup of tea and a cheese scone (the latter a work of art itself).

Rugby Coach

The nearest I get to a rugby coach is driving one - the local primary school team’s minibus to Darlington for a tag rugby tournament, which was my introduction to a game I found frustrating to watch as the only way to stop an opponent was to pull off one of two plastic ribbons Velcro-ed to a belt, making it a bit of a lottery especially with them flapping about in the stiff breeze; the boys and girls did well against opponents from bigger schools and most importantly got some vigorous exercise in the more than fresh air.

Chicken Curry

For son George’s silver Duke of Edinburgh award he needs to learn a new skill, and as it is cookery he is starting from ground zero; nevertheless today’s chicken curry came home and made a delicious tea which his mother and I polished off despite having had a precautionary and very tasty lunch out at Da Vinci’s in Yarm.

Open Wide

Eight months fly past when it is the interval between dental examinations but on the dreaded day all went as well as it could; Hurworth dentist Mark began with “open wide” and finished shortly after with “not bad for a sixty year-old man” (an increasingly familiar refrain), so it is OK for another eight months and once my jaw muscles were back to normal I celebrated in the Bay Horse where I was happy to open my mouth wide again and swallow a glass of excellent Jennings Cumberland Ale.

Kindling

A quick analysis of the year’s reading to date indicates that e-books now make up about 40% of my reading, which is not surprising as, although I love proper books, the electronic ones have many attractive features such as: portability (although I still took 3 printed books on holiday); ease of bedtime reading (the book light does not flop about or get caught up in the turning pages); zero bookshelf space requirement (very much in short supply); adjustable font size (an age thing); and availability of bargains in the Kindle store (of which I took advantage today with three purchases for a total of £3.87  - The Good Lawyer by Thomas Benigno, The Geneva Trap by Stella Rimington, and The Dream Lover by William Boyd).

In-laws

A quiet day punctuated by a visit from my mother- and father-in-law who often pop in on a late Sunday morning for a cup of tea and a chat, sometimes en route to or from a car boot sale, sometimes for no other reason than to catch up on family gossip; with my own family generally scattered across the country the concept of just dropping in is something I was unused to but now accept as normal and welcome.

Public Transport

The prospect of travelling to Ossett to watch Darlington play their FA Trophy tie was not initially appealing, involving a 160 mile drive down the A1 and back, so out of curiosity I looked at public transport options and found an hourly direct train service from Darlington to Dewsbury and an 18 minute bus ride, every ten minutes, from Dewsbury to Ossett, where the ground is adjacent to the bus station; there was a bit of necessary waiting but it all worked like clockwork and taking advantage of the TransPennine 55+ promotion the train fare was just £14.40, with another £2 ‘plus bus’ ticket covering the bus legs of the journey – a winner (as was Darlington 1883).

Stuck on U

After the physical exertions of the last two days it is back to more sedentary interests, writing a review for the book blog and then off to the local library to browse works by authors whose surnames begin with a U, needed for my ‘Along the Library Shelf’ reading journey (which adds a dimension of unpredictability to my reading by selecting a book from 26 ‘new to me’ authors whose surnames begin with each letter of the alphabet, in order, from A to Z); T’s were in abundance and I ended up with two I could not choose between, but U’s are limited to three including two by an author previously read, so I’ll need to try again in a week or two.

Runswick Bay

Accompanied by fellow ancient roamer and ex-university chum Pete, took a seven mile walk from Lythe on the North York Moors across field paths to a convenient bench high above Runswick Bay, where we had our packed lunches admiring the North Sea view before returning via the cliff-top path and more fields to Lythe; the weather was kind, warm for October with hazy sunshine but blowy on the cliffs, with the only disappointment being the absence of tea and cake at Lythe, rectified partially by a drive to Runswick where tea (but no cake) was obtained at the Cliffemount Hotel.

Gym

I suspended my Gym membership over summer as I reckoned (erroneously) I would get enough exercise by taking long walks and riding my bike, however with the dark nights returning and time to kill in Sedgefield while son is training with the Harriers, it is either an hour in the pub or the same in the gym; cost wise it’s a toss-up so I am reinstated and tonight began the winter regime of powerwalking, rowing machine and exercise bike, which went surprisingly well and left me feeling virtuous but hungry for my fish & chips.

Glasgow 2014

Received e-mail confirmation of tickets for next year’s Commonwealth Games in three of the four sports applied for; unfortunately nothing for the velodrome but successful in getting the requested allocation for the rugby sevens, table tennis, and two evenings of athletics including the final of the men’s 200m, enabling son George to see the very best in his own event.