Insignificance

Having painted myself into my corner of isolation, I suppose I should neither be surprised nor complain. Even so, I can't help but feel the pain of the knowledge that the number of people who would be materially affected if I dropped dead tomorrow can be counted on one finger. And even that last link will soon be gone, two years maybe, five at the most. Then I will be, in Orwell's coinage, an unperson. Removed from the stream of history, my existence forgotten. Fitting, I suppose, for a wasted life.

Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B

There's more than one way....

....to sneak into cyberspace, in this case, taking advantage of a substantially earlier finish at work than I'd been expecting to head to my local on the way home, and hook the Kindle up to their WiFi. I can get online at the flat, but my connection is still frustratingly unstable, as well as being much slower than I'm used to. That's not an issue here, though, and there is, of course, the added advantage of a cold beer or two to round off what has been a very warm and summery day, albeit one I've spent a goodly part of in the air conditioned cocoon of my workplace.
My journey to work yesterday was a bit of a nightmare, as my decision to go through the West End to indulge in a bit of cutie spotting rather blew up in my face as the whole area was gridlocked for reasons I never got to the bottom of, so I let discretion be the better part of valour today, heading for the simplest, but relatively slow option of a bus to my nearest suburban station for a 'stops everywhere' direct train to 'worktown'. And I was rewarded with a boy moment! He was 12-ish, pretty tall for his age, more than a little cute, and he actually spoke to me, albeit briefly. Inconsequential, really, but, as I've said before in this context, any moment of contact is more than welcome, as far as I'm concerned. It gives me, at least, the hope that I could find a boy who might become a friend, which would be more than enough for me. Let the haters think that all I want is sex, it doesn't change the truth.

Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B

On and off the air

I've been having rather a lot of problems with my internet connection in the past 24 - 36 hours - I'm not sure whether it's a network issue, or whether my mobile broadband gadget is on the way out, but, either way, my access to cyberspace has been intermittent, to say the least. So, while I have got a window of connection, I'd like to apologise for not being able to comment in the places I normally do, as well as not being able to post much here. I'm planning to get wired broadband in the flat before K arrives, so the problem should, at worst, only be temporary.

Love & best wishes
Sammy B

Not well

I've been feeling pretty ropey for the past few days, full of cold and getting chesty again. I probably feel as bad as at any time since I finally escaped from hospital last year, but, at the moment, at least, I'm battling on - after my seven-plus weeks off in connection with my pneumonia, I feel guilty about the idea of going sick again. I have learned my lesson to a degree, though - if there's the slightest suspicion that my current ailment is anything more than a cold, I'll be off to the doctors post haste.

Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B

There are times....

....when you feel like a complete dork. And lunchtime today was one of those times for me. After some weeks of procrastination, I finally got around to making my way to the nearest main Post Office to the flat, with a view to renewing my driving licence (they have to be renewed every ten years over here, a nice little earner for the government, given the £20 renewal fee). The guy behind the counter asked to see my licence, because I didn't have all the paperwork he expected me to have - and amusedly announced that my licence was valid until 2021! I was absolutely convinced that I hadn't renewed it in 2011, but evidently I did, on January 19 of that year, to be exact. I have still got to send the licence off for my address to be updated, but that's free, apart from the postage. Oh well, it wasn't the first time I've made an idiot of myself, and I very much doubt if it will be the last!

Love & best wishes to all

Sammy B

Very sad

I didn't know when I wrote yesterday's post, but when I spoke to K on my way to work last night, she gave me the news - her cute boyfriend has dumped her. Not exactly the best preparation for her first academic GCSE exam tomorrow (aside from the English exam she took before Christmas, of course). I really feel sorry for her, because she'd invested a lot in the relationship, and I feel even more sorry that I couldn't be with her, to give her a shoulder to cry on, if that's what she needed, or, at the very least, a big hug. All I could do was to let her know I'm always here for her, and always on her side. And, of course, that I love her to bits. And it won't be too many weeks until I can really be around for her, to be a proper father again.

Love & best wishes to all (but especially to K)
Sammy B

K Day

My daughter has named the day! The day she wants to move up here, that is, namely June 25 (although why she specifically wants to move on a Wednesday two weeks after the end of her exams, I have no idea), and, as luck would have it, that day, and the day after, are my rostered days off that week, so her plans actually fit with what I'm able to do. All I need to do now is to get a van hired, and head west to pick the girl and her belongings up on the nominated day. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to it - it will make all the expense, and the jumping through hoops of the past few months thoroughly worthwhile.

Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B