Yesterday's quick visit...

First clue, spot the difference between these two pictures:



No? Well to be honest I did doctor one of them from the original (another clue).

OK, try these two:



Still no? Well I suppose it helps if you actually know me.

OK, for at least ten years I've had this bump (or lipoma to call it by it's Sunday name) on the side of my forehead and because it's been checked and found to be harmless I never really bothered doing anything much about it. My GP did comment once that if I was sufficiently bothered, it could easily be removed. So yesterday afternoon with a bit of time to kill I thought I'd become sufficiently bothered and find out exactly how easily. Next thing I knew I ended up with an appointment for minor surgery this afternoon.

Completely pain free, and after only 15-20 minutes there it was, gone. I can't say I'm going to miss it and although the local anaesthetic is taking it's time to wear off (better that way round I suppose), I'm having fun working on my Roger Moore impressions whilst my left eyebrow appears to have a will of it's own...

The power of sobriety...

Knowing I had the whole of today with the possibility of a lot of waiting around, I might ordinarily have taken the opportunity to spend yesterday finishing off the beer festival or maybe helped to mop up the last few today. Extremely out of character, but I decided to busy myself with a few other outstanding chores instead.

Firstly, water man arrived early enough to get his surveying out of the way (which incidentally involved more techy equipment than I had given them original credit for).

I then did my bit to support the village Post Office by queueing for ages to pay my road tax. As a quick aside, why do they even consider closing these places when there is still clearly such enormous demand? Much of which is from local elderly residents who don't necessarily have the means to get in and out of the town centre.

Next stop was down to the supermarket for the monthly shop - I had originally planned to shop weekly but the way things seem to have worked out, I'm more than pleased not to have to face the hoards as frequently.

Back home I cleared a few bits out of the garage and pottered around in the greenhouse to give these fellas a new home. Surely you didn't think I'd forgotten them? Not that they've grown a lot over the last couple of weeks - in fact they look even smaller right now.

I spent several long-overdue hours in the box room / study / studio / dumping ground clearing out some of the rubbish in there and having a move around to make a bit more space.

Had to pay a quick visit in town this evening and called in to see my "home alone" Dad while I was there (Mum's away on grandchild-sitting duties for a few weeks). Back home again and after getting two weeks worth ironing out of the way (in advance - very sad), cooked tea and even found time to update the blog.

Who received the quick visit in town? Given the unusual circumstances (no it's not another tattoo just yet), it's probably worth a special post tomorrow...

The single life...

I'm often heard to say "It's good to be single" and quite honestly, there are very few occasions when I think otherwise. Don't worry, this isn't about to turn into a drawn out whine about loneliness, far from it. I genuinely like my lifestyle and I'm sufficiently selfish to live in my own little world, happy in the knowledge I have a great family and lots of good friends.

The times I get annoyed are days like today where Anglian Water need to survey my property for suitability for a water meter. I'm not entirely sure why, seeing as the exact same design of property next door has one.

They wrote to me saying that it will only take around 30 minutes and they should be here between 08:00 and 13:00, which effectively means I need to waste a whole day of my annual leave, sitting around waiting for some bloke to turn up, take a quick look around, probably followed by "Yeah mate, no problem" before off he trots off into the sunset.

No doubt they will arrange another date for the actual meter fitting which will cost me another days holiday. Sure, I'm going to save around £200 per year on my current water bill but why should I have to waste holidays for the privilege? I'm sure there are thousands of people in similar circumstances throughout the country who have the same problem, why can't these people work evenings, or weekends, or offer a more precise appointment system?

Perhaps I should arrange my payments the same way. "Thank you for your interest in supplying water to my property. I am pleased to advise that I will be paying for your services but cannot confirm exactly when this will happen other than sometime between March and December..."

Beer Update...

Further to yesterday's post, I can report that there were two additional Fugelstou beers on sale at the Tap - "Another Three Points" and "Two Hats" which now leaves me in a dilemma.

Although Two Hats is a nice pint, Another Three Points is an excellent beer, a new brew apparently, somewhat similar to the aforementioned Rhatas but more worthy of the Beer of The Festival title. Except that it wasn't on the original list. But it was bought in especially for the festival. Does is count as part of the festival then or not?

It can't be a bad life if this is all I have to worry about...

Mission accomplished...

This weekend sees the close of the beer festival at the Tap and I'm pleased to say I managed to sample all 18 ales and not in one sitting as people may suspect.

My beer of the festival would have to be the Black Dog Rhatas, weighing in at 4.6% with a deliciously burnt chocolate flavour. To be fair however, there was only one of the other 17 that I would not be happy to drink again but we'll let that one remain nameless.

As sales have gone so well, I hear there's a couple of additions lined up this weekend from the local Fugelstou Brewery who never fail to delight so I guess it's down to the Tap again today. Besides which, I need to get the drinking muscles warmed up before the Calcutta Cup match this afternoon...

What's in it for me...

As part of the tattoo contribution gift, I was also given a jar of tattoo aftercare cream on the advice that is the best stuff available and given my lack of itching, bruising, scabbing and other associated post-tattoo symptoms I'd been warned about, I'm in no position to argue.

Seriously, it's all natural, it's very good and it does work - I've already bought another jar to continue looking after this one and in anticipation of my next inking adventure. Check out their website for further details and if you order online, they deliver next working day within the UK.

Now the shameless plugging is over, I confess I began to wonder what exactly was in this magical potion. The label on the bottom of the jar was marked "THC 20ml" - where have I seen those initials before? Perhaps it stands for The Hemp Company as that also appears on the label.

In my line of work, I'm aware that all cosmetic products must contain an INCI list (the list of ingredients with internationally agreed names) and peeling back the top layer of the label it revealed a list of the following:

Helianthius Annuus, Olea Europeae, Cera Alba, Calendula Officinalis, Lavandula Augustifolia, Melaleuca Alternifolia, Tocopheryl Acetate, Melaleuca Viridiflora.

To you and me that's:

Sunflower Seed Oil, Olive Oil, Beeswax, Marigold, Lavender Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Vitamin E and Paper Bark.

Well what else could I have possibly expected to find...

Hmmm Beer...

Today marks the start of National Pubs Week and as his contribution, Dave has around 18 guest ales lined up over the forthcoming week in the Tap.

It opens in half an hour so guess where I'm heading? After all, I'd hate to miss one...

The unveiling...

The guy is a genius. Not me obviously, I'm referring to Stewart the tattoo artist. I went in at 9:30 yesterday morning with this



and a scrap of paper with a couple of rough ideas



and my arm now looks like this



FAQ:
Am I happy with it? To say I'm delighted with the results is an enormous understatement.

What does it mean? It's a musician's advice on how to treat people - never be sharp, sometimes be flat, always be natural

How long did it take? 4.5 hours, 1.5 designing it and 3 hours "inking"

Is it addictive? Well I'm already considering the next one

Did it hurt? Not agonising pain, but it was a little uncomfortable initially

Did I feel a prick? Well I feel a bit silly with cling film on my arm but it's only for a couple of days...

Knock, knock...

Who's there?
Tatt
Tatt who?
I know, I can't believe that after years of deliberating and only three months and seven days since I drew up the basics of my design, it's finally happening this morning.

Nervous? Not really, I'm as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. Watch this space for pics over the next couple of days...

Oh what a night...

At work this morning there were numerous stories being exchanged as to how everyone had spent their romantic Valentine's evening. Eventually (and I suspect more out of mirth than curiosity) the question headed my way.

Well, for the first time in a long time last night, I returned to my own warm home, the smell of steak & ale wafting through from the kitchen, all of my washing was done and the pots were all washed and dried. An enjoyable meal was followed by a nice relaxing evening watching garbage on TV.

It's good to be single with a house full of gadgets...

All you need is...

Check out these cards - I plugged them on February 14th last year and I'm happy to do the same today. If you love someone then tell them anyway, don't wait for a lame excuse once a year to become one of the sheep.

Hmm... wait a minute... sheep... I might actually send one this year...

It's immaterial...

I had cause today to visit the head office of a major high street retailer to discuss a less than necessary complaint.

I'm proud to say that I attended suitably attired in a Matalan suit with a Primark shirt & tie (for non-UK readers they are both stores who set their clothing prices sensibly i.e. my entire outfit probably cost me less than £50).

Well that certainly showed them...

A call to arms...

Not long now until I finally get to spend the last of the birthday money and the upper half of my left arm is destined never to look the same again.

The whole decision process over getting a tattoo has been a strange and drawn out one. People who I expected to be supportive have been full of warnings and deterrents, whereas people I thought might object appear to be quite open to the idea. Of course it's my decision at the end of the day, irrespective of what anyone else might think.

I've wrestled with the idea for as long as I can remember but the dilemma has always been the same as most other people - what could I have that is going to be original? I finally decided on something late last year and after some extensive searching on the net, I've not seen the same design anywhere else and Stewart (the tattoo artist) didn't appear to have seen the idea before either. It's taken longer to arrange than I had imagined, but he has a great reputation and I haven't seen any of his work yet that I didn't like so I'm confident it will be well worth the wait.

Aside from Stewart, I've been succesful in keeping it to myself so far although almost everyone seems convinced that it will be something to to with the Wychwood Hobgoblin despite my assurance that it isn't. The only other idea I've considered since was some kind of Native American tribal symbol; possibly something like this. What other tribe could it be than Shawnee?

Anyway, by Thursday night everyone will know and if tattoos really are as addictive as everybody says, then the other ideas may get a look in yet...

With a little luck...

Sometimes you just know when you're in for a bad day. If you're a pessimist, I guess it's from the moment you wake up.

I usually try and focus on the more positive side of things, but last Thursday morning my alarm didn't go off, I woke up 20 minutes after I should have left for work, smashed my wing mirror whilst reversing out of the drive and work continued with the usual chaos that's kept me away from the blog for the last few days.

Things eventually did get better though. We had a great meal out on Friday night - thanks again Lisa for inviting us. When we left there we ended up back at Em & Paul's helping them go get rid of some very nice malts and watching Moulin Rouge and Tommy well into the following morning. Note to self: apparently I can't function on two hours sleep.

Today I managed to arrange a free replacement wing mirror, we had a good crowd in to enjoy watching the England team beat Italy in the 6 Nations and I somehow managed to leave at a sensible time with motor skills and speech capability fully intact.

Keeping on the theme of luck, I've just discovered that going onto Google, searching for "Seany" and hitting the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button brings you here. That's certainly a lot easier than looking around for pen and paper whenever anybody asks (and believe me they do occasionally). I'm also pleased to confirm that the last 20 search engine queries are finally clear of that incontinent athlete, the somewhat cuter blonde actress and those small burrowing herbivorious mammals, although the search for pictures of the latter is still the main reason people end up here. Not too lucky for them I guess...

The years go by...

I know I've said more than enough about the 40th birthday I celebrated not so long ago, but something has just occurred to me. Last week we celebrated a 30th birthday, this Friday we're out celebrating a 20th birthday so by my reckoning, in just over two weeks it could be a good time to stay in.

Hmmm. Anyway, news just in, the carrots outgrew their landscape frame over the weekend and have now gone portrait...

How to achieve inner peace...

A couple of years ago, I was sent this advice:

"I am passing this on to you because it has definitely worked for me. By following the simple advice I read in an article, I have finally found inner peace. The article read: "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you've started."
So, before going to work this morning I finished off a bottle of Bacardi, a bottle of red wine, a bottle of Jim Beam, my Prozac, some valium, a small box of chocolates, 2 litres of Fosters Lager, 1/2 can of cider, a large reefer and some cheese. You have no idea how good I feel. You may pass this on to those you feel are in need of Inner Peace..."

I don't know why I should have suddenly remembered it tonight, but it seemed like a good excuse for finally eating this seeing as I earnt it such a long time ago...

I do like a happy ending...

I was delighted to receive a couple of messages today to inform me that my leather jacket had been returned to the pub. Sudden feeling of remorse from the woman we suspected? I'm afraid not. It turned out that a couple of the regulars who'd been enjoying their Saturday from an earlier start than we had, left early afternoon and grabbed my jacket on the way out thinking it was one of theirs. So on the slight chance they might stumble across these pages, a big thank you goes out to Daz and Tracy for returning my jacket intact.

Does this mean that I retract my comment about the original suspect? Let's not forget that she was thrown out of the pub for rifling through jacket pockets in the first place so although my personal property was just fine, it would be selfish of me to change my original statement. I'm just grateful in hindsight that I thought it best to abandon the vigilante expedition to recover the jacket otherwise the story could have had a completely different ending...

Good news, bad news...

I've always believed that around every silver lining there's a filthy black cloud.

Yesterday got off to a pretty good start. I got all of the chores out of the way in the morning which meant we were all in the Tap for around 12:30 in preparation for an afternoon's rugby on the big screen.

What more could you ask for? Plenty of good ales, a delicious steak dinner, Ireland beat Italy (although we didn't see much of it), England beat Wales convincingly in their opening game, I even won a Six Nations rugby shirt and ball (the latter of which I re-raffled). You would struggle to ruin a day like that.

Then I discovered that someone had made off with my leather jacket. Fortunately the only thing of any value in there was my bluetooth headset, but all the same, I only bought the jacket late last year. Looking back, we think we know who took it but she was nowhere to be seen by the time we realised what had happened.

Thieving junkie bitch...

I propose a toast...

During our trip to Dublin, the subject of the best addition to cheese on toast came up (as it does) and for some reason it sprang back to mind as I was deciding what to grab as a quick snack for tea tonight. Armed with a chunk of "very close to use by date" Tesco Cheshire cheese and a loaf of Kingsmill Toastie, I put the following to the test:

• Worcestershire Sauce (as seen in the advert)
• Sprinkle of White Wine (as seen on a website somewhere)
• Tabasco Sauce (as seen next to the Lea & Perrins in my cupboard)
• Marmite (you either love it or hate it)

The verdict? Has to be the Marmite for me although I'd happily eat any of them again. In fact it's a shame I ran out of cheese otherwise I might still have been eating now...

Scary stuff...

Except for the occasional passing reference, it is almost a year since my last rant about my journey to work and as I now have a different route since moving house last year, I figured an update is due.

Firstly, the good news is that as long as the roads are free from ice & snow, I can now completely avoid the incredibly noisy & boring A180 in exchange for a few more mini-roundabouts (which amuse me anyway) and a picturesque drive through lots of twisty-turny roads and quaint villages across the Lincolnshire Wolds. I can honestly say I am looking forward to the summer (which apparently is going to be on a Tuesday this year) when the longer days will give me the opportunity to appreciate the beautiful scenery for the best part of two hours I'm travelling to and from work each day.

The bad news? Well I suppose there isn't any really. I am a pretty relaxed driver most of the time (who doesn't claim to be perfect either) and most days this reduced pace seems to be forced upon me; not by tractors going about their daily agricultural travels but by people driving along with an open road far out-stretched before them who are apparently too frightened to manoeuvre their vehicles down roads without passing places at speeds greater than 25mph. Presumably unsure whether people can still breathe at such incredible speeds. Shame isn't it?

Coming home, it is still dark at this time of year so you can fully understand that a drop in speed is the sensible thing to do. What surprised me was seeing how many people are so afraid of the dark that they use every form of illumination available to the car - headlights (full beam of course), rear lights, front and rear fog lights, hazard lights, even interior lights (presumably in case the boogey man in the back seat makes them jump). I sometimes wonder what they would do if it turned foggy.

So instead of losing patience, tailgating, sounding the horn, waving wild gestures in their general direction and shouting about hamsters, elderberries and the like, I thought it better to sympathise with the hundreds of angst-ridden motorists who share my route every day. Poor little lambs...