Toadfish Monastery

Oh, well done Griff!

Quote from: pieces o nine on May 21, 2012, 04:10:03 AM
This is for Grif, whose ticker announces  3!Months - 2!Weeks - 1!Day  today...

Ta muchly DH and hey yes a nice number P09.

Just at present I am desperate for a cigarette* as I have had an issue with my finances which  has been sorted out to my advantage but am supposed to be studying eek and instead am having a small glass of wine.

*I don't have any so can't have any, this is the answer to my success

This is good to hear, Griff, and also sorry you are craving. This will pass soon enough, and get easier for you. Congrats!

Last night we took part in a Relay for Life in our area, and it was a most amazing thing. The event is an annual fundraiser for cancer research, and this year it took place at a local high school track. Groups set up tents around the inside lawn area of the track and participants could walk all night long. They could have pledges for miles walked, or simply come and walk and buy baubles and food, the sale of which went to battling cancer. There was lots of music, funky costumes, and really nice tributes.

The most moving part was a luminaria ceremony, which took place around 10pm. The stadium lights went down, and a woman with a gorgeous voice sang a song called "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" while the opposite bleachers spelled out "HOPE", and then "CURE" with luminaries, and the entire ring got lit with luminaria. Then they sent up four candled hot air balloons into the perfect, moonlit night, each one representing  another aspect of people who have fought, are fighting, or have defeated cancer (parents, children, siblings and friends) and I had a thought go up for each of these, including some for our fellow Toadfish siblings. It was just beautiful.

If you get a chance to go to one of these things, do it. I know I will go again.

It sounds like a wonderful night you had. My friend's mother walks each year for one of the cancer charities in the UK, all dressed in pink and white (well mostly), walking through the night. I'm glad it went well. The fight never seems to end, but with every step we are closer to the end, which I think dovetails nicely with walking for the charities.

Adding just more stanzas to my Norse epic.
If I have not miscounted I am at 147 stanzas consisting of 4 long lines each currently.

Spent the day with my grandchildren, visiting from Canada. They are scrumptious.

My daughter and family were camping 30 miles from here with three friends (plus kids).  As it was so wet, they came over here for the jubilee bash and enjoyed the pig roast and real ale.  Then they all came back to our place for a meal and a shower before heading back to the tents.  So we were 7 adults and 4 small kids.  Just a bit noisy  but absolutely delightful.

I expect you had much the same, Griffin.

Not quite the same David. We went to the pub for lunch, then my daughter-in-law wanted to go shopping so we went to the local retail park which was almost empty cos everyone at the Jubilee - lots of really good bargains as everything on huge discounts for the Jubilee, and given it was pouring with rain, not such a bad decision. I recorded the Jubilee and watched it later in the dry.

That was (unintentionally?) genius, Griffin. Not only did you get to spend the day with your family, and members you don't see in person that often, but you went shopping only to find that not only were the things cheaper, but there was also hardly anyone there. The last item i'd say is nigh on torture, but that's me, lol.

Speaking of torture, we got a bunch of furniture delivered today from my late father-in-law's house. I thought it was going to be torture to fit it into our modest house, but it wasn't that bad. Never mind that we have about five pieces of going-out furniture parked on our front porch, but next week a friend is having a yard sale on the main street and said we could bring stuff to sell, so out it goes!

I was afraid of some of the pieces, as they are not exactly my taste, but now that they are here, I can see how much more well-made they are than the alley-find stuff that they replace. In a way, it's good to have this done, even though we'll have a few days worth of shuffling things around to make them work.

It is nice to have something to remember Mr. Ops' parents by, and to have something to pass on to Th'Opsalette one day.

Siblings may be amused by the names of the Shropshire villages we toured today:

Clungunford, Clunbury, Aston-on-Clun, Clunton and Clun.  Guess the name of the river in whose valley they all lie.

I visited the Berlin Museum of Musical Instruments (second time this week).

I answered question 8.2 - has taken me three days to get up courage to attempt it.

Did it bite?