1 EAGLETON NOTES: On Chocolates, Knees and Outer Mongolia

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Sunday 17 October 2010

On Chocolates, Knees and Outer Mongolia

Amongst other things.

How do you eat a chocolate?  I mean the individually wrapped soft-centered Cadbury's Roses for example (sorry I've no idea what the US equivalent would be,)?  The easiest way is to pop it into one's mouth whole.  That's what I would do if I were in company.  When I'm on my own I bite bits off so that I can make them last right through my mug of coffee which is the only time I would ever eat one.  I used only to eat hard centres but now I eat soft because the hard ones can do too much damage to my molar crowns.  The problem with biting bits off is that the soft centres then run out and invade fingers, desks and anything else they can lay their stickiness on.  This has got to stop!  No more after this tin is empty.  I only had it by accident in any case - bought as a 'spare' present and not used.

John and Sue, Donnie and Cath and the latter's steamer trunks (reminding me very much of The Tourist's Trunk in the first couple of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series) have arrived in China after having left Paisley and travelled by train (except across the North Sea) via Moscow and the Trans-Mongolian Railway.  When they arrived in China Sue emailed to say that she couldn't access her blog.  No.  You can't access anything Google in China.  So the postings are being emailed and posted from here.  If you fancy an amusing ride you can visit it at Gilmour Street to Hung Hom

I visited the Royal Mail website this morning.  The first thing that met me was 'postal dates for Christmas'.  Arghhh.  If I'm sending cards from New Zealand to the UK and US I have to send them almost as soon as I arrive at the end of October.  Of course I always leave it later and have to pay accordingly.  Of course there is a wonderful twist to this.  Post early and the card will arrive shortly after because the big rush hasn't started.  By Christmas it will have been mislaid by the recipient who then wonders if their family has been struck off the list.  Post late and it may or may not arrive on time but it will cost a fortune.  I'm just not a Christmas person.  Never have been (as an adult).  Probably never will be.

I woke and rose this morning in the dark.  To me that means it's winter.  Actually it's a balmy 11 deg outside this morning.   It is, however, a wet, miserable, windy morning.  Only 10 sleeps.......  But then look on the bright side:  the garden is full of birds - the Stonechat family seem to have taken up residence - and Sarasate's virtuoso and very amusing violin and piano music is playing on the hifi .

Which brings me to abbreviations.  We all know what hifi is even if we don't know what the abbreviation stands for (high fidelity).  Most of us probably know what wifi is but do you know what it stands for - wireless what?  Wireless nothing actually (although Wireless Fidelity has sometimes been used).  See Wikipedia if you want an explanation.  Now there is MiFi and if you know what that is then you're a more knowledgeable person than I was Gunga Din.

For about 5 or 6 years my right knee has been a bit bothersome with arthritis caused, I presume, by a combination of an accident when I was 16 and being a fencer and fencing coach which really punished that knee.  Yesterday for the first time my left knee mentioned that it was feeling envious and has decided to join the club.  That's an irritation.

I've drunk so much tea and coffee since 0630 that I'm glad I'm not going out today!

I might even manage a blog posting before friends come for dinner.

11 comments:

  1. Wet and Miserable? I don't think so. Look out of your window my friend - the sun is shining and the rain is no more. Maybe a bit of grey sky here and there.

    The merits of having a long
    sleep-in on a Sunday morning and let the husband walk the dog are obvious now. Miss the wet and enjoy the sun! xx

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  2. I like your new color here :) What a busy post this was...almost like one of mine, from thought to thought. Trouble is that now I can't remember what I was going to comment on, because my thoughts rambled along too - hahaha

    I like how you began the post, with some chocolate...mmmmm.



    Oh, yes...the cards and the mailings and the Christmas....Christmas is much more beautiful without an expectation to perform, isn't it?

    This week, I will mail my package to you. I do hope it gets there before you leave...do you think that it will, if I mail it on Monday?

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  3. Spesh: It depends which moment you look out of the window. The sun's gone again! The huge waves have subsided though.

    Heather: It depends whether the wind is blowing from the East or the West! In other words it's a bit of a lottery. It should make it in 9 days though.

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  4. Snail mail IS a bit of a lottery, isn't it? ;) Although I have to confess that out of all the Christmas fuss, cards is among what I enjoy most. I like getting them so I also keep sending them. I think what I like about it is the "everyone thinking about everyone at the same time" kind of feeling. But maybe in a few years we'll all just be sending emails.

    Sorry to hear about your knee. Take good care of it until your journey and let's hope it will be happier again in the NZ sunshine.

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  5. PS. I love Pratchett's Luggage. With a Luggage like that, even I might consider going travelling again. (I.e. a trunk that loyally follows you anywhere you go, walking on its own feet, containing everything you might possibly need, and, as I understand it, even taking care of your laundry for you.)

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  6. Thanks, Monica, for reminding me that it was called The Luggage. Trunk didn't seem right and I should have gone and looked it up but...

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  7. Blame it on your knees! ;) (Btw did you finish The Light Fantastic?)

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  8. Hmmm. How to put this. You don't think you're getting old, do you?

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  9. Oh GB.............how can you not be a Christmas person?
    Actually. My hubby wasn't either, until we had children and I slowly converted him.
    I absolutely LOVE Christmas, and the cards that go with it. My favorite part is creating new family traditions as the children grow.
    Take care of those knees......more chocolate just might do the trick :-)

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  10. ...and thanks for reminding me about the Pratchet series. I must reread them!!!!!

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  11. How you eat chocolate doesn't bother me at all but a dicky knee? That's another matter altogether! The long walk at Wairere Boulders might be out of the question this year, then? Forget the Christmas cards and concentrate on that knee!

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