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APOLOGIES
I’m sorry I haven’t posted anything on the blog this month so far. As you know, I’ve had various domestic distractions which have kept me busy elsewhere. BUT I’ve missed you all very much and have been checking the Comments box regularly.

Which reminds me....

To all those people who’ve emailed asking if AGM VI actually took place last Sunday at Tynemouth, the answer is a resounding YES, as Vivienne discovered to her cost and much too late! Under normal circumstances, the AGM is just one of the the things I would have harangued and hectored you about over the last few days. (Isn’t hector a lovely word? It sounds like what it means.)

Here are some of the other topics you haven’t heard me wax lyrical about recently....

LEROY LA STRANGE
Strange by name, strange by nature. Leroy has emailed me to tell me a bit about himself. Turns out he used to be a ‘Blast Furnace Shunting Loco Driver for Consett Iron Company so I am a real ex Truck Shunter.’ Genuine shunters of real-life trucks occupy a very special place in our hierarchy and our hearts; naturally. So Leroy is already up there with Neville (as it were).

Leroy also tells me that he and I have spoken during my radio days. He says (and I quote) ‘I told you the story of being attacked by a Bengal Tiger on the Isle of Wight...’

Er...Bengal Tiger? Isle of Wight? Er....

Welcome to the warm, enfolding arms of the Sacred and Noble Brotherhood of Truckshunters, Leroy.

GREEN MAN FESTIVAL
Yes, I went and it was AWESOME. I just haven’t had the time to tell you all about it yet or to post the pictures I took...

TESS OF THE D’URBERVILLES
One of the items on my Project 60/60 list was to read more ‘classic’ novels. My friend Mark gave me this one to read. It’s awful.

SHAKESPEARE
On the basis of reading Macbeth and The Winter’s Tale at school, I’m a shocking Shakespeare cynic. So (in reparation) another 60/60 item was to read/watch every Shakespeare play; yes, all 37 of them. Impetus and motivation was added to this item when I noticed the Complete BBC Television Shakespeare DVDs for sale cheap on Amazon. So I bought them and have started to watch them, in alphabetical order. That means I started with All's Well That Ends Well; if only.

I had intended to give you the benefit of my thoughts on each of the plays as I waded through them. For now, though, suffice to say that I reckon I was right. Up to now, most of them have been turgid, unintelligible rubbish. Antony and Cleopatra is in a league of its own, though. It's truly execrable. It’s much, much worse than any other cultural or artistic creation ever dreamed up by anyone anywhere. I’m not joking. Anyone who tells you they think it’s really rather good ought to be arrested, drugged and sent to a special place of recovery built of peat turf on St Kilda.

MAUREEN’S VIRAL LIES 2
The amazing Maureen has sent me yet another list of ‘viral lies’ - internet lists of bogus explanations for words and phrases. When I get the time, I’ll share with you the ludicrous reasons it gives for ‘raining cats and dogs’, ‘chewing the fat’ and many others.

She also sent me the pictures of the lovely Dutch town you see above.

Thanks Maureen.

KEV
Kev has sent me an intriguing puzzle. See what you can make of it.

What do the following words have in common? banana, dresser, grammar, potato, revive, uneven, assess.

He also informs me that Morrison's are now selling peches plat! The power of truckshunters!!!

IN THE MEANTIME...
There’s loads more I had lined up to hector (!) you with but it’s going to have to wait a couple of days. In the meantime, please keep in touch by commenting on the blog or by emailing me (see below).

I’m also looking for venue suggestions for AGM VII.

CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or email me: truckshunters@googlemail.com

11 comments:

Hildie said...

Ta for managing to squish in a blog, Ian ... well done!

Now I usually can't do Kev's puzzles
.... but if you move the first letter of each of those words to the end, then it will spell the word backwards.
It's nice you are back with us, Kev.

Sid said...

Thanks for the new posting Ian. Life is/has been pretty hectic lately for quite a few Truckshunters.
Well done with that puzzle Hildie....you can sharpen the pencils on Friday.

Maureen said...

Coo! Hildie, I'm impressed, I was just putting my brain into gear when I found that you'd answered it. Gold star definitely!
Ian, lovely to hear from you again, I think that we are all having busy times. I'd forgotten that I'd sent you those pics of Doesburg!

Sid said...

Morning everyone, how are we all today then. I hope you are getting better Meg.
Has your mam told you not to fuss so much Ian, I'll wager she has. Independance can be so irritating can't it.
I wonder how many of us had to learn passages of William Shakespeare for our homework when we were kids. I can still recite bits of it today, but still I have no idea what good it did me.
Perhaps we should bring it upto date...

Hildie said...

The thing that sticks in my mind, that I was made to learn- by- heart at school, was a list of the rivers in North Yorkshire. Learning it has proved no earthly good to me ... I have waited all my life for someone to just ask!
Thought of you today , Sid ... I bought some peaches called
EARLY O'HENRYS .... they made me think of your Early Shirleys.

DID YOU KNOW? ...
*Baboons have rough, nerveless,
callouses on their bottoms so
that they can sit anywhere in
comfort?

*Locust swarms cause traffic
accidents in hot countries
when cars skid on all the
squashed ones.

*Glassfish are transparent,
so you can peer in and see
their bones and internal
organs.

*The polar bears in Singapore
Zoo turned green in 2004. The
change in their colour was due
to a type of algae growing in
their hollow hair shafts.

*Honeybees will surround any
intruderin their colony, such
as a hornet, and vibrate their
bodies. This creates so much heat
that the invader is cooked to death.

*South African woman Elsie van
Tonder had her nose bitten off
by a seal when she tried to
help it back into the sea.

*A common cause of pet ferret
deaths is the reclining chair.
the ferret snuggles up under
the chair when it is reclined
and then gets squished when its
unknowing owner puts the seat
back in position.

Sid said...

If all us Truckshunters happened to be washed up together on a deserted island, I reckon we would survive with just the skills we have between us.
Well at least until Tesco's Home Delivery arrived. (other delivery options are available).

Hildie said...

We might not even need Tesco if you set away an allotment. Sid, I'm wondering if you have you ever been injured by a biscuit? I've been reading that half of all Britains actually have been! They've been scalded whilst dunking, or have had their fingers bitten by a pet dog who was after the biscuit, or they've poked themselves in the eye with their biscuit. You think I'm kidding, don't you?

Sid said...

Never been injured by a biscuit Hildie, although I was scalded 4 years ago when I slipped off a log I was sitting on at my allotment. A kitkat was involved...does that count.?

Leroy La Strange said...

Hi Guys n Guyettes,


"Baboons have rough, nerveless,
callouses on their bottoms so
that they can sit anywhere in
comfort?"

Sounds a bit like us ex Council workers.

Leroy

Ian Robinson said...

So THAT'S what they're for, Leroy. I was wondering...

Leroy La Strange said...

You learn something every day.

Now if only I could find my glasses I could read what I've just written.