Life is full of disappointments – sometimes
I’ve done a post like this before – why is disappointments not the opposite of appointments (and vice versa)?
I was REALLY appointed with so-and-so this morning. You just don’t hear it, do you?
And unlike gruntled it doesn’t even appear to be a possible usage.
And why am I writing about disappointments in the first place?
Actually life – on the whole – is proving remarkably appointing at the moment (more of which later)…
It’s finally feeling like summer.
Always throws me. We had Spring in March along with the start of summer followed by winter/autumn in April and May and all of a sudden it’s warm.
Bl00dy warm.
So what’s the issue I hear you cry (or maybe not, maybe you’ve thought here he is going off on one again and decided to do something useful with your life rather than continuing reading).
If so good luck but you’ll never know I wished you it.
No, the clement weather and having held a meeting in the garden yesterday I decided to (try to) wear my shorts during my walk this lunchtime.
And they DON’T f!@*ing well fit.
Part of me says it’s not surprising what with inexplicably having put on half a stone (or whatever that is in kilograms) in the space of a few weeks latterly last year.
But the jeans still fit and the notch on the belt buckle is the same so I don’t really understand it.
And it’s not just fractionally too small, we’re talking centimetres (fecking spellchecker doesn’t have the original spelling, only the US one. Sigh.)!
So I had to go with the denims.
Which is not the end of the world obviously – but still disappointments (sorry about grammar here but SEO takes priority over the use of a singular)…
And when you get back.
Don’t know whether it’s a weight thing but – while it’s fine walking in the warmth – once I get back indoors.
Well, think involuntary shower…
Certainly not gruntled anyway.
What else was I going to talk about?
Oh yes. Haven’t blogged since our holiday. What with Louisa being away when we got back too.
I can thoroughly recommend Scotland as a holiday destination.
We stayed in Glasgow this time. We tend to alternate between Edinburgh and Glasgow each time we go up (every three to five years-ish) and it always used to be that the west coast felt rather more industrial.
There was a time when the shipyards ran both sides of the River Clyde seawards from Glasgow for miles and miles.
Not any more. Frequently the debris of former buildings but nothing more.
And we took the opportunity to explore the seaborne (and Loch borne) options (the Scottish for lake is NOT in the spellchecker! Open mouth and eyes emoji – let’s see if the Irish “lough” is – it is. What is going on here?)
So we went to the Isle of Bute and its capital Rothesay, the Isle of Arran with its capital Brodick (most of which aren’t in the spellchecker but I’m not going to wonder) and had a two hour cruise on Loch Lomond.
All highly recommended.
Went with Die Tochter as we frequently do but she gets toooooo much publicity through these blogs so I’m not putting the external link in this time. Tears of laughter face.
An aside – if you want to know what Victorian wealth looked like, Google the Duke of Rothesay and Butetown (an area of Cardiff) in the days when the coal from Wales powered the world.
But back to the plot, as far as there is one.
And the Scottish Real and Craft ale scene is a revelation compared with a decade ago.
My Scottish sojourns go back all too long to the days of Wm. Youngers And Tennants lager. Revolting yellow fluids both. Disappointments of years gone by.
And the weather wasn’t all that bad.
Let’s be honest – if you go to Scotland for the weather you are doomed to disappointment (echoes of Private Fraser in the sitcom ‘Dad’s Army’ for those old enough to remember – nine series from 1968 to 1977 – or who have caught the repeats).
But it only rained in torrents for one of those days and we were in central Edinburgh so it did give us the option of going into one of my favourite Edinburgh bars to shelter and dry off.
A likely story I hear you cry. Your prerogative but I’m sticking to it.
I did find myself wondering whether there is a postrogative but I’m seriously not going to go there…
So back to – lack of – disappointments, whatever we call it.
Momentous decision time.
I’ve maybe mentioned I have one Friday a month off?
Well, a “freebie” that has been taking up at least half a day a week has come to an end. I’ve done nine years and that’s the maximum I can do per the constitution.
Lorraine was badgering me to keep the time for myself – which is not a bad idea.
And this coincides with me having read a number of articles – often regarding Scandinavian countries – suggesting a four day work week can be more productive than the old five day one.
So
bite the bullet
and
Three more Fridays to go and then a four day week it is…
The decision felt brilliant and telling everyone felt better still.
I will have the odd networking breakfast but they tend to finish 0900 or 1000 latest – and I do quite enjoy them.
The feeling of having taken (back?) control is wonderful and makes me feel my destiny is my own.
Obviously I’ll let you know how it gets on – good or bad.
Finally
Just a shout out to Simon Bateman – you said you’d sign up to the humorous blog so I’m seeing whether you did – and whether you lasted the course…
