According to Dave's limited knowledge of the Bible, Jesus Christ only truely got angry and lost his cool on one recorded occasion in his short life time. On walking into a church he found it was being used as a market place. He smashed things, overturned tables and put everyone there to shame. Selling things in church was a major no no.
Knowing this, Dave stood speachless. He was in Liverpool's Old Cathedrale. The vast size and feel of the building would be enough to quiet any tongue. Unfortunately, Dave was speechless in a bad way.
The Cathedrale had a shop. Ok, the Cathedrale needs money and true the majority of things in there seemed to be religous or cathedrale related. But did it really need to sell things like a phonebox moneybox? Upstairs in the shop, a cafe added further insult. But what REALLY annoyed Dave was that the Cathedrale was putting on a mass and there were three times as many people in the cafe than sitting and listening.
There was something very wrong with that.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Mireille 2: The Two (French) Towers.
A year after the departure of Mireille she had finally confirmed the time of her return. Feb 23rd till Feb 25th. One tiny weekend. It would never be enough, but it was all they had. Jean and Dave counted down the seconds till the reunion.
She would be bringing her good friend Anna along for the ride. The four of them would share Dave's two bedroomed terrace. It would be snug, but having grown up with seven, a cat and a dog in a house the same size, Dave was quietly confident it wouldn't cause any problems.
They were due to arrive at 11:40. Dave arrived at the airport with pleanty of time to spare at 11:38. 10 minutes later the Terrible Two arrived and it was 24/7 smiling until they left.
They hit all the old favorites, i.e. both Kimos and Egg Cafe. Shopping, bookshop, coffee, docks, two cathedrales, movies and pancakes. Dave and Jean tried to cram as much wholesome goodness into 53 hours as would possibly comfortably go.
The time went by far too quick, and almost before they arrived it seemed time for them to leave. Again they would very selfishly be going back to Paris to complete a law degree instead of sticking around to entertain Mr and Mrs Dave.
Again they would be missed.
She would be bringing her good friend Anna along for the ride. The four of them would share Dave's two bedroomed terrace. It would be snug, but having grown up with seven, a cat and a dog in a house the same size, Dave was quietly confident it wouldn't cause any problems.
They were due to arrive at 11:40. Dave arrived at the airport with pleanty of time to spare at 11:38. 10 minutes later the Terrible Two arrived and it was 24/7 smiling until they left.
They hit all the old favorites, i.e. both Kimos and Egg Cafe. Shopping, bookshop, coffee, docks, two cathedrales, movies and pancakes. Dave and Jean tried to cram as much wholesome goodness into 53 hours as would possibly comfortably go.
The time went by far too quick, and almost before they arrived it seemed time for them to leave. Again they would very selfishly be going back to Paris to complete a law degree instead of sticking around to entertain Mr and Mrs Dave.
Again they would be missed.
Lent 2007
Last year Dave had vowed to do 50 press ups a day for lent. On average he had just about succeeded, with a slow start but doing 4 sets of 25 a day towards the end playing catch up. A few years earlier he had given up chocolate and succeeded with little trouble.
This year it was time to step it up another notch.
1. Averaging 60 press ups a day and swimming 3 times a week
2. Giving up not only chocolate but ALL sweets.
3. A new entry of no alcohol thrown in just to show off.
Could he do it?
....20, 21, 22.... thud. Is 22 close to 60?
This year it was time to step it up another notch.
1. Averaging 60 press ups a day and swimming 3 times a week
2. Giving up not only chocolate but ALL sweets.
3. A new entry of no alcohol thrown in just to show off.
Could he do it?
....20, 21, 22.... thud. Is 22 close to 60?
Thursday, February 22, 2007
1 Carrot gold.
"Dad, you called me?"
"Hiya Dibs, yeah I just found a carrot and I was thinking of you."
"... a carrot?..."
"Yeah, I was walking past the place in Sefton park where you made the dent and I saw a carrot and I thought about how you used to play there when you were little..."
Dave had no idea what a carrot had to do with anything at all. It didn't matter. It's the strange little moments in life that make life worth living.
"Hiya Dibs, yeah I just found a carrot and I was thinking of you."
"... a carrot?..."
"Yeah, I was walking past the place in Sefton park where you made the dent and I saw a carrot and I thought about how you used to play there when you were little..."
Dave had no idea what a carrot had to do with anything at all. It didn't matter. It's the strange little moments in life that make life worth living.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
5 a day.... squared.
Organisational skills.
Common Sense.
Basic Knowledge of Cooking.
Anyone willing to eat food he made.
These were all things Dave did not have. What he did have was:
500g of Mushrooms
335g of Beansprouts
A Cabbage
Brocceli
7 Bananas
3 Apples
3 pork ribs
all of which had to either be eaten today or thrown away and Dave really hated waste. According to the helpful Tesco labelling this came to 25 of his five a day fruit and veg and 3 pork ribs. He also had some potatoes and parnips, but they could wait till tomorrow. Had Jean been around this may not have been so bad, but she was away being pampered in a work related holiday.
First up, mushroom and beansprout soup.
5 down, 20 to go.
Common Sense.
Basic Knowledge of Cooking.
Anyone willing to eat food he made.
These were all things Dave did not have. What he did have was:
500g of Mushrooms
335g of Beansprouts
A Cabbage
Brocceli
7 Bananas
3 Apples
3 pork ribs
all of which had to either be eaten today or thrown away and Dave really hated waste. According to the helpful Tesco labelling this came to 25 of his five a day fruit and veg and 3 pork ribs. He also had some potatoes and parnips, but they could wait till tomorrow. Had Jean been around this may not have been so bad, but she was away being pampered in a work related holiday.
First up, mushroom and beansprout soup.
5 down, 20 to go.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Valentine's day 2007
Valentine's day. Feb 14th. Most romantic night of the year.
Dave spent the night bashing away at his computer in a desperate attempt to get some work done before his very fast approaching deadline, his wife spent it online talking on MSN to "a group of single guys".
Three years together, good to see the magic hadn't died.
Luckily all was not as it seemed. The couple had celebrated Valentine's day two days earlier. Dave had cooked what could only be considered the most splendid meal he had ever cooked, complete with chocolates, candles, strawberries and cream. It had been SO good, that Jean had actually at one point considered eating some of it. Dave had recieved a very fancy new watch for his efforts.
It was nice.
Dave spent the night bashing away at his computer in a desperate attempt to get some work done before his very fast approaching deadline, his wife spent it online talking on MSN to "a group of single guys".
Three years together, good to see the magic hadn't died.
Luckily all was not as it seemed. The couple had celebrated Valentine's day two days earlier. Dave had cooked what could only be considered the most splendid meal he had ever cooked, complete with chocolates, candles, strawberries and cream. It had been SO good, that Jean had actually at one point considered eating some of it. Dave had recieved a very fancy new watch for his efforts.
It was nice.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Becky
After over 24 hrs on the train, the trio finally arrived in Beijing. They had around 24 hrs until their flight. Dave and Bian would be staying at Bian's cousin's place. Jean would be sleeping with her oldest and bestest friend Zhu Fang Fei (aka Scott, aka Florence, aka Piggy) in a nearby hotel.
On arrival at Bian's cousin's place a cute little girl attached a tiny cute little kaola bear to Dave's collar. The girl was Bian's cousin's daughter, her (English) name was Becky. She immediately dragged Dave away from everyone else to play games with fluffy dogs, comics, cards and computer games. It was bizarre, Dave had never became so close to anyone so instantly. Even when he met his own Mum he didn't speak to her for like a year.
When the group went out for a meal together, Becky once again attached the kaola to Dave's collar and herself to Dave's arm. He was very special to her, he was her "Hou si shu shu" (Monkey Uncle). Towards the end of lunch she began playing word games. The rules to winning seemed a little confused but basically boiled down to, "if your Hou si shu shu you win". Dave was very touched.
The next day Becky demanded to sit next to Dave on the way to the airport. In the car they played with her fluffy dog, her kaola bear and a little lizard which kinda looked like a frog. They also played a "guess what number I'm thinking of" game. Pick a number between 1 to 100, then the other person trys to guess it with "higher, lower" type clues. On one occasion Becky actually guessed Dave's number in one guess.
The car trip went very quickly. In the airport, whilst going through security, Dave realised he still had Becky's dog, lizard and kaola. He rushed back to give her them. She pushed them back at him in a very clear way to say, "They're yours now." No words can describe how Dave felt. He hugged her one last time and went off to catch his plane back to the other side of the planet.
The dog, who was quite dirty and probably quite old, meaning Becky had probably had him for quite a long time, got a wash as soon as the trio returned. He came out all clean and fluffy and now has the very original name of "Fluffy". The lizard, who kinda looks like a frog, is now named "Frog". The tiny cute little kaola who attached herself to Dave very quickly and lovingly and never wanted to let go, her name is
"Becky."
On arrival at Bian's cousin's place a cute little girl attached a tiny cute little kaola bear to Dave's collar. The girl was Bian's cousin's daughter, her (English) name was Becky. She immediately dragged Dave away from everyone else to play games with fluffy dogs, comics, cards and computer games. It was bizarre, Dave had never became so close to anyone so instantly. Even when he met his own Mum he didn't speak to her for like a year.
When the group went out for a meal together, Becky once again attached the kaola to Dave's collar and herself to Dave's arm. He was very special to her, he was her "Hou si shu shu" (Monkey Uncle). Towards the end of lunch she began playing word games. The rules to winning seemed a little confused but basically boiled down to, "if your Hou si shu shu you win". Dave was very touched.
The next day Becky demanded to sit next to Dave on the way to the airport. In the car they played with her fluffy dog, her kaola bear and a little lizard which kinda looked like a frog. They also played a "guess what number I'm thinking of" game. Pick a number between 1 to 100, then the other person trys to guess it with "higher, lower" type clues. On one occasion Becky actually guessed Dave's number in one guess.
The car trip went very quickly. In the airport, whilst going through security, Dave realised he still had Becky's dog, lizard and kaola. He rushed back to give her them. She pushed them back at him in a very clear way to say, "They're yours now." No words can describe how Dave felt. He hugged her one last time and went off to catch his plane back to the other side of the planet.
The dog, who was quite dirty and probably quite old, meaning Becky had probably had him for quite a long time, got a wash as soon as the trio returned. He came out all clean and fluffy and now has the very original name of "Fluffy". The lizard, who kinda looks like a frog, is now named "Frog". The tiny cute little kaola who attached herself to Dave very quickly and lovingly and never wanted to let go, her name is
"Becky."
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