Dear Graham,
I feel old tonight. I had seven horses and a pony to deal with this morning. I like horses, they are amiable rock apes, give or take their quirks but that is what you need for vaulting. Kind to children but thinking beasts.
Horses are generally a bit dim, ponies are fifty percent brighter, that's why they keep a pony. Trouble is he only teaches them bad things like undoing gates and head collars. I too like to extend the horses mental capacity by teaching them games. The best one is to lie down on the ground and cover ones eyes. Even if they have been bucking and arseing about something rotten they approach nuzzling to see if they have done damage, I then jump up and shout Whooo! They never fall for it twice and listen harder.
The groom was careless yesterday and got her foot trod on. Stupid girl. To be honest the foot looked little different to mine but she insists it really hurts. Guess I'll be on feeding, leading and mucking out duty tomorrow. I would sack her but with all this Batflu nonsense she would probably insist on working from home. Home is a flat she gets from my sister who is now a full time carer. My brother-in-law was operated on for a brain tumour. That's as far as it went. The NHS stopped all follow up treatment and more importantly chatting or counselling as they call it. His GP is useless, can only be contacted by phone. The tablets she prescribed gave him the runs....Adrian sorted that, dioralyte to drink and toasted bread with banana for two to five days. Bloody doctors, were they not state employed they wouldn't be arseing about over a flu virus they don't understand. They would be working to solve all the other peripheral
I will not wear a mask, I walk into the shops as I have done since this farce started and if challenged tell folk I've got emphysema caused by my love of tobacco and I'm off to get some rollup stuff and messages for folk that have been frightened into not going out. Never have a problem.
All the best A.
That's kind but please stop following.
ReplyDeleteDear Adrian
ReplyDeleteOne of the many difference between you and me is that I am old (in body if not in mind). That, obviously, gives me the extra years to have gathered more wisdom. However as we all know wisdom does not automatically come with age. Nor does knowledge. I knew almost nothing that you have just told me about horses. I do now. I have learned about bugs and birds (some even with feathers on) and so much more. Mind you I still know absolutely nothing about Blender despite all your efforts.
However when I read your missive last night it set me thinking of all sorts of things not least of all the years of adventures we have shared.
I don't think I know anyone else with whom I could sit with a bottle of Scotch between us, disagree about so much and yet also agree about so much. And never throw a single punch. It’s a good job in that your forearm probably weighs more than my whole body. On the other hand I am undoubtedly more nimble and there is bugger all of me to land a punch on anyway.
One difference between us is that you call a spade a bloody shovel and I will always call it a tool with a sharp-edged, typically rectangular, metal blade and a long handle, used for digging or cutting earth, sand, turf, etc.
We particularly disagree to an extent about the medical profession and the NHS. When I was a youngster working on a ward I saw nursing care at the sharp end and as the most junior person on the ward I always got the job of helping to de-louse the wonderful old gentleman, Mr Fogarty, who had to be de-loused every time he came in. I have lived through a partial lung removal at the age of 16, prostate removal in 1998 when it was still major surgery, 5 heart stents 20 years ago when it was still a big deal not to mention a new knee and a kidney stent and 22 years of cancer treatment which has given me a great quality of life.
I also have family and friends who are doctors and nurses and I see the hours they work and the dedication they show. On the other hand I have seen the other side too and I know your experiences have been mixed (mind you they did re-build you reasonably well).
And, of course, we’re not at one on bat-flu. One of my closest (much younger) friends succumbed in the line of duty early on and has survived….just. Indeed those in my family who succumbed were all young and all had a very bad time. Of course we’ve both been fortunate to be living in ‘clean’ areas….so far.
Here’s to many many more years of agreeing and disagreeing but, most of all, to many more years of friendship.
Graham
I usually agree to disagree. Life is too short not to, it would also be very boring were we all to agree.
DeleteWhat a shame the days of letter writing are gone. Correspondence between you two would make a fine publication. Feel free to disagree.
ReplyDeletePauline, Grahams input would be fine....I just gibber away.
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