Secrets

We all have secrets. But why? There’s things that we don’t tell our children to keep them safe and innocent, and things that they don’t tell us like when they break things to keep themselves out of trouble. Sometimes it’s a nice surprise for our loved ones when we hide gifts from them. Sometimes it’s to keep them safe, like when we tell them to stay away from the garden shed because of the sharp tools inside. But are we safer when we don’t know? It’s always hard to judge what someone else is thinking. Why aren’t they sharing the full story with us? Is there a spin about it that would change their opinion of us? Would it give us an advantage over them, especially when it comes to a piece of equipment or a technique that will turn the situation in our favour? Or is there some ghastly aspect that will just make the situation more complicated and time-consuming? Even the word’s got a bit of glamour about it, as the ear pricks up as we’re about to discover a hidden truth.

Green Duck Big Freeze at the Waggon & Horses, Halesowen

There’s always a way to get to somewhere by public transport. You may have to change a couple of times and overshoot your destination by a few places, but you can always get there. I guess I like coming back by train because I like the idea of the security of a station in that you’re guaranteed some form of shelter, the vehicle will actually stop instead of someone having to make a judgement call, the services do run later and there’ll always be someone on hand to offer help and advice if anything goes wrong. With fewer manned stations in place, we’re now having to rely on technology for our answers. In theory, I should rely on the buses more, but now that fewer buses are running, I may have to go back to the original plan after all. Sometimes I might need to get a ride home, but it might be more expensive or put me in an obligation later.

 

Lady about Town #Vampress 12

She always wore a black dress with a large black coat, and only came out in the last few hours of daylight. No-one seemed to be able to know her business, and those that she did engage with only recalled a droll daydreamlike smile afterwards but couldn’t seem able to say anymore. What they also noticed was that the woman was very curvy. So curvy in fact that she often struggled to get out of her carriage. Soon enough, sightings of her began to be the talk of the town in all the taverns. Some were very exaggerated indeed, one night it was heard that her head was taller than her carriage, and her buttocks stood higher than her shire horses. There were many attempts to make talk with the driver, a tall hairy man in a black undertaker’s hat, but people could never catch his eye. Perhaps he was a mute. There was once an attempt to touch him but it was met with a loud hissing noise that shirked most people away.

Derventio Lucretius at The Cross Inn, Finstall

We hit a few pubs on the high street hitting bars here and there for a few halves but there was nothing particularly inspiring. Then we caught a bus to the Ladybird and went for a pint of the Christmas beer. It was a pleasant change to go there for a beer instead of having to head upstairs to attend a meeting. Then we headed to the Cross. I would have liked to have thought that we walked down the road but I honestly can’t remember and we probably drank up quickly to take advantage of the next passing bus. I just had to take advantage of this beer and drink a pint of it. I probably should have stocked up on something to soak it all up because as we left I vomited spectacularly over the road. Luckily, it was before the bus arrived and I decided to stagger home once we’d arrived back.

What do people in the UK think of Canadians?

I’ve met a few of them and I think they’re a bunch of fun-loving people. They’re very friendly and they love to explore. I think that they’re quite intelligent since the majority of them learn to speak French as well as English, and that they’re not as stubborn as the French since they’re more open to things. The Americans tend to have a stereotypical image of a slack-jawed yokel sitting on a log cabin in his porch swigging beer out of a can using his front teeth to pierce it while wearing overalls and holding a fishing rod, but I just think that they’re people who are out to have a fun time. The can spend a lot of time skiing and climbing the mountains before returning to relax by beautiful lakes and waterfalls. It might be an annoying accent to listen to at times but like all parts of the world it depends what part of the country they’re from and how close they are to the border. 

Pub Walks in Underhill Country by Nat Segnit

Pub Walks in Underhill Country by Nat Segnit
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I honestly thought this was a travel book. Instead, we get a humorous look at a man who hasn’t got a clue what’s going on and digresses too much. Each chapter starts with a map and has the odd illustration, but it’s a shame that there’s no landscape photographs which would make it more real (though Underhill does focus on other undegraded items). Some of the destinations are a bit extreme, but at least they’re well-researched. He comments on both the good and bad landmarks, and can be portrayed as a little snobbish at times, kind of like an ageing Adrian Mole. He’s supported by an ageing cast of similar intellectually minded people, each of their own problems who are referenced to in different chapters. Some of his accidents are quite horrific, and the narrative fails to address how he is rescued. Perhaps he’s too embarrassed. The full result is a tragic, yet comical, adventure.

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Amateur Ange

There’s short blonde hair with a ponytail and a fringe in front of her eyes. Occasionally she lets her tail drop to look sophisticated. A slightly tall lass of large build but she’s worked hard to keep it in all the right places so there’s still some curves to admire. There’s a smell about her that’s intoxicating but you don’t know whether it’s odour or medical. Conversationally, she’s quite quiet with males but she’s happy enough to talk with females and sometimes even flirts with them. She’s one of those people who you think could be bi with her laissez-faire attitude to life but you don’t want to cause offence by asking or making it a big thing. She’s certainly got her independence by owning her own car, even though it’s small but it does and she’s happy to help out others with a ride. Only occasionally she’ll ask for others to chip in for gas money.