"Determine never to be Idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing."

 -Thomas Jefferson.

It’s nice to be idle, but it feels that you’re wasting an opportunity to get a task complete. Sometimes we’re forced into this situation at the expense of others, though with a smartphone you can always download something to aid you, though it might be slightly distracting you from what you should be accomplishing. You’ve just got to remember to keep the device with you, and be sure that you’ve got enough power to accomplish the tasks that you need. Sometimes you’ll want less time so that you can move onto the next task as there’s nothing to occupy you and you’re unable to move on. At other times you’ll find that you just don’t want your current occupancy to end, but needs must require to move on otherwise you’ll feel guilty of your other obligations. If you can find a balance between the two then you won’t be far off from achieving your goals.

Desi Pubs: A Guide to British-Indian Pubs, Food & Culture by David Jesudason

Desi Pubs: A Guide to British-Indian pubs, food and culture by David Jesudason
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is an interesting guide to another world of industry. The format of this book does get a bit repetitive after a while. It seems to be the same old tale of how the business was established and what life was like before the current owners got it going. It would have been nice to see more pictures of the outside of some of these premises, preferably without cars parked outside it, but perhaps these would be detrimental to the businesses featured. The author also may not have had the right opportunity to do this when he visited, though you’d think that a few visits would be required for a recommendation in a guidebook. I’m also disappointed that some of the beers aren’t listed, though that may not be the author’s preferred concern and would also be detrimental to some readers. But what the book does do is build up an appetite by describing some of the dishes to look out for when visiting.

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What if a young girl didn't want to get married or become a Nun in the Middle Ages?

In short, they’d be forced to work. A maid would be the most common job unless they’d managed to learn a craft skill such as cookery, sewing or basket-weaving. Even then, they’d be under the guidance of an employer. Women’s rights weren’t great so they would have been tied to a master or mistress which wouldn’t earn them much as they’d have to pay for their board as well. Their freedom would be reduced as they wouldn’t be able to have a dominating decision unless they had their own financial independence. Parents would try to steer them into marrying to create a better future for the family. Some would even abandon or disown them if they refused to work for their upkeep. Marriages could even be forced by arrangement. I f they didn’t agree they’d simply be shown the door to the outside world and wouldn’t be welcomed back and left to lead a life of beggary or prostitution.

Green green grass

So what exactly is a sward? Apparently it’s an area of short grass which makes sense when you visit the place as there’s a few patches around in between lampposts and alongside the long stretches of the side of houses in between the junctions. But what other colours of grass are there? You might expect yellow or grey in the summer if there’s a drought, and the council might have undergone a special pledge to keep the grass green here all year round for its namesake (which is handy in the event of snow). But other colours would be something out of a science-fiction scene, though it would certainly be a crowd-puller if you’re trying to attract visitors to the area to sell houses. There’s even little alcoves to hidden houses. At the end the road backs onto a school which is a big turn-off for homebuyers unless it’s something you’re willing to reside there for. 

 

Make it Longer

Visions of inanimate objects flying around the room  will be ill-conceived. For starters, the device can’t see what you’re pointing at or even if you’re holding a wand. You’ll look stupid. Instead, a prank is played by telling you in a child-like voice that you’re not saying it right, and you need to make the phrase longer. There’s a theory that if you’re stubborn enough, you could get into a very long argument. Eventually, you’ll be sitting there holding a note for as long as physically possible until you get bored, run out of breath, or dehydrate. But the device just gets bored of your attempt and just cuts you off so you don’t even get close to attempting it. Rude. I suppose you could make your ‘aah’ longer in other ways. It's worth playing around with some of the other spells, although the American accent doesn’t justify the fun.

The Engine Room

Tucked away next to the house is a beautifully preserved red brick building which formally used to house the canal’s pump room for the lock. It’s odd that the canal is still in use but the reservoir is no longer required to top up the lock. Perhaps it’s because the tunnel is now complete. It’s got beautiful decking and picnic benches in its grounds, and at one time I’m sure there was a little café there that used to sell refreshments to passers-by. Perhaps this was when it was owned by a company. It’s now sealed off to everyone by becoming private housing. The only thing that remains to remind people of its history is a formal plaque on the towpath. Making these buildings into residences may make someone some money, but it also seals off the premises for everyone else to enjoy. With a bit more entrepreneurial spirit, it might have been possible to  have made the whole area into an attraction. 

 

Tent Vent #dream diary 157

I’m at a local music festival with a friend. It’s in the woods and there’s camping for attendees, even though I’m only a fifteen-minute walk away. My friend insists on separate tents but he’s also arriving late on the first day, so I go ahead and pitch both tents. I decide to give him the best one and if there’s any major problems with my old one I’m only a short walk home. Because of the last-minute booking, we can’t get tents next to each other. At the last minute, my friend cancels. The festival itself goes very well, and on Sunday morning there’s cars absolutely everywhere as people start to cart their gear away. I strike down my tent, but I can’t locate my best one. Someone must have worked out that the tent was occupied and has decided to cart it away. They’ve taken the tent but left the pegs in. Then as I walk through the local estate I find evidence of more bits of it scattered around.