Meh

Thursday 12 November 2009

Last Friday Terri, Dad and I took ourselves off to watch Bridgwater Carnival from the comfort of a grandstand seat booked several months ago.  We were tucked into the corner which made it difficult to actually get to our seats, but once there we found that we were warm and dry, something the poor people standing beside the road were definitely not able to say.  Up until now that’s been us: standing beside the road soaking up the atmosphere, heat from the illuminated floats and the rain.  Bridgwater calls this a Guy Fawkes procession, but why Mr Fawkes couldn’t have had a date named after him earlier in the year (say the middle of the summer) is still a source of annoyance.  At least in the grandstand the wind didn’t howl at our backs so our already wet clothes didn’t chill us to the bone, but I found the procession lacked something for me this year.  Perhaps it is the heat of the lights and the experience of standing that close to a large illuminated float that makes it.  Who knows?  The entries were good as usual, but the photo above was one of my favourites.  These dragons were fitted with gas pipes which produced a jet of flame from their mouths that was both impressive in appearance and noise.  I tried for a photo but all the floats rushed past this year and timing on the flame-throwing was random, so I wasn’t able to catch it.

I’ve had a something and nothing kind of week.  We went to Cheltenham to visit Alex on Monday and spent the day mooching about dabbling with Christmas shopping.  On the plus side, I bought myself two rather nice pairs of boots which were very reasonably priced: one pair knee-length with heels and the other flat-heeled with studs and buckles around the ankles.  The flat-heeled ones jingle when I walk and make me sound like a cowboy with spurs, but they’re very yummy.

Alex is coming home on Friday evening for the weekend when we’ll be gathering for drinks to celebrate my birthday (not until Monday) with a few friends.  By Monday Alex will be back in Cheltenham so the weekend will be the best time.

The MEH of the title?  It’s what the girls say when I ask them how they are!  I get the impression it means something like ‘yes, ok, but nothing special’ and it’s how I’m feeling at the moment.  The fact that I’ve just eaten something from a tin that described itself as ‘beef ravioli’ but bore no resemblance to either beef or ravioli other than in shape, and has left an aftertaste that resembles the tin more than anything else may have something to do with it.  I feel like I’ve been sucking pennies or something.  I know it’s a taste that will linger, much to my disgust.  I knew it was a bad idea when I saw the horrible artificial tomato colour of it, but I was hungry and being lazy.  I’ll try not to do that again!