Deary me. It's been such a long time since I shared our lives with you, and you have my sincerest apologies.

Just a quick catch-up for now but I promise to write in more detail in the near future. Our biggest news is that Hester and I got married, now that it is possible for people like us to do so, in 2017. We had a very special venue, but more of that later. Hester is now a big cheese (as I believe the Americans say) in the local community and has recently been elected as a Parish Councillor. I am supposed to doff my cap in respect, but I don't wear one. Only kidding, she is still the humble person she always was. If you have ever seen "The Vicar of Dibley" you will have an idea what the council meetings are like!

As usual I am rambling on. I hope you all have a Merry New year (it certainly is round our house) and I look forward to further catching up with you next year.

Cheerie

Martyne

A Night to Remember

It seems that the idea of a "gap year" is still popular with a certain class of students. I may have taken more like 18 months off but I have convinced myself that the principle is just the same. Whatever the maths may be, it's good to be back.

A friend recently moaned to me about the trauma she experienced whilst trying to make a train journey. I told her she should have taken the sleeper train Hester and I went on recently. It was there when we wanted to board it and we had a good night's sleep untroubled by a bumpy ride.


I'm actually being a bit economical with the truth my dears. The "train" was in fact a couple of old railway carriages converted into bedrooms and attached to a bar and restaurant. As such, it didn't move an inch the whole night, although the heavier trains on the nearby East Coast Main Line did cause it to shake a bit! Quite soothing really.

Lately Hester and I have taken to having a "Festive Experience" rather than spending a lot of money on presents. Last year we did the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London. Despite spending over 3 hours there we still didn't see half of the stuff on show. You could get a picture taken of you playing Quidditch (due to some electronic trickery I presume) but when I told some, so called, friends about my regret at not having time to do so, they made some very hurtful comments about me and flying on broomsticks!

As you can see our bedroom was very posh and had a large bed with a duvet and black quilt. Lovely chairs and matching drapes as well. All very romantic although curtains right around the bed would have been even better
.

Robert informs me that our bedroom was based on a British Rail Mk1 compartment carriage but I don't really care. Hester and I had a lovely Christmas meal, including mulled wine, some sherries, and a night in a four-poster bed. So much nicer than getting an Xbox 1 or a PS4, whatever they are!

Living the Good Life 

 

As usual I have been very remiss about keeping up this blog. I promise to write much more frequently in future.

It's amazing to think that Hester and I have been living in Ayton Upthorpe for over 3 years now. The enclosed picture was taken from outside our Village Hall a few months ago. I have to give Hester the credit for the lenswork. I 've got myself one of those little digital camera things that are so popular now and will post some of my own shots in due course.

Hester has flourished in the countryside and is now a keen gardener. Thankfully she hasn't got any more begging letters since  the RBS bonus thing died down. She seems much more relaxed now. I wonder if Miss Amy Childs ever did get the bojangle, or whatever she called it, for her dear pussy. She seemed a lovely old girl.

I could witter on for hours (Hester will testify to that) but I intend to adopt a new policy of little and often when it comes to my musings.

Take care my dears.

 

It's all got a bit Hester-ical.

It seems there is a rumour going around that my beloved earns a lot of money. I assure you that this is ,sadly, not the case. She is the victim of mistaken identity.

Recent press reports that "Hester earns £1.2m annually" may well have some foundation, but it does not refer to my dear partner. Someone, who works for the Royal Bank of Scotland, is scooping this money. I don't know who she is, but I will be having a few stiff words when I track her down.

We have had a lot of begging letters, and I do feel for some of the writers.

Miss Childs of Essex, is particularly close to my heart. I am sure you are an elderly lady in similar circumstances to myself. I am most touched by your request for money to spend on your pussy. No doubt you live alone, and wish to spend some money on pampering. I am however, concerned that you wish to have it shaved and covered in diamonds. Is this really the best way to treat your cat? Our local vet certainly doesn't offer this service.

Hope I have cleared up any misunderstandings.

Train of Thought

Robert sent me the above picture recently. He says it is a "Class 180", whatever that is supposed to mean. He further claims it belongs to the a little railway company called Grand Central. I might be getting old, but I can clearly see that it says "First" on the front. I sometimes wonder if he always tells me the truth.

Anyway, I am happy to report that he is in fine fettle at the moment. He's been watching "James May's Toy Stories" on the TV and is inspired to start a new project. He intends to build a Hadron Collider using his old Meccano set. Apparently there's a group of scientists in Europe doing something similar, but they are having some teething problems. Robert reckons he'll get his up and running first.

He tells me that once that's done, he is going to use it to look for Higgs the Bos'n, or someone like that. I told him he would probably be better trying Friends Reunited. His response, to say the least, was rather frosty. I was only trying to help, and I am sure they will have a section for tracing old naval types, if only he would give them a try.

I will let you know how he gets on.

Prodigal Child Returns?

It's been eight months, to the day, since I last posted! You might think all the things that have happened in the last year, or so, distracted me from ranting in my usual style, but you'd be wrong. I'm just as fractious as ever. I just didn't seem to feel the need to put pen to paper like I used to. But LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS. I'm back.

My move to Yorkshire with Hester has certainly had a calming effect on my soul but I still have a bit of rebelling to do before they finally nail the lid on. I am currently looking for a local Seniors club to join, and terrorise. One of my heroines is Carol McGiffin from "Loose Women", so they had better look out.

I am going to write a weekly diary, starting soon, but my next post will feature the two people who mean most to me in the world, brother Robert and my dearest Hester.

Meanwhile, I got the above photo from my old friend Teena. When I say old, I of course mean very young looking for her advancing age. Phew, disaster averted!

Apparently these birds have right of way in Dunfermline and can carry Store Cards under their wings. OK, I was lying about the last bit....

Onwards and Upwards, I Guess

It has been very remiss of me to not share my musings with you lately. Much has gone on in the last few weeks and I have failed to put pen to paper, in an electronic sort of way.

I am about to start a new life, but in ways I am finding it hard to let go of the old one. Royal Mail had no such qualms. They pensioned me off in January. I miss getting out and about and meeting people. Just for nostalgia's sake here is a picture of my little "Postman Pat" van I took outside a retirement complex shortly before my accident. Quite apt really.

As for the new, Hester and I are moving to Yorkshire soon. No more commuting up and down the British isles for us. We plan to travel, but this time it will be for pleasure and not for expediency. I suspect now would NOT be a good time to buy shares in Virgin Trains given the sharp drop in revenue they will experience.

Hester started a new job in a Huddersfield school yesterday. She seems to be enjoying it, which is good. I would love to work in education again but after the "incident" at Girton Ladies college many years ago I fear my services would not be sought after.

I promise to not be such a stranger in future. I am going through scary times at the moment and would love to share them with you. It's a big thing to do what I am doing at my age, but I have never lost my sense of adventure despite all my recent hard times, and I hope I never will.