Great Albums

Claude invested in a few of the new remastered Beatles albums yesterday. Some tracks sound great, while some, hmmm, still suffer from some analogue "hiss" (at least through the Audi's system anyway, yet to try it through the Linn).

But, it got me thinking about my favourite albums of all time and it is tricky to choose. Definitely on the list would be:

• Together Alone - Crowded House
• The Beatles (White Album) - The Beatles
• Twist - Dave Dobbyn
• Songs From the Deep Forest - Duke Special
• Imagine - John Lennon
• Cut - Hunters and Collectors
• The Bends - Radiohead
  

Was That It?

So, back from another epic trip to Czech and it feels over all too soon and as if the days flew by.

Some thoughts, meanderings and conundrums on the past ten days:

• Weather was pretty good - some days comfortably topping 30
• Climbed the highest mountain in Czech - took eight hours including the walk there and back.
  
• During above walk did not apply nearly enough sun lotion and have suffered ever since. Legs, arms and neck quite bad - with bad pain and a blistering, leaking chin
• Both drives were OK. Coming back early this morning we were stuck near Frankfurt for an hour due to a bad crash. Luckily, we made the train on time, but it was a near thing
• Visited a Czech cinema for the first time. Interesting that beer is sold as well as the usual popcorn, natchos etc. In fact beer is sold in petrol stations as well - something our PC nanny State would never allow - and McDonald's (Vincent Vega was right). Cannabis is also legal (can be bought in drink form in Tesco and the weed variety in bars)
• Czech drivers are nuts. The overtaking and risk taking on the roads made even M1-hardened Claude wince
• Had a tour of the University of Hradec Králové from a professor friend of ours. He also printed a super-sized photo for Claude of a picture I took of the Giant Mountains

Off on Hols

So, we are leaving for Czech tomorrow. Will be leaving a bit later than usual, but will be the same trip to the Tunnel and then through Europe.

I quite look forward to the trip now - feels like a big adventure driving through all the different countries.

Well, will report on what we got up to on my return next week.

Claude out

Happy Birthday, Claude

1st Anniversary of this blog.

Amazed it has lasted this long to be honest...

Great New Site

Well worth checking out if planning a trip to Prague:

www.praguebreak.co.uk

London

Took a trip to the Smoke on Sunday - was a long day, but spent some time at the excellent Natural History and Science museums.

Also jumped on a tube to see the Palace - no sight of the Queen or even the Duke.

It is a very exciting place to visit, but also very tiring. At least the drive down and back wa a dry-run for the epic Czech trip we make next week.

Bat Out of Hell

I am not a fan of bats. Never have been and things didn't approve last year when one flew into our bedroom when we were asleep.

So, I was a bit unnerved when taking a late stroll home last night from the local pub with my fiancee, that the air was full of the little buggers. I wasn't happy as they flew across our path and could be seen in the moonlight twirling and darting about.

As my tension grew, one flew right over my head from behind and shot down in front of me. I am not proud to admit that I emitted, what can only be described as, a girly shriek and flung my arms over my head.

All self-respect gone, I have endured some merciless ribbing ever since.

State of the Nation: 2

Good on her - the English abroad are a total embarrassment:

State of the Nation

Working with a colleague this week on an information leaflet we are preparing to give to patients. In one part we had the phrase "to provide the ideal environment".

This prompted the colleague to suggest "we should use something instead of 'environment' as lots of people won't understand what it is."

Makes you proud to be British...

Up and About

First time today I am wearing clothes and actually got out of the house to take the mutt a quik walkies.

Feeling much better and we are celebrating my fiancee getting a new agency to work for by going for lunch in a minute.

I weighed myself earlier and the sickness has taken its toll. I have lost a lot of weight and slipped to 13.7 stones - which is about the lightest I have been for a long time.

Bored

I thought as I was confined to this bedroom, I would be writing a lot in this Blog.

As it turns out, there is nothing to report. I am feeling a bit better, but other than that I have nothing to say. I spend the hours browsing the web, watching TV shows on the internet and reading.

I am tired of staring at the same four walls, but the good news is that stuck here means I am not spending any money and am also being spared the M1 for a week or so.

Swine of a Flu

It started in the early morning of Sunday and quickly developed into a very nasty sickness.

I was woken with a very uncomfortable feeling in my stomach at about 5.30 - and about three hours and five separate vomiting and diarrhoea episodes later (one time both happening together, which was almost unpleasant experience), managed to call the local surgery. At first they thought it could just be a stomach bug, so told me to see if any other symptoms emerged.

One hour after, my temperature raged from 37 to 38.1 and I developed aching limbs and a pounding headache. "Well", the nice nurse on the other end of the 'phone said, "we won't see you to be absolutely sure, but in all likelihood you have swine flu. Take plenty of fluids and paracetamol."

Great. The best bit being I have to completely isolated for 5-7 days - which basically means not leaving my bedroom. It is now Tuesday morning and so starts the third day of the illness. It was very nasty in the beginning and on Sunday night I dragged myself to the bathroom and nearly passed out I felt so weak. Everything went dark and I started to lose my hearing - but I managed to get back to the bed before I collapsed.

Since then I have made steady improvement. Yesterday I just felt very sore and everything hurt. Today seems better and I managed the strength to power up the laptop and write this.

Hopefully I will recover soon - and the good news is that (so far) the rest of the family is OK. I have no idea where I caught it, but after believing the whole thing to be just media hype, I am now converted to the fact that this swine flu is a nasty bug(ger) indeed.

Czech Madness

Well, the weekend has come and gone and Claude and Co. are absolutely shattered, frustrated and annoyed.

The family descended on us about 7pm on Saturday and left at 6am Monday morning. We have been eaten out of house and home and I am amazed we didn't snap at various points.

The visitors, in fairness, are a friendly enough bunch and it would be hard to really dislike any of them. However, the way they treated us left a lot to be desired and it felt like we just there to feed, accommodate and take them wherever they wanted to go.

There are many, many examples of behaviour that really rankled with us, but I shall leave you with with Claude's top five, in reverse order:

5. A comment from a cousin, when we were preparing yet another meal for them (of sandwiches after returning from a long trip), that English bread "does not fill you up like Czech bread, so you will have to prepare something else for us".

4. The same cousin telling Claude she needed to use his mobile to call her boss to save her from using her own phone and having to pay for the call.

3. The complete and utter refusal to spend any money whatsoever. No food or drinks were ever bought on any trips (they even refused to pay 40p for postcards we showed them).

2. Quite happily having us get up at 5am on Monday morning to prepare them breakfast before they left. Then sitting there waiting to be served, with no offer of help or attempt to serve themselves (Claude's fiancee even had to pour tea for them as one thought the tea-pot was leaking and didn't want to do it).

1. And the best one of all... The uncle how on hearing that Claude and Fiancee had to leave them on Saturday in order to pop home to prepare a lunch of pizza and salad said "Oh, can you make me a soup as well? Put there mushrooms and pieces of meat and make sure not to put too much flour". His wife is vegetarian so obviously didn't want to share...his request was also made without ever using the words "please" or "thank you" (or even the Czech equivalent).

All-in-all, it felt like I was caught in an episode of Curb your Enthusiasm, but without the caustic comments Larry David would have been unable to keep from making.

Needless to say they left without much expression of sincere gratitude, certainly no offer or recompense for the huge expense we went to and certainly with a bitter taste in our mouths.

A Mad House

We have an entire family of Czechs descending on us this weekend. When I saw "entire family", boy do I mean it.

10 - yes 10 - cousins, aunties and uncles are visiting, which means we have to provide accommodation (well for five of them), breakfasts, snacks, dinners and entertainment.

We have been shopping at Tesco today - we needed two trolleys for all the supplies. The fridge is so packed it is impossible to take anything out without the whole lot cascading onto the floor like a food waterfall.

Roll on Monday...

Feelin' Hot

Been a pretty scorching week - although the rain came today and Claude needed an umbrella during lunch break.

Most of the time I have been feeling sticky and pretty uncomfortable, so a cooler respite is welcome.

Claude is singing and playing guitar at the folks' 40th ruby wedding anniversary on Sunday. Quite daunting, even though the audience is friends and family. In fact, I think it is always easier playing to strangers...

Tyred

What a farce getting a new tyre for the blown one turned out to be.

As it is a company car, Claude had to take it to Kwit Fit - a company whose name alone surely contravenes the Trade Descriptions Act.

After two trips there - and a jaunt to Sheffield's Audi dealer for a nut lock in between - I managed to get the tyre changed in just over four hours.

Luckily I managed to arrange working from home, when it became apparent it would be fruitless to get to work.

Blow Out

The M1 strikes again.

Driving home tonight after a quick shopping and dinner trip to Meadowhall and just getting past junction 32 the car suddenly violently jerked. It then started shaking, as if it was on a really bad road surface. Then it really started jumping and it was tricky to keep the car straight. It was obviously a tyre blow out. All this was happening while travelling at 80 mph in the 3rd lane.

I quickly managed to get us across to the hard shoulder, where we scrambled out and got as high on the verge as possible. One phone call and 20 minutes later the nice AA man had sorted putting on the spare (something I couldn't do as it was on the driver's side right next to the speeding cars and needed a nut lock to get the wheel off) and we were back on our way.

I will need a new tyre - the old one was completely split apart - but at least I won't have to pay. I love company cars...

Weekly Musings

Just some thoughts on a crazy, busy, manic week:

• The M1 truly is a horrible place to be
• The kebab I had on Tuesday tasted good - but reaked a terrible revenge
• Is recognition better than reward?
• Our living room is hot as an oven
• Trying to sing like John Lennon hurts your throat
  

To Bracknell And Back

Claude was sent all the way to Bracknell today. It is where my company's HQ is situated and our entire team had to trek all the way there for the annual awards ceremony.

Needless to say, Claude won sweet FA, but did clock up 360 miles and had the pleasure of a fun day involving leaving home at 6am and returning at 8.30pm.

Gotta New Motor?

Family chose and reserved a new car on Sunday.

Not really for Claude - the Audi remains as the company car - but we got a really nice Skoda Octavia Elegance:


Funny, I, like most people, had the same prejudice for Skoda cars, based on the rather poor models we saw in the late 80s. However, they genuinely are good now and, also being Czech, means it has to be our first choice.

The only thing that slightly disconcerts me is that "skoda" is Czech for pity...