I See Puppy, I See Wolfie
May. 20th, 2025 12:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeWe've been back in the UK for just over a week and with the weather being rather clement, it has afforded us the opportunity to do our much-needed garden maintainence. We could have stayed over in Manchester a week last Saturday as it was meet day, but we had our heavy luggage with us and wanted to get back to Pudsey to sort out the house. In the end, this was just as well, as we were messed about with TrainPal which sold us a ticket for an impossible journey. This was because there were no trains running between Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria stations, meaning we had to jump on the free city bus to get between the two. The knock-on effect was we were late for our train back to New Pudsey and so we had to buy a brand new ticket. No compensation from TrainPal of course, who 'assured' me that there were trains between Piccadilly and Victoria even though the station staff told us otherwise. I could push harder for compensation, but in the end they just directed me to the various TOCs delay repay schemes and as there is no consistent operator for the Piccadilly to Victoria route, I'd have no idea where to request a refund. It was less than £20, but still annoying.
Due to the sunny weather, we have managed to get many of the jobs done. As Monday was brown bin day, I did the tree pruning first, while we also painted the lintels above the windows as the paint was starting to peel. Wolfie did the pointing and we painted the front of the house in a fetching oatmeal-coloured tone. This impressed the neighbours, with whom we have been conversing off and on for most of the week (when they haven't been on holiday). I really like it here and I am looking forward to coming back, although Keir Starmer's immigration reforms announced last week highlighted precisely why I left this country in the first place. This week's EU-UK reset deal is a good first step back towards Europe, but the rabid nature of the right-wing press and opposition are such a hindrance on this country that returning will be made with a heavy heart. Still, we'll bide our time in Germany for a while and see how things go, with a likely return sometime in 2026.
In addition to the aforementioned jobs, we've also done a lot more painting too. I've touched up the flower boxes, table and bench, while Wolfie has spraypainted the barbecue. We also managed to smash up the concrete slab near the front gate, which was being lifted by a rogue tree root. With this dug out, this evening we mixed and poured more concrete to replace the step. This was necessary as not only was it representing a trip hazard, but it was getting difficult to open the gate. While we have been working, we have enjoyed a few beers, while our friend Krazoa came to sit with us during Sunday afternoon's work. She ended up staying for nearly six hours and it was fun catching up - the last time I saw her was when I saved her from a man urinating into the road in Atlanta last year.
I have also managed to squeeze a brief trip to see my mother, going up on Thursday and returning on Saturday. It was a whirlwind visit as I headed up after work, but the two spaniels were pleased to see me and I had a delicious bowl of soup with white beans in it served with a sausage baguette. We chatted for a while, as we did on Friday evening too, while during the day we went to see Mr. Burton at Richmond Cinema. This is in the former railway station, which has been converted, and there is a good real ale shop in there too. Oddly, it closes at 4pm, which considering it has a bar doesn't make much sense. Anyway, there is a nice olde worlde sweet shop here too, but I must admit I must have been the youngest person there by at least thirty years. My mother opted to see the film as the weather foreskin said it was going to be inclement, only for it to end up being quite sunny (albeit with a cool breeze). Detailing the early years of the actor Richard Burton's life when he was growing up in Port Talbot, the film focuses on the relationship between him and his teacher PH Burton, who was his real-life inspiration. Not knowing much about Burton at all, I found the film very engaging and moving, and I was certainly glad to see it. The spaniels were on fine form, with Wilma being particulalry affectionate. She is scared of going upstairs so whenever she saw me at the top of them, she stared at me as I walked down and started barking. I enjoyed taking the spaniels for a walk before we went to see the film on Friday too.
I travelled back down to Leeds on the Saturday morning, enduring a train journey with a posse of around 20 Newcastle-based students, three of whom were dressed as Shrek and more were dressed as pigs and donkies. Some of them were drinking at ten in the morning, but aside from being a little loud, they were generally well-behaved. They were certainly less annoying than the shreaking harrendens I had to endure on the train up to Darlington. Oracle got on the train at York and he managed to find me on the train, sitting next to me and chatting for the journey to Leeds. I left him at the station while I wandered around the city, taking note of the many changes that have happened since I was last here. It's sad that Reds BBQ has gone, while the White Cloth Foodhall doesn't look particularly appealing, with the old little Brewdog now a trendy wine bar. There is a Wing Stop now and another Five Guys in Trinity, thus making Ten Guys in total. All in all though, Leeds struck me as being quite grubby and down at heel, which was a shame.
My German accountants did my 2024 taxes last week, but I wasn't expecting the €980 bill associated with it, meaning I am somewhat impoverished heading into ConFuzzled. This hit me for most of the week and is a strong motivator for wanting to return from Germany. It was also why I didn't join the Leeds meet until later as I wanted to save money. Procyon kindly said he would buy some beers for me, in lieu for letting him stay in Berlin next month, while it was great to meet a Canadian friend with whom he has been travelling too. He came an hour later than Procyon on account of needing to leave his bicycle at Manchester Airport ahead of a flight back to the Northwest Territories on Sunday. The meet itself was good, albeit a little quiet due to the con next week, and although we only really had Leeds Postal Service, I think everyone was happy. I met Uno Raccoon, who agreed to do my replacement feet and hand paws for me, while it was great catching up with the likes of Baz in his colonial explorer's attire and Tonks, who was not wearing colonial explorer's attire. I didn't go on the fursuit walk, but did monitor the radio back at base, while I ended up having five pints as Procyon was buying them for me. This meant that by the time I left on the 17:41 train with a handful of others, I was quite drunk.
We had left early as it was Eurovision evening, with many people heading back to Doveux's for a party. We had been invited too, but it wasn't until Friday evening when it was confirmed we could stay overnight there. With my need to save money and Wolfie's general reticence, as well as our desire to work on the garden on Sunday, I decided to stay at Pudsey and watch it with Wolfie. We had invited Taneli around, but he was watching it with his brother, so we were alone this year. On the way back from the train station, I called off at ASDA to pick up some supplies, and once I got back, Wolfie tried to sober me up by feeding me mini beef and onion pasties. This didn't really work and after a brief snooze in the hour leading up to the event, I roused myself and we watched the whole thing. I'll admit it was all a little mediocre this year, with few outstanding songs, but I voted for Austria so I can't complain that they won. It was such a relief that Israel did not win, with us whooping when the final public vote was revealed, largely as it would have been a PR disaster for Eurovision that I think they couldn't have gotten out of. The UK mustered 88 points from the juries, but none from the public vote, which I did think was harsh but then the song was quite forgettable once again. I felt a little sorry for both Estonia and Iceland, who should have ranked higher, but the top songs were largely the ones I would have backed so I was happy enough. I also sobered up as the night went on, opting not to drink any more alcohol and having a McDonald's to act as soakage. It worked quite well and with the money saved, we treated ourselves to our second fishy chippies of our stay so far on Sunday night, having worked on the house for nearly seven hours.
Due to the sunny weather, we have managed to get many of the jobs done. As Monday was brown bin day, I did the tree pruning first, while we also painted the lintels above the windows as the paint was starting to peel. Wolfie did the pointing and we painted the front of the house in a fetching oatmeal-coloured tone. This impressed the neighbours, with whom we have been conversing off and on for most of the week (when they haven't been on holiday). I really like it here and I am looking forward to coming back, although Keir Starmer's immigration reforms announced last week highlighted precisely why I left this country in the first place. This week's EU-UK reset deal is a good first step back towards Europe, but the rabid nature of the right-wing press and opposition are such a hindrance on this country that returning will be made with a heavy heart. Still, we'll bide our time in Germany for a while and see how things go, with a likely return sometime in 2026.
In addition to the aforementioned jobs, we've also done a lot more painting too. I've touched up the flower boxes, table and bench, while Wolfie has spraypainted the barbecue. We also managed to smash up the concrete slab near the front gate, which was being lifted by a rogue tree root. With this dug out, this evening we mixed and poured more concrete to replace the step. This was necessary as not only was it representing a trip hazard, but it was getting difficult to open the gate. While we have been working, we have enjoyed a few beers, while our friend Krazoa came to sit with us during Sunday afternoon's work. She ended up staying for nearly six hours and it was fun catching up - the last time I saw her was when I saved her from a man urinating into the road in Atlanta last year.
I have also managed to squeeze a brief trip to see my mother, going up on Thursday and returning on Saturday. It was a whirlwind visit as I headed up after work, but the two spaniels were pleased to see me and I had a delicious bowl of soup with white beans in it served with a sausage baguette. We chatted for a while, as we did on Friday evening too, while during the day we went to see Mr. Burton at Richmond Cinema. This is in the former railway station, which has been converted, and there is a good real ale shop in there too. Oddly, it closes at 4pm, which considering it has a bar doesn't make much sense. Anyway, there is a nice olde worlde sweet shop here too, but I must admit I must have been the youngest person there by at least thirty years. My mother opted to see the film as the weather foreskin said it was going to be inclement, only for it to end up being quite sunny (albeit with a cool breeze). Detailing the early years of the actor Richard Burton's life when he was growing up in Port Talbot, the film focuses on the relationship between him and his teacher PH Burton, who was his real-life inspiration. Not knowing much about Burton at all, I found the film very engaging and moving, and I was certainly glad to see it. The spaniels were on fine form, with Wilma being particulalry affectionate. She is scared of going upstairs so whenever she saw me at the top of them, she stared at me as I walked down and started barking. I enjoyed taking the spaniels for a walk before we went to see the film on Friday too.
I travelled back down to Leeds on the Saturday morning, enduring a train journey with a posse of around 20 Newcastle-based students, three of whom were dressed as Shrek and more were dressed as pigs and donkies. Some of them were drinking at ten in the morning, but aside from being a little loud, they were generally well-behaved. They were certainly less annoying than the shreaking harrendens I had to endure on the train up to Darlington. Oracle got on the train at York and he managed to find me on the train, sitting next to me and chatting for the journey to Leeds. I left him at the station while I wandered around the city, taking note of the many changes that have happened since I was last here. It's sad that Reds BBQ has gone, while the White Cloth Foodhall doesn't look particularly appealing, with the old little Brewdog now a trendy wine bar. There is a Wing Stop now and another Five Guys in Trinity, thus making Ten Guys in total. All in all though, Leeds struck me as being quite grubby and down at heel, which was a shame.
My German accountants did my 2024 taxes last week, but I wasn't expecting the €980 bill associated with it, meaning I am somewhat impoverished heading into ConFuzzled. This hit me for most of the week and is a strong motivator for wanting to return from Germany. It was also why I didn't join the Leeds meet until later as I wanted to save money. Procyon kindly said he would buy some beers for me, in lieu for letting him stay in Berlin next month, while it was great to meet a Canadian friend with whom he has been travelling too. He came an hour later than Procyon on account of needing to leave his bicycle at Manchester Airport ahead of a flight back to the Northwest Territories on Sunday. The meet itself was good, albeit a little quiet due to the con next week, and although we only really had Leeds Postal Service, I think everyone was happy. I met Uno Raccoon, who agreed to do my replacement feet and hand paws for me, while it was great catching up with the likes of Baz in his colonial explorer's attire and Tonks, who was not wearing colonial explorer's attire. I didn't go on the fursuit walk, but did monitor the radio back at base, while I ended up having five pints as Procyon was buying them for me. This meant that by the time I left on the 17:41 train with a handful of others, I was quite drunk.
We had left early as it was Eurovision evening, with many people heading back to Doveux's for a party. We had been invited too, but it wasn't until Friday evening when it was confirmed we could stay overnight there. With my need to save money and Wolfie's general reticence, as well as our desire to work on the garden on Sunday, I decided to stay at Pudsey and watch it with Wolfie. We had invited Taneli around, but he was watching it with his brother, so we were alone this year. On the way back from the train station, I called off at ASDA to pick up some supplies, and once I got back, Wolfie tried to sober me up by feeding me mini beef and onion pasties. This didn't really work and after a brief snooze in the hour leading up to the event, I roused myself and we watched the whole thing. I'll admit it was all a little mediocre this year, with few outstanding songs, but I voted for Austria so I can't complain that they won. It was such a relief that Israel did not win, with us whooping when the final public vote was revealed, largely as it would have been a PR disaster for Eurovision that I think they couldn't have gotten out of. The UK mustered 88 points from the juries, but none from the public vote, which I did think was harsh but then the song was quite forgettable once again. I felt a little sorry for both Estonia and Iceland, who should have ranked higher, but the top songs were largely the ones I would have backed so I was happy enough. I also sobered up as the night went on, opting not to drink any more alcohol and having a McDonald's to act as soakage. It worked quite well and with the money saved, we treated ourselves to our second fishy chippies of our stay so far on Sunday night, having worked on the house for nearly seven hours.
