Bob's Blog Page 62
You are reading Page 62 of Bob's Blog/diary/dream/story/journey/novelistic memoir.
He is 86 years old and counting.
He is also very much aware that this blog is of no significance whatsoever -
at the time of writing!
TIDAL STREAM ENERGY
Dear Reader,
As from Saturday 12th April your favourite blogger will (hopefully) blog daily and delete weekly but don't worry you won't miss anything. He'll keep a copy. Copies on request. You can of course copy it yourself if you so wish. No more scrolling. 'Every one's a gem'! Due to popular demand he might blog for a few days and then start deleting. Who knows? Who cares? He normally blogs and deletes around 6am.
Thank you.
Bob.
Sunday 13th April 2025.
Yesterday he took a respite walk in the sunshine amongst the graves at Cobham Cemetery. The place was full of blossom, birds and tranquil babbling from the river nearby. He checked on Annie, John and Eliza's grave, gave the plaques a dust, jumped in The Duster, drove up Blundell Lane and then dusted the Oxshott Village Sign plaques as well. The Oxshott Club was closed! So was Junction 10 which caused chaos.
Nannie enjoyed a snooze in the sunshine in her wheelchair under the apple tree, when she woke up she issued instructions to hoover up the blossom!
Tip for the day. Reel your hosepipe up starting at the middle. That way you don't have to reel the whole lot out every time you use it, also you won't trip over the thing, also it'll take you half the time to reel the thing up. Simples!
Today's picture is a bunch of roses especially for you Mrs G.
Monday 14th April 2025.
Did you see The Boat Race yesterday? Back in 1949 when I was 10 we had to make a lifetime choice. Spurs or Pompey and Oxford or Cambridge. I chose Pompey and Cambridge. Yesterday Cambridge won handsomely.
It's worth a watch on iPlayer if you missed it. Spectacular images from drones and cameras up every nook, cranny and orifice. There was a time when I mixed it up and down the Putney to Mortlake stretch amongst the yachties, scullers, cruisers, barges, pleasure boats, paddle boarders, sewage and urns full of ashes but sadly no longer, I was only 75 back then!
I was allowed to 'mess about' in Tim and Julia's boat at Chiswick. Memories.
Waiting for a customer at The Ship, Chiswick. c2012.
It's a Pioner 13 made from polyethylene. Made in Norway. Recommended.
Tough as old boots!
Tip for the day.
Don't get your Handy Sanders mixed up with your toilet rolls!
Tonight we had carer Hazzel (two z's) in to help me with the difficult bits. I'm spent. Great to have a professional in to perform the difficult bits.
Tuesday 15th April 2025.
Decided to carry on blogging as usual i.e. no deleting. Probably run out of pages or breath, the question is which will come first?
Had a respite swift half in The Running Mare yesterday with Den, well actually it was a leisurely pint and a half followed by ham, egg and chips. Den and I are the only ones left from the troop of intrepid hikers of yesteryear.
Ron, Den, Bob and John on The West Wittering Hike February 2nd 2015.
Ray and Pete couldn't make it.
PS. It's looking like my revolutionary idea for generating energy from tidal streams is dead in the water. So, that means another page for blogging! It never rains but it pours!
Today's picture is of Nannie in happier times. It's The Lötschental Valley in Switzerland August 2009.
Wednesday 16th April 2025.
Thanks to Maureen and Rikki for the invite to Chalet Shanida. Once in the sunshine and once in the snow. Memories.
Talking about snow, today is apple blossom time. If you zoom in you can see the fences around the bird feeders to keep Percy the Pigeon and his fat friends out. You can also see some spare plaques for The Oxshott Village Sign if ever they are needed.
Thursday 17th April 2025.
Jenny and Neil from Elmbridge Borough Council popped in yesterday to tell us all about their plans for converting the bathroom into something more suitable for disabled Nannies. Looks like no more wallowing in the bath for old and able Granddads. Neil the surveyor is an MG enthusiast!
In order to remain able Grandad popped out to the Chemists for a Walk in Covid jab, he also picked up a few more pills and potions. Does it get more exciting than this?
Might be. Professor Len from Lincoln is taking you know what to study on his holiday.
Friday 18th April 2025.
Regular readers of this riveting blog will know that the back of Bob's garage is already converted into a shower facility for disabled Nannies. When the bath is ripped out of the bathroom he is going to re-install it in the back of the garage for able bodied Granddads. Solar heated hot water, pumped drainage. What's not to like? Probably won't happen but keeps the brain cell busy.
Talking about irregular readers, a visitor from Mississauga popped in yesterday, hope you and the family are OK Brian or might have been Mary. My analytics knows everything! It also knows that his most regular 88 year old reader from Epsom has given up visiting, probably because of the bad language, sorry, hope you are OK GJ.
If you look again at the above picture you will notice a shed at the bottom of next door's garden. Yesterday I discovered Freddie the Fox and his limping friend's den underneath the shed. I've always wanted to live with the badgers but the foxes are OK. No need to move!
Saturday 19th April 2025.
He's got a tail just like Freddie. Must be great having a permanently attached duvet!
Spent an hour on the phone yesterday talking to a human being from Wix.com. He tried to explain how to create a 'Dynamic Page' on this blog but yours truly failed to understand. If you can understand let me know.
Rectified a spelling mistake on my 'Game Changing Tidal Energy Generator'. 'Breaking system' now reads 'Braking system'.
Sunday 20th April 2025.
Happy Easter.
Monday 21st April 2025.
Now that the anti-pigeon fence around the bird feeders are so effective, Percy the pigeon waits expectantly for Simon the Sparrow or Tommy the Tit to fly through the fence and peck away at the seed unwittingly producing a shower of seed for Percy and his mate Doris waiting below. All the while Gordon Buchanan (Granddad) is waiting at the ready with his camera to catch Freddie the Fox in the background, or whoever it is, digging a BG hole under the laurel. It might be a long wait. The laurel is dying.
Occasionally Doris's old boyfriend Butch flies in and causes mayhem, the feathers fly between Percy and Butch causing a shower of apple blossom which Simon hoovers up for his cosy nest.
This is Granddad's world. Nannie's world is much less exciting.
Tuesday 22nd April 2025.
Old and Knackered Bob has decided not to delete any of the content on this blog or website. He will get to the bottom of 'Dynamic Pages' if it is the last thing he does. It probably will be Dienamic!
Yesterday, Nannie enjoyed a wheelchair ride round our local Pains Hill Park. The lake, the swans, the ducks, the geese, the birds, the flowers, the obelisks and crystal grotto, not to mention The Easter Bunnies Trail were uplifting. Thoroughly recommended. It's FREE ENTRY for the wheelchair pusher. Dan was uplifted!
Meanwhile Old Bob continued to study the goings on in his back garden with a Dalwhinnie!
Wednesday 23rd April 2025.
It's great talking to yourself. Yesterday, OK Bob came up with his most earth shattering idea yet. While he was trying to find all the edge bits on his therapeutic jigsaw puzzle he decided to buy himself a a set of Bingo Balls. For £10.85 on eBay you get 75 numbered balls together with a wire rotating tumbler cage on a stand, a ball holder and cards. It has a clever single ball delivery system. Wot's not to like?
He uses it to play The Lottery! Aren't you glad you've found Bob's Blog?
Oxshott Village Sign Mug for scale purposes only!
Thursday 24th April 2025.
Another visit to Cossins Care Home yesterday to visit an inmate, sorry a resident, was inspiring? So was the pint of Guinness in The Plough down the road! It was only £7.10 - less than 3 weeks wages in 1955.
Friday 25th April 2025.
Just realised that 1955 (when I started work) is 70 expletive years ago. I got two pounds eighteen shillings and fourpence for a 40 hour week. That's one and fivepence 'apenny per hour (17½ d or 7p per hour). Today I pay £36.50 per hour for someone to help me change my socks!
Saturday 26th April 2025.
While trying to understand 'Wix Dynamic Pages' OK Bob was blown away with the antics of Dynamic Freddie charging around the garden like somebody possessed. Amazing what goes on on your patio at 6am!
This is Percy and Doris looking for seed amongst the blossom. Much better that Seyit and Sura or Virgin River!
Sunday 27th April 2025.
Yesterday, Granddad chauferred Nannie and 'Our Angel of the day' to Thames Ditton to test drive an Electric Wheelchair advertised on eBay. Negotiating the gridlocked streets full of Saturday morning shoppers, swarms of cyclists and Sandown Park Racegoers presented no problem for the 86-year-old as he felt like he was driving his MG Sports Car and not the MG Duster in 1959. Frances, who herself was disabled, welcomed the party into her cosy cottage. She needed to sell her wheelchair in order to get a lighter one which she could carry on board an aircraft. Grandad jumped into the wheelchair and proceeded to demonstrate his skills with the one handed joystick control charging from one end of the room to the other without hitting anything. He felt that the joystick control was a touch over sensitive for disabled Nannies and that any test driving by Nannies should be carried out at Dunsfold Airfield. Disappointed Nanny said goodbye to disappointed Frances but the story might not be over yet. Can't wait for the next episode, can you?
Monday 28th April 2025.
Lovely to see Paul and Nitca from Bantham yesterday. They popped in on their way to the golf club to say hello. Much appreciated. Paul is an avid Bob's blog reader. One of the few, or is it the many?
To cut a long story short Nannie is now the proud owner of an all singing all dancing electric wheelchair. Chloe from East Horsley put it on Gumtree, Grandad hastily made plans to look at it, was highly impressed and bought it. Chloe threw in another lightweight pusher wheelchair for the same price. Wot's not to like?
Decided not to blog anymore about wheelchairs. Sorry about that. Too busy trying to add a 'Dynamic Page'!
Tuesday 29th April 2025.
Maintaining equilibrium was never a problem.
Nannie walking and standing up in Ibiza October 2010.
Wednesday 30th April 2025.
The stunning Yvette turned up last night for a few caring duties, her perfume took OK Granddad back to his youth. He had to lie down!
Bob's Blog Page 62
You are reading Page 62 of Bob's Blog/diary/dream/story/journey/novelistic memoir.
He is 86 years old and counting.
He is also very much aware that this blog is of no significance whatsoever -
at the time of writing!
TIDAL STREAM ENERGY