Sunday 15 October 2017

Day of the Lamps

I accept that I'm not someone who's ever been regarded as a person of good taste.  Clothes, sports teams, food, music, TV, idols - none of these are subjects on which I've ever heard a random stranger (or close friend) say, "now there's a man who knows his stuff."

So, in an attempt to win some much-needed street-cred, I turned my attention to internal lighting.

It shouldn't really have been a big task, in truth.

The floor lamp in the kids' playroom was banjaxed and needed to be replaced. 


What they had was a bit dull and a playroom is supposed to be fun so I thought, hey, let's add a bit of colour!


Well, what do you think? 

They are colourful, even my harshest critic would have to give me that. 

But there is perhaps a more obvious downside, which this photo might better illustrate.

 
That's right.  They're f***ing ginormous.  Much taller than me, in fact. They go almost right up to the ceiling (such are the perils of ordering from Amazon and not properly checking the dimensions before chucking it into your massive basket).

And there is another minor issue.  Both of the kids think they're "ugly." You may agree, you may not.  Vanessa's only smugly muttered comment was: "Well, you ordered them." 

The other problem with the Amazon aspect is that they're going to be expensive buggers to send back. Plus, I can't be arsed.

I only put them together yesterday morning and, as the day went on, I couldn't help but ponder on what our new friends reminded me of.  And last night it came to me. 

Do you remember the Triffids?

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Yes, them.  They sacred to bejeezus out of me back in the day.  Let's hope our new lamps don't eat us alive.

Sunday 8 October 2017

Farewell to a legend

A fun but sad moment last night when we said "goodbye for now" to my old mate John McIlroy.

But not before he (and fellow dinner guest Sue) became Strictly judges for the evening.


John was the first friend I made when Vanessa and I left London for Leeds in 2003.  Like me, he worked at Yorkshire Forward.  And also like me, he was born in Belfast.

Over the years we've had some very, very good nights.  For example, this was when we celebrated the Ireland rugby team winning the Six Nations Championship.  


I remember the "morning after" headache just as well. 

One of life's truly good (and hugely entertaining) guys, John was recently offered a job in his native city and has decided that it's time to go home.  Good for him, bad for the many friends he leaves behind in Yorkshire. 

Thankfully, our first reunion is already in the diary.  Nine weeks today.  In a Belfast bar.  Always best to stick to what you know.