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Worcester, Worcestershire, United Kingdom
Born in the year of the Coronation, I'm a Baby Boomer. In April of this year I decided I too would have a Diamond Jubilee celebration and completely change my life and that of my Husband's in the process

Wednesday 22 February 2006

Strange Comes With Age?

I just had one of those moments where you clearly see yourself and realise that you may be slightly strange.

Mike just called upstairs to me that he had been surprised to find himself enthralled by the Curling on the Winter Olympics. Now if that isn't a barmy sport, I don't know what is. Sliding about on the ice following a polished rock, while your mates jiggle about with brushes in front of you. And we won a medal for it last time!

His comment made me think about what I was doing at that moment. I was gazing, enviously at the photo above, which is of some blue paving bricks found in Hamburg. The photo had just been emailed to me by a man I have been talking to in Germany. He found them twenty years ago, when they were digging up the pavement.

He put them in his daughter's pram, took them home and they have now gone through four house moves with him. He didn't say if his wife is still with him.

I have had a passion for blue bricks since I was a child, many of the pavements in The Black Country were paved with them. Proper blue bricks, as made by The Cakemore Brick Company, are tougher than granite and impervious to water. St Pancras Goods Station was buit with their bricks.

My interest in this particular Company is because Cakemore is where my Harper family farmed throughout the 19th Century, at the time these bricks were made.

I know it's odd but I would love to get my hands on one. But then, even odder surely to put half a dozen in your daughter's pram!

So it not just us Brits who have strange, quirky interests, obviously the Germans do too.

I have further proof of the strangeness of my daughter's chosen homeland.She and Flo were at a party at the weekend. Someone decided to take the shelves out of the fridge and attempt to fit themselves into it. They failed.

Flo, in his delightful German/American/English accent said " I cun du that." And in doing so he had to remove one shoe to enable the door to be shut. That produced great hilarity, bordering on hysteria, as his revealed sock was one of the pairs I bought him as a tree present at Christmas, black with florescent pink toes and heel. Obviously Germans don't understand Marks and Spencer style! 

Catherine said it would have been funnier if he had taken both shoes off, as his other sock was grey.

I'm very pleased to hear that Flo has a stong streak of the peculiar running through him, he should fit well into my family. With a Punk Rock Star father and my daughter as it's mother I am expecting new heights of quirkiness from their offspring. After all my daughter at the age of three took to wearing a Welsh ladies hat and rarely took it off for the next two years and then went into black and became a Goth at twelve.

Mike thought Flo wanted to get in the fridge to test the theory that the light really does go off when you shut the door, which apparently, it does.

We think we have everything sorted to get my mother and her zimmer frame to Germany for the wedding. Flo's stepfather decided to take us all one step nearer the wedding from Hell, by rupturing himself at the gym. He had an operation today. He thought, that as they said he would be in and out in one day, that meant he would be walking around tonight. Ha! Niave Bif. It's obviously the same in Germany as it is here, they have you out of the ward the moment you're concious. He's lying down feeling sorry for himself tonight.

We went to the gym today and I weighed myself. I've lost another six pounds!!!! And their scales have just been checked. I haven't been this weight for years! In fact I'm feeling so good about myself, I shall be on the lookout for a nice German toyboy next week and if he's wheeling a pram with some blue bricks in....so much the better.

I still haven't got over my mother in the hospital on Sunday, she had a couple of visitors I didn't know, as well as Wilf and the four bed room had several other visitors at the time. For a start she was on top of the bed in a fairly short nightie and kept crossing and uncrossing her legs, a la Sharon Stone. With half a leg in plaster and aged 77 this was not a good image. Then she was discussing what clothes she needed for travelling home and said she could dress herself, apart from putting her knickers on. She said, so Wilf will have to help me do that, which will make a change from him taking them off!

Well! ....I didn't know he wore her knickers anyway.

I'm hoping she behaves herself in Germany. I just know we won't get through it without one of them mentioning the war.

 

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Linda. First time I have logged onto your journal and it is so interesting. From the blue bricks to the fact your hubby was watching , and enjoying,curling..lol..I find that a wierd sport as well. If we come across any of these blue bricks I will be sure to let you know..Really well done on your weight loss, wow, bet you look great. I think we get a surge in confidence when we lose weight and can fit into smaller sizes, so watch out all the 'toy boys' lol..It's a horrid day here so a great excuse to be inside.I am going to enjoy reading your journal now.
Rachel.x

Anonymous said...

Another fascinating journal. I can understand you being interested in blue bricks but curling?
Andy

Anonymous said...

It's nice to hear your daughter appreciated my native dress as a child, wearing a welsh ladies hat, how cute! Your mother sounds like a handful, never a dull moment in your family eh? Sound like good fun!
http://journals.aol.co.uk/scaptainscreamer/mentalhealthstudentnurse/

Anonymous said...

Have just discovered your journal what fun ,Ilive not to far from where the famous London brick is made ,but they are a boring .....brick colour ! do so agree about curling!which until recently Ithought was some thing my hair refuses to do ,have put you on my alerts ...........Jan xx    http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeadie05/Serendipity/

Anonymous said...

You never know it might be your mum that lands a toy boy, nice to know that she still has that spark, my mum's in her sixties and broke her arm three weeks ago when she fell down a kerb, she told me it was Rons fault, I asked who Ron is and she said ' you know, Ron Bacardi', swear she thinks she's still 18, bless her

Anonymous said...

hi thanks for your comments on my journal http://journals.aol.co.uk/careychl/bosombuddieswakefield/ will add you as a link (if thats okay ) when i eventually find out how!!!  found your journal really interesting , a great read.    by the way controlled crying is where you leave your baby to cry for a certain period of time then comfort them and do it again untill they learn to go to sleep themselves. hate the idea myself and i remember all too well sneaking my numb arm away from my babies so as not to wake them great days   ahhhh miss them being small.   bye for now   sam

Anonymous said...

Hi Lin, thanks for your comment on my cream slice LOL  Your story about your daughter, her boyfriend and the fridge really made me laugh !! Sounds like something my eldest would want to do !! When she was 2 (she's nearly 17 now) she had a pair of red wellies that she insisted she wore all day, everyday, with everything !!! Kids, eh ??
Take Care, Love Debbie xx

http://journals.aol.com/debbiewebb4465/TheLifeTimesofanEssexGirl

Anonymous said...

Hi, just found your journal through another one. I always think I am strange, LOL!!I first saw curling in the Beatles film, Help! I thought it strange then!!! Have put you on my alerts,......we do daft things as well!!!
http://journals.aol.co.uk/aniracj/StrannyDayze/

Anonymous said...

my nan is famous for showing her (rather large pants) and she still wears fully fashioned stockings.Beckieboo.