The weekend

Pretty quiet, really. Didn't do a great deal on Saturday cos there was no football, Hull City having played on Friday night.

On Sunday went out for another of the group walks, this time around Hornsea. Small group, which is as it should be. I don't think you should be going in groups of more than 6-8 on organised walks, if everyone was in BIG groups then the damage to the path starts to become noticeable.

Managed to hit the rain, which I thought would come. So everyone was sodden, in spite of the waterproofs, the rain got everywhere. Now I'm looking for suggestions for the next walk and a suitable date for it too...

All sorted

Had a very constructive clear the air session over coffee with Keri (I know you're reading this, sister mine! :-)) Now that we've got that done, then everything oughta run smooth. Although, knowing my luck and history, I wouldn't doubt that it might not!

Easy on a Sunday morning...

This week is gonna be a week of peace. Ally will be going away with the family for a week in Cornwall, which is all fine I suppose. At least it means a cutback on the 10.30's which no bad thing, I need a rest from that after the weekend we had last week!

Theres something about telling everyone that brings its own release, and now I don't suppose there isn't anyone that I know who doesn't, if you see what I mean. I still get a bit of a thrill for telling people and so on. It also means that I can do all kindsa things without feeling I shouldn't. As the saying goes "I can look at the menu, but I can't taste anymore!" Not that I ever did mind you, but at least this time its all ok and SANCTIONED.

Ahhhhhh, life.

You know, its odd how things change and how your view of them changes when you're no longer a single person. From thinking about *I* to *we* is a big one of the biggest changes in a persons life but it's a necessary one.

Everyone has been so wonderful about the last few days, even the flash-point never really took off, namely my obstreporous sister who has started to accept the announcement. I thought it might get bad but it didn't really. Although the past might be difficult for the two of them, it will get resolved, or else!

The only real trouble was with Ally's eldest girl but after a longish chat with Ally's mum, the two of us are trying to work a solution. The poor thing thinks she's going to be left behind, and that she'll be second to her little sister and so on. At the moment I'm sure I would be dead if she caught me, but we've worked something that I hope might work as reassurance that no matter what, she'll always be welcome wherever her mum and I am. It can't be easy for the girl to accept after all (she's 13) but I've no intention of doing all those things she thinks I'm going to. I can see she's scared that everything she's familiar with will disappear. I'm not that much of an ogre.

If anything I'm the one who's going to be leaving everything behind, but that will be of no consequence to her.

Kids, huh?

Good Luck Messages - the best of.

Sarah Turner:
CONGRATULATIONS!! So when will the wedding be?

Margaret Beill (Tigers Co-operative):
Congratulations Rob! Just seen your announcement. Does this mean you may well be moving to London?

Sharon Long (HERAS):
OMG what can i say.......erm Congratulations I think. Wishing you well for the future :) .............when's the wedding...................will there be free food and booze?

Ian Jackson (ditto):
I would like to add my congratulations to both of you and wish you much happiness for your future together.

Dom Bradley (ditto)
Congrats! All the best.

Andy Collier (Collier Media):
Just got back to read this - Heartiest congratulations...you must be delighted and Ally also. Splendid news though, and worthy of celebration when we next meet.

David Mitchell:
Many congratulations and please feel free to collect your engagement present any time you like. I'm sure she'll love to join you as you go back through your weather records.

Ophelia (alt.fan.goons):
Rob and Ally:)))))))))) I am thrilled to bits:)) Huge warm congratulations to you both:))) big hugsssssssssssss

Roger (ditto):
Many congratulations. Your hands look well suited and very happy together. Why no mention of Goons on your website? If there is no mention in a week's time, Ophelia and Judith will be round to punish you. Marriage is like a castle under siege - everyone on the outside wants to get in and everyone on the inside wants to get out.

Judith (ditto):
Ooooh! Congratulations, Rob 'n Ally! What beautiful hands...um, rings!

MAd DAn (ditto):
Congratulations, and remember, a dog is for life, a marriage is considerably shorter and a bloody good job too.

Stephen Clifford (Panther-Net)
Many congratulations Rob! (I prefer Ally's ring to yours though, I have to say ...) At this hour I guess US members of Panthernet are only just thinking of breakfast time log ons, so glad to be the first to react to the announcement in the UK.

Carole (ditto):
Congrats! I wish you many, many years of happiness!

Justin (ditto):
Many happy days ahead Rob, savor them all!

Linda Edmondson (ditto):
Congratulations. I wish you a lifetime of happiness.

Dave Burton (Gameplan):
many congratulations, rob & ally. i'm very pleased for the both of you. best of luck for the future.

Ade Williams (ditto):
Hey hey, big Congrats RobO!!!

Dom Howlett: (ditto):
Here here - well done you two.

ANNOUNCEMENT

ANNOUNCEMENT

Rob and Ally are pleased to announce their engagement today. More anon...


Ally's ring

My Ring

In absentia

OK, I'm not going to be here much cos I'll be having the g/f around till Sunday. However, please check after the weekend, for an important announcement....

Playing catch-up...

Okie dokie... Let's get caught up with things here.

Sunday: A very nice but hard walk through some very attractive countryside in the Yorkshire Wolds. This time I wasn't walk-leader, so it was enjoyable in that respect. I wasn't the one to shout at if we got lost.
However, after struggling up the final two hills, I realised 11 miles was getting beyond my limit but that distance in just under 4 hours wasn't bad. I'm going to have go see my doctor about something that's been niggling me everytime I do more than about 5 miles. I hope its nothing but you can never tell about these things.

Monday: Spent the morning in bed after coming down with a nasty little cold overnight. I woke up with a very sore throat so I knew it was going to be a bad day! It was a shame cos it was a lovely day outside. I kept downing fruit juices and paracetamols every 5 hours or so throughout the day and by the evening I was feeling much better.
Managed to complete what bits of work I had to do during the evening as I kept myself away from my astronomy meeting, which I would normally have led. It all went well without me, and it was nice to hear that people had missed me. I hope they enjoyed their peaceful night cos I'll
be back next month.

Today: Well its coffee with sister again. I can't work all this out at all. Never mind, she'll get a surprise on Friday. Of that, more anon... :D

I'm a smart-a**e....

The BBC have been having fun doing another one of their 'Test the Nation' quizzes,which this time was on English Language (as we knew it in school). I'm a teensy bit embarrassed to admit I did rather well, 60 correct answers out of 70 questions, so apparently I'm in the top 1% of the UK population...

Rather strange...

Seems like someone has got bored on a lunchtime, with nothing to do, so my sister dear now wants to talk with me... Oh well.

Well there's nothing on now till at least Sunday, as the walking group type people have planned another for then. Might do, might not, will have to see what I'm feeling like on Saturday night.

Coffee? What Coffee?

Hmm. So the coffee never happened with sis this lunchtime. Apparently she had to work her lunch hour in return for her having to go to the doctor's this morning. So its going to be Thursday instead.

Personally I wonder if all this about her wedding is catching up with her, and she needs an ear to listen or moan into? Possible.

Power!

As an add-on to the group from Hull that completed (or not as the case may be), the 3 Peaks walk for the local Institute for the Blind, a smaller group decided to carry on walking together, for fun and exercise. Thanks to Sharon (aforementioned Astro Society secretary) she managed to volunteer Muggins name to run it. Anyway it hasn't fallen apart yet! So I must be doing something right.

So, after last Sunday's walk it was decided that a proper mailing list should be set up for us all to keep in touch through one place. So I did it and made myself list manager. HAH! Got my own back by nominating S as an extra moderator.... I doubt it'll be needed but its better to have a backup.

Still can't work out why sister wants coffee this lunchtime, must be she's needing a bit of a chat cos the wedding will be getting on top of her. Just 6 weeks away now and in the Turks and Caicos Islands too.

This week so far...

Whooo! For once, Britain has a solar eclipse. Only a partial one, mind you, but its still one and so events happened. As we would have struggled to raise enough people to host one, we, that is the committee (prompted by me and Sharon (our society secretary)), toddled off to assist the society at Brough, about 10 miles to the west of Hull.

Hmm. Well the impenetrable cloud refused to relent and the old standby was dusted out, a slide show. Muggins here got lumbered with actually giving the show, on just 15 mins notice!!! ARRRGGHH! Oh well, at least everyone enjoyed it, judging by the questions those schoolkids raised, they must have found something to stimulate their interest from what I said.

So whats next? Well coffee with my sister tomorrow (wonder what she wants?) and then its all quiet to the weekend.

RIP Ronnie B

Sad news, Ronnie Barker, other half of the Two Ronnies has died today...