You Worry When It Goes Quiet -

This Is As True Of Puppies As It Is Of Children
     When Darling Daughter was smaller and less given to answering back, having the last word and putting dishes in the dishwasher, it was always a cause of concern to Conrad when thing went quiet - especially if she had friends over.  If the silence of the grave hung over the mansions, it meant the minors were making mischief.

Edna, where she can be seen and heard.

     Such is also true of Edna.  When dogsitting her, Conrad always worries if she's out of eyesight, and earshot reveals nothing.  She might be burrowing into the bathroom waste bin, attempting to open the back gate, weeing on the hall carpet or chewing something composed equal parts grit, fluff and decomposing vegetable matter that she found under the settee.
     So - what was she doing out of my eyeline?
     Merely lying, all hangdog lollygagger, on the dirty towels.

"One To Count Cadence"
     Mike the Mirthful, cheery Scouse parent at work, informed Conrad of the "Balut", a Filipino delicacy*, a couple of months ago.  Conrad had never ever encountered the word before, and rather regretted looking it up.
     And today, reading the above novel, what crops up?
     No!  Not giant-city busting radioactive lizards.  The Balut, again, which the lead character, drunk as a lord, squishes in his fist.

The Balut is horrid, so here's a view of Euston Station from the air

The Latest Book Acquisitions
     Lest you think that all Conrad reads are books on military history, murder mystery and science fictionery**, allow me:

     There's art for you.  If Darling Daughter doesn't like or need the art stuff, Conrad will keep them for his very self.  Personally I prefer Kandinsky, Piranesi, Escher and Klimt, but a little Cubism never hurts.
     The "Danger On The Line" is an interesting read - I have flicked through and read the captions, which would mean more to a railways buff than dull, road-bound Conrad.  It reinforces his recognition that rail travel is inherently safe, but when it goes wrong it goes very very wrong indeed.

Against The Day
     Sorry, still reading this one.  The mountain town of "Telluride" features frequently in the text, a mining town that stinks to high heaven because of the Tellurium found in the ores roundabout, full of evil intent as conflict between mine owners and unions simmers or erupts.

Close enough

     Now, Mr Pynchon is ever a one to mix fact and fiction.  Did the town really exist, wondered Conrad? before a quick Google.
     It did and still does - except that it's now a ski-resort, not a mining town any longer.  Quite a change in occupation, and liable to smell the sweeter for it, from "Smelluride" to "Telluride", as it were.

That's MISTER Conrad To You
     Today I manned-up and took off to get a trim of the foliage.  One point of note is how the trimmings are now mostly white, rather than grey.  What can this mean, I wonder?  Anyway, here is the new tidier image -

Grim, grey, grumpy and (thinks) good-for-nothing.
Those are Conrad's positive aspects***

     Strict!  Severe!  Definitely Conrad-the-cashiered-colonel look.  Stand up straight at the back and no laughing!

The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword
     - especially if it comes in large numbers, and you remember to keep the spacings correctly, otherwise you end up with terrible vulgarisms.
     You may not believe this, gentle reader, but Conrad is not really an acquisitive being - book, yes, and pens, yes again.  This is hilariously ironic seeing as how I'm going to take over your planet, so in the meantime allow me to display my pen collections:

Seventeen of them at work

     Whilst at home we have: 

Not a one been touched yet.  These are the New Pens.

     The Working pens have to suffer attrition by wearing out or running out, whereupon <Mister Hand intervenes to move things along and mercifully end what could be a 4,000 word opus on The Pen>

Anna From Heaven
     Er - that is -  a pun on "manna from Heaven" - you remember your King James Bible, don't you?  How the Israelites were saved from starvation by manna falling from heaven?  Not to compare Anna with angels - that is - damn anything I say here will get me in trouble -
     Right! On Friday Anna brought in all manner of manna, as a thank you to the folks who sponsored her marathon run.  There were two boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Viennese whirls, Missisippi Mud Pies, Maple and Pecan Pies, four different kinds of crisps, a dozen cupcakes, Pringles, Brownie Bites and Caramel shortbread.

The detritus.  Note Conrad's note-pad in lower-right, confirming he had pole-position next to everything

     By the time Conrad departed work there was very little left - see above - because it's a well-known fact that food put away over the weekend can explode or become toxic.


Well, the first and maybe last post of the day is done.  If the creative urge is too strong, the laudanum wears off and I can work the restraints free, you may see more.  



*  Do yourself a favour and do not look it up.  Really, don't.
** I know, not a proper word - but now it rhymes!
*** It's true.  People on the bus choose to stand rather than sit in the empty seat next to me.  And yes, I do shower.