May 10, 2017

Well the bad news is that I’ve watched the 52 episodes of House Of Cards and finished Season Four with nothing left. However help is at hand as those nice people at Netflix unleash Season Five at the end of May. Given the surreal politics all over the world at the moment and not least in Washington DC then this epic story about a US President, which involves murder, betrayal, sacrificing others, money laundering, occasional sex and attempted assassination makes complete sense. Until it comes out then I’m watching Better Call Saul.

The politics drags on and is so dull that the lovely BBC led on the sacking of the Head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation tonight. Frankly who in the UK cared? Given that we are in the middle of a General Election campaign then somehow you’d think that the FBI, an institution that about 70% of the UK population couldn’t identify, wouldn’t be the lead item unless you obsess about Donald Trump.

We visited Skipton on Saturday and enjoyed the market. Boy was it cold, I had to buy a hat (not much hair I’m afraid) and yet today it was scorching and shorts were worn and more importantly the hood was down on the Morgan. I cannot remember the temperature fluctuating so dramatically in a day or two.

Skipton should be a sleepy farming market town in the Dales but it still surprised with the market stalls. One selling old vinyl LP’s – where else can you get an old Millie Jackson album for £3 and Asian vendors with their young lads, beside them learning the trade, selling just about anything. We bought plums and strawberries. After this excitement we went on a barge trip on the Leeds Liverpool Canal where we learned about its mill history during the Industrial Revolution. The trip home was via Ilkley where we stopped off at the sensational The Veggie for lunch. Frankly, if everyone went there for a meal then it would be a threat to future meat sales. Wonderful place… oh, that Portobello mushroom burger was beyond bliss.

The present Mrs Ives still can surprise (and worry me) after 30 years of marriage. I had had breakfast when she appeared in the kitchen and emptied a recently boiled kettle of its water and refilled it? So I enquired as to why you’d throw away recently boiled water rather than just re-boil it? Apparently re-boiled water has a detrimental affect on the flavour of her coffee. Yup, me neither…