February 7, 2017

|Tony Ives

I spent a few hours with the other York Carers Centre Trustees on Sunday at an ‘away day’ but despite this coming under the category of work I was released from a task that my wife was pleased (and equipped) to complete. That was looking after the three year old son of my nephew and his wife. Despite sharing a lot in common with males of this age group then I was frazzled after only two hours.

On returning him back to his keepers we did ask about the strange names given to a couple of his soft toys. A bear was called Barry and a cow was called Bossy. Apparently Barry was just a name knocking about when the ‘said’ animal was christened. The cow was christened around the same time and when his mother, slightly surprised, asked as to why the cow got this name then Ted looked at her as if she were stupid and calmly explained that as it was a cow then obviously it would be called Bossy cow.

As we are into mysteries then we went to the cinema this week to see ‘La La Land’. Great acting but tuneless, a stitched together plot, a Musical with folk who couldn’t sing and whilst jazz saved the couple hours for me then most people don’t like jazz! No doubt it will sweep the Oscars in between various speeches telling me that global Armageddon is imminent. Emperor’s new clothes?

Eventually the bridge in Tadcaster has re-opened after having been closed for 13 months after storm damage. The TV news crews were there in force as well as a live Facebook feed of the actual completion and access being granted. This was after the Prime Minister was asked to share her joy in Parliament by the local MP. Great to see this little place on the national news.

The weekend saw me in London. The favourite eldest has her own small corner of Haringey with her boyfriend, which enables me to perch for a very reasonable rate for a few nights. This does require the catching of buses to get around. Frankly I always thought that these were for poor people or more commonly for getting from the Terminal to the aeroplane.

Lunch at The Hawksmoor in Covent Garden was with old (obviously) school friends from Ashville College – John Varley and Mark Davies. After a short recovery the next morning saw me in the Barbican with an old chum from my MBA days, Tony Franco, for a cholesterol special breakfast. He arrived by Surly bicycle…. very cool. In the afternoon I took up his recommendation to visit the Tate Britain in Pimlico with Katrina. What a superb free gallery.

January 27, 2017

This week I attended a York Carers Centre hub in my capacity as a trustee and met some of the staff and some of the people they provide help for. In York there are over 18,000 carers and I am always humbled by how they cope and their devotion to the person they care for. It is a growing responsibility for everyone out there. I’m glad to be trying to contribute.

The grey matter was also engaged this week as I attended York University night school classes. This term it’s ‘England & The Irish Question (1823 -1923)’. A fabulous couple of hours delving into the history of Ireland and its tribulations to get to its independence.

The news continues to be difficult. No I am not referring to world affairs but the latest cancer risk revealed this week – over cooking roast potatoes. I genuinely do accept that they might have this potential but with hospitals full of people who have spent their life eating fried food, smoking and drinking like drains then I think this may not be a priority concern.

As a landlord we have a flat in York that we let. Experience has enabled us to avoid problem tenants but there can be challenges. The current set are young with one working and one being a PhD student. Infrequent visits to the property reveal that they aren’t house-proud and I am inclined to line them up like errant teenagers and tell them to buck up and dust and wash up or note that the drawers are there for putting things into. (I have a gift for communication).

Apart from being easy going and tolerant then also you have to stay on top of the condition and performance of the property. We have hit a cycle of refurbishment and we are spending a lot of money changing the internal heating solutions. I agreed a  price with a contractor and a date was set. On the day I turned up to let the contractor into the house.

I discovered a scene that looked like parts of the flat had been burgled with the added bonus of dirty pots etc. So I apologised to the contractor; showed him the work and left. Anna visited on the lunchtime the next day to see how they were getting on and to establish a finish time for me to inspect the final work. She was not impressed to find one tenant in bed and a pile of dishes in the sink that seemed architecturally impossible to stack. She sent them a text expressing displeasure! Now usually she is calm and conciliatory and I am unreasonable and confrontational (another gift).

I came to inspect the final installation and let the contractor go. Up and about was the tenant and so maybe a few words might be exchanged when I’d finished with the electricians.

However, the tenant wanted to speak to me (!) She led off with an apology for the state of the flat and advised that she’d been sent home from work as she was so upset. She and her partner were splitting up. Hence the state of the property. So I went from being Mr Angry to an Agony Aunt – clearly a ‘work in progress career change for me! We sat down and had a chat about the future tenancy and the like. Poor girl.

I can’t believe my wife sent that text.

An expedition was also made to Huddersfield (of mashed potato fame) where a visit was made to the temple aka Vinyl Tap and this gem procured for my favourite eldest daughter’s LP collection.

Lastly, I was out on Thursday night with a pal having a curry. Got back to be asked “do you know how many pairs of underpants you have?” by  the present Mrs Ives. Before venturing a very inaccurate estimate I enquired as to why she knew the answer? She had been tidying/organising my drawers. So if anyone has some suggestions as to how she might spend her time more usefully or the exact number of kegs I have them then please feel empowered to let me know in the ‘Comment’ box below.

January 23, 2017

In what was generally a tumultuous week, which saw The Donald installed in The White House and hundreds of thousands on the street then life in York was a lot more quiet. It was a time for seeing old friends and so coffees were drunk and biscuits ate.

As a fashion icon then mistakes were made when I found myself in Lidl wearing Crocs. Despite a concession for age then the rules of engagement dictate that you are not allowed to wear them more than 100 yards from your front door. It has to be said that as opposed to attracting ridicule then I did fall into step with other footwear on display! 

However, probably not much more than 100 yards from the front door was a splendid walk with the present Mrs Ives on Sunday in a local wood – the image shows the early morning sun but regrettably not the rapidly departing deer that fled on our arrival! It was cold first thing but got colder and after this stroll I ventured out briefly on my bike returning when the temperature had fallen to -2.1° C or 28° F. A bit too much like ‘brass monkeys’ as they say round here.

As you might suspect then I spoil her and the latest indulgence involved an outing up to Middlesbrough to watch some Premiership football. (This is not my team but we enjoy watching a quality spectacle). We watched the ‘Boro lose 1-3 to the cheeky East London Cockneys – West Ham United. Andy Carroll was a class apart from the other players on show and for that he only graced the contest for 66 minutes but found time to score two goals and make numerous defensive headers. Quite a tidy stadium but being sat close to the away fans wasn’t all good as they took The Sandpipers’ 1963 hit of ‘Guantalamera’ and replaced the Cuban lyrics with the delicate refrain of ‘you’re just a town full of paedos’. Southern class.

With all things Donald in the air then I took to the airwaves to join Jonathan Cowap on the BBC Radio York morning show to add to a conversation about holidaying in the USA. I have to admit that being on the radio would have been beyond exciting a year or two back but I have done it five times now and feel like an old hand. 

For an hour I commented with a bloke from London, on the line, giving expert travel advice plus callers Jonathan invited to join the show. Dorothy from Malton got slightly tongue tied when her big moment came and couldn’t remember where she had visited… but apparently it was nice! As I departed Jonathan told me that the next hour was concentrating on American cuisine. I so love the place but umm.. good luck with that one!

On other cultural fronts then I finished Season 2 of Kevin Spacey’s House Of Cards and am working my way through Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography ‘Born To Run’.

January 15, 2017

January 9th saw all the UK get back to work. As usual the holiday seemed too long with the usual grumble of why have so much time off work with the weather so miserable. Early highlights saw me lunching with the Vale of Pickering Probus Club before taking them across America in 45 minutes (see Travel blog). Probus is an organisation emerging out of Rotary for retired or semi retired Professional and Business chaps. Anyway no snoring despite getting the fateful after lunch shift and a few quid raised for the charity.

With the present Mrs Ives not working then we are ‘doing things together (“brilliant” I hear every married man sympathise). This extended to going swimming together. I am rubbish and plod wearily up the pool giving the lifeguards cause to worry about a potential drowning incident whilst Anna sped up and down the pool. The first problem was that as she swam past then I would like you to imagine the comparison between a small dinghy in a harbour whilst the cross channel ferry catches it in its wake, I was that dinghy. As I am recuperating at one end she then offers coaching advice. Two words came to mind and they weren’t ‘breast stroke’. To top a super joint activity then when I left the pool I approached a woman leaving the shower area with a towel on her head and encumbered with several bottles of shampoo and other emulsions. I had forgotten my shampoo and thinking that this woman was my wife I instructed her to hand across a shampoo. She did this in a slightly confused fashion until I discovered that she was not my wife. Well, I wasn’t wearing my specs was I!

I waste far too much time on social media. In my enthusiasm for politics and current affairs I follow a number of interesting characters not least Hull’s very own adulterous pugilist John Prescott (a former British Deputy Prime Minister).

He Tweets the usual left of centre stuff and gets lots of hammer from those who remind him of his gilded career. Imagine the bemusement when he Tweeted asking for help on repairing his grandchild’s toy train. This was a delightful and quirky post: it’s as if the political Tweets are really a game but when something important comes up then you send out something that says ‘hey, I’m a human being and can we stop the game temporarily whilst I resolve a practical problem’. Many helped with attendant images but he received lots of replies along the lines of him being a “Fat Controller’ and ‘don’t ask Southern Rail they’re on strike’!

With the weather getting a little snowy we drove, on Saturday, up to Skipton and alighted on the choo choo puffa to Appleby. This is a train ride into the north west of Yorkshire and over the county border into Cumbria (or formerly Westmorland). What staggering scenery. We eventually got off the train and mooched around Appleby where Mrs Ives bought some German brandy before the return trip (which remained unopened I have to add).

The above image is from the train window. You start to appreciate what an engineering feat the construction of the line was.

We never got a proper view of Ribblehead Viaduct – you need to be beneath it. This is an epic Victorian structure that enabled a great span to be achieved to carry the railway track between hills. I did volunteer driving up here in the Morgan when the weather was better to complete the task, this initiative was received with mixed enthusiasm by my co pilot.

The outing was topped off by a wonderful vegetarian meal at ‘The Veggie’ in Ilkley. We were passing through on the way home and after the no small task of finding parking we dined here. I am one of the people who if they experience something terrible or fabulous are quick onto Trip Advisor and I was delighted to wax lyrical about this establishment.

Next week sees me (or hears me?) on BBC Radio York again, they are having an American theme on Presidential Inauguration Day and apparently they think I know a bit about the USA as a tourist destination.  I am on with someone from ABTA.

…….also as they say then I have a face for radio.