Smoke / Fire

March 22nd, 2008 |

Is it just me or is anyone else sick to the nines of hearing about Tibet / China on the BBC news?

Whilst it is important in the global “thing of things” why must every bulletin start with the “latest” crisis. For days now the Beeb have just re-hashed the same so called news that has been on the interwebs for a week previous. What’s it all about? Sanctioning the Olympics is my guess to get the Chinese authorities to back down – or why else would the bid have gone there?

As our athletes train for said Olympiad the son of fellow northeast writer, playwright and columnist Peter Mortimer, Dylan, has suggested that due to the fug in and around the main stadium then perhaps our athletes should use the Tyne Tunnel to acclimatise. He suggests between the hours of 2am and 6am. I suggest during the day, preferably rush hour, when the exhaust fumes are at their thickest.

A note: For all the Tyne Tunnel has a vent system for exhausting the smog – it is sometimes as thick as one of London’s former pea-soupers – they, the local authorities, in their infinite wisdom have banned smoking in your car as you travel through?

Quote Of The Week?

March 13th, 2008 |

Terry Pratchett in a Times interview on his Alzheimers: ”...I’d eat the arse out of a dead mole if it offered a fighting chance.”

Words

March 10th, 2008 |

I’ve had one of those days.

Walking through the pedestrian tunnel from Jarrow to the other side of the river Tyne through the longest mens nettie in the world – as it has been described due to the fact that the tiling is somewhat reminiscent of such – my head was full of the next book. Today I bashed out almost 4000 words. No doubt they will be edited down. Wordcount as of 9pm; 19186. (ho-hum0

Swarm Of Locums?

March 5th, 2008 |

After waking at 6ish this morning I was in three minds whether to continue adding to the 4k words that went into my writing efforts (new book) of yesterday (Current words: 13,972). However I decided against this and did the usual of running through my Favs of news, blogs, etc and by 1pm-ish decided to go for a quiet pint at the local with some of the other GOMs.

Little did I know that I would be seconded.

At 2pm I was supping the last of my Guinness and then someone bought me another. I looked to the entrance doors and 4 guys wearing scrubs rushed to the bar and ordered – they were closely followed by about four hundred, similarly dressed, junior doctors.

“SLIM! HELP! GLASSES!”

Up until 4pm I was collecting the pints, halves and other assorted glassware from the detritus that the students had created.

Who says that there’s a drink problem in the NHS? – These chaps and fillies didn’t have a problem.

I’ll tell you what… there was not one disturbance with any of them, they were polite and patient, and they were going on to several more venues. Good on ‘em.