I am supposed to be at work, but spending the whole night curled up in pain with bad period cramps put paid to that. What a bloody welcome home to London that was! I've loaded up on painkillers and spent most of the day trying to catch up on all that lost sleep and dozing away inbetween the waves of pain.
I'm not impressed.
It's never just one thing with the dreaded time of the month, no that would be too easy just to have one symptom. I get the full range of period pains;
1. Very bad cramps that keep you awake with the pain
2. Painful and aching breasts
3. Sore lower back
4. Headaches
5. Nausea
6. For some bizarre reason, I get water retention on my right knee which makes it swell up and painful to walk on.... as if my knee is connected to my ovaries... but who am I to question what Mother Nature has in-store for me. I'm assuming Gaia must have a reason for this 'trial' I seem to go through every month.
So that's how I've spent my day to day.... oh, and to top it all off. I think I've got a cold starting... my sinuses are full and it's just what I need on top of 'that time of the month'. Why am I thinking it wasn't such a good idea to come back down South?
Okay. Enough of me whinging. I need to save what energy I have left and somehow feel better for the rest of what's left of the day and hope that I'm over all this crap ready for work tomorrow. Now, back to all things blogging. Where did I last leave this thing?
Oh yeah, a quick scroll down to the last post reveals that it was the afternoon of Sunday the 3rd of January. Gosh, that really does sound like a long time ago and a lot has been happening in my busy social life back home in Dundee so it's time to piece the week back together again before it disappears into the mist of time and is forever forgotten.
Sunday Evening
William arrives back home from work and we spend a little time together before I trudge up the snow to meet up with Richard and Gordon up in Frews, which just so happens that we end up sitting in the exact same spot where I was sitting with the parents only just over a week ago in the lounge bar of Frews.
But it's not only the same spot, it's the exact same seat where my Mother tells me she was sitting 34 years ago when her waters broke when she went into labour with me..... so it seems that being drawn to pubs is part of my destiny. I was practically born in a pub, so it's quite right that's my 2nd home.
Richard, Gordon and I chew the fat for a few hours and down more than a couple of pints before it's the slipping and sliding home on the frozen snow an ice back to the parents house.
A rather enjoyable night, if cold and crunchy underfoot
Monday
Another long lie today, and most deserved as the head is a wee bit painful after a night in Frews with the boys. The parents are due to fly home today from Dublin, and William is at work so I have the house to myself for the day and make the most of it. Lounging, slobbing out, nice long hot showers and generally enjoying having a bit of peace and quiet.
After Saturday nights slippage on the ice when walking down the Hilltown I decide to forgo the idea of walking and indulge in a cab down to Meadowside where I find Murray already working his way through the Port and Colin on the neat JD.. it's 4:30pm...
Colin's Christmas Fairy
On his tree....
and straight onto a glass of red for me whilst we all settle down, getting drunker and watching the remaining episodes of Angels of America
I hadn't seen this in ages! It came out years ago and was an awesome mini-series... Set in the late 80's, HIV pandemic in the USA, and I'd never seen anything like it before. Fantastic to re-watch, and we polished off quite a few more drinks between the three of us before we decide to head out.
Which is just around the corner to Tesco's to pick up more wine for when we get back from the restaraunt, and grab a cab to Biederbecks for dinner.
Oh bloody wow... I'd forgotten how good the food was in there, oh boy did we have a bloody good time in there, and bloody good steaks washed down with another couple of bottles of wine
The steaks were Rare, Medium-Rare and Medium...
And off we go back to Colin's place to finish off the wine we bought a couple of hours earlier.... oh god, my head is going to hurt in the morning I think, but that's firmly pushed right back to the depths of my mind as Murray and I leave Colin's on the hunt for a late bar in the middle of a snow storm... Somehow that sounded like a good idea at the time, but as I look back it probably wasn't that good an idea.
It's a slipping and sliding into a cab and sinking into a redwine fulled sleep.
Tuesday
Owwwwwiiieeee!
That's one sore head, but a well deserved one.
I catch up with the parents, get subjected to the Dublin Holiday photos but thankfully there's not the 700 or so photos to look through...only 10 or so. Result! But the main thing is, is that the parents enjoyed the Christmas present we gave them even if it was frozen over in Dublin.
We head over to the Oldfolks home to visit my Grandad who was in a hell of a foul mood which wasn't nice to experience but Mum slowly coaxes him out of his mood by cutting his hair and getting the staff to help change his clothes. A slighty better mood is now being interacted with, which leaves me a tad bit happier when we leave because I probably wont see him again till later on in the year.
A quick pop into Tesco's for Mum and Dad to stock up some essentials and we are all back home again just in time for tea, stewed sausages and mash, which given the weather we are have been experiancing with the bitter cold it's just what is required. You can't go wrong with comfort food. And boy was I glad I had eaten that because when I started my walk down the hilltown it was cold, with a small flurry of wind. I'd gotten a 'tweet' from an old school friend who I hadn't seen in years and he wanted to meet up that evening as he was in Dundee as well.
By the time I got halfway down the hilltown it was snowing heavily.... and when I got to the bottom of the hilltown it was a complete whiteout and I was covered in snow from head to toe.
Well... more than a few.... Brian tries his Bond impersonation... and after more beers than I care to remember we depart our ways and head home.
I cheated, I poured Brian into a cab and had started getting the munchies again and popped into Corfu Kebabs on the Seagate to pick up some Cheesy Chips and veggie pakora before finally finding a cab and heading home, to find much to my surprise that the family were still up so I ended up sharing my food with the rest of them.
And then to bed.
Wednesday
I've had better starts to the day.... but this isn't as bad as some others.
It's up and out fairly early by my standards as I'm off with Dad to his friend John Clink's house to drop off some CD's and to have lunch down at the Riverside Inn
Which I have to say wasn't too bad for the kind of place that it was...
Dad waiting on his grub... Haggis, Neeps and Tatties
Chicken Gougons for John...
and the Salmon for me with a pint of Kronie! After lunch we head to Tesco's on the Riverside for John to get his shopping done. The snow has left him virtually housebound because he can't get his car out of his drive with the heavy snow, so todays trip was also an errand of mercy to get John out of the house and to stock up on his messages.
Once that's done it's homeward bounds, dropping John off at his place and back home for myself and Dad. Tea is eaten, papers are read and it's back out again for me only this time it's down to the DCA to meet up with Cari and Susan at 8:30pm.
Only, they both turn up late... Cari and 8:50pm and Susan at 9:20pm.... just as well I had my iPhone with me and a rather nice glass of wine
To help pass the time whilst I wait for those two to turn up!
After a couple of drinks in the DCA it's decided to try another bar. Initially we wandered up to the Basement Bar, but the thumping bass beat and the door entry charge dictates that we look else where and we end up at Dukes Corner
Which used to be the Dogshouse but has changed hands and is now some 'Jazz' venue. Yes, you heard me.... 'Jazz'
What does Susan think of the music?
Or Cari?
I'm really not a fan of Jazz....
And this is what I look like when being made to listen to it.....
Thankfully the torture ends and we nip across the road to Temple Lanes
for a wee swifty before last orders are called.
I'm beginning to wish that we didn't actually go here. Everyone looks under 16yrs old.... well actually, it's probably just 1st year students... but I feel old here. And so does Cari and Susan.
The decision is made to head back to Susan's house for a few more drinkies before we eventually head home in the wee small hours of the morning.
Thursday
Another long lie... another shower.
Dad had been out walking with Jim up at Crombie country park, so once again I'm left to my own devices in the house with William at work. I had thought about going into town to get some shopping done, but the hangover soon puts paid to that and I laze about, checking mails, tweets, watching TV before heading into the shower and sort out my evenings activities. Which for once is rather sedate compared to all my other evenings so far in Dundee.
I treat my wee brother to an evening at the cinema to see Avatar 3D
Which I gotta say, the 3D effects and animations were just awesome... shame the story was so simple that even a retarded teenager could understand it.
Friday
No sore head today.
Just a screaming Cameron to contend with as Dad was babysitting him. I leave him having a temper tantrum on the living room floor, or as Farrah puts it... having a 'Paddy' and head into town to get a bit shopping done, Calenders, clothes and I'd popped into Fisher and Donaldson to pick up some shortie and cakes for the family as a desert after Tea.
and it's off out again down to Tickety Boo's to meet up with Colin and Brian, then Stuart turns up.... and Murray turns up eventually and yes, more alcohol is drank... Brian disappears, then Colin, then Stuart leaving just myself and Murray pondering where to go next.....
Brooks Bar! Cause we know that's open late... well to 1am at least.
Random Facebook checking reveals that Cari is next door in The Kage
and we waste no time in popping next door and hooking up with the Pink Godess for some much needed guitar music, more Vodka and sambuca shots...
a lot of shots...
and then a lot more...
in fact probably too much... but it was a fantastic time. Jumping about the dancefloor to various cheesy rock classics and loving the randomness of it all. Eventually the place shuts down around 3:30am, and we retire to the Feasting Fox for more Cheesy Chip goodness through the blizzard to be picked up by Cari's man and driven home.
Result.
What a damn fine night that was.
Saturday
Ouchies.
It's a whole load of ouchies but I don't mind because it was such an ace night! I gingerly head downstairs, staight to the paracetamol, juice to re-hydrate and grab a small lunch before my Gran and John arrive to first foot us.
It was great to see Gran and John, with minimal 'Luv' arguements and they depart a couple of hours later just before Richard turns up to give me lift down to the Riverside Inn to have tea with himself, Kirsty and wee Catriona. Oh she's such a cutie, 14 month old and happily babbling away to herself whilst we chomp down on our scran.
The moment you put Catriona on the ground she's off at Warp speed crawling across the carpets off exploring! Kids......
Once tea is eaten, it's back homewards because my Uncle Neil and Aunty Gwen are 1st footing us! This is turning out to be such a busy day..... So, I'm back home doing the 1st footing thing with the family until they depart around the back of 10pm, and I'm back out again! In a cab and down to the Casino on the Marketgait to meet up with Murray, Stuart and Dave.
No, I didn't lose all my money on the tables. It was mainly for drinks, and we put £5 on the roulette wheel which I eventually lost, as did Stuart..... but Murray came away with £22, and Dave £8 so at least we weren't all out of pocket!
It's hard to believe that this Casino is open 24/7.... sheesh... gambling addicts or what? But we don't stay that long, leaving around 1am to slip and slide our way to Brooks's Late bar. And it was empty. We got a private bar to ourselves for the rest of the evening, drinking more vodka and cola shots until the wee small ours in the morning till the place closes around 3am.
And yet again, we are out in the snow... it's cold... it's snowing... but we spot a taxi with it's light on and flag it down and were about to jump in it when a random bloke also tries to jump in it.
Did we fancy sharing?
Sure, why not. It's cold, I don't mind as long as we all split the fare.
It turned out to be one of the most funny taxi journeys I've been on for a long time. Here's a snippet from a friends update:
-------------------------------------------------- Sarah Baskerville:
Red Van driver (female) - illegally parked and pulling out onto the road : " Get oot ma fuckin way eh hae the right o' way"
Taxi Driver (female): " Get tae fuck ya Pikey Tinky Slut, eh hae the right o' way ya fucking Gypo"
I love Dundee :-)
Mummrah P Redford: If I wasn't in the taxi with you I would swear it never happened. Fucking minks!!!!!!! x
Sarah Baskerville: Taxi Driver : "eh right like the fucking Pikey's brought her Van oot tae night in case she pulls. Fucking Slut. Get back in yer caravan ya Gypo."
Oh yes, it happened. We were there, with random cheesy chip man in the Taxi. Yet another rocking night :-)
Mummrah P: Redford It's true. x Kirsty Price: lol! That made me giggle, only in Dundee!
------------------------------------------------------------
Now what a classy way to end the night out.
Fantastic!
Sunday
Another long lie... another sore head.
It's lunch, shower and packing. Packing, packing, packing. Yup, it's packing because I'm heading back down South on Monday after nearly three weeks up in the Motherland doing all things friends and family.
But before I go, there's time for a couple of things to do.
1. High Tea
2. First Footing
Any idea's what High Tea is? It's a tradition we seem to have up on the North East of Scotland where you go out to a pub, hotel, restaraunt and have some food. The usual format is;
1. A pot of Tea
2. Slices of Toast
3. A main meal i.e. Steak Pie, Gammon Steak, Salmon, Roast Beef etc
4. Scones
5. Cakes
which was darn good, and left us all fairly stuffed but I'd been saving myself for it all day. A meal to remember before I headback down South
Then it's off to 1st foot my wee sister, her husband and my wee nephew. And wee Cameron was in top form! My mum had got his teddy 'Snugs' and shoved it into a small tupperware box which Cameron found hilarious.
and he kept on laughing...
Hundreds of pounds worth of toys and he's amused by a £5 teddy in a tupperware box.... Kids :-)
It's off home eventually and to bed.
Monday
Mum wakes me up early to say goodbye before she goes to work. I get up, washed, dressed, finish off the packing and have a glass of milk as breakfast before Dad drops me off at the railway station.
It's bloody cold on the platform and the waiting room is closed because of a burst pipe. My toes are going numb... my fingers are frozen... the train is a little late, but at least it comes and I get my seat in 1st class with relative little hassel... even managing to do a spot of lunch
Chicken Korma and a bottle of Malbec
The actual train journey itself was rather uneventful, trundling through the snow laden countryside of Scotland and then England, getting me into London just after 5pm with the joys of dragging my 2 cases and rucksack to the Taxi rank and pour myself into a cab.
It feels a bit strange to be back home in London.
I'm exhausted and dump the cases in the room and collapse onto my bed, only to be woken by a phonecall from Tim wanting to meet up. Urgh... I'm not really wanting to leave my bed, but I should do really. And so I do. I walk through the cold up to the Auld Shillelagh up on Church Street
One of the best Irish boozers in London
and we meet up, have a couple of drinks before heading to Mercado's for some mexican grub
which had a good deal on...50% off on the food. Another result!
I'm kinda tired by now, food is eaten and we wander back down the road but pop into The Prince for a wee night cap
before heading home.
And joy of joys.... my Freeview box is kapput!... The damn thing wont switch on!... it's buggered. This is most disturbing. What do I do without TV?
Watch an Inspector Morse DVD and fall asleep.
Well, I say fall asleep but that's just what I couldn't do. The damn cramps kicked in and I spent an awful night curled up in pain feeling like hell.
Today
And here we are.... I'm sore, tired and fighting off a cold at the same time I'm trying to get through my time of the month.
I've ordered a new Freeview Harddrive box.. but it will take 4-7 working days to arrive...
I know I'm sick, because I've just had some chicken soup. I don't like soup, but seem to get a craving for it whenever I'm ill. Here's hoping the soup has helped, because I'm sore again and watching some TV on Catch Up TV. Thank god for the internet.
Oh yes, it's 2010 and we are offically into the Tenties.
Yes, that's right. I said the Tenties. It's what I'm going to call the decade anyway. I don't like the idea of calling anything else, like the Teens or pronouncing it Twenty Ten... if the 2020's onwards are going to be called the Twenties, then there's a perfect logic in calling 2010 onwards the Tenties.
Well, it's what I'm going for and since this is 'Baskers World' it shall offically be known hence forth as the 'Tenties'. But, where did I leave this blog? Oh yes. I left it back in 2009 on the 30th, the Wednesday afternoon around lunchtime. So it's time to strap on the boots and march onwards to 2010.
Wee William and I jump into a cab, because:
1. It's bloody cold
2. There's compacted snow and ice all the way down the Hilltown
3. I'm hungry
4. And it's bloody cold and I cannot be arsed walking all the way down to the Playwright
We arrive into the immaculate Playwright and are immedately shown to a free table to begin the feasting. It's William's belated Birthday Present to me.
It's Braised porkbelly with Cranberries to start with
I'm normally am not a Pork fan but this was just fantastic
Next we move onto the mains. William opts for 'Escalope' of Turkey
He has a certain way of pronouncing 'Escalope'...
But certainly didn't hamper his enjoyment of the 'Escalope'
I didn't opt for the 'Escalope' of Turkey.
deciding to go for the most excellent Sea Breem which was truely scrumptous
And then we move onto desserts
Coffee and Kahula Parfait
and a cheese board for me.
Now that was a truely, truely lovely meal all washed down a bottle of white wine... Pinot Grigio I think it was, can't quiet remember as we'd moved onto cocktails after the meal
Alberto went for the 'Zombie'.. which seems a rather apt choice, where as I settled for my usual...
A Playwright Blazer.
And it's off homewards we go.. not before we swing into the Overgate on the hunt for black leather gloves, size 7 and a half... and most importantly... lined with RABBIT FUR! I am still wanting my warm gloves, and yet I'm still nowhere closer to finding them. *sighs* Anyway..... no luck, so we pop into a cab and it's back home. Time to digest, relax, enjoy the afternoon catching up with the parents etc. They have their tea, but there's no room in my stomach for any more food. It's a cup of juice for me... that's all I can stomach. Seriously, I'm still full.
But.
There's always room for another wee drinkie.....
I suggest to the parents that we perhaps head up to Frews for a wee family drinkie since it's the last time we'll all be together for 2009, cause Mum and Dad are having an early night on Hogmanay as they are waking up early on New Years Day to fly to Dublin and I'll be off out to a party.
It's snowing outside.
Dad wore a hat.....
he's still got the hat on
and it's fecken cold!
But it's not long before we get to Frews as it's only 5mins up the road... but it's more like 10-15mins given the treachorus weather conditions slipping and sliding all over the place, but we do get there and start unwrapping all the various layers of clothing to settle down with a drink
Alberto
Mum
Dad
and the banter continues
and still there's the hat.....
He still wearing it... it is cold outside... but still.... it's a hat...
Hogmanay! - Thursday
It's a long lie today.. cause it's Hogmanay!!
Up around lunchtime, have a shower to wash away the old year, getting ready for the New Year... hang around home during the day with the family before I wander up to the Offy and grab some Vodka, Diet Coke and a cab to Murray's house to see in the New Year.
Murray lays down the law to Tyler...
And then some....
and then some more...
Then strike a pose.....
It was a hilarious evening, much Vodka was consumed... and we saw the bells in with the old faithful Jackie Bird
and her 32 Naan Bread Breasts... wearing the most ridiculous outfit as per usual.
The Bells struck, we wished everone a traditional Happy New Year, texts and phonecalls came flooding in and then it was back to the partying.
At somepoint I made it home... just not sure when.
Friday - New Years Day
Oooooooooouuuuuuuuuccccccccccchhhhhhhh
The parents wake me up at 10am to say goodbye as they fly out to Dublin and I go back to sleep, eventually resurfacing around midday, crawling down the stairs to curl up on the couch sipping my pint of juice, paracetamol and a whole day of Doctor Who.
Yup, it's a whole day of the Doctor because today is the day. Today the Doctor dies and is regenerated.
I cried.
The hangover subdues and I cry at the end of Doctor Who.
Saturday
It's another long lie in as the parents are in Dublin and not clattering around the house waking me up at an ungodly hour. But eventually I arise out of my pit, get washed, dressed and wander down the Hilltown with Albert in the snow and ice to get bit of shopping done.
Well as much shopping as I can manage as I don't do shopping and am already getting restless, bored and fidgity with being in shops, but I last long enough to buy a new external harddrive... ... a nice little 1.5Tb drive so I can sort out all my music, videos etc. With harddrive firmly in hand, we leave the shops and find somewhere to eat.
Lets just say I won't be rushing back there anytime quick. Mexican my arse. The Maragrita tasted like water.... there was no salt.... it was just vile. But food was needed, even if it was perhaps the blandest mexican I have ever tasted. At least there was the snow storm outside to keep me amused as William and I munch down on the food... even though Albert decided to feed some of the mexican down his shirt.
It's time to leave the blandest Mexican on the planet, venture out into the snow and pick up some messages from M&S and Tescos because Albert is going to cook for me tonight *heavy gulp*. Now it should be relatively straight forward... buy food, have a beer then catch a cab home.
We got the food alright.... had a beer, bumped into Jinx and caught up with him, then William and I headed to the Taxi rank.
Hmmm... there seems to be a bit of a queue there.
Why?
I think the snow gives a bit of a hint. The bloody buses had been called off because of the damn snow. But it's only the Travel Dundee buses. Not Strathtay or Stagecoach, only the fucking Dundee buses.
The ground is like an ice rink and I really don't fancy trying to walk uphill on a sheet of ice so Albert and I wait in the queue for a taxi... and we wait... and wait... and wait... till we are frozen to the spot in the -5 degree weather until a taxi finally arrives, slowly thawing out when we get back home before we put the tea on.
Or attempt to put the tea on. Albert's 'interpretation' of the recipie instructions leave a lot to be desired and I have to step in to get the tea made so we don't poison ourselves.
Tea is eaten, digested. The dishes are done and it's time for me to go back outside in the freezing cold down to Colin's for a new year party. Yes, I'm going back out in the frigging cold
and it's snowing so hard on top of the compacted ice
and I slip and fall hard on my ass going down the hilltown. Bloody sore!
But eventually I make it down to the house, thaw out, get some more Vodka
and Murray gets himself another drink... one must keep refreshed as it would be rude not too!
Whilst Vici gets down with the groove, and we carry on with the drinking games. At somepoint we do decide....well, Vici decides that the party should move onto her man Craig's house and somehow, don't ask me how we do it but we manage to get a cab in the snow to take us there!
More Vodka consumed.
It's home at somepoint, another watch of Doctor Who 'The End of Time' before finally crawling upstairs to bed.
Today
I don't wake up till at least 12:30pm
My parents wouldn't like that. Asleep until lunchtime! Why that's half of the day gone!
But I don't mind, I needed the sleep and head off downstairs to put the washing on, watching some Torchwood as there's bugger all on TV and update this little blog of mine.
It will soon be time to sort out my tea, get dressed and meet up with Pricey for a few beers to chew the fat.
Where do I begin??? Am known to my friends as 'Baskers', I love music & Doctor Who, Sci-Fi in general - and to top all that off, Im told that I really need to work on my sense of humour! Im a very direct person, and can't stand people who waffle and office politics. What do I like best? I do love a good night out with friends down the pub.
40 Years On and more on Substack
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Join me on Substack for my first post and many more. Parted are those who
are with us today When you look back and forgetfully wonder What you were
like ...
So long....
-
Dear Readers,
Thanks for supporting this blog over the last few years. Writing it has
been an absolute pleasure, though the time has come to shut this part...
One last thing: R.I.P., Steve Jobs
-
Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. O shaman, O wizard, O golden son of Zeus and
mortal woman, you defied the gods, stole fire & gave it to mankind. For
this they s...
