Out And About.

[Malthus]

A nice day - walked through the local cemetery and down to the Humber river. Lots of people fishing there, though it looks pretty cold to be standing in the river - there are still big blocks of ice lining the riverbank.

Nothing odd happened in the cemetery today, which is in itself notable - there is usually something strange going on. Nothing supernatural, just ... odd. One of the oddest cemetery encounters was with the old man in search of his own grave.

I was walking with my wife when I encountered this fellow. He was reasonably well dressed, but very thin and hunched over, peering nearsightedly at each gravestone in turn ... he greeted us, then asked us if we had seen any with the last name of "Vick". We hadn't.

We got to talking, and his story emerged ... he had a rich great-uncle who bought a big set of grave plots for himself and his whole extended family. Gradually, each family member had duly died, and was buried in one of the plots ... however, our narrator was somewhat estranged from his family, was living overseas, and never went to any of these funerals.

Apparently, no-one in his extended family had any kids (and nor did he), and so there were fewer Vicks with each passing death - and he was the last one.

Only problem: while he knew the grave plot existed, he did not know where. He tried calling the cemetery office, but this was at the height of the pandemic, and there was no answer. So he went to the cemetery to see if he could find it.

This was a matter of urgency, because our narrator was not well. So he needed to know if his grave was ready for him - but to do so, he had to find it. He was a man anxiously searching for his own grave.

[Richard Hakluyt]

That is a great story 

I love cemeteries and graveyards.

[Malthus]

That is a great story 

I love cemeteries and graveyards.

Thanks!

Another strange encounter in this cemetery: the man in the bowler hat, who was always walking away.

Late one afternoon, we were on a walk through the cemetery, and we see in front of us what looks like an older man wearing a long trench coat and, of all things, a bowler hat. His back is to us, and he seemed like an older fellow because he was walking hunched over - but he was going at a good clip. Faster than us, anyway.

As we walked the various winding paths, we kept spotting this fellow, but we never saw his face - whenever we came across him, he was always walking away. Almost scurrying away.

After a while, this became increasingly odd. It did not help that his walk - hunched over and scuttling - looked kinda unnatural. How was it that wherever we went, he was always walking away?

Finally, it was getting dark, and everyone had to leave the cemetery. We took a short cut across country to go to the gate. As we reached the main path leading to the exit, we hear a sound in the gathering gloom ... it's the man in the bowler hat, hurrying away down the main path with his unnatural gait from the entrance deeper into the cemetery. We just missed being able to see his face.

[Josquius]

I saw Mont Blanc today.
White it is.
But otherwise unimpressive.
Perhaps because its far away. But I feel it suffers from proximity to other large mountains.

[Maladict]

A nice day - walked through the local cemetery and down to the Humber river. Lots of people fishing there, though it looks pretty cold to be standing in the river - there are still big blocks of ice lining the riverbank.

Nothing odd happened in the cemetery today, which is in itself notable - there is usually something strange going on. Nothing supernatural, just ... odd. One of the oddest cemetery encounters was with the old man in search of his own grave.

I was walking with my wife when I encountered this fellow. He was reasonably well dressed, but very thin and hunched over, peering nearsightedly at each gravestone in turn ... he greeted us, then asked us if we had seen any with the last name of "Vick". We hadn't.

We got to talking, and his story emerged ... he had a rich great-uncle who bought a big set of grave plots for himself and his whole extended family. Gradually, each family member had duly died, and was buried in one of the plots ... however, our narrator was somewhat estranged from his family, was living overseas, and never went to any of these funerals.

Apparently, no-one in his extended family had any kids (and nor did he), and so there were fewer Vicks with each passing death - and he was the last one.

Only problem: while he knew the grave plot existed, he did not know where. He tried calling the cemetery office, but this was at the height of the pandemic, and there was no answer. So he went to the cemetery to see if he could find it.

This was a matter of urgency, because our narrator was not well. So he needed to know if his grave was ready for him - but to do so, he had to find it. He was a man anxiously searching for his own grave.

Great story, Malthus

[Admiral Yi]

First round of golf of the year (nine holes).  Played miserably, weather was sublime.

[crazy canuck]

 

[mongers]

Went to Oxford yesterday to do a few of the museums

This is the mound on which much of the castle used to rest:


I like this old bank at the top of the high street:


International tourists are now back in force, clustering as they do around the touristy bits:






The Scientific Instruments museum has lots of 'nifty' exhibits like this portable sundial thingy:


The natural history museum has a new attraction, once inside you're allowed to stroke/pet some of the exhibits:




The Pitt-Rivers museum remans as bonkers as ever:


Whereas the Ashmolean, is still the haven of classical stuff etc:

[Eddie Teach]

What is so bonkers about North American pottery?

[Syt]

Sometimes easy to get lost in negativity. But today I used my home office lunch break to pick up my prescription from my doc. It's a lovely day of 26°C and blue skies, and my path takes me down the street between city hall and parliament, through the Volksgarten park, in between Hofburg and chancellery to Michaelerplatz, and back. Would have loved to sit down and just chill for an hour, but those process docs don't write themselves yet, unfortunately.

[Syt]

Had some time this morning and it was lovely outside, so took a slightly more scenic route to the office.

[mongers]

This month's new metric was to visit more museum and heritage sites than trips to shops or appointment inside etc.

Currently 27 museums vs 26 shops, 1 day to go, can I make it?

[Maladict]

This month's new metric was to visit more museum and heritage sites than trips to shops or appointment inside etc.

Currently 27 museums vs 26 shops, 1 day to go, can I make it?

sure, just stay home.

But 27 museums in a month, I'd be happy to get that in a year 

[Tonitrus]

Looking around a US airport shop, I am really missing the UK's abundance of ready-made sandwiches right now.

[Josquius]

I went to a concert of Clap Hands Say Yeah last night. Apparently they fucked up their booking and thought they were travelling to Stoke so have a weird schedule.

Interesting to see how the part of town where it is has changed. Really seems quite nice now.

On the way home up Byker High Street another guy walking home came up to me saying something I didn't catch. When I told him so he said woops, sorry, thought you were my probation officer, you're the spit.

Got to mcdonald's for hangover prevention to find though it's 24 hour only the drive through is 24 hour.
Same ex con guy from earlier had found his way there and was arguing at the drive in booth about getting served despite not having a car. So I just went home. I was :hung over.
Went to a farm-zoo thing today and puked via a mix of the hang over and motion sickness on the way.