There are plans afoot.
Well, maybe not afoot. A-wheel maybe?
Regardless of which expression fits best, there are plans, and they are underway. Forward momentum has been achieved. Not a lot of it, you understand, but some. It’s really quite exciting.
As to the nature of those plans, well that has a lot to do with a trip away and big days of celebration… on two fronts.
On Ceremony
The first item that calls for a spot of formal revelry is the small matter of my step-daughter, Sarah being a right old clever clogs and passing her degree in Paramedic Science, the ceremony for which is scheduled for the back end of July.
It will be the usual affair when it comes to these things (or so your uneducated blogger is led to believe). There will be mortar boards, gowns, diplomas rolled up tightly and secured by ribbons. There will be ceremony, speeches, a procession of people neither I nor Tina, my rather amazing wifey, have ever met and possibly never will, who will shake hands receive said tightly rolled diploma and then exit stage left (or possibly right). But in the middle of all of that there will be Sarah, and a few minutes of pride and reflected glory; making the whole rigmarole more than worthwhile.
If I’m allowed in.
Third Wheel
As I mentioned, Sarah is my step daughter and although she has been in my life since she was ten, she is not the fruit of these particular loins. That distinction belongs to Tina’s first husband. Thus it is, that with only two tickets to the event being provided per student, and at least three interested parenting parties (I’m unsure of Sarah’s dad’s current partner’s intentions) the maths becomes somewhat impossible. The chance of a third ticket is currently being investigated but, should one not be forthcoming, I think it’s only right to bow gracefully out and let the actual parents do the beaming with pride thing in my stead while I find a pub in which to toast the graduation (and possibly catch some sport on Sky or BT) in. Securing for myself the moral high ground in all and every argument from here to just this side of eternity.
The other option would be to retire to the hotel.
Sarah’s degree is (or at least will be) in Paramedic Science, furthering her long held ambition in life to be a nee-naw driver and professional life saver, and n order to achieve this life goal she has studied for said degree at St. Georges University, London, which is, for paramedics, the place to go; meaning, in order to witness her graduation myself and Tina will have to go down to ‘that London’, and that explains the whole hotel thing.
Room For Misunderstanding
Now, I’m not world renowned for my organisational skills, but on this occasion I think I can be given a little credit for actually being on the ball. The hotel in question, you see, is booked.
Now, I’m not world renowned for my organisational skills, but on this occasion I think I can be given a little credit for actually being on the ball. The hotel in question, you see, is booked.
This took a little more doing than might at first seem evident.
For one, and for obvious reasons, we needed a disabled friendly, wheelchair accessible room in a disabled friendly and wheelchair accessible hotel. This might seem like a fairly humble request, but it is something that we have fallen foul of before.
One room we stayed in on a previous visit, although classed as accessible by Late Rooms proved to be up a flight of stairs. Another had been built with a ramp blocking the room door (we got moved from that one). It meant that as we turned our attention to getting something booked, we resolved to do so early and to actually contact the hotels themselves before parting with any of our hard(ly) earned cash.
And my word, did I think I’d pulled a blinder. After an hour or two of searching I thought I’d come up with the ideal place. A clean, modern looking hotel, that was bright and spacious, in the right area (London being approximately the size of a small country), bragging full accessibility for wheelchairs, including a choice of wet-room or lowered bath, and available for the measly sum of £300 for our four selected nights.
What the website never mentioned was that it was £300 a night… A night.
And counting
So, with one rather nice hotel with a rather misleading website struck off our list we finally landed on a good old Travelodge which offers a wet-room (as well as unlimited breakfast) for only £150 more, leaving just travel and that one other special occasion to firm up the plans for. A small matter of Tina and I celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary.
One room we stayed in on a previous visit, although classed as accessible by Late Rooms proved to be up a flight of stairs. Another had been built with a ramp blocking the room door (we got moved from that one). It meant that as we turned our attention to getting something booked, we resolved to do so early and to actually contact the hotels themselves before parting with any of our hard(ly) earned cash.
And my word, did I think I’d pulled a blinder. After an hour or two of searching I thought I’d come up with the ideal place. A clean, modern looking hotel, that was bright and spacious, in the right area (London being approximately the size of a small country), bragging full accessibility for wheelchairs, including a choice of wet-room or lowered bath, and available for the measly sum of £300 for our four selected nights.
What the website never mentioned was that it was £300 a night… A night.
And counting
So, with one rather nice hotel with a rather misleading website struck off our list we finally landed on a good old Travelodge which offers a wet-room (as well as unlimited breakfast) for only £150 more, leaving just travel and that one other special occasion to firm up the plans for. A small matter of Tina and I celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary.
This is the reason for those extra days. We had planned to spend out tenth anniversary at the hotel in Leeds we got married in but, with Sarah’s graduation being the night before, that would have been tight to the power of impossible. No, the easiest and best decision was to spend the day in the big smoke, have a meal, possibly take in a show (The Play That Goes Wrong would be amazing), and get a little squiffy. Leeds will, after all, still be there next year.
So, yes, plans are af… underway, and a small part of at least one of them is accomplished. There’s just the small matter of entertainment and, um, transport to worry about now, and with over six weeks to go that should be fairly easy.
Shouldn’t it?
Until next time
***
Hey, folks! If you would care to take a look at some of my more creative writing, then the links below will transport you to the magical worlds of two anthologies my short (and in two cases, very short) stories have been included in. Feel free to check ’em out!
New Tales Of Old: Volume 2
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09TMVTX9H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Death Ship
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/9198684140/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_TWEMTA3KWK7T89QEZPF6?fbclid=IwAR322Fx5nfgVUQAA62ZZ6CUsNnBm8pbSxPanzz6Qkjg3vAv4ESipq7iKKhs
https://www.waterstones.com/book/death-ship/david-green/s-o-green/9789198684148?fbclid=IwAR2gP4CXHSG7wTccO39wOqXFtI81k0259Ep8DUM48Ki6kTUdlKoF3yafojA
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9198684140/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2XZ7JICGUQ1CX&psc=1&fbclid=IwAR2Wa6sGxb82_VCsC7l1CGXwHjsSwTheqba6jDX_G8EDsywZoGpC93nXr2w
Reaperman
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reaperman-Drabbles-3-Legends-Night-ebook/dp/B099NNPTQ1A
Pestilence
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pestilence-Revelations-Black-Ink-Fiction/dp/B09MDLZGHY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VP38WZDWJVAF&keywords=black+ink+fiction&qid=1654090896&sprefix=black+ink+fiction%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-1
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Musketeers-Cthulhu-Court-King-Louis-ebook/dp/B09YQKQQB7/ref=sr_1_18?crid=2VP38WZDWJVAF&keywords=black+ink+fiction&qid=1654091002&sprefix=black+ink+fiction%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-18
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