Back to Normal

I'm happy to report that the friggin' flower show is over! My fellow cyclists and I are back to only having to contend with the few small groups who occasionally amble along the tow path and block the cycle route. Usually, they are pretty good at getting out of the way when you ring your bell.

To celebrate the end of the Hampton Court Flower Show, some friends of mine and I went to The Albany (a pub on the river) to watch the people who went try and get out as the show ended. We sat on the river, sipping our beers and watched as the queues for ferries or tried to make their way along the towpath carrying armloads of various vegetation purchased at the show. To show that it isn't just he inability to reason how the cycle paths work that visitors to the show lose. They also lose their money sense.

As Terry pointed out, as we watched the huge queues slowly dissipating as the ferries came and went, you could get a ferry from one side of the river to the other for a pound. But if you got the one that dropped you at the train station, it would cost you £1.50. The extra fifty p apparently to save you the two-hundred-yard walk along the tow path and across the bridge.

Usually, however, there is no problem getting through the bike path. Personally, I am so happy about the end of the flower show that I took the long way (along the river) to work, then again today at lunch time. What a lovely day! They are predicting that the weather will fall-apart around the time I plan to leave this evening… just the way, eh? Oh well, as my friend and mentor, Ruth used to say: "We'll just have to jump off that bridge when we get to it."

To close this I think I should quote a book; the last line of Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco: "Right now, it's so beautiful"

Wherever you are today, I hope you're faced with lovely weather - whatever "lovely" means to you.

Don Bergquist - 09 July 2007 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK

The Weather Holds

It has been a lovely weekend this far! The break in the weather is holding and the day (though again, the BBC insists that this cannot last) is fantastic!

I've already had a nice two-and-a-half hour cycle around the area. (Trying but not succeeding to avoid the damn flower show! Grrr!) But the day is so lovely that even having do deal with the idiots going to the flower show who are clogging the paths and the roads as far away as Hampton cannot put a damper on the mood.

What the afternoon holds is still up in the air. A colleague of mine went up to Wimbledon to try and see some of the tennis. That prospect was about as appealing to me as dealing with the idiots who go to the friggin' flower show and cannot figure-out that standing around paying no attention whilst standing in the middle of an active bicycle path is a bad idea!

Saga and I have been on walks both yesterday and today. She and I went over to Long Ditton where she renewed her lease on the park. We also hung-out briefly today in the Giggs Hill Park where we watched (briefly) a cricket match. (I say briefly because I am told that they can go on for days, and without beer involved, it could only manage to hold my attention for about an hour.)

As it is, the weathercasts continue to predict rain for the afternoon and bad conditions, I think they're hedging their bets.

Wherever you are today, I hope the weather you're faced with is excellent!

Don Bergquist - 08 July 2007 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK

Happy Birthday to my friend, Tracy

Brief (?) Respite

After a week and some days of rain, cold, wind, and generally unpleasant conditions, today is just gorgeous! The sun has come out again and the temperatures are on the cool side of absolutely perfect. According to the BBC weather forecast today I need to get moving because this will not last.

It has already lasted long enough for a beautiful ride on the usual 20-mile route. It was beautiful out. (As you can see in this picture taken on the bridge crossing the small creek in the village park up in Berrylands, the clouds are still around, so perhaps the BBC is right.)

I think I may be over the malady that had me under the weather for the past couple days. Although, when I got to the pub Friday night, I was still pretty whipped. I didn't stay long, I couldn't. I'm feeling much better today, though! I think I will take it easy, lay in the recliner with a book for the afternoon. If I am still feeling good this evening, I may get Saga into the trailer and head to the pub. Then again, I may not. Either way, I'm sure to have a pleasant and relaxing afternoon.

Wherever you are this afternoon, I hope you're having a great day!

Don Bergquist - 07 July 2007 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK

Happy Birthday to my uncle, Larry

Continued Cloudy

Whew! It is amazing what sleeping thirteen hours can do for one! I am feeling a bit better. Not quite up to par, but definitely able to get up and out today. Which is good, I have a couple reports that I have to file today at the office and then I have one project that I am about to wrap-up.

The weather was perfect for sleeping all day, it was cloudy, there was occasionally heavy rain, there was rain falling pretty much all day punctuated by occasional heavy rain. At least that is what I saw of the day. I wasn't feeling well yesterday at the office, so I finished the stuff I had to do as quickly as possible and headed home.

I got home yesterday at about three and went straight to bed. Even the limited activity of the day had left me completely knackered! Around nine last night I woke-up and realized that I needed to let Saga go out so off I went, heading downstairs, rounding her up and herding her out the door. That accomplished and her back inside for the night, I headed back up to bed and slept uninterrupted until four o'clock. I then lay in bed dozing until the shipping forecast came on radio four.

It's nearly six now and I am getting ready to head into the office. Once I've completed what I have, I think I'll head home and take a nap. The weather outside looks like it is going to be a good day to sleep.

Wherever you are today, I hope you’re feeling well!

Don Bergquist - 06 July 2007 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK

Happy Birthday to my cousin, Ron

Out of It

My allergies are really acting up this week. I think the continued wet weather is something that my sinuses were not really ready for. I may have developed a bit of a sinus infection. For the past couple days I have been suffering a touch of vertigo periodically.

Today, I am not really all here, if you know what I mean. It could be because I was up late last night celebrating, with some friends, the 231st anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence. It could be the on-going problems I am having with my sinuses. Either way, I am going to head into the office and try and hang-on as long as possible.

Wherever you are today, I hope that you are feeling well!

Don Bergquist - 05 July 2007 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK

Independence Day

About 230 years ago, King George II made some of his subjects so militantly unhappy with his reckless disregard of their wants and desires in his governmental style that they revolted. The taxation without representation, the imposition of the his world view upon his subjects, the intolerable acts all led the founding fathers to declare independence from England on July 04, 1776.

Two hundred thirty-one years later, George II of the United States sees himself as a king, immune to the will of the people rather than as the elected chief executive of a representative republic. (But then, to be fair, many of his alleged constituents have a hard time seeing him as an elected anything! But I digress…)

Granted, as Wanker in Chief, he has the constitutional right to commute sentences, or otherwise grant clemency. To anyone he chooses. But please, under the tenets of the religion he professes to be a practitioner of (far too often for my taste) lying is a sin. Therefore, he should come clean and not try and blunt his transparently partisan back-scratching by claiming that he has done soul searching and careful consideration and decided that the punishment was too harsh.

(Well, I guess it is not as if he had any credibility left to lose! Hands up, who really thought that Scooter would spend a single day in prison? Anyone think that he will really ever pay the fines? That's so cute! You with your hands up are so trusting!)

The plain, simple and readily apparent truth is that he was paying Lewis Libby back for covering-up the fact that the administration had intentionally leaked the name of an undercover CIA agent to the media in violation of federal law. Can there really be any doubt as to who in the administration thought he was above the law? Who has recently declared himself independent of his branch of government so as to avoid the rules?

I guess that the vice president just started celebrating Independence Day a bit early!

Wherever you are today, I hope that you'll have a wonderful day to celebrate!

Don Bergquist - 04 July 2007 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK

Happy Birthday to my friend, Chris

Happy Independence Day

Obstinate Bitch

It has become a battle of wills. Sooner or later Saga will learn that she cannot refuse to go outside just because it is wet. She lives in England for the time being. It is wet here. Granted, it is wetter than it should be for this time of year, but that is beside the point.

This rant is brought to you by the fact that every time I have tried to put her out she looks at me as if I were completely mental. It's almost as if I asked her to do higher-level mathematics or something. I can picture her (in her little doggy mind) saying "Are you crazy? It's wet out there! You like the wet, you go out there!"

This intransigence has not led to any accidents, but it cannot be healthy for her to hold it for the longish periods of time between when she finally goes outside! Oh well, she will learn. She will have to if this trip (and this odd "summer" weather) lasts much longer.

Wherever you are today, I hope you have little intransigence to deal with.

Don Bergquist - 03 July 2007 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK

Reassurance

To : My Family and Friends Back Home
From : Me
Date : 02 July 2007
RE : Reports of Terrorism

Hello all!

To those of you who have called and/or emailed me over the past couple days, I just wanted to drop you a quick note. I am fine. The attack on Scotland was way across the island. It's about the same as me calling my sister while she is in Miami if I hear that there was a shooting in Tallahassee. There is a great deal of distance between Thames Ditton and Glasgow.

As to the two car bombs found Friday, the Metropolitan Police force have the situation well in hand. They are on the ball and have five people in custody; there are more arrests imminent according to the BBC. Besides, I am never in that part of town. And the point of terrorism is to make you worry unduly about going about your daily routine. You change what you do, they win!

To quote a famous comedian over here: Tony Blair (Well, he was actually quoting Catherine Tate, to be fair…) "Look at my face! Do I look bothered to you? Face! Bothered? Face! Bothered? I ain't bothered!"

Wherever you are today, I hope you can say you ain't bothered!

Don Bergquist - 002 July 2007 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK

Editor's note: I'm told that the Catherine Tate line is said in an Islington (though I thought it would be oene of London's seedier neighborhoods) accent. "Bothered" comes out sounding like "bovered"

False Sense of Security

I have been lulled into a false sense of security. After a day and a half of non-stop rain, I decided to chance it this afternoon!

The ride, while the weather held out was lovely! I got to take some pictures, I had a lovely ride and generally enjoyed the day. But it was not to last! It was too good to last! The rain stopped! Oh! Joy! At 11:15 it was no longer sunny and the skies were clearing. Half-an-hour later it was bright and clear. I grabbed my bike and headed out for a ride. Wouldn't you know it! At the farthest point in my ride from the villa, the skies opened! It poured.

I grimly kept going. What could I do? I was in the middle of a field and it was pouring. I headed home. Arriving as the rain stopped. I popped down to the Newsagent's for a can of soup and some rum. I've now showered and changed into dry, warm clothing with a bowl of hot soup and a hot toddy. I am warm, dry and happy. I am now just waiting for the season finale of Dr. Who to come on to round-up the wet, miserable weekend on a high note.

Oh well, the best I can say is at least it wasn't snow or hail!

Wherever you are today, I hope you're warm, dry and happy.

Don Bergquist - 01 July 2007 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK