8:36 p.m. - 2024-04-17
Licensed To Love

It may have something to do with this lurgy I've had since I came back from my travels down South, but i've been more angst filled than usual. While I do feel better this week, and I'm on the mend, the events of the trip to London have dredged up things I was sure I'd put to bed during the counselling sessions from earlier in the year. I've also decided not to open a dialogue with Paulina. I really don't see what good it will do, or how it can change anything. Saying lets be friends and stay in touch when you've been unceremoniously heaved is always a bitter pill to swallow.

I understand that only too well as I've heaved and been heaved before. Mostly though, I've did the heaving and it always comes as no surprise when the "let's stay in touch and be friends" speech is never taken seriously. For the most part it is seen as an attempt to gloss over everything to make the heaver feel better about the dastardly deed they have just committed. Mark my words, one day in the future, it will be an offence to break someone's heart by leaving a relationship without good reason, or without going through some kind of multi facetted counselling or break up procedure. Folks will probably also require a licence to participate in relationships. If you like, we will all need to be licensed to love. It will happen! I'm fairly sure my licence would have been revoked a long time ago for accumulating too many penalty points.

The project work has been keeping me busy. I have two old school UK made items from circa 1979-1981 at present. A very large Carlsboro Stingray Bass unit, and a Carlsboro Marlin. Both are 40+ years old and the Stingray, bought cheap from a dude called Bryan, also a fellow bassist, is in remarkable original condition and really only needs minimal attention. It sounds just like how the 1980s used to sound, and brings back fond memories of smoke filled, seedy rock bars in Glasgow and around the area where I grew up. The Marlin has had a much harder life and wasn't working when I was given it for free by a local dude called Andy. He is English, and was renting an apartment just 100 yards from where I live. He was a little shifty when he answered the door and looked out briefly to the left and right as if he was hoping not to be recognised or half expecting someone to rush his door. My mind ran riot and wondered if maybe he was living here on a witness protection programme or similar? The apartment he was living in is often inhabited by all manner of people for short term lets. Maybe it's a safe house?

So, i've got the Marlin working but it does need some serious attention. It's obviously been in a damp location for a long time and as things begin to dry out they are failing. It's worth fixing as it was free anyway, so that will keep me going for a week or two yet.

Big Tam is coming to visit tomorrow on business and for a wee social as we haven't seen each other in recent times. I'll make a note to offer him a coffee and a biscuit this time. I'll also be away from home for a few days from Friday on a trip North to Aviemore. I was last there in mid November 2023 when I drove M there on a midnight dash in the middle of a storm so she could make a very important business conference. Her train had been cancelled and she was in a desperate situation. I always enjoy coming to the rescue of a damsel in distress. This time it's a little different but equally important, and there are no damsels in distress involved. In fact, there are no damsels involved full stop.

The Maid is on the mend from her lurgy, and I've told her about the trip to Aviemore. She is ok with it. It's unlikely I'll make it down to see her this weekend but she says she has stuff to do anyway and will be working Saturday because she's been off sick too much recently and has a lot of catching up to do at work. Both her and Lilly received their provisional driving licence cards in the post, so she is quite excited about me taking them both out for a driving lesson. I can't say I share their enthusiasm, and my little car might not survive two learner ladies crunching gears, bumping kerbs, or other minor driving faux pas from lack of experience. We shall see what happens. It's fairly costly to insure both of them and i've opted for a month at a time rather than fully add them to my policy. £250 extra a month is a lot for me but I don't want to mention money at this point to put a damper on the whole thing. I'll encourage them both to book lessons with a qualified instructor.

I remember taking first wife out for driving lessons. Her driving skills were abysmal and we fell out and had words almost every lesson. However, the making up/out in the car after the driving lesson was exemplary and she passed that test every time with flying colours. It took her three attempts to pass her driving test. I also took M out for a few lessons and she was a natural at driving. Same with my daughter, she just jumped in, started the car and drove off like she'd done it a hundred times before. I've had one or two other girlies sat in my driving seat over the years, but none of them were much good, or certainly none were good enough that it was worth remembering about.

One thing I've noticed is that when i'm not updating D-Land for a few days straight, it is actually rather nice just being a D-Land consumer rather than a contributor. I get back into finding diaries that I haven't read before and have even updated my Diaryland Gold post with something new. There are still a lot of users posting who don't show on the recently updated and maybe that's by choice, or like me, their settings don't work properly.