This, that and the other

First, this.

John May posted a pic of the Carpenter's (or is that Carpenters'?) Arms at Windsor and I was reminded of the visit of Lions from our twin club in Maryland as we had taken them to Windsor for the day and had lunch in that pub.  That wasn't the only pub we visited during the eight days they were over here: we tried Hangleton Manor (which is also the oldest secular building in the city of Brighton & Hove); Rose Cottage, Alciston - one of the smallest bars I have ever seen; the Druid's Head, Brighton; and other pubs in Rye, Canterbury and Dover as well as the restaurant (and bar) at Brighton & Hove Golf Club and ditto, Blind Lemon Alley.  Each time, Joe W (there were two Joes) insisted on taking a photo of the beer pumps (with the barmaid).  I thought I had copies of all his pictures but have been unable to find them.  You'll just have to make do with this picture of most of the group at Hangleton Manor.  I'm not sure what had happened to Joe.  Maybe he was already ogling the beer pumps - or the barmaid.

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Now we come to that.

When I was telling you yesterday about the Handy Man I have found, I didn't tell the whole story.  Geoff had started a plumbing business and had built it up to employ four men.  They reported people asking if they would do sundry small jobs about the house such as hanging a picture - and Geoff was smart enough to spot the niche.  He now has a team who travel through the city centre on motor scooters so they are less likely to suffer delays and can park more easily than they could with a van.  There are three or four handimen, a plumber, an electrician, a plasterer etc etc.

Geoff told us about some of the jobs they have done.  One woman (a regular) called them in to rescue a hamster which had got under he floorboards.  Another rang Geoff at 5.00am to say that she thought her gas boiler, which Geoff had serviced the day before, was about to blow up.  He could hear banging through the phone and, having been assured that the customer had turned off the electricity supply to the boiler, reluctantly got dressed and drove over.  The problem was the side gate banging in the wind.  Then there is the guy who rings up every month with a list of jobs - but the men must not arrive before 9.30 and must be gone before 3.30 although he is happy to pay for a full day.  It turned out that he has a girl who is turned on at the thought of DIY but he can't stand it so is happy to pay provided the woman doesn't know!

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And, lastly, the other.

I am well aware - you have no need to tell me - how lucky I am to see my grandchildren as frequently as I do.  Especially my little princess.  She and her father (my younger son) were with us last Saturday for dinner and again yesterday for lunch.  Yesterday they stayed for about two hours and the only time young E stopped chattering or singing was when she was eating.  I realise only too well that any grandfather thinks his one and only granddaughter is the prettiest, smartest little girl in the whole world.  I don't think she can twist me round her little finger, although the Old Bat swears she can.  I just think it is a grandfather's right - indeed, his bounden duty - to spoil his one and only granddaughter.  Not that I do, really.

It is a delight to see how she has matured over the last six months - effectively, since she moved from the reception class to year one.  Her reading ability is now at least a year or 18 months ahead of her age, she can write and spell well, and hold an entirely logical and reasonable conversation with an enormous vocabulary.  For instance, she startled us the other day when she declared that two words - which could have been Nutty Norah or something similar - anyway, she declared, "That's a rhyme.  Oh, no, it isn't.  It's alliter...  alliter..."

"Alliteration?"

"Yes, that's it.  Alliteration."

I then asked her to explain what alliteration is.  And she did.

Yesterday, she wrote two plural words and put apostrophes before the "s" in both cases.  I asked her why but she didn't really know so we tried to explain the use of an apostrophe to indicate missing letters.  Next time we see her she'll probably know all about the greengrocers apostrophe's.

And she won't be 6 until the end of next month.