Wednesday 15 October 2008

A late bloomer and a bit of a rant








Isn't she lovely? This gorgeous poppy opened out earlier this week.. the mother plant usually produces at least ten, side-plate sized blooms, and once they are over, I cut the plant down. Well, the weather has allowed it to produce another, single bud, on a tall straight stem. I did wonder if the mild conditions would hold out long enough for it to open, and it did. Sadly, we now have rain, drizzle, wind and it is already drooping and sad, losing it's colour and perkiness and prettiness... a jaded beauty. Much like myself....

We had the gas man here... oh, boy what an experience. We were blessed with probably the most opinionated, mouthy workman ever; his opinions covered everything from the proliferation of lap dancing clubs in the new Yugoslavia (he couldn't remember the new name and since I writing letters, or trying to, I had no interest in informing him!) to the lost socialist principles of the present government!!! He just strolled into my workroom and struck up a conversationk, irrespective of what I was doing, even had the cheek to look at what was on my computer screen and comment on it! Not that it was anything important or secret or private, but even so..... Had he kept his cakehole shut, he'd have only been here six hours instead of the eight, long.. very long... hours that he was.

At the end of which we were left with a very damp kitchen floor, as due to his (admitted) not paying enough attention to what he was doing, he caused a flood. Instead of asking one or other of us for a mop, he used my tea and hand towels from the kitchen to mop up what was a dirty floor after he'd been traipsing all over it in his dirty great boots. He left a huge puddle on a worktop, several floor tiles have lifted, the plasterboard ceiling in the kitchen was soaked, and is still damp, as is the loft insulation above it, and we have the most awful smell, a mix of the inside of rubber gloves and curry powder. I am hoping it will get better as it all dries out.. but I tell you, when the bill comes from the gas company, it will be left to the very last possible minute before being paid, and will then have a narky letter of complaint with it.

Well, this is the first time I have tried adding a photo.. can't wait to see what it looks like!

5 comments:

Quilting Cat said...

Gosh, am I the first. Lovely to see these late blooms I agree and clever you posting a photo, I am only just learning how to send photo attachments on a e-mail, you are streets ahead. Ghastly gas man by the sound of it, why do these people think their opinions matter?

Norma Murray said...

Lovely photo, my poppies were all finished by the end of June. How lovely to have such a late flower.
The 'gas man' sounds like a real pain.

Cait O'Connor said...

I love poppies, you are lucky getting one in October.

Frances said...

Picture came through just great.

Wish that you had better aftermath of the gas man's cometh.

I am usually pretty lucky with required visits to my apartment, since most come via the management of the building.

However, managing a shop has taught me to be very, very wary and vigilent of any folks coming to make various repairs. Some are so wonderful that I rejoice. Others ... well, I could tell many stories, but will just press bravely into the future!

Cheers!

James A-S said...

A poppy, what an unexpected pleasure . I had a field poppy flowering just outside my office last week. It looked rather apologetic.
Would it be frightfully rude to note that perhaps PFG is unlikely to be numbered up there with Norman Parkinson, David Bailey or Ansell Adams when it comes to counting out the greatest photographers?
It would?
Okay, I won't mention it then....!