Clothes Maketh The Man

There’s an old saying - clothes maketh the man - and that’s certainly true if you’re a key worker using public transport at the moment.

I recently started work for Morrisons again. This time around I’m working as a picker, picking out online orders for home deliveries. I’ve mainly starting at 5am, although I’m doing 4am starts now, often finishing some time between 9am and 11am, depending on when I start. So as you can imagine I’m quite tired when I finish my shift, and even though I only live about a mile or so from the store I get the bus home.

New Fiction Addition: Anglo-Force - Refuge On Ikotia

With public and political opinion beginning to turn against them, Anglo-Force may have found somewhere they can take refuge if need be, the Caribbean island of Ikotia.

Originally written in 1995 and shamelessly ripped-off from an X-Men cartoon, "Refuge on Ikotia" was the 19th Anglo-Force story. Click on the links below to read the chapters.

 

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

The Two Sheds Mix Tapes 46-50: The Music of Queen

It’s no secret that I’m a massive fan of Queen. They are without a doubt one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and in the late Freddie Mercury they had the greatest front man in the history of music.

I could go on and on about how great they are, but their back catalogue speaks for itself. Their music really is timeless, and it shows just how good Freddie, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon were not just as a combined unit but in their side projects as well.

This May Be My Last Post Here

This may be my last post here.

 

Tomorrow morning at 11.10am I will be injected with the covid vaccine, and from that moment on Bill Gates will be able to control every aspect of my life, thanks to the microchips that are in the chemicals.

 

I have no idea how Mr. Gates will use me exactly, but I hope I will play a major part in his grand design for the planet Earth and the human race.

 

So hail and farewell to everyone, and if I don't turn up for work next week tell my boss that they can probably contact Mr. Gates through the Microsoft head office.

 

#youwillbeassimilated

Monty vs Johnny Rotten

Monty is now 0-2 in staring contests. Having previously lost to my Jar Jar Binks mug a few years ago he's now lost to the visage of punk legend John Lydon.

 

This screenshot came from the music player on my tablet a few nights ago. Monty sat on the bed staring at the screeen for about twenty seconds before turning away and curling up on his woolly blanket. Seems he couldn't handle Mr. Rotten looking at him anymore.

New Fiction Addition: The Journeys of Magus

As the planet Gallifrey tries to forge links with the United Federation of Planets a young Time Lord named Drathro expresses a desire to travel with the Doctor. But when the Doctor refuses his request he suggests that Drathro travels with another doctor, a certain immortal wizard by the name of Phineas Magus.

Orignally written in 1995 and intended as a second spin-off from The Valkyrie Chronicles, The Journeys of Magus sees the wizard putting together a crew, including the legendary engineer Montgomery Scott and former Enterprise crew member Sonya Gomez, as they take on an old starship so Drathro can learn the ways of the universe before becoming Gallifrey's first ambassador to the Federation.

It was also the end of an era in a way as it was the last story I wrote on battered old typewriters before I got a brand spanking new Casio electronic typewriter!

(Oh, in case you're wondering why David Tennant's is pictured here when the story was written nine years before he played the Doctor you'll have to read the story!)

You can read this short story by clicking on the links below:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

The Two Sheds Mix Tape 45: The Music of 1961

Over the past few weeks some of the channels that specialise in “classic” music have been gracing us with songs that celebrate landmark anniversaries this year. For instance, Now 70’s have been championing songs from 1971, while their counterparts on the Now 80’s and 90’s channels have been doing likewise with 1981 and 1991.

So seeing as how there isn’t a Now 60’s channel, yours truly is showing inspiration once again with a Mix Tape celebrating the songs that celebrate their 60th anniversary this year. Yep, it really was sixty years ago that the songs on this Mix Tape hit the UK charts, and as you’ll see from the track listing below it really is a who’s who of pop greats.

When Frank Lampard Burned My House Down

Earlier today Facebook reminded me of a dream I had eight years ago: 

I had a very weird dream last night. Frank Lampard, while on a training run past my house, ripped up an electrical cable and threw it into one of my neighbour's gardens. The cable set fire to the lawn, and subsequently burnt down almost every house in my road, including mine.

 

I managed to get the dogs and cats out in time, but for some reason I kept thinking the only person who could call the fire brigade was my brother Jon. He was on the old practice course near the golf club, working on his swing.

 
The really weird thing about this dream is that Jon doesn't even like golf!

Thank You NHS

A year ago I was in hospital for my heart procedure. "We'll get you back in in three months time for your check-up" they said.

 

About seven weeks later everything was put on hold because of covid. The appointment was postponed until October and done over the phone. My regular blood test was postponed until the end of December. I normally have another one in February but that will probably have to wait.

 

Some are critical of the NHS because they've had to delay other treatments because of the pandemic. I'm not. I know my case is nothing compared to some, but I'll always be grateful for the treatment I've had since my first heart problems in 2015. We should be proud of what they've accomplished in the past year.

 

A year ago the nurse looking after me hugged me before I left the hospital. I wonder how many times she's wanted to do that with her patients since then but couldn't because of this damn virus.

 

Thank you NHS.

A Conversation About Joe Biden

Social media is one of the greatest tools of the modern world. It allows you to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, especially at the moment given that most of us are in lockdown in one form or another.

It also gives us a chance to be a bit nosey as we get to see other people’s conversations without actually taking part in them. Such was the case the other day when I saw a conversation started by a former acquaintance about the new President of the United States, Joe Biden.