Wednesday 17 October 2012

Big Innit


Our Monday morning meetings have hit an early set back. There were no attendees! Both myself and Janey forgot! Good job I didn't go to the trouble of baking any fairy cakes, that would have been a waste....they need to spring back up when you press your finger lightly into the sponge (my Grandmother taught me that, she didn't)... Talking of fairy cakes, you may remember that I recounted last time that I might be, how shall we say erm, "on the turn" mainly due to my lost weight, pink super skinny chino's and people's observations that I've taken to walking funny (er hello, chino's? chaffage?). Well, the plot thickens because I was having a chat with one of my new mates from Plymouth, one of my many new mates because obviously I'm really popular (Pete you only have one mate, at best, two).... about good books to read. To cut a long story short (please don't go, not yet, this newsletter gets better)... they recommended that I read Wuthering Heights. Keen to impress (keep) my new friend, I said I would go and buy a copy without ever having any intention of actually buying or reading it. They were bound to forget. Anyway, when we met up a few days later, down here at Polzy as it goes, my new buddy presented me with a limited edition hard backed copy (they hadn't forgotten), along with one of those coffee maker's from Costa (yeah Starbucks pay some tax dudes, and grind your beans where I can see them!).. we'd invited them down to stay at the Beach House (sleeps ten available Oct half term, 7 nights £600 including unlimited board hire for 4 people. First to call on 07760 126225 seals the deal) so that they could come and watch our band Mahoustic play at the Waterfront for the Jess Soley Memorial Classic.... and breathe! Was a load of fun as it goes, rock and roll. And I had a drink, I never drink!

Still, keen to impress I received the hard backed edition with much thanks, until I read the first page, no chapter, sentence, word... and then I had these awful flashbacks of Middlemarch, a book I never read but triumphed with a 'D' at 'A' level English. The nightmares, I can't begin to tell you. Still keen to impress I thought I'd best persevere. And I have to say, that 230 pages in, it is truly the most incredible book I've ever read. It takes a bit of time, you have to concentrate and focus, something that doesn't feature in my top five best attributes, although I'm considering dropping 'big roman nose' in fourth place, so there's a potential opening there! There's loads of words I don't understand, but somehow when you get to the end of a paragraph it all comes together. If truth be told, I'm really keen to get it out now and crack on with the last 100 pages, but I feel this is our time, it can wait until the morrow! Anyway thanks go to my new chum for the recommendation and I recommend it to you if you haven't already read it. I'm sure you'll love it too.


Tide on the push, that wave is double overhead, the sets were bigger!

Back to the meeting, the reason why we didn't have our Directors meeting was that jobs had already been assigned over the back end of the previous week. And my assigned task has been to bring the last quarters accounts up to date on some accounts package on the laptop. Despite the fact that my tutor wrote to my parents stating that I was wasting the school's time, I have a natural leaning towards maths. To be more specific, simple maths. I was doing fine until Mr. Grainger wrote a 'formula' on the up and over rotating blackboard. I didn't understand that at all, I was lost from then on and marks were poor. But I did have the last laugh when he flipped over the aforementioned up and over rotating black board and he got showered with various shades and sizes of chalk sticks. I could have helped with his next question, but decided that he didn't need to know exactly who'd done it! Accounts all done, Petey in good books, all is well in the Craskie household.

You'll be very pleased to hear that I have another Dartmoor adventure to recount!! Just quickly... last Thursday, (please don't go, not yet, this newsletter gets better) I decided to get on the road bike and crank out a 100 miler. A circular route starting at Ivybridge, passing through Newton Abbott, Bovey Tracey, Moretonhampstead, Okehampton, Tavistock, Yelverton, Plymouth, Plymstock and Ermington. Five punctures later and a crash on the A30 near Okehampton (it was raining, I hit oil, my back wheel overtook my front and I hit the tarmac hard. I ended up in the middle of the inside lane, still clipped into my bike looking back down the dual carriageway at the fast approaching chipped chrome front bumper of an old Ford Escort van, he missed. I was shaken and a little stirred so I phoned Janey and left an emotional message on the answer phone saying I'd come off on the A30 but would be back soon. When I got home, bloodied and bruised, she looked a little surprised at my condition. Turns out she'd misunderstood, she just thought I'd come off the A30, like a nice little loving update!!) 96 miles, six and a half hours, I reckon we can take that back to five and a half excluding stops for technicals and tears. Another great adventure.

Hey big surf and big tide tonight. Came right over the road it did! Good job we moved the trailer off the beach. Actually it was seriously pumping.... easily double overhead, more, much more on the set waves. The brisk southerly dropped on the pushing tide, leaving very makeable rides, but the paddle out is a monster, so locals prefer to take on the reef breaks, the secret spots up and down the coast.



Polzeath Beach at 6.30pm this evening, high tide still one hour away!

Okay, I've already taken up too much of your time. Have I mentioned that the top floor of that house there on the left, by the blue and white canopy, yep right there on the beach, just a short stumble to sandy toesville, is still available to rent over the october half term? Sleeps ten, seven nights, £600 including unlimited board hire for 4 people. First to call on 07760 126225 seals the deal.

Please don't go, not yet, this gets better.. actually it doesn't. Let's put this down to a slow news week and just like my school tutor and maths teacher wrote regularly, "if you turned up to classes I'd have a better idea of who knowing who you actually are!"