Brennig Jones (and friends)

The Beeches (Ire) (known as Beech or B):
Foaled: 5th April 1993
Sire: Be My Native (USA)
Dam: Red Bit (Ire)
Grand Sire: Henbit (USA)
Put to sleep: 29th November 2007 (14 years)

An enthusiastic racehorse bred for but unsuited to the sport.

And when he came to live with me he became (after a couple of years of getting the mentalist racehorse out of his head):

* a sometimes talented one-day Eventer (but temperamental over show jumps and unenthusiastic at dressage)
* a complete and utter star over any cross country fence, course or track
* an excited, animated yet totally safe hack
* a fabulous all-round riding-club style horse.

Beech and I have been through so many things since he came to live with me.

I will miss his character, even though he has gone to a better place.

I met the vet at the yard this morning; Beech’s re-inspection and Vin’s second flu/tet shot.

Vin was a good boy – barely noticed the needle – but very excited.

Beech, sadly, has to be put to sleep.

I don’t intend to go in to the detail here other than to say it’s the vet’s considered opinion that I need to let Beech go before things get worse or any more things occur.

Through a veil of tears I agreed.

She will make the necessary arrangements and will let me know when things are happening so I can be there.

I may be quiet for a while.

B.

Today:

Time spent in meetings – 6 hours
Number of meetings – two.

Hmmm…

Perhaps a career change might be in order?

I have a short list – would you like me to share them?

You would?

Brilliant, thanks.

Right well the first new career I’ve been mulling over is breast measurer in a bra shop.

I think it’s safe to say that I’d be scrupulously diligent in my approach to the, erm, task in hand.

Scrupulously so.

But I think – and only to help me concentrate to the maximum of my ability – I’d have to be very, very selective as to the females on my client list.

You know, just to help me give the best possible service.

And speaking of service, that brings me to my second possible career choice.

Waxer – specialising in bikini waxes, natch – in a beauty salon.

However I think that once again – in order to enable me to give the best possible service to my customers – I’m going to have to be very selective in my clientèle.

You know, just to enable me to be, ahem, on top of my game.

At all times.

Hmm…

I shall mull some more.

B.

I was lying in bed thinking of you as you lay sleeping beside me.

My thoughts got very rude and very, very dirty.

Suddenly my cock leapt up demanding attention so I stroked it firmly.

It wanted more, things started to get out of hand.

So I went downstairs and put it back in the garden.

I really must make sure I lock the door to the hen house.

B.

It’s a good job that the late and very, very dear Warren Zeevon is no longer with us.

Because otherwise there would undoubtedly be a bunch of nutcases out there who would want him stoned to death for giving us the brilliant track Mohamed’s Radio.

Would someone like to explain to the Muslims in Sudan that in taking this course of action they aren’t winning their faith any new friends?

B.

It was wet. Yes, I know I’ve already told you this. But I don’t think I’ve told you the full wetness of the place. It was waaaay beyond wet.

And it was informative. I learned stuff.

I also drank stuff.

But I learned stuff too!

And I got really fcuking angry at Bristol airport, but that is a whole different story for another entry.

And I took some photos.

Which I’ve just put on the internet.

And you can have a look at them just here.

I haven’t yet written an index.htm front sheet but when I do it’ll go in to the same location and will snap back the photos and descriptions.

Until then you’ll have to make do with the file-names which, I hope, are fairly self-explanatory anyway.

B.

Found in the departure loung of Ciampino airport:

One A4 refill notepad with a huge amount of hand-written work inside and various photocopied notes.

The airport management were just going to throw it away when I brought it to their attention so I rescued it.

If this is yours please contact me with a brief description of the topic/theme of the work and I will post it on to you.

B.

Rome.

At the end of November.

A brilliant place to be.

If one is a duck.

Yesterday afternoon (as I wisely sat in a bar nursing a cold one while others decided to stand out in the downpour in the designated waiting area) I half expected to see Noah and his fully-laden Arc come swooshing down the Via.

I have many things to record for the weekend ending, but for now – as I sit in the departure lounge of Ciampino airport – this will have to do.

B.

When was the city of Londonderry renamed ‘Derry’?

According to the Bristol Airport departure board Ryanair flight FR8206 will depart at 14.55 for ‘Derry’.

I know Londonderry went through a phase of being called ‘Slash City’ because the local print media referred to it as ‘Londonderry/Derry’.

The reason for this double-naming is due to the Republican/Loyalist divide. The Republicans are all anti the word ‘London’ appearing in a placename – even in Norn Ireland (Northern Ireland), but the Loyalists want to see the name retained.

So for a decade or so Londonderry was called ‘Slash City’ – a kind of ‘third way’ in the naming convention department.

But when did it get formally changed to ‘Derry’ as Bristol Airport seem to be telling us the place is now called?

Or perhaps it didn’t get changed, perhaps it’s just another little idiosyncrasy that is Bristol Airport?

Hmm…

B.

Where I have a swift and painless check-in.

I decide to take the early bath and pass through to the departure lounge even though I am ridiculously miles ahead of schedule.

The security people go through my hand-luggage and relieve me of my Body Shop shower gel, Lush shampoo, Gilette shaving foam, and Right Guard antiperspirant because, obviously, these things are far too risky to inflict on the rest of Europe.

Slightly pissed off I accept the never-to-be-seen-again confiscation and move through to the departure lounge where there is a Superdrug.

Within five minutes I have replaced the shaving foam and antiperspirant with exactly the same products in the same sized containers.

Duh.

Sadly there is neither a Lush nor a Body Shop so inferior products will have to suffice.

The reason I’m mentioning this is that none of the electronic items I’m carrying (laptop, laptop charger, digital voice recorder, mobile phone, iPod – and USB connector – and digital camera) were given any degree of inspection.

This, surely, is security for the sake of lip service?

I hate to break it to you boys and girls, but with the innards of this pile of trinkets any competent electronics fiend could construct a decent explosive device.

Bonkers.

B.