Tales of Home

2pm on a Saturday arvo and it's 42.5c.

12 days over 40c already this summer. A record.
Global warming?

{{ My money is on global warming, in this half of the planet Ive just had a Scottish winter without so much as a proper frost yet and we're in February. Its been stupidly mild, barely touched zero let alone dipped below. Had strong winds last week but otherwise super mild, snow on very high ground but even that isn't lasting any time. }}

I think that sounds far enough outside the norms that it's safe to attribute it to global warming at this point, though it needs to be part of a trend, not just a blip.

So I've been run ragged by a couple of young tourists I met when I went to a Spanish Tapas bar to catch some flamenco.


Being by myself I sat at the bar, and not long after I arrived a young woman sat down a couple seats down.  I feel pretty young women have more than enough to deal with so I just gave her a nod and largely ignored her.  Until a young Australian came in and sat between us.  As we all know Aussies are not ones to be ignored, and she quickly broke the ice.   Soon I was acquainted with Karen from Australia (via peru) and Siljia from Estonia.  Never met an Estonian before - there's like 30 of them in their entire country far as I can make out.

So on talking with them I found they had both been in NYC about 2 weeks and had 2 more weeks to go, both wanted to go to a Jazz club but had no idea how to go about it.  (they also both walked into the Tapas bar at random, I was the only one who planned it).  If they were capable of spending two weeks in NYC and still not find something they wanted I could see their trips were enroute to disaster, so I stepped in to take charge.

And so the Transcontinental Music Appreciation Society (or TMAS) was formed.

That friday I met them at Marie's Crisis, an LGBT sing-along piano bar.  Nearly all the sing-along piano bars in America are LGBT, and they are the warmest most accepting places on earth.  I'd never been to this one so early, and the staff were dribbling in (early in the day the bartender and piano player are all that's needed, but the needs increase into the night),  greeting each other with hugs and gossip and inside jokes.  These places always make me feel I'm missing out by being straight.

Eventually Silja arrived, as everyone was singing around the piano (all showtunes, natch) and had never experienced anything like it.  Karen arrived late as usual and got swept up as well.  I don't have pictures because they frown on destroying the atmosphere with a bunch of damn cellphones, but for me the highlight of the evening was when someone suggested a Billy Joel song, and piano player stopped to make an announcement:

"Honey, there are many piano bars in New York city, all happy to play Billy Joel.  This is not one of them.  And if you look deep down in your soul, I think you'll realize...that's why you're here."

Still makes me grin to think of it.

We had started at the piano bar because they had music early, but eventually we moved to a jazz bar.  The ladies melted the moment they felt the atmosphere, exactly as they imagined it (actually a typical NYC jazz bar is peeling paint and folding chairs where you have to navigate through the band to reach the loo; a real shoestring operation, but I knew that wasn't what they were expecting so took them somewhere with some class).  For the first time I heard Star Wars being played as a jazz standard, which made me all tingly inside.



And here's the rest of the TMAS, look how happy they are!



Earlier this week I took them to a blues club, figuring they could use some education.  They loved it.  Then last night Karen took us to a Peruvian place, and Siljia dragged along a visiting friend from Estonia.  It was Karen's birthday so I took her and like 7% of the population of Estonia to Brandy's Piano bar; another LGBT bar that falls into the category formerly dismissed as those who play Billy Joel.  If anything they liked this one better because they knew the songs.



Yes, the Estonians are basic Valkyrie types, each one taller than the last.

So they want me to keep being their tour guide, but frankly I don't know how much more my old body can take.  They keep buying me rounds of drinks well past midnight.  I love these youngsters dearly, but they're wearing me out.  

{{ That looks like a fun if tiring time. Im surprised those lassies havent drunk you under the table, those Estonians can handle their drink. }}

Yes they can.  They seem particularly fascinated by the high alcohol content of the Manhattan cocktail.  Last night I chose to abandon them around 1 am rather than risk yet another round of drinks.  THAT's why they haven't drunk me under the table.

that looks cool

chris63 wrote:2pm on a Saturday arvo and it's 42.5c.

12 days over 40c already this summer.  A record.
Global warming?

its defo global warming, here nature is one month ahead and its warm enough to go out with no coat. its supposed to be the middle of Winter but its more like full on Spring. It has never been cold this Winter, and its weird. In the North there is a draught as bad as in Summer because it hasn't rained for months and there is no snow to melt for the rivers. it looks like Spring but it isn't and its not good. it doesn't smell right either. Spring has a peculiar fresh smell ,and because its still Winter in theory it still smells like Winter, which is a bit rank and decaying because there is still a load of dead vegetation hanging around from Autumn.

{{ yeah been way too warm here too. 5-10 degrees daytime, tonight its only down to 5 overnight, in Scotland in February. When I was kid used to wake up to windows covered in beautiful ice patterns, on the inside. Guaranteed at least 1-2 weeks off school every winter as village would be snowed in and its only 1 1/2 miles from the school. I cant even remember when the last real snow like that was, decades I think. The local mini loch, the Lochan used to be used every winter for curling the ice would be so thick, I cant recall the last winter it even froze over, let alone be safe to walk on.
Theres no doubt in my lifetime weather patterns have changed dramatically. Winters are a lot warmer and wetter. }}

{{ Bluebells are coming out! In February- shouldn't be showing until April/May. So things are well out of kilter, and if we do get a snap frost (which would be normal this time of year) it'll kill the lot off in one night }}

Thats well bloody odd ! Bluebells out this early ?? Ive seen daffodils, crocuses, snowdrops, irises & polyanthus out so far, even thats a tad early.

I installed a motion-activated light above the door of my shed, just down from my bedroom window. It keeps getting triggered by creatures making their way past at night. Last week it was a raggedy bobcat creeping down through--that one was kinda creepy--and a half hour ago a little gray fox with a brown head padded past. The fox seemed more concerned about the light coming on: by the time I peeked above the window-sill he was still looking around him uncertainly.

It's been neat. I didn't know they came so close, and you rarely see them otherwise. I've only seen a fox here a couple times, and a bobcat only once. And I've lived here for twenty years!

Cool, but does it keep waking you up? Maybe switch to red so it's not so jarring? And does it scare the critters when it flashes on?

Cool! bobcats are pretty.

This bobcat was a scraggly beast.

I only see the light if I'm awake or nearly when it comes on.

The animals bothered? Don't seem to be.

if its scraggly, is it hungry?

Im so lucky to have a resident hedgehog in my garden Hes got his own des-res stuffed with straw & hamster bedding. Every evening I put a massive bowl of food down for him and he manages to eat the lot. Im hoping he wont forget about the slugs and snails that rampage thru my plants ruining everything.

Perhaps it's hungry. I mean to say that it was not an attractive specimen.

A hedgehog in the garden sounds adorable.

A hedgehog in the garden is adorable tho I do envy that some people have more exotic creatures pop by Im thinking Bears, Bobcats & Deer. Its so limited for wildlife here because fuckwits want to keep bumping animals off, like Badgers

Deer are the real fuckwits. At least the small variety that we have out here.

Yeah, deer in this country need controlling. I don't approve of hunting of many animals, but deer are an exception. Sometimes rabbits. Despite being cute. The problem is some two legged fuckwits think it's a good adventure to kill apex predators, so we have to take up the slack.

my cat Pixie died. very sad. She was 14.

I'm sorry to hear that. Hope she came to a gentle end.

Thanks Halfy

{{ Sorry for your loss Figg. When my eldest cat died earlier this year I bawled my eyes out Im not ashamed to admit. Still miss her. I feel for you.}}