Mutterings - Jan 4

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Pathetic :: Symphony (but better as pathétique!)
2. Snapshot :: System
3. Start :: Menu (oh dear this is getting very geeky!)
4. Combine :: Harvester
5. Assertive :: Manner
6. Think :: Storm (maybe via brain)
7. Storm :: (don't think I saw this line, see above) Mental. But I was tempted by some half remembered lines from Cocteau's La Machine Infernale - I see Cocteau associated himself into the last one too!
8. Humor :: Sense (of)
9. Regain :: Ground
10. Resolve :: Firm

Mutterings - Dec 29

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Parents :: Terribles - a Cocteau play
2. Controversy :: Political
3. Twitter :: rajm - me!
4. Minute :: Waltz
5. Back and forth :: Havering
6. Producing :: Litter (puppies rather than rubbish!)
7. Twigs :: Understands
8. Giants :: Walk
9. Clinic :: Dental
10. Amazing :: Grace

Mutterings - Dec 13

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Pushed :: (onto the ) Stack - software algorithms!
2. Desire :: Heat
3. Fold :: Over (origami)
4. Ruffle :: IRC
5. Human :: Spirit (resists torpedo!)
6. Torpedo :: Chances
7. Lantern :: Magic
8. Terror :: Existential
9. Distaste :: Prim
10. Accomplish :: Sign

Mutterings - Dec 12

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Host :: Communion
2. Nail :: Hand (take that how you will!)
3. Clause :: Subordinate
4. Pen :: Le (French politics..)
5. Therapy :: Retail
6. Highlight :: Pen(!)
7. Panting :: Desire
8. Education :: Primary (or Bad - Almodóvar
9. Contribution :: Financial
10. Lie :: Politics (and thinking of certain blonde headed - current - leaders)

Mutterings - Dec 6

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Cloud :: Cirrus (carefully avoiding internet links!)
2. Officer :: Salute
3. Physical :: Exercise
4. Advantageous :: Position
5. Mobile :: Phone (having 'fun' here at the moment)
6. Threat :: Existential
7. Potential :: Energy
8. Confined :: Prison
9. Overlap :: Origami
10. Domain :: Web

Mutterings - Nov 23

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Notification :: Popup
2. Screen :: Time
3. Purify :: Scald
4. Obsolete :: Version
5. Contaminate :: Drop (into)
6. Nightmare :: Shouting (in my case)
7. Show :: Tell
8. People :: Friends
9. Unique :: Solution
10. Install :: Package (software showing!)

Mutterings - Nov 9

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Cancel :: Delete
2. Optimistic :: Outlook
3. Surrogate :: Mother
4. Tickle :: Fancy
5. Amber :: Insect (in)
6. Stuffy :: Old fashioned
7. Chaos :: Theory
8. Desktop :: Tidy (not mine!)
9. Dynamite :: Stick
10. Holidays :: Summer

Mutterings - Oct 25

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Conceive :: [a] child
2. Exterminate :: Sink plunger (or a Dalek..!)
3. Forest :: Peace
4. Artistic :: Bent
5. Compulsive :: Twitch
6. Original :: Theme (Variations on... not sure which set I was thinking of! Elgar? Beethoven?)
7. Excessive :: Bureaucracy
8. Fancy! :: Free!
9. English :: Language
10. Conceit :: Artifice

Porto Meanderings

The full day we spent in Porto we followed the suggested InnTravel walks around the city. This picture is some of the tiles high up in São Bento, plenty more tiles there but I did like the ones up near the roof.

Evening meal was again at Jimao Tapas e Vinhos - enjoyed on both occasions!

Mutterings - Oct 13

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Say something :: Anything!
2. Eventually :: Event-u-ally (said slowly) was it a John Cleese-ism?
3. Contract :: Bridge
4. Worth :: Harry (a UK comedian of the 50s)
5. Nasty :: or Nice?
6. Corrupt :: Politician
7. Virus :: Noro-
8. System :: Backup
9. Supportive :: Friend
10. Dictator :: Mussolini

Transfer to Porto

After enjoying another evening and breakfast at Calheiros we took an Inntravel arranged taxi to Porto for a few extra days stay at the Hotel Pestana . We'd arranged a trip to the Graham port lodge for a tasting that afternoon and so wandered over the river and a walk alongside admiring painted walls:


See the album for the rabbit! I'd rather gone off the sweetness of port but the tasting and introduction to the lodge was much enjoyed! That evening we ate at Jimao Tapas e Vinhos close to the hotel - busy I'd recommend booking (which we did).
Oh and at lunchtime we ate at da Terra - a vegetarian restaurant with a serve yourself infinite buffet!

Mutterings - Oct 5

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Cold :: Fever
2. Center :: Stillness
3. Squared :: Root
4. History :: Course
5. Stiff :: Dead
6. Computer :: Board
7. Fold :: Tri(-fold) cord
8. Trip :: Fall
9. Away :: Manger (is it Christmas soon?)
10. Stuffy :: Old-fashioned

Around Calheiros

A final day of the manor houses' walk was a very gentle walk around Calheiros with grandstand views of the house:


For the rest of the day we enjoyed walks around the grounds with extensive gardens.

Mutterings - Oct 4

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Care :: (in the) Community (allegedly!)
2. Siblings :: Siegmund (Sieglinde) must have been provoked by Jessye Norman's deth
3. Underpants :: Knickers!
4. Compassion :: Alongside
5. Best :: George - there is ancient football knowledge somewhere..
6. Festive :: Hat
7. Incomplete :: Specification - lots of those
8. Educated :: Eton - not me!
9. Similar :: Mirror..image
10. Pretentious :: Tw*t

Up to Paço de Calheiros

More on that even more receded holiday in May! The next day's walk was a very gently affair, we arrived at the final manor house around lunchtime. If you do this spend more time in Ponte de Lima - where by the way the lamp posts play brass band music at you - I think this was set off by motion detectors and they seemed to be still activating late into the evening, if you're allergic to brass band music walk down the middle of the road!



A slightly ascending route and we ended up in a wonderful room for 2 nights in the manor house - the picture is a view from the terrace outside the room. Extensive grounds and the house is worth the look around. There were quite a few groups for the evening meal in a grand dining room!

Mutterings - Sep 19

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Guest :: Account
2. Intimidate :: Overbearing
3. Flavor :: Vanilla
4. Suspicious :: Glare
5. Contaminate :: Pollute
6. Bordering :: (on the ) absurd
7. Language :: Watch (your)
8. Corrupt :: Government
9. Satisfy :: Wine bottle
10. Monthly :: Pay cheque

Mutterings - Sep 15

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Ring :: Wagner
2. Chess :: Gambit
3. Fulfilled :: Accomplished
4. Drawing :: Still-life
5. Favor :: Grace
6. Proof :: QED
7. Million :: Bonus
8. Pad :: Across (as in an animal padding across somewhere)
9. Chest :: Inhaler
10. Code :: Breaking the ...

Prorogation and Tory Whipping

I wrote this letter to my MP after an earlier exchange of letters where David Rutley's response failed to address any of my points and was clearly a form letter from conservative central office. I got the first response around 24 hours after my email, his was sent my post - why(?). I'm still waiting for a response from this.

Thank you for your speedy response to my email about the deselection
of rebel tory MPs, unfortunately your letter addressed none of my
points and seemed to be to be high grade flannel from Central Office,
but no doubt you're a little busy. Let me then offer these questions
for hopefully a more to the point consideration.

Were you there at the Chequers meeting which agreed that Tory MPs who
rebel on Bexit will be ejected from the party and not allowed to stand
in the future?

Do you agree with that position?

Will the same sanctions apply to anyone from the extreme right of the
party who votes against any agreement by Johnson's 'negotiating' group
delivered before 31st Oct?

Did you know about the decision to prorogue Parliament more than 24
hours before it was publically announced? (the leader of the House
appears to have difficulty with this question hopefully you can give a
more honest answer)

Was the decision to prorogue Parliament announced on 28th Aug discussed in a full meeting of Cabinet beforehand?

If the answers to either of the last 2 questions is no, then your
letter saying 'nothing to see here' 'usual practice' is clearly a
lie. I remember (you may have forgotten) that the decision to extend
the Parliamentary session was taken to give the time for Bexit to be
done. To therefore prorogue 6 weeks before the current departure date
seems a little at odds with that!

I guess these direct questions are a little harder to flannel around. I see his twitter handle on the linked parliament page is still incorrect - should be @DavidRutley rather than @DavidRutleyMP. David Rutley is a tory whip.

Mutterings - Sep 10

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Baby :: Computer
2. Standard :: Gold
3. Pose :: Freeze
4. Rubbish :: Bin
5. Clear :: In the .. I'm thinking of this Blitzstein song
6. Hope :: Obama
7. Circumference :: Magellan
8. Scramble :: Rock
9. Gasp :: Interview (I was accused of this at an interview when a previous employer was brought up)
10. Hunted :: Look

Mutterings - Aug 25

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Adopt :: Parent
2. Turbulence :: Nexus
3. Constituent :: Demanding
4. Reckless :: Fall
5. Habitat :: Hull (my brother in law worked at Habitat in Hull back in the 1980s)
6. Spare :: Tyre
7. Horror :: Film
8. Influence :: Destructive
9. Indulge :: Ice cream
10. Humanity :: Caring