Sherlock loved his time on the boat, and, although he won't say it, I think he liked having John there. Sherlock knows he's not like other kids, and he needs people around who'll be sympathetic when he pushes boundaries (if they're new, untested boundaries - he knows exactly which ones he isn't to test any more!) So things like bedtime in an untested area, with all his schoolfriends - sometimes he needs a gentle hand to guide him.
Anyway, he loved it, took great joy in being the provider of horrible bedtime tales, had a great day the next day, when they did a bit of a walking tour of a few London sights before going to the Science museum for lunch, a look around, and finally home. Maf leapt on John and wiped herself all over him to stop him smelling like 30 schoolkids and re-mark him as her chief minion.
As you all know, being the worst person at 'taking it easy' in the world, I messed around in his room, as he's been saying he wants a den in there for ages. And I think it's right he has a nice private space he can go to, as he grows up. It's something I never had, and would have loved. He also knows nowhere is completely 'private' from John and I - there are no secrets when you're 8, sadly. It's a fine line, but one I think we get right more than wrong.
Of course, when I offered Mycroft something to make up for Sherlock getting a new bed, he didn't want anything - but the offer is always open, Mycroft! Feel free to store it up and use it for a bit of a hand when you get your first place, though ;)
We were allowed to go and see Mycroft at work today - we just bought a few things and got a coffee (made by Mycroft). It's lovely to see him at work, getting on with things. At the moment he doesn't work Sundays and Mondays, because that's the days the owner takes off. But I think he'll soon be there then, too, and have random days off, he's doing so well.
And here are... err...cakes. Basically. In a graveyard. Not eaten by our dogs, but Mycroft and I found them whilst we were walking them the other morning. Absolutely no idea why - but if they were offerings to the dead, then the dead enjoyed one of them.
I'm back to work for a bit tomorrow. Just for paperwork. Probably bring some home, too.
It's really hot and sticky here now, I wonder if we've got a thunderstorm on the way. Oh, and we've got lots of tiny French beans on our bean plants!
123 comments:
Graveyard cakes...
Mycroft refers to them as 'Cakes of the Damned'.
Ha, very nice. They look like they...used to be tasty.
You did an amazing job on Sherlock's room by the way. Wish I'd had that when I was his age.
I wish I had too. Which is doubtless why I've done it. You can tell me anytime you think I'm spoiling him.
Or I could build a den in our room too ;)
With a climbing net?
It'd be good, eh? But people might not believe it was for innocent fun...
By 'people' I assume you mean everyone who reads this blog ;)
I assume most of them probably think our room is already decked out with a St Andrews' Cross and a sawhorse or something. They seem like that sort.
I'm not even sure I know what a sawhorse is in a non-carpentry context. Though I suppose I can guess.
The only vaguely carpentry-like activities that would occur on it involve tongue and groove ;)
Ha!
Oh Brazil...letting me down to the end! But for the Netherlands...the future's bright, the future's orange?
Danger - I shall deflect all questions from the small one about that entire conversation to you in the morning.
Well, that'll be fun...
I'd hate you to be bored while I'm not here.
You always have my best interests at heart.
As long as it's after I've had my tea.
I'll bring you tea at the same time as I bring you Sherlock ;)
Want a cuppa now?
Anyway, I'm already out of date with his room - he wants a hammock now.
Yes please.
A hammock...I suppose that was to be expected. It was pretty good.
the only things around here with hammocks will be the goos and Maf.
When we retire to our desert island I'll fetch you a cool coconut to sip from while lazing in a hammock on our beach, deal?
Sounds lovely.
Suppose I should go to bed. Have to try and remember how to do work in the morning.
We had one perfect score for our penultimate game so well done to DW for that. If there is a tie on points after the final tomorrow then we will use the number of perfect scores as the deciding factor and if that is also a tie then we will use the number of 2's scored in the knock-out stages.
The table after the 3rd place play off stands as follows:
Z, Joolz - 63
anonybob - 62
ro - 61
REReader 60
Sherlock, Lestrade - 59
Small Hobbit - 57
Nameless - 56
graham22 - 53
MT88, Paula, John - 52
kholly - 51
Desert Wanderer - 49
Lancs Anon - 42
Piplover - 40
mag - 38
Sally - 37
KT - 27
The predictions for the World Cup Final 2014 are as follows:
Germany v Argentina
Joolz 2-1 Germany, Lestrade 3-1 Germany, Lancs Anon 2-2 Germany, Small Hobbit 3-1 Germany, MT88 , Desert Wanderer 4-1 Germany, kholly 3-2 Germany, Z 2-1 Germany, anonybob 3-1 Germany, graham22 3-0 Germany, mag , Paula 3-0 Germany, Nameless 2-1 Germany, Sherlock 4-2 Germany, REReader 2-2 Argentina, ro 2-1 Germany, KT 1-3 Argentina, Piplover 3-2 Germany, John 3-2 Germany, Sally 3-1 Germany
So it seems as if the majority of people are going for Germany for the final with only REReader and KT choosing Argentina and it looks like it will all come down to how many goals are scored on the day to determine the winner and also how many perfect scores and 2's those people have scored too. (Do you want me to post how many everyone has before the game starts so people can work out who will win if it comes down to a tie or just leave it to the end and tell you after?)
(MT88 and mag can still get the predictions in before kick-off if you want to enter).
Good luck everyone. :)
I think you get most things vastly more right than wrong with the boys. Now that my kids (admittedly, neither were of Sherlock's ilk) are grown-ish, they have admitted that they liked having an involved parent, even when they got quite a bit older, when I was present but more in the background. One said she sometimes resented that I paid so much attention until she saw what it was like in friends' homes where the parents didn't pay attention.
It may be too far in the past by now to be of interest, but does Sherlock think that Maf would sleep in a hammock? (If there were no John or Greg heads to sleep on, of course.)
fA
P.s. Never occurred to me you'd have anything requiring anchoring or assembly in your room because if you had, I'd have expected some bit of hardware to feature in one of Sherlock's projects or gymnastic exploits, eventually.
fA
I'm happy for you to leave it to the end and tell us, Joolz - I'm not sure I'd be able to work it out anyway, after a beer or two and watching the final!
I've definitely forgotten how to work. Is that possible, do you think? Date-rape drugs are meant to make you forget the moment...not how to do your job. But maybe I could make a case for it...
Somehow I doubt anyone will believe you. When I go back to work after a few days out and have picked up the pile of papers that have fallen over from my 'to do' pile I always look at them blankly in the hope that they'll magically sort themselves out and won't require any intelligent input from me.
John said I should tell you about the ship and we had talk and watched videos of people who had really been sailors on board and we heard all about being in the Arctic and how dangerous it was. And we went all around the ship and learnt about living on it and eating and sleeping and they had a doctor and a dentist and everything like a little town on a boat and it was really good but it was small and I don't think I'd like to be on a boat like that all the time because you didn't get a chance to be on your own at all. Then we did some drawings of whatever we wanted and then in the afternoon a man came who had actually been on the boat and he let us ask questions about everything. We could even look at the things they had on board and the clothes they wore and everything.
Thank you, Sherlock, that sounds like it was fascinating, especially getting to talk with someone who really did it all. That's as good as a primary source gets, although seeing all the real things they used is excellent too.
I quite agree with you about needing private time, so I don't think I'd like living like that long term either.
Thanks, Sherlock! The lack of privacy would be hard, but a person can do hard things, sometimes, if they know it won't be for always. That doesn't mean it feels good, though.
fA
Hey Sherlock, I'll be home in a bit. Do you want some burgers and polenta chips tonight? We can make the burgers ourselves. Ask Mycroft and John if they'd like that.
YES Mycroft says he'll make the polenta ready.
...are you on my laptop Sherlock?
Yes but because I was doing my homework and John is watching and said I could. That was me and not you but Mycroft is making the polenta like you do.
I may be confused about a lot of things...but even I know when it's me who's commented or not.
Usually.
Am I allowed in your den to do my paperwork?
(I wasn't.)
It's his PRIVATE space! ;)
One more game then, guys, one more game! Will the German goal be surrounded by smashed watermelon like the Netherlands' was the other night??
What is going on with people getting concussed on the pitch and playing on?
And I say that as the sort of stubborn idiot who'd do exactly that...but that's why there are referees and medics to stop you!
He did look really out of it when he came off didn't he. Even though he didn't want to leave the excitement of the match, somebody should have known better.
Chances for both teams, still really hard to call.
It is hard to call, yeah. Both teams look dangerous in their own way.
Is it wrong to find Manuel Neuer a bit attractive? But slightly put off by him looking a little too much like Jeffrey Dahmer for my comfort...
I'd say it's wrong - but only because the bones in his face have a type of appeal that doesn't do much for me. Not at all because it's wrong in theory to find a footballer a bit attractive. Especially in an entirely theoretical way . . .
fA
He does, unfortunately, have the look of a sulky teenager quite a lot.
But at 6'4" and built like that I bet he gives good...hugs.
I will say there's a sad lack of good looking footballers in this comp!
You mean Suarez isn't your cup of tea Greg? ;-)
Ha! Not much, no.
John, however, is my cup of tea, and is currenltly half asleep on top of me. shows his interest in tis game!
Your 'cup of tea' is definitely the best choice, Greg, despite his lack of interest. ;)
Is it wrong that every time I see Palacio I want to yank that bit of hair off. ;)
Well unless 4 goals are scored in the next 20 minutes to make it either 3-1 G or 2-2 A, I don' think there will be a change to the top...
I don't blame my cup of tea for dozing - it's not that good a game, really. He'll wake up when someone scores, as his pillow will either cheer or groan.
Hey! That was my red card I'd predicted! Bloody refs...
YEEESSSSS!
GORGEOUS goal!!!!
Did you knock John off the couch cheering?
.... he may need to be checked for both concussion and burst eardrums. And I made one of the dogs howl. And woke up Sherlock.
The one I wanted won! And now Lestrade said I have to go back to bed but it's his fault I'm awake anyway and they should have scored lots more goals not just one
N'night, Sherlock :-)
Well there we have it, not a match full of goals and almost the threat of penalties again until Germany pulled it out in the last quarter so well done to them and as far as we are concerned here we have to say HUGE congratulations go to ... Z ... The only other people who had a chance going in to this final were anonybob and REReader who could both have won if they got a perfect score for this last game as they would have had a higher number of perfect scores throughout the tournament. Z and I both had the same number of perfect scores so the next level of division came down to how many 2's were scored during the second half of the competition and Z had the most so a well deserved victory is achieved.
http://tinypic.com/m/icld34/2
The final table for the World Cup 2014 stands as follows:
(the number in brackets is how many perfect scores each person got and if it was still tied then it is how many 2's were scored)
Z - 65 (4) (10 x 2's)
Joolz - 65 (4) (7 x 2's)
anonybob - 64 (9)
ro - 63 (7)
Lestrade - 61 (5)
Sherlock - 61 (4)
REReader - 60 (8)
Small Hobbit - 59 (6)
Nameless - 58 (7)
graham22 - 55 (7)
MT88 - 54 (7)
Paula - 54 (3) (7 x 2's)
John - 54 (3) (6 x 2's)
kholly - 53 (5)
Desert Wanderer - 51 (6)
Lancs Anon - 43 (1)
Piplover - 42 (8)
Sally - 39 (1)
mag - 38 (2)
KT - 27 (0)
Thank you to everyone for playing, it has been great fun and really made the whole competition worth watching for me certainly. Thanks. :)
Thanks for doing such an awesome job joolz, the competition and the way you've kept us updated with predictions has made the whole thing far more interesting especially after England went out :-)
Thank you so much for organising it all, Joolz, and reminding us all to participate ;) It's made it all much more fun- especially when England and Italy both slunk off so early.
So thank you for all your hard work, and well done to Z!! You can bask in all your glory anytime you like. You can get the virtual Golden Keyboard for top footy pundit ;)
Germany's efforts are worthwhile if the end result is that Sherlock woke up to rejoice.
Poor John was going to have to wake up to go to bed anyway, right? I'm sure you can check his hearing, reflexes and anything else that needs checking, probably with downright touching enthusiasm.
I admit that I'm pretty happy that the Colombian striker, Rodriguez, retained the high scorer credentials for the Cup.
fA
Rodriguez should have got the golden ball - no way Messi should have, he was in no way exciting on the pitch.
Woooooooo!!! Thanks all, I am definitely basking in my glory :) If you were all here I'd pat you all affectionately on the cheeks like the players do.
Thanks, Joolz, for running it, and for the lovely banner :) And congrats yourself.
I agree about Rodriguez. And I was personally rooting for Howard for the golden glove.
Echoing congratulations to Z, thanks to Joolz. It was definitely more interesting than it would have been otherwise.
And re: above discussion about items in your bedroom, Lestrade, I was sure there'd have been one or two things that required nailing...
I mean, you must have a painting or some artwork to hang between the two of you, right? Or at least some shelves?
Well, you know DW, I'm not above a bit of DIY when the urge strikes, but I'd often rather get a man in when any nailing, screwing, or hole-filling is needed.
Well, some jobs are more hands-on than others, I suppose.
indeed, and you always need the right tools for the job.
Not to mention a working knowledge of various aids (lubricants, fasteners, etc.)
absolutely. Must be well prepared or things could get sticky.
Anyway, must go to bed. Work in the morning. Although I'd really rather not, to be honest.
I have the uneasy feeling that I've just misunderstood a whole conversation--and that that might be just as well. ;)
Congrats, Z, and thanks for all your work, Joolz!
Nothing to misunderstand, RR. Just some general observations on whether it's better to be hands on when filling holes in one's home or have someone else do it.
I'll just accept that....
Pass along folks, nothing to see here!
Congratulations Z and thank you for all your work Joolz.
I know it's a while off, but maybe we could do the Rugby World Cup next year?
I think it being a while off is good - gives Joolz a chance to recover ;) and I don't think we should do it too often, but big things - and rugby scores will prove interestingly impossible to predict, too!
I would like to be....anywhere but here.
I don't think I'd be much more random at Rugby scores than I was at tennis and football, but it's a laugh.
As to the being at work thing, I feel much the same. I'm being made redundant at the end of term (no big deal, already got a new, better job, it was still horrible) and everyone is making plans for next year, preparing for next year, doing lists for next year. I feel like a ghost (and as the old joke goes, where would I find one at this time of the day?)
Glad you have something new and better lined up. But yeah, I can imagine that must be odd.
When people retire here they always get the odds and sods at the end, because there's no point getting them stuck into a big investigation if they leave halfway through - plays havoc with the court case. And the ones who find it hardest are the ones who don't know they're on their last case, but it just works out that way.
Not sure about that. I've known since February that I was going in July after 23 years. I appreciate that it must be far worse to suddenly have to stop because of ill health or similar and even more so with the police service when the reasons a person might have to suddenly stop don't bear thinking about but it's still awful, I still have people coming to me to sort their problems and I have absolutely no ability to do that, but they still whinge. The net result is that I feel like I'm letting people down when it certainly wasn't my idea to go.
Will stop whinging now, sorry guys!
Here's a question I've been meaning to ask, has the den-ness of Sherlock's bed meant that he's waking you up any later?
Oh, I didn't mean they suddenly stopped, I meant people who finish a case and expect their next one to be the last (usually folk who are retiring due to age) but then another big one just doesn't come along. I know it shouldn't make a difference, but somehow it does. Leaving on a whimper not a bang, I guess? I don't know.
The one bright point of my day has been teasing Sal, who has a date tonight.
Good luck, Sal, hope he's a keeper!
Good luck, Sally. I hope you have a lovely time.
Thank you, John. Why can't your husband just say nice things like that?
He was afraid of what the shock might do to you?
Now I'm trying to imagine the human who'd be good enough for the [glimpses of] DS Donovan we see here. Hope all of you who've gotten through your day have a good evening. Today work feels like it will never end and I will never get enough accomplished even if it goes on forever.
Coffee. My only.
fA
Coffee. My only HOPE.
I'm worse off than I thought.
fA
I was being nice! I hope he's good enough for you Sal.
And not a serial killer.
Well, "not a serial killer" worked for you, so I guess that's not as snarky a remark as it might appear if we didn't know you first met John to rule out the possibility he might be one.
Jeez. Nobody would make that up - it'd be too hard to believe.
fA
I frequently don't believe my own life.
I'm still not 100%, fA. Not now he's got his little hench-cat as his sidekick.
Until the cat starts wearing a fedora, you're probably okay.
Sal - it's not Murray, is it?
Ha! Oh God, there's a date I'd like to be a fly on the wall for.
Hmmm. Is Sally "tennis mad?"
If not, that epic colliding of personalities is yet avoided. Unless, of course, Murray's been a rather busy fella, lately.
fA
Sal is not tennis mad. I think, if pushed, she prefers athletics? But not sure.
Murray being busy on the other hand...he is best friends with 3C, you know?
P.s. RR, I am going to take visions of Maf patrolling the flat in a little fedora off to this next stretch of purgatory as I'm locked in battle with my database. Thank-you.
fA
Tennis isn't athletic enough? Or is this a Brit usage of the term with which I am unfamiliar?
All I'll say to the rest is that time (& repetitive learning experiences) slow most of us down a bit, even those who haven't yet found their Mr./Ms. Right.
fA
err... track and field? Is that what you call it? Running and...throwing, jumping etc.
Thanks. Yes, that's track & field.
onwards
fA
Hang in there, fA. I have to say though, I sorta liked "Coffee. My only." as it stood. I could fill in the blank with any number of things. I hasten to add that they were ALL appropriate.
is there something I should know about cats and fedoras?
(L--Gangster sidekicks in film noir wore fedoras.)
Who asked about Sherlock and waking up later? The answer is no. I still get woken early, but currently John gets a lie in because Mycroft is sufficiently entertaining for 30 mins or so!
So I missed a few days of following the Tour, and just tuned back in....are there ANY top contenders left? Cavendish, Froome, Contador, all out. If it keeps going like this, all Napoli has to do is not fall over.
Hope you had a lovely date, Sally!
Cats and fedoras? http://i.imgur.com/ilFmJEs.jpg
Ella
Cute picture Ella. Maybe John should get Maf a little fedora.
Maybe a little machine gun in a violin case too...whose side are you lot on??
I have only just now seen the header change. So just how far behind am I? (I like it)
And a little pin-striped suit...
On the side of the cute, of course!
Basically Maf is in the Ant Hill Mob from The Wacky Races? Could be worse could be the Arkansas Chuggabug!
Is this a big hoax or has Gove actually been moved? If only he'd shifted Osborne and Hunt too
Ding Dong, I think covers it! Although at times like these I always remember Hillaire Belloc's 'Always stick tight hold of nurse for fear of finding something worse!'
Any of you in the USA want to tell your Government to pay our Government the £8.7 million they owe? ($14.9 Mill)
I tell them to do things All The Time, but they never listen. (Which 14.9 mil would that be?)
The congestion charge for driving in London. There's a few countries who stubbornly refuse to pay it.
I shall pass on the message--and confidently expect to be just as ignored as when I asked them to impose the same sort of congestion charge for midtown Manhattan. (Of course, those are two different levels of government. I presume this one needs to be sent to the feds, for ambassadorial vehicles?)
Yeah, I think it's the Embassy that's run the bill up.
I don't think Manhattan is missing too much - London is still gridlocked most of the time!
It's just so hard to believe that nothing can be done when you're standing waiting over an hour for a crosstown bus!
I solve the bus/congestion problem by using a folding bicycle. Ride some places, fold and take it on the bus or train for other trips.
Naturally the best bike for the job is made in England.... "Dealing with congestion since 1373"
We just like to scatter bikes around now, instead of relying on people to have their own. Definitely better - and cheaper! than the congestion charge.
We have rental bikes here now, too--in some parts of the city--but I think it does the opposite of help. You aren't required to wear a helmet on the rentals, and people seem to think that it's fine to ride on sidewalks and against traffic.
You're not required to wear helmets here, either. And you couldn't cycle on the pavements in the middle of town - pedestrians are just as gridlocked as the roads!
You can't even move in Time Square right before the shows start! It's amazing to me that people think they can whizz through on bikes when there is NO SPACE.
Sherlock - I know it's too late for you to see this tonight, but I didn't get time to tell you earlier: it's flying ant day here today! I saw them this evening when I left work and thought of you :-)
I am listening to this past weekend's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, and, discussing the problem of people trying to take selfies by jumping into the road ahead of the Tour de France, and suggested issuing polo mallets to the riders.
That would make the Tour more interesting...
Nameless - I'll let him know in the morning. He's been hanging off John half the evening begging to go swimming tomorrow. I don't know how John has the energy!
(THEY suggested, not "and" suggested, of course.)
RR--I know a lot of people who went to that taping, since it was at Red Rocks. Apparently the live show is like three hours long, edited down to an hour. They all said it was tons of fun. I wanted to go but didnt have the money.
And this goofy cat who's semi-adopted me apparently snuck in the house sometime either today or yesterday and then couldn't get back out...I don't actually know, because i wasn't home last night, so I haven't been by the house. He is alternating between deeply offended, and wanting all the cuddles in the world. But he doesn't seem too much the worse for wear. He is alternating between eating food, drinking water from the sink, lecturing me in distressed yowls, asking to be let out and then asking to come back in, and sitting on my lap attempting to nurse from my fingers (which hurts). I'm not fluent in Cat so I'm not sure if I've deeply offended him and our relationship is damaged forever, or if he's happy to see me.
Ella
In a cat, being deeply offended by one and happy to see one (as the purveyor of food and cuddles, particularly) are not mutually exclusive states. ;-)
fA
yeah, the "deeply offended" part is probably just her way of impatiently training you up... while accepting your food and cuddles is rewarding you for your good behavior. :)
S
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