Mission complete- what next?

The great risk blogging is separating the readers, we had this conversation years ago I think on the old ones, but besides changing names if you read an account of your life you'd know even if others didn't. Totally legal or newspapers wouldn't exist, but not everyone likes being discussed online despite it purely being a written version of half the conversations on earth (minimum). What's more interesting than talking about the people we know? Facebook caught me out, the first site people I know use, as one person at least has agreed with me to avoid politics for 35 years as we knew our views then and were happy to leave each to them. Now he pops up and tuts sometimes as if he didn't remember I used to support Mrs Thatcher, although purely as the bleach to wipe out the Labour mess rather than her general policies. Once she had done that she went wild and I joined the other lot (not Labour, there were others), until certain of their leaders filled the gap on the left since Blair shifted Labour away, which is not actually the remit of a centre party, so I had to leave.

Anyway, the good news is I spent 5 hours driving to Battle yesterday, and was so tired as the roads after the M25 didn't exceed 50 mph for a mile or so at a time and less on the rest, as I was hoping to carry on to Hastings, but another 7 or so miles, doubling to 14, was pushing me over the edge, and actually found on return I'd only gone 12 miles past my last trip that way. The road sign I needed had had the numbers peeled off, leaving a negative where the dirt hadn't reached the backing, just like a road junction one near Cambridge. And it had a red triangle for the children sign below it rather than the required circle (as on a private road) so only just an addition to the collection to the 'damaged' list (there is a joke there but even I can draw the line occasionally).

The new camera is wonderful, making sharp edges and blue skies most of the time, the faults being manual semi auto focus (ie no control but can't leave it to do the work) and it slants verticals which is pretty much like saying 'Macbeth' in a dressing room or bringing ham to a barmitzvah. And that's on a large digital screen, I will submit a sample to a photo forum and see if they can suggest a tweak. I spent most of today adding them online and just finished (don't look at the time), but nothing on tomorrow. The boilerman returned today, and found what I assumed was the fault hiding behind the fault he fixed, after a little direction from me as to its behaviour as a result of it. It was fixed and covered by the previous work thank goodness, and should now have a warm winter. If it works it won't need a service for another year anyway now.

So my map is full for 2012, and if I feel like it next spring would bag another 100km square which is at least 70 miles as the crow flies in any direction. There are methods to get two as the nodes touch so if you aim for one can do it that way, west is too far off the main road but north is a small detour west just before (cough) Peterborough. That's a fun ride I remember, but would prefer a luxury car (one with a boot and engine over 1300cc that is) as it does make a difference on a long run. But till then it's now whatever I like as the coast stops me going any further where the routes would be easier. The house and garden will now benefit, and whatever else I do when I'm here on the creative side. Although it's the exception (slightly above women asking men out) apart from other people finding road signs for me I haven't really achieved anything I can remember this year beyond my own work. Nothing else has really changed or happened to help, the news has been dire- apart from a new law making squatting a crime (as if it just occured to people having other people take your house over and stopping you living there, using the gas and electricity and not paying any tax) and anyone else I know's decisions have pretty much not been in ways I'd benefit from either. Of course when for instance a friend moves abroad it isn't personal, but then again neither would it be if they chose to come back, but I'd benefit. People don't do things to pee us off much, they do what they have to and we are caught in the crossfire as collateral damage. Maybe I should use that as a screen name, as from the day my mother left us to the day my friend left Britain probably for good I have had the roll of paper to wipe up after them. Thank god the most important decisions have been good, ie my exams, and then the successful TV work, but outside the business area which I've always had covered pretty well, the personal side has been scraps. Besides my good friends who have now dwindled as described in great detail long ago, the women have been worse than anyone could ever have written in a novel. Whatever could go wrong did, almost without an exception, hence my long history of being single, and each new attempt following the same end regardless of the means- mental illness, emigration, parent pressure, ex boyfriends, you name it and many more ways I couldn't have thought up beforehand it's gone wrong. I'm even going to the wedding of the one who left me the second her ex found out I'd caught her on the rebound in 1993. I'd possibly have been married to her nearly 20 years and had children otherwise, instead of a series of cats. Not that I couldn't have had them both.

So this woman (see how smoothly I got back on track there?) appears to fit the same pattern I've had since the day I dumped my first girlfriend as she was boring (she was) and changed my mind the day after but she didn't want to know. I've been punished for that ever since, and even accepted boring women at 30 (I planned to drop faults from the list every decade), but can't yet accept dim ones. As I learnt long ago you need something to talk about afterwards (you know), it's the second most important thing (at least I'm honest in admitting it) to me, and may drop that requirement at 60 if no one else has arrived. The routine so far has been each decade when I drop a deal breaker from the list those women are no longer interested in me instead. The formula has been better than any scientific one besides putting vinegar in baking soda. It is infinitely repeatable and have as yet found no way to interrupt its constant action. If I have enough money I'll ask CERN to create one for me now they've found the Higgs Boson and have to find something else to use it for. Publishing one of my articles would be nice as well. Stranger things have happened