Fighting-Talk Chest-Clearing Jumper

From Facebook Archives

18 September 2010 at 16:47

Went with Thunderthighs to the Sage this morning to see BBC5 Live's Fighting Talk being broadcast.  

Had a really good laugh and feel much better for it.

18 September 2011 at 12:55

I do wish Facebook would stop inviting me to play "new addicting games".  

It's ADDICTIVE you illiterate ungrammatical yanks.   

Sorry, just had to get that off my chest, it's really getting on my t**s

18 September 2013

Here is my new winter jumper wot I just knit - 

the motifs were stolen from hats, placemats and I worked the cats out myself.

 🐑🐑🐑 

For more knitting yarns see also

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2021/01/henlady.html

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2022/09/beetle-jumper.html

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-lockdown-project.html

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/02/my-first-picture-pullover.html

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/02/that-reminded-me.html

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2026/02/knitting-yarn.html

Life's A Beach

Which reminds me – it’s far too long since I saw the sea and had a paddle

From Facebook Archives

17 September 2016 at 19:56

OK folks here's one.

Having been seduced into seawading (or plodging in the venacular) by Mrs Poet I've promised to take the boys for a paddle tomorrow.  But which sandy beach should it be?

Druridge - a bit far but easy parking and The Drift café

Seaton Sluice - parking? somewhere to eat?

WhitleyBay south of St Mary's

Longsands - nicest but parking problematic and likely to be crowded.

Any opinions ...

Mrs Lasagne  Well Tynemouth ,but crowded usually , Druridge lovely ,xxx

Mrs Jeremy  We often go to Seaton Sluice beach for a walk.  There's free parking and it's a nice beach.  We've always been able to get parked. Food -wise, there is the Waterford Arms pub and a couple of others whose names I can't remember.

Kentishlady  Seaton Sluice gets my vote too!

Mrs Fisher  There is also Crescent Cafe in Seaton Delaval which is en route to Seaton Sluice (or you could stop off on your way home ) which has the most amazing ice cream.  It also does food.

Float  Druridge every time for me!

Mrs Poet  Just got back ..try out the others and tell me if they match up to Longsands 🐬

Mr Ofarabia  Read the info on sinking sand unusually occurring on some beaches in the north east this year, can't remember where I saw it.

StBernard:-

Druridge too far. 

Seaton Sluice has best chippy but closed Sundays. 

Longsands canny but pay to park & expensive chippies (and Bill's at Cullercoats and Marshall's at Tynemouth are both shit). 

Answer for a Sunday = park in the huge free car park at Blyth South Beach & enjoy the plodging there on the North end of the Blyth-Seaton Sluice beach. 'The Coastline' Italian chippy is pricey and second best to the (closed Sundays) Harbour View at Seaton Sluice but it beats the hell out of the rubbish on offer in Cullercoats, Tynemouth & North Shields. 

Here endeth the rant😛

Mrs Jeremy  Do let us know which beach you decide to go to, Ben - I'm curious to know which one wins the day!

Philsniece  You can always park in our drive for Longsands x

Bentonbag I would but I don't have your correct address!

Philsniece  Oops, we've been through this before - sorry, will message you now, feel free to park anytime if you want to visit the beach or Tynemouth or just pop in for a cup of tea x

Mr Littlefamily  Dumping surf at Sluice on occasions.  Blyth is good.

(We ended up at Blyth Beach, but I still prefer Druridge Bay)

 

 

Losing Lisa-cat

From Facebook Archives

14 September 2010 at 10:42

Lisa cat has been killed.  

Just had a knock on the front door - 

my neighbour and a woman in tears - 

Lisa lying dying in the road - 

driver had no chance to stop -  

at least I was there when she went - 

feel awful - 

how do we tell Thunderthighs? 

and comfort him?

Paganess  I'm sooo sorry Ben, it's right to grieve. Have a funeral and then a Thunderthighs style wake?

Bentonbag  I do grieve, she was my familiar, shoulder climber, would come into bed and lie tented under my legs while we did the crossword.   

We nearly didn't get Lisa.

The kitten I wanted had a hernia lump by its navel so Drifter's Reach kept him and we brought her home instead.  

Black cats are not easy to photograph so we don't have many pictures of her.   

Matilda and Felix are both lovely but not the same.

Mrs Frayarn  Oh Ben, I'm so sorry to hear that.  At least you were there and honestly that will be a comfort in the long term, you'll know she didn't go on her own.

We lost our son's cat Scrappy the same way last year.  The husband was with him.   

It would have torn me apart if he'd died on his own.  We sat our son down and told him and let him see Scrappy and he helped organise his wake and final departure.   

It is a family bereavement.  The husband even took the next day off of work.

Strawangel *dislike* Ben, I'm really sorry about Lisa, wish I could give you some advice to help with Thunderthighs😢

Faye  Sorry to hear about Lisa Ben.  It will be upsetting for Thunderthighs whatever you say, I guess.

Gobiron  Unlike

Miss CA Dunn  Poor you, and Lisa, and Thunderthighs- not to mention the woman who knocked her over.  Thinking of you all. xx

Later 18.01

Mrs Frayarn  How is Thunderthighs?

Bentonbag  Getting less emotional but still a bit wobbly - me too. 

We still have Matilda and Felix but I really miss her because she was the littlest and stayed closest and was such a feisty little character.

*** 

As soon as my neighbour and the motorist told me I went and fetched a towel and picked Lisa out of the road.  She was still alive but died a few minutes later as I held her on my lap.   

Before Thunderthighs came home from school I arranged the towel to hide the damaged side of her head and body.

Telling Thunderthighs about it is one of the few occasions that I’ve seen Fester near to tears.

Thunderthighs stroked her one last time before we folded the towel around her and buried her near the apple trees in the back garden with Dominic, Tiddles and Mrs Elswitch’s Bagpuss.

Matilda is up there with them now, under the rhubarb.

Lockdown Day Out

As the first Lockdown eased and we were allowed to drive short distances Druridge Bay was the first place we went.

In truth Thunderthighs and I had already been there on Mother’s Day as I needed to get away from the house and be somewhere wild for a while, so much so that I was willing to argue the toss with any authority that might try to stop us.

From Facebook Archives

13 September 2020 loaded 9 new photos to the album Spring 2020 Summer

Lockdown

Although for me it started on 7th February when Ferretfingers broke his ankle.

It's been the strangest Spring and Summer I've ever known.

Thank God for the garden, and that we're fortunate to have a house big enough to get away from each other, and the technology to keep in touch with friends and family (however unsatisfactory zoom etc are) and a car and a beach within reasonable distance.

Even so it has been hard.

I threatened to skinny dip but Thunderthighs looked like he might be ill. 

There was one bloke walking along the beach in a state of nature (but wearing shoes) with a woman, presumably his wife, carrying a back pack.  I did wonder for a moment whether his clothes were in there.

 

Pot/Kettle Washing Roulette

From Facebook Archives

11 September 2020

Just heard Fester say to Thunderthighs 

"You've got a great grumpy face ..."

Mrs Banjoman  And what did the kettle say back to the pot?

11 September 2025 at 11.14

The washer just finished spinning and it starts to rain – 

at least it's not hung out.

A few minutes later

Bentonbag  It's stopped. 

It's going out. 

A few extra rinses won't harm.

Mrs Bun  Exactly Ben

Dulcima  In the last week or so, I have managed to bring in nearly dry laundry minutes before it started to pour down, three times!

Bentonbag  Winning in washing roulette!