Torture

Phew! Can it get any hotter? - yes it can!  How strange we English are - complaining about the wet and the cold two weeks ago and now complaining that it is too hot!  I am one of the worst culprits so I guess I would pass the English citizenship test with flying colours!  Not a happy start to the day - a visit to the dentist's to have two smallish fillings and my teeth cleaned by the hygienist.  The latter is a small close cropped hair sadist who clearly enjoys inflicting pain on her victims.  As I sat in the chair, visions of ancient medieval tortures came to mind - especially after having seen a recent episode of The Borgias.  I think I'll call my hygienist Lucretia from now on except she didn't relieve my discomfort with poison!  I wouldn't mind, but I am paying to be tortured too!  Those poor b*******s in the 1400/1500s had no choice!  "Relax your bottom lip" I was repeatedly told.  What!!!?  You're pouring water into my mouth as though I am being waterboarded in some terrible prison in Iraq, trying to hold a conversation with me, and shoving ironmongery with extremely sharp pointy bits into my gums and teeth. Blood money - literally in my case.  Now I know I don't have the best teeth in the world but hey, why not add to my physical torture by telling me how awful my teeth are at the same time.  Go on, add mental torture to the list of assaults I am paying you for!   Having survived the ordeal, Mary, who was sitting patiently in the waiting room, was delighted to see me and thought we were then off for that promised coffee and cake at the Boston Tea Party.  no, I informed her, that was just the overture.  Now for the big event - the fillings!  Well, I have to say that the fillings were light relief after the torture chamber.  Two fillings quickly and easily done but with rather a lot of anaesthetic which left me with a frozen nose and a dropped mouth giving the impression that I had just suffered a stroke.  Mary thought it hilarious!   The trip to Boston Tea Party, after a brief drop in at Sarum College to renew a theological book, was hilarious and straight out of a scene from the film "10".  Mary thought it so funny as I attempted to drink my cappuccino from one side of my mouth!  This afternoon the two new BlackBerrys for Sara and myself arrived and Mary accompanied me to Andover to have the information stored on our current ones transferred to the new ones and then the new ones made available for Tom and Mary's use.  We have arranged for them to go on to new contracts.  Tonight I watched the exciting Quarter Final between Nottinghamshire and Hampshire for a place in the T20 Finals Day.  What a cracking match! And a bit of a torture for the Hampshire fans watching too!  Nottinghamshire set a strong target having reached 178 for 7 in their innings.  Throughout Hampshire's innings, they were neck and neck but clinched it in the last over with a final score of 182 for 6.  So Hampshire will meet Somerset in the Semi-Final at Cardiff.  Well done Hampshire, what a great season you are having - the first season I have been a member of the Club.  I will certainly renew my membership next year.