Sunday 6 July 2008

Ear we go then!

Our household is in a state of shock this morning as the larger of our two giraffes is missing an ear. Last night a dinner guest playfully threw it out of the window which worried me at the time but in the cold light of day, I have spotted it and will go and get it as soon as I'm dressed.

Admittedly we had been discussing our mutual hearing problems. I have a little hearing loss in one ear caused by damage to my middle ear and our guest has always had problems with one ear but to condemn the giraffe to being half deaf is a bit cruel.

I was back in Scyceland last weekend for the birthday party of a friend and before the party we met up with a few friends in a large pub called the Vines but referred to by the locals as the Big House situated next door to the Adelphi Hotel. The pub is very impressive looking inside with an amazing painted ceiling along the lines of the Sisteen Chapel and very fancy mirrorwork etc. Unfortunately as seems to be the case these days in any big pub in Blighty, there was Karaoke! It was in a different room at the back and shouldn't have been too intrusive except that they had seen fit to pipe the dreadful noise through the whole pub. In a state of stone cold sobriety - soon to be remedied I hasten to add - the experience was excruciating.

I was amused to notice a large group of deaf people seated around a table laden with drinks and empty glasses and signing animatedly to each other and laughing a lot - completely oblivious to the whole screaming cacophony. Bliss!