A rovin' we did go!

Finally got my head stuck into 'the accounts' and made good headway. Haven't totally finished the year up yet but should do, over the next couple of days. I had a deadline for Wednesday, early afternoon since CB and I were due to catch the 9pm sailing to Amsterdam, from Hull. Went to have my hair snipped and Claire told me she had just returned, the day before, from a similar trip, to Bruges. She regaled me with tales of sea-sickness and old people with cases full of ciggies. Well, bless the old people if they're still active enough to drag caseload's of ciggies around capital cities of Europe, let 'em do it, at least they still have the freedom to buy ciggies, even if any place to smoke 'em is fast disappearing in the UK! One lady took her little pavement scooter with her. I wondered if she'd have been able to walk if she didn't smoke quite so much though! I'm saying no more on the smoking subject cos I was guilty of buying a few packs of tobacco and some (not many) ciggies. The tales of sea sickness did worry me though. I got some tablets to combat it but then found they wouldn't 'go' with my medication so went for natural methods by buying crystalized ginger and a tin of Altoids, a great little hot peppermint. I know they're big ships and generally speaking one doesn't feel the ups and downs of the sea so badly in them but even so, Claire said the 8-10 knot winds meant people were confined (by the captain) to their cabins. At least lying down one has less chance of FALLING down, I suppose! Personally, I'm haunted by a trip over the North Sea to the Ise of Man, from Morecambe, almost 30 years ago! The ship was soooo rolly that the minute it got out of the lee of the harbour I started feeling ill and spent almost the whole of the journey lying flat in a 'ladies lounge', apart from frequent trips to the loo to be ill. On arrival in the IOM I refused to go back by boat and we had, despite having little money, to buy air tickets to fly back. It was only a day trip and I spent the remainder of the day recovering from the journey. Anyhow, hum, though we had force 5-8 ish winds, all went well. Awaking about 3am this morning and CB saying "Have we stopped moving?" did worry me a little. Had visions of being tossed on the sea in a non-functioning ship! A very gentle 'bing bong Irishy' tune awakens passengers from their slumbers and a time check, at 6am, followed by others half an hour later and then with increasing frequency until one finds oneself saying to the invisible lady, "Shut the **** up!" This phrase also sprang to mind last evening in Langans Restaurant, on board ship (The Pride of Hull) over dinner. On the outward journey we ate in the Four Seasons Restaurant, a buffet meal with quite a wide choice of dishes but I do worry a little about 'buffet' food. I mean, catering for 100s, SOME of it has to have been sitting around for a while, somewhere or other! For my main course I had a curry and maybe it was that which assailed me the following day? However, the Langans Restaurant meals were cooked to order and last night we upgraded for a treat, also thinking we'd not be in earshot of the likes who used ***k and other four letter words as every other word in their conversation. We got, instead, a guy with a male eating companion, who used 'bloody', instead. Not sooo bad? However, he talked incessantly. It was interesting watching his companion's body language, he physically distanced himself from the 'talker' though he had to appear to be listening. I wondered if he was an employee, or an exceptionally good friend cos I'd have been forced to 'do a Peter' and tell the guy how rude he was in that he talked non-stop and boringly and mainly about himself. You may think that I shouldn't have listened to his private conversation? I agree but he also spoke so loudly that one had no option. About his diebetes, operation, prostitutes and finally it became so wearisome that I think I actually managed to stop listening, as did the guy's dining pal; a glazed looked came over him! As to Amsterdam, it was a taster day, really. We docked an hour late and then had to queue for some time before disembarking, with only two immigration chappies on arrival and then we were bussed into the city, from Europort, which took a couple of hours so we arrived in the centre of Amsterdam at 11.30. We had already agreed that we'd like a canal cruise tour because despite several trips to the city I'd never used this mode of transport and I do like a 'sight seeing' trip in a city, to give one a general overview of the place. First I had to find a loo and kindly the captain consented to allow me to nip on his boat before boarding time, for a wee! In the loo, of course. There's an awful lot of 'social' housing, thousands of flats. I'd forgotten that the 'continentals' do 'do' apartment-living. In one housing 'project', where individual architects had been given a free rein, the original people who had moved to the island just a short ferry hop from the city were called 'pioneers' by our guide. It was hardly a move to the new world though! However, it was all very interesting and quite enjoyable. We sat at the back of the cruise boat, for a good all round view (I led the way to the seating) to find the noise of the engine could drown conversation when the captain 'put his foot down', it was next to the loos and every now and again there'd be the loud 'schuuuup' sound of the flushing toilet like those on aeroplanes, and opening the window to cool down (sun beating on glass above) the smell of diesel fuel was quite strong! I also led the way to the coach seat on the return journey which had a broken switch and the air blower thingy was blasting cold air, mainly on CB, but of course we didn't discover that until the coach was moving and all the seats were filled! Perhaps I'm not a very good seat-selector? The cruise was followed by a meander thro the streets of Amsterdam, which became a faster and faster walk as I got hungrier and more desperate for the loo! Also had forgotten those toilets were one's 'doings' sit on a sort of 'shelf' for examination (if one wishes to examine!) before being flushed away! Having eaten and cheered up (me), we were to walk off the meal with more sight-seeing and CB, bless 'im was not too upset at my dragging him toward the red-light district, well, 'Chinatown' and other bustling areas. However, the streets where the ladies displayed their wares (some with 'considerable' wares but one would have needed a caseload of paper bags, had one consumed the wares, if one gets my meaning!) in the windows had some pretty shady characters hanging around and I had my handbag very firmly tucked under my arm, though CB said he was keeping an eye on me, walking in front of him and he was carrying a substantial umbrella, truncheon-style, ready for use! That walk also became a quest for a loo (me again!). Yes, we could have stopped in a bar again but then I'd only have filled up and probably needed a loo on the return coach journey! So, we had a flavour of the city, a day of loo hunting and some fun and were back at the coach stop at 4pm. OH, nooooo, didn't visit a 'coffee shop', having experienced the weed on a previous trip and not having particularly enjoyed the experience but one street we walked down I became decidedly 'heady' as the smell of the 'grass' wafted into the street! It was interesting getting off the ship, at the bottom of the lift were all the people with their cases full and trolley loads of booze and cigs. The 'two for one' offers have finished now, until next September. Maybe Bruges next time?? OK, back to the accounts.

Domani, I'll start Domani!

My accounts! I had a super weekend but ended up just spending today reading and dozing. I figure I must have needed the sleep.
But I'll have to get up and at it tomorrow with those durned accounts!
CB cooked a very tasty meal for the family for mother's day. My input was the gravy and the pudding. Since the gravy was a tad 'gourmet' (blackberry liqueur, sage, thyme, peppercorns, as well as oxo!) I just made a small panful, forgot, of course, how much we Britis like our gravy so I had to hastily make a second panful when peeps went back for seconds. Using what was left I tipped in red wine, some more liqueur and thyme but made the mistake of sprinkling the oxo (the new fandangled kind which includes the thickener) on top so it lumped a tad! Should have strained it! Gravy? One lump or two?
Tora phoned me from Alaska, yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Weird!

A couple of posts have disappeared into the ether! One I posted a few days ago has suddenly just arrived in my mail box, though it doesn't yet appear on the blog and it arrived at the same time as the blog I've just posted, which also hasn't arrived on the blog.
Strange things happening!

Where'd the sun go?

It was a beautiful morning when I got up, balmy breeze, sunshine ...but the clouds have gathered now so I expect we're in for another dowsing.
Oh, I got my new VDU specs for work. They're great for reading and the VDU but anything further than 6 feet from my nose is very fuzzy indeed! I've bought one of those specs cords so I can hang them around my neck if I need to see further!
When the visiting optician was fitting the specs, which actually simply plopped on my ears/nose and didn't need alteration, I asked if he'd have a fiddle with my old (second best) specs since the previous evening, fed up of fuzzy vision (I'm using my 'spare' pair at the moment) I'd pushed the specs up and over to the right and 'hey presto', I could see!
Nice man altered the nose bits so I can see much better with them.
My new (from December) varifocals, which I took back since they seemed fuzzy, too, were replaced since apparently they were missing about 2mm of vision in the right lens on a very narrow reading area anyway.
The optician was very good and obliging and since the frame had also chipped, they replaced the frame. Trying on the new pair, yesterday, the assistant noticed that the new frame had chipped in a couple of places and when she ran her nail over it, the paint simply peeled away. We had a look at similar shaped frames (so we could use the same lens - which actually, they'd changed from Nikon corridor to Varilux for greater reading area, I believe!) but I didn't like the colours, so have chosen yet ANOTHER new frame which will require yet another set of lens - since the lens element of the specs was about £250 and they now have a useless set, I have to commend them for sorting the problems which were created by the manufacturer. And denying that I was the 'customer from hell', which is how I felt!
That sorted, I had a little promenade around the market place which was choc-a-bloc with people buying Mother's Day gifts and flowers. There were absolutely TONS of flowers, and each of the three or four stalls were double their usual size.
Gave me a bit of a lump in the throat, actually. Families being together today.
Tora called me last week (the US Mother's Day is in a couple of months' time, I think) and she'd been panicked into thinking it was last week. Bless her. She said she'd call me today so I'll make sure I have my mobile close by at Cheeky Boy's.
It's a family celebration there today, with CB in the chef's hat with a starter of smoked salmon (I believe), roast pork and all that goes with it and I've made a chilled lemon flan for the pudding.
Hmmm, is it a pudding or dessert? There is a difference, etiquette wise, but I can't remember what it is. Lemme think ...........
OK, just grabbed my etiquette book .... "Pudding ... never 'sweet', 'afters' or 'dessert' (except when describing a fruit course), is always eaten with a spoon and fork, with the exceptionn of ices and sorbets, which are consumed with a small spoon alone."
Wow, I've just learned how to cut cheese off the board. Well, I learned anyway, that if you're taking a slice of a wedged cheese, you cut yourself a lengthwise slice, not one across the tip and you cut a wedge out of a round cheese. AND you cut yourself off a small bunch from a big bunch of grapes, not grab 'em off individually. Mind you, I DO do that anyway, cos empty grape prongs just look so untidy sticking up off a bunch!
Michael Parkinson's jazz prog is on the radio. I've no idea why I'm listening to it, apart from the fact I don't want to listen to Radio 1 .. I know I'll try to find Radio 4. It's a bit hissy ... possibly interference from the computer. Oh, just thought, I could put the TV on and get them digitally, I think.
I was watching/listening to a really interesting (to me) programme in the wee small hours. I think I started watching it at 1am and one prog ran into another, on the same theme and before I knew it, it was 4.30am! Mind you, since we 'sprang forward' an hour overnight, I expect I lost an hour there! It was about Vivaldi and La Pieta. An English lady (name escapes me) has been going thro the Venetian archives and finding info not previously revealed. She said it was funny reading it, thinking ... "Oh I must go find more about this." Then she realised there was no more because she was the first person to be reading it!
A group, a female choir and orchestra, had travelled from Oxford to play/sing pieces which Vivaldi had composed solely for female voices for the orphans of La Pieta.
Apparently, in those times, a number of children were born malformed through veneral disease and suchalike and people would often just dump the babes in the canals. An alternative was set up whereby the babies, girls, could be left in a drawer, a bell rung to draw attention and they would then be brought up in the orphanage. The mother's would often leave a token ... half of something, a coin, a picture etc, in case they ever had the opportunity to get the baby back and would produce the matching half.
Some of these young ladies were not too pretty to look at and in the church there were 4 galleries for the orchestra and singers with screens thro which the ladies could be glimpsed by flickering candlelight, but obscured, of course. Some of the performers became stars in their own right but they stayed within La Pieta for donkeys years. Presumably because they chose to because it had become their home.
So, the first prog was the history of all this, told by members of the choir/orchestra and the second prog was a performance of Vivaldi's Gloria. I was really enjoying it but the beautiful music kept sending me to sleep and the lateness of the hour I eventually gave up and went to bed, wishing I could have recorded it for later viewing.
One amusing thing was the fact that there was one lady with a wonderful bass voice. At the time when Vivaldi's music was first performed, people believed that there must have been a man snuck in to sing the bass but it was certainly proved that women can be bass too ... in a manner of speaking!
And talking of singing .... I had a go on the karoke last night! Only the second occasion I've been mad enough to do it!
A group of Morris folks got together for a dinner in Boston at a pub and in another bar was the karoke set up. Nipping thro for a ciggie, Helen dared me to 'have a go'. There were about 5,000 songs to choose from and it would have taken a month to look thro them all and by D I was flagging, so I chose Doris Day's Que Sera Sera. I really enjoyed it and people were laughing a singing along, too! I did do one more, alone .... from Oliver - As Long As He Needs Me. Which Shirley Bassey would have laughed her stilettoes off hearing my rendition but it was great to let rip!
Then one last go as the guy was about to finish up and a bunch of us, 5 I think, did our rendition of YMCA. I was charged with going to book a spot for that and since I was in a rather inaccessable place at table, I had to crawl under the table, go out a conservatory door, thinking I could then walk around the side but found I was in a fenced area, so I climbed over the 5ft fence (to the amusement of peeps inside the conservatory ... even more so cos they could see a gate which escaped me!) and charged back into the pub !!
It was a most convivial evening. Well, apart from 3 people who left without eating cos the food numbers had got mixed up and while they weren't going to have to go without, they chose not to wait. Shame really cos we were all being served at different times so they wouldn't have been eating alone.
The main course of a roast, which some selected, drew some ribald comments but mostly the plates were cleared if only cos by 9.15pm we were pretty darned hungry. The banana split was too sweet even for my taste and had 'squirty' cream on it, yeuk and I noticed that other's who'd made that choice also just scraped the goo off the banana and ate only the fruit!
It was all about the company though and I took some piccies. The biter did get bit, I have to confess and someone got quite a good piccie of me with the mike in hand, belting out the Doris Day song!
I may pop by the crematorium on my way to CB's. It would have been my mum's birthday yesterday and followed closely by Mother's day it would be nice just to spend a few moments 'near her'.
There were circumstances strange and sad, though nothing sinister, around my mum's death, thirty-one years ago and losing her was a blow, one that I didn't feel when my father passed on.
Once or twice, once in even Dallas, a most unexpected place to expect to see her anyway, about seven years ago, I thought I caught a glimpse of mum,but of course it wasn't her! I followed the lady in Dallas around the shop just because I wanted so badly for the lady to be my mum! Daft woman I am!
Well, I'd better get myself sorted, bathed and dressed.
I'm at home the next few days, hopefully with my head buried in my accounts! I do SO want to get those off my plate!

Strong streaks

Androgynous You scored 66 masculinity and 83 femininity! You scored high on both masculinity and femininity. You have a strong personality exhibiting characteristics of both traditional sex roles. My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: alt="free online dating" src="http://is3.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif" border=0> http://www.okcupid.com/">%20alt="free%20online%20dating"%20src="http://is3.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif"%20border=0> You scored higher than 62% on masculinity alt="free online dating" src="http://is3.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif" border=0> http://www.okcupid.com/">%20alt="free%20online%20dating"%20src="http://is3.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif"%20border=0> You scored higher than 96% on femininity Link: The Bem Sex Role Inventory Test written by weirdscience on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test I've no idea why it's gone do-lally above, I did a cut and paste and didn't touch it! Thanks to GW for this one. I don't think of myself as having a strong male streak! But maybe living alone for some time has made me more independent (or selfish?) Pleased to see that I DO have a strong feminine streak though. I mean, I am a girly!

Biting the bullet

Before relaxing into a stupor on Friday evening, a friend mentioned he'd had some luck with one of the companies who undertake to complain for one (at a cost) about mortgage endowment policies which are projected to fall short. Mine's on 'red alert', harumph. As said friend pointed out, it costs nothing (well, it doesn't HAVE to cost anything) to complain and "them as don't ask don't get". While on the subject of asking, it's come to my notice that many people in this part of the world actually say 'ast' rather than ask, and that rhymes with the chast bit of chastity (cos you wouldn't say 'charstity', but some people may say 'parst', as opposed to 'past', so I couldn't use past as an example .... did I have a parenthesis somewhere back there?) Martin's Money Tips, which the Cheeky Boy (CB) suggested I subscribe to, came up with yet another piece of advice on complaining about these policies so I scuttled over there (Which) and they actually compose the letter for you, where one ticks the paragraphs that pertain to one's own circumstances and hey presto, a formal, unemotional letters results. One of which is now signed, folded and enveloped, by the front door, ready for me to pick up on t'way out in t'morning for da post. I may as well try to do something about it, doncha think? At least I feel like I've tried ... and one can do no more than try, huh? I'm also trying to figure why my front room looks 'empty'. I used that word advisedly - anyone who's been in here certainly wouldn't call it empty since when there's more than just myself present, visitors have to make appointments to move around! However, I've come to the conclusion tis because there are no flowers in residence in the corner! Now that, being a floral-free zone, was an almost constant state of affairs up until a few months ago but since the advent of CB as my 'fwend', more often than not a vase of flowers brightens up the room. Sometimes I get them for myself, too, for a dash of colour but only since I'd been reminded how lovely they look, having been presented them as a gift. I should add, here, that there was a bunch until a couple of days ago, from CB but he hasn't been over for a few days, having had a jolly up in Scotland. OH, no-one's commented how awful my hair looks so I must have got away with it. I did used to cut it myself quite regularly ... ALL over, not just the fringe. I got away with it then, too, until I occasionally did visit a hairdresser who would say "WHO cut YOUR hair???" Obviously they must have thought I was a client of Vidal Sasoon and wonder why I was coming down, so, in the world, non? :) Well, I think my bread roll for tomorrow's lunch must have defrosted by now and I'd best go make it now so I only have to grab it out of the fridge in the morning. I try to get organised the night before work so I can make a quick exit. However, I'm beginning to think there's a fine line between compulsion and organisation!!!

Le Weekend

Very tortoiselike I got through my chores today, stopping every now and again to lounge on the bed or sofa to read. Partied a little too vigorously on Friday, again! Nothing to do with being St Pat's night ... in fact we were planning how to celebrate St George's day on April 23rd! Toddled home at 4.30 but none the worse for wear in the morning. However, I decided I needed to chill out so spent the day, Saturday, in bed, with a new book, reading and napping and nipping downstairs occasionally to make a cuppa or a snack. I actually slept the whole night through as well so I can only concur that I needed the relaxing day. Up early today to get the laundry on the go, cleaned kitchen floor, hoovered, etc so I haven't been totally listless and useless! I was glad to have time to get into my book. I've had it a while but only had time for a page here and there and with the fuzzy eyes (stil) I have to keep resting but I'm now thoroughly enjoying ... if enjoying is quite the word I'm looking for... reading The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell. I meant to get a trim on Saturday but have saved myself the visit today - took the scissors to the front of my hair myself, now I can wait a couple of weeks more! :) Must get a bigger puddin' basin!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I don't like this chilly weather, it makes my knee play up! I thought the copper bangles had solved the problem, way back in May but it has come upon me again and I think it was the weather that solved the problem, sunshine (not to mention being a stone lighter!) rather than the mystique of copper and magnets. So I've gulped down my ibruprophen (fen?) .... don't you think there's a lot of 'ph's' in medicines? there's phenol this and phensy that ..... afore I go to bed. I've been waking about 5am with 'the knee' and not really getting back off to sleep. Now, who was the writer who wrote a very amusing novel about a guy with 'a knee'. I know! David Lodge. I think. Certainly someone wrote about a guy (the same one, I think) who was terrified he'd combust spontaneously, so he carried a mini extinguisher around in his briefcase. I saw a programme about spontaneous combustion a few years ago and the images stick in my mind yet. Tora, forget you ever read that .... your dreams are exciting enough without adding rubbish springing from MY mind! Not that I'm a crock (oh yeah?) or crock of anything (excuse ME!) BUT I've got pulled muscles in my shoulder for getting stuck at the computer for about 3 hrs on a difficult call at work, yesterday. Today I took in a cologne stick '4711' Cool. It's got a great smell; a mixture of green tea perfume and menthol. I rubbed some on to cool me down and relieve a little of the tension and before I knew it the stick was being passed around my colleagues who then sat in the wafting fumes, de-stressing! Think I'll just stay put this weekend. Accounting for every minute of my time, at work, doesn't come easily to a quirky Aquarian so I may just spend the weekend with absolutely NO appointments and just lounging around in my jammies, hah! Hmmm, I wonder if my hairdresser's free on Saturday? Ugh, that'd mean an appointment though. I could, at least, pop in and have a look at the range of colours available. Quite like the idea of red. No, not chestnut red, RED red! well, sorta purpley red, as opposed to strawberry red. I bought tons of stuff today, so I could spend over £40 and get £7 off my bill, at Somerfield. Not bad, eh? Yep, I'm still shopping there, despite the cold fridges but I figure it's cold outside now anyway and I'm going in there wearing a well padded coat so I can stand the cold. Oh had my dental appointment today and told the hygienist that it'll be my last visit to her since I haven't re-registered in the new private dental scheme. She's disappointed since I normally have to spend the first 10 mins talking to bring her up to date on my exploits ... I promised I'd drop a card in every now and again so she doesn't lose touch. Well, I'd best go brush my nice shiny clean 'tushpegs' before I go up the wooden hill. I will SOOOOOOOO deserve my week off at the end of the month. Sighhhhhhhhh

Good do, Den

Den's birthday do on Friday went very well. We were suitably bladdered even before leaving her house for the restaurant and certainly by 4am were well sotted. I seemed to lose the power to co-ordinate my thoughts and powers of speech on Saturday, a most odd feeling. I think I may have killed a brain cell or three. I only had, probably, about a bottle of wine (or so, they were big glasses) Pondering when I had last felt that way, Cheeky Boy pointed out that it was when I last had a night out with 'the girls' and that maybe a lesson should be drawn from that. SO I did and decided I wasn't getting enough practice and should thus go out with the girls more! Hah! Potentially a night out with the girls next weekend .... Oh, watched a prog on tv about a woman (working for Auntie) who binge drank every night for a month and was having about 15 or more drinks a night, mixed, Wickeds, vodkas, pints, Breezers, etc. Lord knows how she managed to do that EVERY night for a month!!! I mean, I wasn't even safe crossing the road the next day! OK, I'm done!

Older and braver .... or more stupid?

I think I'm getting braver, the older I get. (not to say more loquacious) I said NOT to say that! When I was a young woman I was terrified of being alone at night, once married. Strangely, I didn't mind going 'up the Junction' to see the pictures, on my own (despite the weirdos that also attended and did strange things to the back of my seat), when, alone, I lived on the edge of Clapham Common. Nor did I mind walking said streets ... I mean just walking along them, not walking them, excuuuuuuse me .... in the dark. Once I was married though I was scared of uncurtained windows in the dark and spiders and spending a night alone. Truth be told, when I moved in here I finally made some cafe curtains for the back cos I got fed up of feeling scared in the kitchen, feeling exposed, I suppose ... strange for a naturist, huh? But I have learned to deal with spiders and of course I learned to spend nights alone. Many moons ago, on the very odd occasion when I was alone, once, I had the phone (on a long lead) right by the bed, the scissors and a pepper pot to hand. I'd probably have ended up cutting the phone line and blinding myself with the pepper had I had to use it. I also borrowed a friend's dog but I was doubly nervous of the doggie and to calm it I was stroking its head, cos every time it heard a noise it growled. When my arm got tired of stroking, the dog growled at me to continue, so I had to take doggie and basket back to its owners around 11pm cos I was a nervous wreck. Nowadays though if I hear/see something that disturbs me I just seems to HAVE to go sort it out! A few months back, in one of the towns I used to visit, I was with a group of 3 local councillors and a couple of other stalwarts of the town (though I probably weighed more than all of them put together), when a couple of young lads started throwing a chair around in the street, which they'd nicked off a Sally Army skip. I watched in amazement as these teenies created havoc and no one did anything but stand and watch them. So off I toddle, OY, PUT THAT RUBBISH BACK ON THE SKIP! I yelled at 'em. And they did and slouched off, sniggering as they turned to look back. But I stood my ground and off they went. This evening I could hear my back gate swinging, or being swung, while I was washing up. Could have been the wind or could have been something else. I was washing up and had a knife in my hand but decided that since the last two times I rushed out of the house with a knife in my hand and a) ... the gas man thought I was going to do for him and ran to his car and wound the window up quick fast (I'd only been peeling spuds and wanted to tell him something I'd just remembered) and b) ... running out of the house to chastise Tora for climbing too high on the climbing frame (which only I thought was too high, not her!), I fell over a toy and to the ground and saw the knife coming toward my heart (depending where that is or if, indeed, I even have one), threw out my arm, landed on my milk-swelled booby and got mastitis, unless that's a boil you get behind your ear. So Where was I? So, I put the knife down and picked up the lemon sproggler, juicer, what-have-you and decided I could deliver a sproggling blow with that quite effectively instead, threw open the door and .... well, of course, there was nothing there but the gate had been unlatched. I don't know if I'm getting braver, or if fear pitch just gets to a level where I don't want the fear and acting releases it? I once thought I was going to be mugged, in Geneva and fear gave wings to my feet. Yep, I ran away, but given the fact I thought the guy might be after my handbag, I was hardly going to hit him with it and let him grab it, was I???? These are my closing thoughts afore I go to bed with my honeyed malted milk drink. And maybe I should remember that I'm 4' 11" tall (short) and not 6' 4" ! :)

I love filling my car with petrol cos

Cos I do it on the way home and that means I'm on the way home Cos there's usually an offer on chocolate so I take up the offer and scoff chocolate on the way home. Cos when my car's full I could just take off ANYWHERE for miles and miles Cos though I don't take off anywhere for miles and miles, I at least don't have to fill up again for about 10 days. Cold, innit? Sitting here in my fleeces. Movement on the specs front. Optician B, to whom I returned the specs to check the right lens is correct, sent 'em to the manufacturer who decided there 2mm of reading area missing. Sooooo, they're going to put new lens in the old frame, of a different type of varifocal, with more reading 'room' and the optician is going to then put the new lens in a new frame when they come back. So that'll take another week. Got the dentist on Thursday and I get to leave work half an hour early, which seems worth it even if I do have to get scraped and polished! Wheeeeeeeeee, going on a mini cruise to Amsterdam in a week or so's time. Got to get my accounts done though before I go .... What'll I talk about when they're done? Hey, on Saturday, the Rotary Club put on 'Solid Steel', a Caribbean 10piece band. It was great, we were rocking in the aisles to such tunes as Rivers of Babylon, Brazil, Girl from Ipanema, etc ... and of course, that well-known Caribbean song 'The Lincolnshire Poacher'!!! Yup, that's right, the Lincs Poacher. Some guys from the Louth Male Voice choir started the song off and the band picked up the tune behind 'em while the rest of us sang along, too. Mind you, poaching isn't exactly something to be proud of, is it? More houses are coming on the market. Got a warm 'blankie' here beside me in case a chill sets in. I got some very taste pasta with Gorganzola cheese sauce and spinach from Lidl the other day and with additional spinach and green beans it made a very fine dinner this evening. Wots more, all I had to do was bring stuff to the boil and then simmer it. OK, best go now before I become boring .... waddya mean, that I left it too late???

Nowt to hide

I've sent off some of the info to the IR which they requested. For the rest it would mean my picking out a chitty here and a chitty there so I've offered them the whole kit and caboodle to go thro' themselves! If nothing else I think it spells out that I have nothing to hide in my accounts - I'm too daft to even TRY to fool the IR! Put my specs thro' the door of Optician 2 today. Got a crick in my neck today from trying to find a comfortable way of looking at the VDU thro my old specs. I could do with a massage. Mind, I'd quite like a massage anyway, they're very relaxing. Even reflexology would be good. Couple of times I've had that that treatment it made me cry! Who'd have thought that having your feeties massaged could be such an emotional experience? Got a gals' 'do' on Friday for a friend's birthday but going to see my maaaaaaaan tomorrow evening. At the weekend the local Rotary Club has organised a performance by the Carribean Steel Band in St James' Church. I'm looking forward to that. I haven't bought tickets forward but since the church seats around 600+ people I suspect we should be able to get in! Decided the best thing about being at work all day is that I don't get to see the rain unless I'm having a sneak ciggie in the bike sheds! Sorry Tor, don't read that last sentence!!!!! I've just finished my Margaret Yorke book which had three stories in it and now feel bereft! Found a Puzzler book but if I do that just before I go to sleep my mind keeps buzzing instead of shutting down. Not much on TV, maybe I'll watch a video. I've bought one or two recently off the market. They're ones I probably wouldn't mind seeing again but it would be good if there was a 'swap shelf' somewhere! Ahhhh, just remembered I bought some very tasty chocolate biscuits in Lidl yesterday .... cuppa and a biccky, methinks. I said biccky, NOT bitty!!!!!!!!! Big grin!

Caught between a rock and a hard place

Did I mention I had an eye test at work? I only had one last November but felt that my varifocals were unsuitable because I couldn't actually find a comfortable part of my specs to view through even though I highered my chair (leaving my leggies dangling), lowered the VDU, pulled it further forward, pushed it further back ... So, persuaded to test me again the work optician said my right eye prescription was almost 'one out' ... not sure what one out is but it did confirm to me that the prescription wasn't 'all that', remember I've been going on about fuzzy vision since the year blog? For the first time ever I'd been tested at one optician and had the specs made up at another one ... mistake, don't do it! Went back first with old and new scripts to the place which had made up the specs, pointing out that the frame had chipped already, which I wasn't too chuffed about having paid a total of around £300 ish. They said no prob, they'd replace the frames but as far as they were concerned they had put the correction lens in (tho they didn't test them on that day). Today I went to the testing optician with both prescriptions. They checked the lens and said they thought the right one was slightly out on the reading element and the fact that the two scripts were at variance wasn't important, it was only slightly different and shouldn't make much difference ... well, maybe it wouldn't to their eyes. They suggested I go back to the place which made the specs and get the lens checked. Back I toddled and they already had a new frame awaiting me. They checked the lens and said as far as they were concerned it was correct to the script but offered to send them back to the manufacturers to check and will keep the frames for me for when I get it sorted. I'm not sure I'm going to get it sorted, quite honestly. The testing opticians DID say to come back if I still had a problem but were obviously on the defensive. So I'm sitting here with my old specs on, which was a different prescription again. Hopefully the new ones for VDU use only will arrive soon. Actually, the frame and lens were free and they look much better than the £300 ones anyway! Sucks! Inland Rev's chasing me ... compliance unit. Like I really need that. Pension Dept has renamed me. I phoned 'em to at least get my name correct and I certainly don't want to be the new person cos my pension, already pitiful, was £10 a week less than the first time they forecast it. My floor's covered in papers. I wish I understood these things! Anyway, the good news. 6 month check up at the hospital and all is well. One of the clinic nurses was on the ward when I had my op and she was soooo sweet when she recognised me and gave me a hug and the bestest of smiles!

Gilding the Lily

An advert for a musical box. A Porcelain Musical Box A Porcelain Musical Rosary Box A porcelain musical rosary box with a picture of our Lady of Lourdes painted upon it A porcelain musical rosary box with a picture of our Lady of Lourdes painted upon it containing a bead and pewter rosary A porcelain musical rosary box with a picture of our Lady of Lourdes painted upon it containing a bead and pewter rosary with a pewter medallion A porcelain musical rosary box with a picture of our Lady of Lourdes painted upon it containing a bead and pewter rosary with a luminous portrait on the pewter medallion A porcelain musical rosary box with a picture of our Lady of Lourdes painted upon it containing a bead and pewter rosary with a luminous portrait on the pewter medallion AND a crucifix. It goes on .... the porcelain musical rosary box also has a luminous portrait of Our Lady which is framed by sparkling faux gems and metal finished scrollwork. And it plays Schubert's Ave Maria. Phew.It's also got feet. Can anyone think of anything else it could possibly have had upon it? I saw a film a few weeks ago with the bonniest of little lads in it, who I've now found won an Oscar for his performance - little wonder, it hardly seemed as though he was acting. The film was The Little Kidnappers aka The Kidnappers. It was made in 1954 and there was a remake in the 90's with Charlton Heston. The story remains the same, and heartwarming, I'm sure but the little chap who played 'Davy' could never be emulated (he's actually (was) called Vincent Williams and was also in Greyfriars Bobby). The story's about a couple of orphaned laddies being sent to their grandparents in Nova Scotia. They want a dog and the tyrannical grandaddy says 'noooo'. They come across a lost baby which the older boys takes to look after which creates a bit of a situation with the babby's Dutch father and there's something of a hue and a cry. There are two lines which the little Davy delivers with such sincerity .... "Is that a babby, Harry?" which the baby looks at him with SUCH a smile. And "Don't eat the babby, Grandaddy, it wouldn't be fitting." Ack, they don't make 'em like that any more. Been looking for a copy of the original to buy but so far all I've come up with is the remake. Been getting home from work shattered, still learning, still making mistakes but fewer so i suppose by the time I've given it the 3 months I was told, many moons ago, one should give a job, I suppose I may have the hang of it. Accounts not yet done. Telling myself I'll do them at the end of the month when I have some time off. Have to do them, need to do them to move forward in one way and another. One other small task done ... bringing my 'friends and family' list up to date with BT. It was about 3 years out of date. Actually had a credit balance with BT which should increase next quarter since the last one including a few weeks prior to my starting the new job. Since I now hardly have time to think, at work, and having spent all day long talking, don't much feel like it in the evenings, I suspect the phone bill will lessen! Mind you, I still like to talk with my fingers!!! I'm reading a Margaret Yorke triple story book at the moment. This author has written a book a year (sometimes two) since 1957 and still writing. Good that, innit? Time for a cuppa, methinks. See ya.