Getting Shaun up on top

Another week of oddities and amusement.

No dental visit for a change, root canal was finished last week, yay!  Another one yet to be started but it will have to wait until I get around to making another rack of bookings. 

I was at a loss for something to do on Monday morning this week (having got used to a nice lie down on a lay-back-and-float-up-and-down chair for an hour), so tackled the Christmas decorations.  The tree was bought and installed on Sunday, an elegant six footer, and just needed the lights on.  No point in putting baubles on as the littlies I look after always take them off or simply re-arrange them which is no good for my slight OCD tendencies.  Great, got the crate of lights out and made the mistake of adorning the needle covered wonder without plugging them in first to test.  Result?  Two sets of lights only partially working.  What to do?  Ah yes, parents out shopping in town, fired a call into them and they returned with a brand new set.  This worked well.................an abundance of white lights sparkling like the Trafalgar Square tree.  However, the coloured lights only work around the bottom of the tree.  Never mind, it is the thought that counts. 

Oh yes, the tree topper...............not for me a traditional fairy or star, oh no!  For several years now I have had a Shaun the Sheep, complete with a fir tree branch in his mouth, happily positioned atop the splendid offering.  Out he came, was dusted off and stuck on the top.  Just one problem, the top of this year’s tree is quite bendy so has been doubled over to stop Shaun falling off it like a daft teenager tomb stoning from a Cornish cliff.  This works well, however the position of the bent over branch underneath Shaun gives him a rather large appendage......................

Senior moment at my parents house.......new freeview plus box installed in time for Christmas, engineer left them with the system running and they watched some programmes.  Having spoken to my mother during the evening she said she couldn’t get a picture at all since tea time and although the green power light was on, the picture wasn’t.  Off I went, took one look and switched the television back on from standby...............praise be, a miracle!!

Snow forecast again for this week..............sledge ready, new gloves working well, hat, multiple coats and gilets at the ready, snow shovel primed and standing in hallway. Bizarrely the daffodils are poking through already despite the big chill.  Just proves they can get through in all weathers, unlike the local authority with their gritting trucks.

This is all.

White stuff in liquid, solid and slippery form

Ah right, winter wonderland has arrived.  Wonderland???? Dangerland more like.  Even with the light covering of snow we have had here the roads are treacherous and I have already had my first head on kerb hit of the season.  Weeks more of the white stuff to endure yet.  I remember when ‘the white stuff’ was a marketing initiative for milk suppliers along with  the Humphrey red and white drinking straw. Life was so much simpler then with either gold top or blue top milk.  Nowadays there are all sorts of options.........skimmed (yuk, just like coloured water), semi skimmed (acceptable in small doses), full fat (no way, all those floating bits of cream), even fuller fat (coronary in a glass), filtered, organic, unpasteurised, long life, milk from cows, goats, sheep, pandas - well not the pandas perhaps, but what happened to the simple instruction “grab me a pint of milk from the corner shop”?

Another horizontal start to the week at the dentists.............a nice lie down for an h0ur or so whilst another part of the current root canal was done.  Just drifting off into slumberland when I was aware of a burning cloves smell and opened my eyes to see smoke rising from my tooth.  Hey it is all part of the treatment and made a change from just tasting the clove poultice squirted into the gap.  Still not completed though but next week is looking good for an end result.

The outdoor supplies shops are making a killing in this cold weather.  Every time I find one I feel obliged to go and rifle through the bargain rail to add to the six or so layers I need to wear when outside.  Three pairs of gloves at once is not enough to keep my hands warm so another trip to the outdoor shop is looming to buy some ski gloves.  Add to this the various base layers, fleeces and a rather natty fleece hat (that flattens my hair out of all proportion) and you will understand why these shops are a godsend for a chilly and bloodless person like myself.  I do draw the line at a RAB coat priced £220 at the moment but will of course check it out at the end of the ski season to ascertain whether any reduction in price justifies a purchase.

Knitting update – the garment is nearly finished, just the collar to do then sew up the sides.  Might have to do another one if this looks ok.

This is all.

More bags, Mrs Barnaby and living in a freezer

Another day, another three charity bags for obscure organisations, never mind the bags are useful for bin contents and saves wasting a perfectly good black bag.

Here is a thought...................Midsomer Murders.  Who on earth would ever buy a house in the area (although I daresay the prices are pretty cheap) when every week there are three or four murders? Has anyone else ever noticed that Mrs Barnaby always knows the victims and their history?  Hmmmm, methinks she knows too much. Mark my words, when the series comes to an end she will be unmasked as the real murderer of all the folk over the years.

Have become very old fashioned this week and started to knit (yes, knit!) a long waistcoat thing.  Not sure if anyone actually wears hand knitted things these days but why ever not I say?  The original intention was to knit a pattern I did about 20 years ago. Perhaps I should have had this idea a bit earlier as the wool company no longer exists and I cannot get the same wool.  Now knitting a different item but it is progressing well – easy and quick which is what I wanted.  Watch this space to hear how is turns out.

Snowy days are on the way, rumour has it by the weekend we will be ankle deep in the stuff.  Am sort of prepared, sledge is out, warm clothing out, silly hat collection ready and waiting, freezer stocked with bits of interesting food................the only thing not ready will be the local authority with grit etc.  If the last snowfall is anything to go by then I will not see the road outside my house for two weeks.

The Christmas cards are written in readiness for posting on 1^st December as is the tradition.  Need to do a sample one and get it weighed for postage as Santa is unlikely to have the time to pick them up and deliver on the rest of his rounds come Christmas Eve.   The way the postage prices are rocketing it would almost be cheaper to deliver them myself and would prove a good excuse to have a holiday to the various far flung places my cards go to.  I refuse to resort to emailing my Christmas greetings as there is nothing better than getting cards through the door to take the sting away from brown envelopes arriving at the same time.  Also, the stamps this year feature Wallace and Grommit so they are at least fun (if a little expensive fun.....).  Religious stamps are available too as apparently religion has something to do with Christmas.

Time to retire to the upper floor where it is warmer.  Even at 25 degrees setting my house is freezing downstairs.  I am seriously starting to believe it is built over an ancient burial site.

This is all.

Money in, money out and a nice lie down

What a great start to a Friday! Received payment from bank for oversold PPI so more funding for the next holiday.  All I need now is the winning lottery numbers tomorrow.

Excellent afternoon outing to the nurse to have verucca frozen.  Ten minutes or so to have a catch up and put the world to rights whilst my foot rested on her knee and was blasted with the magic flask contents.  Love it! Never hurts, could sit there all day in the warmth of the treatment room. Seems to be doing the trick too – fourth visit so far.  Not had as much fun since my last crop of the little critters when there were over 50 to blast into oblivion. This latest experience has taught me never to walk around the local swimming pool without flip flops superglued to my feet.

Waitrose have been really efficient in investigating the skating rink and have confirmed works are to recommence in a few days.  Let us hope that this company is more solvent than the last one. Extra drainage is going to be put in too................have they actually listened to the public? I am sure I am not the only one who has complained.

Christmas shopping all but done now, just a couple of folk to buy for if only they would give me a clue as to what they would like.  Okay, I’ve yet to make my own Santa list but I am easy to buy for aren’t I? Apparently not, according to those in the know. Hmmmm.  Still not managed to book a trip to Lapland to go to Elf School but I guess there is always next year.

......................and so we arrive at Monday morning....................

Started the week at the dentists for one of my regular days out for root canal work.  Discussed the international football match between England and Bulgaria in September (dentist is Bulgarian) and we came to the conclusion that footballers should be paid by results.  That would probably put half the premier league ‘stars’ on minimum wage.  Had a nice relaxing hour laying back, eyes shut listening to the radio as he drilled, filled, sucked in his breath builder-estimate-style, and said hopefully next week this one will be finished (hmmm fourth visit coming up then another one to start).  All this work is great value on the new NHS banding, only £45 for the lot.  This is far cheaper than the tyre I had to stop and order on the way home having found a large nail in my newest one.  Typical, I never get a nail in a tyre with low tread.

Time to get the snow clothes out in readiness for the avalanche expected this week.  Sledge is geared up for hauling shopping home.  Sky already looks full of something snowy although no snow is forecast until Thursday-ish.  Perhaps it is having a rehearsal.

Christmas lights in town are on the lampposts and are due to be switched on this weekend I believe.  Guess that means the fat chap in the red suit will be soon around to visit shouting “ho ho ho” and wrecking the roof tiles with his sleigh runners. I am not one of the bah humbug brigade – quite the opposite!  If you stop believing in Santa then how will you get any presents?  It must be Santa who brings the presents as Argos don’t deliver on the morning of 25^th December and certainly never wrap stuff.

This is all.

Bags and Night Viewing

Why do charity collectors feel the need to clog up my letterbox with their donation bags? Today I have had four stuffed through, none of which are for any recognised organisation so they have found a new home in the kitchen bin.  Don’t get me wrong, I do fill the bags for the local Air Ambulance as they provide such a worthwhile and important service – why is there no funding for them? – but I will not donate to the latest trendy so-called charity such as The Two Left Footed And Unusually Long Toed Green Spotted Monkey..............well actually I have yet to receive a bag for them, but you get the idea, organisations who try to coerce us into parting with our old kit for causes nobody has actually heard of.  Even more frustrating is the way bogus collectors nip round in clapped out old transit vans and swipe the bags intended for others.  Just let them try that with MY bags.

Update on the ice rink that purports to be a car park at Waitrose.......joy of joys, the contractor has gone bust to the tune of £35 million.  Looks like we will be stuck with an unfinished job for the foreseeable future so no chance of any improvements being made to the slippery surface.  Will order my crampons later so I can negotiate the area more safely.  On the plus side, Waitrose head office has emailed me in response to my letter to say they are investigating my issues.  They are obviously as yet unaware of my penchant for writing complaint letters and my success rate in resolving issues.  Seems a shame to tip them off about it as it makes such good sport.

Have registered my interest in tickets for the London 2012 Olympics.  Apparently I will be notified of the next step in the procedure once the tickets go on sale in March next year. I had to indicate what events I am interested in seeing although there is no guarantee that I will be allocated a seat for any of them.  Whilst I would prefer to watch something like the gymnastics or athletics, I may well be given something else such as archery or tiddlywinks.  Please God, do not send me tickets for the football, any donkey events or the sack race.

Here is a conundrum..............why is the best television viewing on during the middle of the night? Every evening all the mainstream channels screen soaps, reality shows (starring non-entities), the news, football and repeats of Coast or property buying programmes (where hardly anyone ever actually buys a gaff to set up home in).  However, tune in around 4 a.m. and the highly ‘entertaining’ Emergency Bikers or World’s Strictest Parents can be found.  I am lucky with this though, as being a poor sleeper I need all the nocturnal distractions available to save counting the same flock of sheep over and over.

Great news on the computer virus................it has been successfully killed off without the need for medication either on my part or the pc’s.  There were several Trojan infections – once again this issue I have with all things equestrian caused.  They should all be sent to the glue factory post haste.

This is all.

Ice and Splice

Great start to the week...............freezing cold on Monday morning and the need to de-ice the car for the school run was not my first choice for the day.  Worse was to come though as the de-icer froze on the window as soon as I sprayed it therefore giving me twice the scraping work to do. What joy.  Off to park in the local Waitrose where their new car park surface provides a handy training rink for the Dancing on Ice stars.  My complaint letter is on its way, followed I imagine by personal injury claims from the townsfolk.  Perhaps Personal Injury Lawyers For You could have a small kiosk next to the recycling skips? Just a thought.

Desktop PC has a virus and is seriously sick.  Fortunately laptop is still alive and well so have been able to email for help from my very reliable and super talented PC guy.  Hopefully it will be sorted on Wednesday.  Be warned, my PC was running fine until it shut itself down then rebooted with a message from Security Tool basically blocking access to every programme and saying it is trying to access my credit card information to send payment elsewhere. How very antisocial and mean spirited especially as I’ve no debt on the card in the first place.  Not what I need really with all the paperwork I have to plough through.

Tuesday morning kicked off with thick fog and yet more ice to scrape off the car.  Easier job today.................until I parked on the skating rink again and went to get the buggy out of the boot. Lock on boot frozen solid, ended up dismantling car from the inside to retrieve buggy, no mean feat in a car with two rows of rear seats. Much amusement from the littlies in the car, probably at the sight of me arms and legs akimbo, bum in air and biting lip so as not to curse.

Day progressed more positively though – had call from previous client wanting to place her child with me again.  Postman delivered first Christmas card of the season from one of my cousins (ulterior motive though as there was a very useful gift suggestion inside, thanks Muriel) plus a letter from Lloyds saying they are paying me back a stack of PPI from years ago!  Good times!

Breaking news about the Royal engagement.  Is this going to mean a national holiday?  Not sure about giving a second hand ring to the lady though, seems a bit odd.  Surely he could have put a fiver a week away for the last few years and nipped out to H Samuel during a lunch break from the air sea rescue station?  On the other hand perhaps we should commend William’s efforts at recycling? Comments on a postcard please (made from recycled card only).

More bizarre happenings weather-wise......left home in warmish bright sunshine to head to school.....two minutes down the hill and there was thick fog. Hmmmm.......turned around and went back for a coat. An hour later the town was still shrouded in cotton wool and the hilltop was sunny (although a little colder). Obviously it is true about the sun shining on the good people.  Or was that the righteous? Hey, whatever, it was nice up here!

Until next time, adios!

Well...........here we go with my first venture into the world of blogging. 

Having been coerced into this by a few folks who have already dipped their toes (or in fact a whole foot) willingly to try to bring some amusement and/or alternative thinking into daily life, I have decided to give it a go!

The past week has been a typical one in my world.  Apart from working most days from 07:30 until 18:00 (oh the joys of self employment), I have managed to fit in a visit to meet my friends new baby; had two friends visit me with their babies; went to a roller disco party for a 9 year old (great fun especially as I didn't put skates on...........my last attempt at such frivolity resulted in a visit to A&E and crutches for two weeks); finished my toy shopping for Christmas (praise be to Tesco for their double clubcard points exchange scheme); wrapped said gifts during the two hours of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (good result for Red Bull, would have preferred Lewis Hamilton to have done the job and won, but hey at least it wasn't Alonso); ploughed through a mountain of paperwork; went to the Remembrance Day service in town (very well done as always); checked on both my parents who have been a little poorly (seem to be on the mend fortunately); and had a visit from the British Gas engineer to service my equipment (ooo err missus) - this in itself was tricky as I had to stare at him as he got out of the van to ensure he was not one of the 4 engineers I have banned from ever entering my property again - in fact he was very helpful, sorted out the timeclock which has a mind of its own as to what time it cares to show, fixed the radiators where the thermostats had seized up over the summer and carried out a proper service of the boiler.  He can come back again next year.

Unfortunately, the only thing I failed to accomplish this week was to buy the winning ticket on either the Lotto, Euromillions or Thunderball.

Looks like it is back to work again this week then!