As anyone who passes by here regularly will know, there is little that is guaranteed to get my hackles to rise more rapidly than the current 'trend' for employers to dismiss employees who apparently 'bringing the company into disrepute' by blogging on the subject of their work.
It is thus that I sit here now steaming, to coin a phrase.
Blackrat yesterday posted on the subject and via his comments I came upon this article in the Guardian today.
The blog, 'The Woolamaloo Gazette' and it's author can be found here
It is pointless my banging on about freedom of speech again, indeed freedom of speech is something I hold very strong views on but I have been there before. What amazes me most, aside from the obvious pomposity of companies who feel they have a right to control an employees life outside of work, is how the buffoons who attempt to hold that control persist in turning what where small blogs, read by only a few individuals into front page news for the broadsheets and thereby providing all the bad publicity they apparently seek to avoid!
Very astute move guys!
I for one will not be patronising Waterstones, Edinburgh again, or Waterstones anywhere for that matter. I doubt the loss of my meagre annual spend will give the C.E.O. nightmares but a few thousand 'me's' might give him or her a little discomfort and it will sure as hell make me feel better!
Wednesday, 12 January 2005
Let's go fly a kite
Not for the feeble!
With all this talk of wind there has been much mention of kites, mostly related to myself and the possibility that the kite would in fact fly me.
I have been there, I promise you!
Many moons ago, well I can't do the math to tell you exactly how many moons but something in the region of 12 years in any case, my then husband got 'into' flying power kites. These were most definitely not the kites you might buy for £20 and fly gently on a hill somewhere with children in tow, these where 'grown up' kites, power kites, flexifoils, stunt kites and fighting kites.
It was an eye opener for me at the time, this kind of kite flying I think was in relative infancy at the time though still quite technically advanced. We trailed all over the country attending 'kite festivals' and to the few outlets from where we could purchase the damn things.
As time went on we learnt to build our own, I doubt many households purchased an expensive sewing machine purely to build kites or had cupboards full if carbon fibre spars and 'ripstop' parachute fabric!
The majority of these things were beyond my physical capacity, without a doubt most would fly me, many of them required two men to hang onto them in any strength of breeze, could pull a buggy at relatively high speeds along a suitable open space and the line would easily remove ones fingers in an instant without heavy leather handwear as protection.
The specifics of the type of wind required were beyond me but one things was for sure, in wind of strengths such as we have here right now it was a 'no go', a grown up kite can be flown in remarkably little breeze and still have the ability to drag a grown man uncontrollably. The greatest fear of course was being in the position of losing control, these things cost hundreds of pounds and to 'let go' was not an option!
I for my part, unable to fly with the 'big boys' for much of the time, produced my own more novelty version which drew much attention at the various flying meetings we joined...... a black cat with 4 kittens hanging off the line below it,( a cat? no surprise there then!). This game was a damn good way of building upper body strength! Even that, with its 2 metre diameter 'mother cat' and .75 metre kittens was a handful that my 7.5 stone frame struggled with and often had to be anchored or rescued by a kindly and more suitably macho counterpart!
Even kite flying has it's attractions! ;o)
Tuesday, 11 January 2005
Sorry.....
......I know I promised previously to try and ignore the small landmarks on my hit counter but it's just impossible!
Wooooooo........ I just made 15000 hits!
Whilst on the subject of such things I read this post earlier today where the blogs mentioned apparently receive up to 5000 hits a day.....hells bells, I would become apoplectic with excitement if I where to attain 500 in one day let alone 5000,....... but how on earth does one respond to the number of comments that popularity must generate!
Wooooooo........ I just made 15000 hits!
Whilst on the subject of such things I read this post earlier today where the blogs mentioned apparently receive up to 5000 hits a day.....hells bells, I would become apoplectic with excitement if I where to attain 500 in one day let alone 5000,....... but how on earth does one respond to the number of comments that popularity must generate!
Yet more gales
(Click to enlarge)
Over the crest of the hill.
Toward Lindisfarne.
If I thought the gales of the last few days where a little concerning it seems I was mistaken for apparently the worst has yet to come. The wind speeds Saturday through to Monday where in the low 30's but commencing this afternoon they are set to gust at up to 80mph..... thus far though we have been lucky in our little patch of Scotland.
On the west coast the situation has been far worse, Cumbria has suffered severe flooding resulting in the sad deaths of three people, millions of pounds of damage has been done to property and thousands of those resident in the area remain without power for the third day.
On Saturday as I drove my little car to work, battered by high winds and torrential rain I thought it could get no worse, that was until yesterday morning when things had progressed from 'challenging' to 'very challenging' and any driving skills I have acquired over the years where severely tested.
The journey was odd in that it felt a little surreal. The extreme conditions seemed to have disrupted the day to day operations of the natural world completely and confused the hedgerow inhabitants. The roads where littered with debris from trees that had suffered from the continual battering, it was apparent that overnight, local farmers has been forced from their beds to remove, by whatever means available, a number of mature trees felled by the strength of the wind and in parts rainwaters stood deep enough for me to have to crawl through, barely moving and wondering if I would make it to the other side without it overflowing the height of my car's sill and rendering me 'paddling'.
The wildlife was behaving in an unusual manner, creatures normally not evident at this time of day where still scuttling about manically, bedraggled rabbits were runnig along the hedgerows, birds normally soaring gracefully were buffeted inelegantly and two barn owls sat staunchly on a fence post, looking statuesque despite it being way past their bed time! As I struggled against a vicious sidewind over the Tweed estuary, which had broken its banks flooding the nearby fields, the resident swans, who have by this time normally moved off to go about their days business sat huddled and floating in places they don't, as a rule, have the opportunity to float!
What was most surreal was the view. Toward the end on my drive each day, as I come over the crest of a hill I am greeted with a wonderful panoramic view of the bay, the pictures above show part of that view, the whole town lies before me, it's red roofs set against the deep blue of the sea, the island of Lindisfarne sits on the horizon with it's lighthouse blinking and sea and sky merge into one indefinable background.
Yesterday morning as I cleared the crest of the hill the view was changed dramatically to a sight I have never before been witness too. The sea, instead of blending with the sky into one backdrop of blue, was brown, a sandy brown, churned up by hours of pounding from heavy surf fuelled by the winds, not just along the coastline but as far as the eye could see to the horizon and up the entire length of the estuary in the opposite direction.
The impact was phenomenal, and a sight I am at a loss to describe adequately. The light reflecting off the strangely coloured expanse of sea coloured everything, the whole town and view appeared entirely changed and surreal, dark and foreign to my eyes, it felt oddly threatening coupled with the sound of the wind howling around me and I was reminded of the horrors unfolding in Asia and of the absolute power of the natural world, the forces of nature against which we, who are so used to being in control of our lives have no strength or weapon.
Over the crest of the hill.
Toward Lindisfarne.
If I thought the gales of the last few days where a little concerning it seems I was mistaken for apparently the worst has yet to come. The wind speeds Saturday through to Monday where in the low 30's but commencing this afternoon they are set to gust at up to 80mph..... thus far though we have been lucky in our little patch of Scotland.
On the west coast the situation has been far worse, Cumbria has suffered severe flooding resulting in the sad deaths of three people, millions of pounds of damage has been done to property and thousands of those resident in the area remain without power for the third day.
On Saturday as I drove my little car to work, battered by high winds and torrential rain I thought it could get no worse, that was until yesterday morning when things had progressed from 'challenging' to 'very challenging' and any driving skills I have acquired over the years where severely tested.
The journey was odd in that it felt a little surreal. The extreme conditions seemed to have disrupted the day to day operations of the natural world completely and confused the hedgerow inhabitants. The roads where littered with debris from trees that had suffered from the continual battering, it was apparent that overnight, local farmers has been forced from their beds to remove, by whatever means available, a number of mature trees felled by the strength of the wind and in parts rainwaters stood deep enough for me to have to crawl through, barely moving and wondering if I would make it to the other side without it overflowing the height of my car's sill and rendering me 'paddling'.
The wildlife was behaving in an unusual manner, creatures normally not evident at this time of day where still scuttling about manically, bedraggled rabbits were runnig along the hedgerows, birds normally soaring gracefully were buffeted inelegantly and two barn owls sat staunchly on a fence post, looking statuesque despite it being way past their bed time! As I struggled against a vicious sidewind over the Tweed estuary, which had broken its banks flooding the nearby fields, the resident swans, who have by this time normally moved off to go about their days business sat huddled and floating in places they don't, as a rule, have the opportunity to float!
What was most surreal was the view. Toward the end on my drive each day, as I come over the crest of a hill I am greeted with a wonderful panoramic view of the bay, the pictures above show part of that view, the whole town lies before me, it's red roofs set against the deep blue of the sea, the island of Lindisfarne sits on the horizon with it's lighthouse blinking and sea and sky merge into one indefinable background.
Yesterday morning as I cleared the crest of the hill the view was changed dramatically to a sight I have never before been witness too. The sea, instead of blending with the sky into one backdrop of blue, was brown, a sandy brown, churned up by hours of pounding from heavy surf fuelled by the winds, not just along the coastline but as far as the eye could see to the horizon and up the entire length of the estuary in the opposite direction.
The impact was phenomenal, and a sight I am at a loss to describe adequately. The light reflecting off the strangely coloured expanse of sea coloured everything, the whole town and view appeared entirely changed and surreal, dark and foreign to my eyes, it felt oddly threatening coupled with the sound of the wind howling around me and I was reminded of the horrors unfolding in Asia and of the absolute power of the natural world, the forces of nature against which we, who are so used to being in control of our lives have no strength or weapon.
Monday, 10 January 2005
Gone With the Wind (not)
In the US, winds of 21 mph or better would be considered the start of a good tornado, especially in Nebraska. However, in Scotland, it appears to be the norm. The winds are up to 21mph today and expected to be in the 30+ mph range tomorrow. I'm guessing they build sturdy homes in Scotland with well-nailed down roofs. :)
Gem is at work today, but I thought I would pop in just for a second to say that, as far as I'm aware, we should not see Gem fluttering about over our heads. She is not gone with the wind; just working her rear-end off at work.
I thought I might leave you with a link for entertainment purposes: An actual castle being built in the United States.
Have a good day!
Lisa
Gem is at work today, but I thought I would pop in just for a second to say that, as far as I'm aware, we should not see Gem fluttering about over our heads. She is not gone with the wind; just working her rear-end off at work.
I thought I might leave you with a link for entertainment purposes: An actual castle being built in the United States.
Have a good day!
Lisa
Sunday, 9 January 2005
Back briefly
Just popping in very briefly to explain my slightly abnormal silence (some would say a blessing) over the last day or two. Having posted some concern regarding my impending journey to work yesterday in the early hours, I then disappeared. My apologies TW, for causing you concern and thank you for having that concern.... but all is well, I didn't blow away and the gales are finally subsiding.
The journey into to work was a little 'challenging' but uneventful thank fully and my only reason for not posting since is two very long days at work followed by a meeting and time for little else! Right now I'm just in and fit for nothing but sleep.....I have another very early start tomorrow and then it's back to normal for a few days 'playtime'.
On that note I will bid you all goodnight........oh, and "sweet dreams Jelly Bean" :o)
The journey into to work was a little 'challenging' but uneventful thank fully and my only reason for not posting since is two very long days at work followed by a meeting and time for little else! Right now I'm just in and fit for nothing but sleep.....I have another very early start tomorrow and then it's back to normal for a few days 'playtime'.
On that note I will bid you all goodnight........oh, and "sweet dreams Jelly Bean" :o)
Saturday, 8 January 2005
And the wind blows
For the last two days the gales here have been almost continuous, the winds eased a little yesterday afternoon only to gather strength again in the evening. My drive home from work was 'interesting', there were one or two very large trees felled by the power of the gale and attempting to hold my car in a straight line was somewhat of a challenge!
This morning things have only worsened, more high winds are forecast, along with snow, though I won't hold my breath on the snow aspect after the last week or two's 'no shows'.
I have no idea of the current wind speed but it's high, in fact I would go as far as to say it's slightly scary, even to me who generally likes extreme weather and I am a little concerned about my imminent journey to work ........ Believe me, gales would not cut it as a valid reason not to make it in and on time at that! Bear in mind here that right now I cannot make it along the access balcony to this flat without holding tight to the rails and the fact that our roof appears still to be intact is an impressive testament to the skills of whoever constructed it!
That's it for now, I'm off to shower and brave the elements......oh happy days!
This morning things have only worsened, more high winds are forecast, along with snow, though I won't hold my breath on the snow aspect after the last week or two's 'no shows'.
I have no idea of the current wind speed but it's high, in fact I would go as far as to say it's slightly scary, even to me who generally likes extreme weather and I am a little concerned about my imminent journey to work ........ Believe me, gales would not cut it as a valid reason not to make it in and on time at that! Bear in mind here that right now I cannot make it along the access balcony to this flat without holding tight to the rails and the fact that our roof appears still to be intact is an impressive testament to the skills of whoever constructed it!
That's it for now, I'm off to shower and brave the elements......oh happy days!
Friday, 7 January 2005
Friday's feast (30)
Appetizer - Have you been sick yet this winter? If so, what did you come down with?
Yes, just a cold, nothing serious :o)
Soup - What colors dominate your closet?
Black (no surprise there), taupe, blue, purple.
Salad - How would you describe your personal "comfort zone"?
A warm, quiet, tidy room with low lighting and muted colours and a pc or two tucked away in a corner.... Hell, that sounds like my living room!
Main Course - On which reality show would you really like to be a contestant?
Big brother!
Dessert - Which holiday would you consider to be your favorite?
Christmas....no contest.
Yes, just a cold, nothing serious :o)
Soup - What colors dominate your closet?
Black (no surprise there), taupe, blue, purple.
Salad - How would you describe your personal "comfort zone"?
A warm, quiet, tidy room with low lighting and muted colours and a pc or two tucked away in a corner.... Hell, that sounds like my living room!
Main Course - On which reality show would you really like to be a contestant?
Big brother!
Dessert - Which holiday would you consider to be your favorite?
Christmas....no contest.
Thursday, 6 January 2005
Inclement conditions
Living here in Scotland differs markedly in many aspects from my previous life in the south of England one of the most obvious differences being meteorological mayhem!
The UK's weather is renowned for it's ability to masquerade as summer one moment and winter the next and in Scotland that is more pronounced. The days are longer in the summer than those in the South and shorter in winter, we have greater rainfall, lower temperatures and in theory at least we have more snow but it is the wind that shows the greatest and most obvious difference.
The wind here is like nothing I have had the misfortune to experience previously, it seems almost constant and as the norm cannot be described as a 'light breeze'. Be it summer or winter it's windy!
The met. office today promised something for these parts in the way of wind above and beyond what I have grown used to and for once they got it right. We have wind, this is heavy duty, serious blowy stuff. Our flat is positioned on a hill with nothing in the way of land mass between it and the North sea and we are stuck, gable end on, to anything that it cares to throw this way. Granted there are 10 miles inbetween but those 10 miles seem to make little or no difference.
This is a wind of structural damage proportions, as I type there are branches of trees, dustbins and all manner of odds and sods flying about, the loft hatch is rattling continuously and I can hear the roof lifting with rather worrying frequency, apparently we have a roof specifically constructed to withstand the local meteorological delights but I am not entirely convinced. Ditto is sat on the windowsill looking gloomily out, having decided after a number of attempts that venturing out right now isn't an option and Poppy keeps pricking up her ears and looking about her at the unusual sounds.
Worse still, in these remote parts our power cables and phone lines are overground, which of course, given the current conditions, always carries the threat of a situation of far greater concern to me ......... losing my internet connection!!!!
The UK's weather is renowned for it's ability to masquerade as summer one moment and winter the next and in Scotland that is more pronounced. The days are longer in the summer than those in the South and shorter in winter, we have greater rainfall, lower temperatures and in theory at least we have more snow but it is the wind that shows the greatest and most obvious difference.
The wind here is like nothing I have had the misfortune to experience previously, it seems almost constant and as the norm cannot be described as a 'light breeze'. Be it summer or winter it's windy!
The met. office today promised something for these parts in the way of wind above and beyond what I have grown used to and for once they got it right. We have wind, this is heavy duty, serious blowy stuff. Our flat is positioned on a hill with nothing in the way of land mass between it and the North sea and we are stuck, gable end on, to anything that it cares to throw this way. Granted there are 10 miles inbetween but those 10 miles seem to make little or no difference.
This is a wind of structural damage proportions, as I type there are branches of trees, dustbins and all manner of odds and sods flying about, the loft hatch is rattling continuously and I can hear the roof lifting with rather worrying frequency, apparently we have a roof specifically constructed to withstand the local meteorological delights but I am not entirely convinced. Ditto is sat on the windowsill looking gloomily out, having decided after a number of attempts that venturing out right now isn't an option and Poppy keeps pricking up her ears and looking about her at the unusual sounds.
Worse still, in these remote parts our power cables and phone lines are overground, which of course, given the current conditions, always carries the threat of a situation of far greater concern to me ......... losing my internet connection!!!!
Wednesday, 5 January 2005
Finally.......
....I have caught up with myself,how I wonder can just three days of fun cause so much backlog in the lives of just two people, it's hardly as though I have a 10 bedroom house and a matching number of offspring to attend to, but behind I got none the less.
A sudden 'need' to completely re build my website today, and yes, it's finished for now, so if you didn't lose anything I support on my webspace this afternoon you ain't gonna, probably didn't assist in the catching up plan but I have at last answered all my mail (she says hopefully), managed to read some blogs and got all the domestic un-pleasantries out of the way. No doubt PG will fall through the door after his shift any moment requiring the pc and this will have to wait until the morning but I will persevere in hope!
And so....back to the weekend with my parents, I told you I would get there in the end. Having collected them from the station, they decided to travel by rail in the end, a decision I think they have lived to regret but I won't go into timetables and overcrowded trains right now, we booked them into their hotel and then headed for home where much making merry, eating, drinking and chattering ensued.
(Click images to enlarge)
Duns castle at sunset 31.12.2004
The following morning it was decided that a trip into town and to the sea was in order. Berwick leaves a lot to be desired on the shopping front but it does have historic walls, barracks and beautiful buildings for infrequent visitors to enjoy......though as I recall it wasn't long, as we walked the walls against a strong sub zero wind, before all members of the party decided perhaps summer would be the better time for this activity and we headed homeward. Not to be thwarted by the cold, my parents as ever intrepid and having warmed ourselves we set off in the afternoon for a walk around Duns Castle, now famous among other things for being the location for the film 'Mrs Brown'.
New years eve was spent in a local hostelry, where things became a little confusing. This event had been booked long since and we were given to understand that the evening included a 'grand buffet' (for which I might add we had paid for handsomely)which began at 7.30 and ended at 10.00. We arrived fashionably late at 7.55 only to be told dining 'finished at 8.00',(uh?) with which, still drinkless, we were rushed through to the restaurant and presented with a rather large seated meal, perhaps my understanding of the phrase 'buffet' was incorrect and along with it my ability to tell the time! The night was saved by virtue of the fact that the cuisine was excellent, mine host was very attentive if a little disorganised and the company was good. The evening progressed as a new years eve should, until at midnight the promised piper piped forth appropriate noise and the whole place erupted into shouting, cheering, kissing and manic text messaging.....thwarted by finding no one had a signal!
Bass rock 01.01.2005
New years day we were all 'up and at it' again early, looking and feeling not particularly 'bright eyed and bushy tailed' but determined to make the most of the time we had together! The day was hilarious in it's disaster. First we set off to North Berwick to the Scottish seabird centre, and Bass Rock. My mum and I have a liking for birds, though I promise we are not 'twitchers'. This should have been a lovely day out had we managed the fore thought as two 'bird people' to realise that winter in Scotland does not harbour much in the way of seabirds and even less so the promised sightings of seals! Ok....so there was a beautiful coffee shop with even more beautiful chocolate fudge cake and a shop selling various 'must have' nik-naks but not a bloody bird in sight! Again we trotted off along the beach not to be put off (hence the previous pic of PG and myself close to freezing) and then made for the car to enjoy the coastal route up to Edinburgh.....where it was planned we would do a little looking for bargains in the sales and eat some lunch. Hmmmmmm!
One point had passed us by, the Scots are big, and I mean BIG on Hogmanay and whilst we English open our shops and restaurants for fear of losing a days trade, those wise Scottish souls don't! Oh..... and the skies darkened and the heavens opened obliterating any view whatsoever within minutes of us setting off on our travels again!
We ate lunch in McDonalds!
Amazingly we had a wonderful day, it was such an utter debacle there was nothing to be done except enjoy what we could and each others company.... and enjoy it we did. I would, to be honest, have been just as happy sat at home talking and catching up,it was just such a treat to spend new year with my Mum and Dad that what we did didn't matter to me.
North Berwick 01.01.2005
A sudden 'need' to completely re build my website today, and yes, it's finished for now, so if you didn't lose anything I support on my webspace this afternoon you ain't gonna, probably didn't assist in the catching up plan but I have at last answered all my mail (she says hopefully), managed to read some blogs and got all the domestic un-pleasantries out of the way. No doubt PG will fall through the door after his shift any moment requiring the pc and this will have to wait until the morning but I will persevere in hope!
And so....back to the weekend with my parents, I told you I would get there in the end. Having collected them from the station, they decided to travel by rail in the end, a decision I think they have lived to regret but I won't go into timetables and overcrowded trains right now, we booked them into their hotel and then headed for home where much making merry, eating, drinking and chattering ensued.
(Click images to enlarge)
Duns castle at sunset 31.12.2004
The following morning it was decided that a trip into town and to the sea was in order. Berwick leaves a lot to be desired on the shopping front but it does have historic walls, barracks and beautiful buildings for infrequent visitors to enjoy......though as I recall it wasn't long, as we walked the walls against a strong sub zero wind, before all members of the party decided perhaps summer would be the better time for this activity and we headed homeward. Not to be thwarted by the cold, my parents as ever intrepid and having warmed ourselves we set off in the afternoon for a walk around Duns Castle, now famous among other things for being the location for the film 'Mrs Brown'.
New years eve was spent in a local hostelry, where things became a little confusing. This event had been booked long since and we were given to understand that the evening included a 'grand buffet' (for which I might add we had paid for handsomely)which began at 7.30 and ended at 10.00. We arrived fashionably late at 7.55 only to be told dining 'finished at 8.00',(uh?) with which, still drinkless, we were rushed through to the restaurant and presented with a rather large seated meal, perhaps my understanding of the phrase 'buffet' was incorrect and along with it my ability to tell the time! The night was saved by virtue of the fact that the cuisine was excellent, mine host was very attentive if a little disorganised and the company was good. The evening progressed as a new years eve should, until at midnight the promised piper piped forth appropriate noise and the whole place erupted into shouting, cheering, kissing and manic text messaging.....thwarted by finding no one had a signal!
Bass rock 01.01.2005
New years day we were all 'up and at it' again early, looking and feeling not particularly 'bright eyed and bushy tailed' but determined to make the most of the time we had together! The day was hilarious in it's disaster. First we set off to North Berwick to the Scottish seabird centre, and Bass Rock. My mum and I have a liking for birds, though I promise we are not 'twitchers'. This should have been a lovely day out had we managed the fore thought as two 'bird people' to realise that winter in Scotland does not harbour much in the way of seabirds and even less so the promised sightings of seals! Ok....so there was a beautiful coffee shop with even more beautiful chocolate fudge cake and a shop selling various 'must have' nik-naks but not a bloody bird in sight! Again we trotted off along the beach not to be put off (hence the previous pic of PG and myself close to freezing) and then made for the car to enjoy the coastal route up to Edinburgh.....where it was planned we would do a little looking for bargains in the sales and eat some lunch. Hmmmmmm!
One point had passed us by, the Scots are big, and I mean BIG on Hogmanay and whilst we English open our shops and restaurants for fear of losing a days trade, those wise Scottish souls don't! Oh..... and the skies darkened and the heavens opened obliterating any view whatsoever within minutes of us setting off on our travels again!
We ate lunch in McDonalds!
Amazingly we had a wonderful day, it was such an utter debacle there was nothing to be done except enjoy what we could and each others company.... and enjoy it we did. I would, to be honest, have been just as happy sat at home talking and catching up,it was just such a treat to spend new year with my Mum and Dad that what we did didn't matter to me.
North Berwick 01.01.2005
Domestic 'assistance'!
Poppy, God love her, has always had a fondness for 'assisting' with the ironing. There is something she just can't resist about newly ironed clothing, or is it just that she considers my efforts not up to her required standard? Whatever, all her life, the very moment an item has been freshly pressed and laid out ready for wear, she avails herself of the opportunity to further 'launder' them!
Sweat pants by Nike, fleece by who knows, ironing services by Poppy!
Sweat pants by Nike, fleece by who knows, ironing services by Poppy!
Advance warning!
Today, 'gemmak.co.uk' is undergoing a long overdue revamp and consequently there is a risk for those among you who have pictures etc. supported on my webspace that they may, through my own ineptitude disappear, this may be temporary or permanent! I will do my very best to avoid taking down anything I shouldn't..... but no guarantees!
Should you find that something I am supporting for you 'does the off' in the next 24 hours please shout loudly and I will rectify the situation immediately :o)
Should you find that something I am supporting for you 'does the off' in the next 24 hours please shout loudly and I will rectify the situation immediately :o)
Tuesday, 4 January 2005
Cat tales
Poppy ' Christmas unwrapping'
So Poppy made it into 2005, her 18th year..... and with a degree of aplomb for such an old lady. There was a time last year when I didn't think for one moment she would still be with us but she rallied and is still going strong, well ok, strong-ish.
She participated fully in the festivities, never one to miss the opportunity of wrapping paper or Turkey she made the most of it all. She played with her presents in a very demure fashion and was even seen 'rushing about' to the best of her ability. You know that 'kitten thing' the one where out of nowhere said kitten commences rushing about madly. Poppy occasionally still makes a valiant attempt and though it is now not so much akin an to an elegant feline in pursuit of prey. Her elderly hind legs no longer keep up with those positioned at the front end and consequently it require a larger degree of concentration to carry out maneuvers of such athletic excitement!
We had a sad moment a day or two before Christmas with the realisation that if we are realistic this was probably going to be her last, she can't go on forever and there is no doubt that her kidneys are slowly degenerating but she got this far and for that I am grateful.
My parents visit was a special treat for her, she is particularly fond of my mother and as hard as some may find it to believe, without doubt she still remembers her and makes the appropriate unending fuss of her.
Ditto on the other hand, if she continues in her current vein of behaviour, is unlikely to make it to 3 let alone Poppy's grand age. Cats in my experience are either 'scratchers' or 'chewers', Ditto is the latter and has long favoured the wires behind the television. We have erected 'cat-proofing' and all manner of other devices to keep her from them but still this morning, it was with a degree of worry, I discovered she has managed to bite through a mains cable! Arghhhhh.
We never leave the mains connected unless we are here for this reason, so given that she is still very much alive I assume she has done this deed when we have been absent. I am concerned somewhat for her future safety and thus now have to begin inventing further means of defence before something unmentionable happens!
Monday, 3 January 2005
Catching up
Things didn't work out quite as I had anticipated on the 'catching up' front today, Bah!
Work was a nightmare, all those shoppers who the press has been telling us for days are being cautious, not using credit cards and not hitting the sales seemed to change their minds en-mass today and cross our door, the place was madness, and the situation wasn't assisted by under staffing and illness. We seem to have our own little flu epidemic in my place of work right now, they are dropping like flies!
Hence the day was hard, lunch was a cursory moment taken to stuff a sandwich into my face to keep me going, breaks where few and far between and the working day was extended by an inability to eject customers through the door at the given hour. Add to that, nothing bar customer service had got done for the entire day and needed catching up with. I eventually crawled home late, disgruntled and knackered.....anyone good at foot massage??
On the up side I have (I think) caught up with my emails, the flat no longer resembles a laundry, I've made it here to post, if only briefly and I have the next few days off! Things are looking decidedly brighter.
I'm off now to 'test' a big box of chocolates that I was given at Christmas (well it would be rude not too!), and then get some sleep........on second thoughts, maybe I'll test the chocolates in bed!
Work was a nightmare, all those shoppers who the press has been telling us for days are being cautious, not using credit cards and not hitting the sales seemed to change their minds en-mass today and cross our door, the place was madness, and the situation wasn't assisted by under staffing and illness. We seem to have our own little flu epidemic in my place of work right now, they are dropping like flies!
Hence the day was hard, lunch was a cursory moment taken to stuff a sandwich into my face to keep me going, breaks where few and far between and the working day was extended by an inability to eject customers through the door at the given hour. Add to that, nothing bar customer service had got done for the entire day and needed catching up with. I eventually crawled home late, disgruntled and knackered.....anyone good at foot massage??
On the up side I have (I think) caught up with my emails, the flat no longer resembles a laundry, I've made it here to post, if only briefly and I have the next few days off! Things are looking decidedly brighter.
I'm off now to 'test' a big box of chocolates that I was given at Christmas (well it would be rude not too!), and then get some sleep........on second thoughts, maybe I'll test the chocolates in bed!
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