Christmas shopping used to be something I looked forward to with glee, it was the beginning of the festivities for me and part and parcel (no pun intended) of the run up to the big day.
12 years in retail have somewhat eroded that. I have been listening to 'Jingle Bells' and 'Hark the bloody Herald Angels Sing, for weeks now. Christmas started in gemmaks-ville in mid September, lugging Christmas trees about and packing tinsel, lights and all the other paraphernalia for weeks has worn a little thin now and Christmas cheer among Joe Public, is as ever, in short supply.
It is thus that the thought of getting my own shopping done and dusted did not fill me with ecstasy, add to that PG and I don't have many days off together and it always requires a few trips to get it all done and that each trip is 150 miles.
How the answer never hit me before amazes me, I spend a large proportion of my time sat infront of this infernal machine and yet it took me until this year to realise the solution to the Christmas shopping horror was staring me in the face! Doh!
Shop on the internet, obvious really. Strange how one gets a mind set about a particular activity, most other things I buy off the internet and yet Christmas gifts I had never thought of!
And so one day last week I logged onto johnlewis.com, charge card gripped firmly in hand and set about virtual shopping. What a delight, two hours later, no crowds, no Hark the bloody Herald Angels and no fuss, it was done.....90% of what I needed was purchased leaving only a few odds and sods left to be found.
The down side of course was that given recent experiences I was not entirely convinced that my order would be delivered without fuss or on time. 3-7 working days was quoted, it arrived in 4! How impressed am I? I know, John lewis of all retailers were going to get it right if anyone was but 'Ms Sceptical' here still harboured doubts! Not only did said parcel arrive within the specified period but also, on finding no one at home, the delivery driver, proving to have an IQ above that of a peanut used his nouse and left it with a neighbour!
Christmas shopping 21st century style, it may be cheating not to suffer the crowds etc. but it's the way to go for me.
All I have to do now is the wrapping and distribution. That involves a 600 mile round trip to my sisters in the Midlands a day or two before Christmas if PG and I have a day off together, I can't say I fancy the drive alone. The one thing I overlooked in my excitement at finding a route out of the shopping nightmare was to buy gifts of a 'postable' size! At least I get to see my nieces for a few hours near to Christmas this way..... we might be shattered after the journey but it will be happy shattered.
"Haaark the herald angels siiiing, glooory tooo the new born King"............
Tuesday, 30 November 2004
Monday, 29 November 2004
Comment-less
Having worked the last four days I finally get time to sit and have a good read through my regulars only to find that the illustrious Blogger is at it again.....I can't post comments anywhere!
So....if you notice I have hit you and haven't left a comment, almost certainly it's not because I have suddenly become dumb-struck (as if, this is me, I say stuff) it's because the Blogger gremlins are at it again.
Oh....and having just hit the button to spell check, it seems that is dysfunctional too so forgive me any great faux pas :o)
So....if you notice I have hit you and haven't left a comment, almost certainly it's not because I have suddenly become dumb-struck (as if, this is me, I say stuff) it's because the Blogger gremlins are at it again.
Oh....and having just hit the button to spell check, it seems that is dysfunctional too so forgive me any great faux pas :o)
Happy?
I found this 'Are you happy' quiz on Jennifers World,..... have a go HERE.
Seems a little like fortune telling to me though.......my results I think, could probably be applied to 99% of those living in the western world! Lol.
Seems a little like fortune telling to me though.......my results I think, could probably be applied to 99% of those living in the western world! Lol.
You're happy enough, but could be more so.
"You know the feeling of happiness, but every now and then, fear clutches your heart and ruins the whole thing. Your primitive fear sensors -- the ones left over from the days when life was fraught with rampaging tigers -- are working overtime. Change scares you a little, bad days seem permanent, and you sometimes feel isolated from others. Sometimes your life feels out of control.
"Unhappiness is based on fear, and fear cannot be held in the brain at the same time as love," says Dr. Dan Baker, psychologist and author of What Happy People Know (St. Martin's Press, 2004). His quick fix to start the attitude change: look for something in the moment to appreciate. "See problems as possibilities," he says. Done something great, or even good? Appreciate yourself and pause for a moment of pride.
David Myers, a professor of social psychology at Hope College and one of the nation's foremost research experts on happiness, says, "We can sometimes act ourselves into a frame of mind. Manipulated into a smiling expression, people feel better; when they scowl, the whole world seems to scowl back. So talk as if you feel positive self-esteem, are optimistic, and are outgoing. Going through the motions can trigger the emotions." He also recommends strengthening connections with others, sleep, exercise, an appreciation journal, and membership in a faith community.
If you hate your job, either change it or engage in a hobby that will help you experience "flow." The state of flow -- a sense of un-self-consciousness and serenity -- is caused by pursuing enjoyable and meaningful activities, either on the job or off, from golf to needlepoint, from weeding a garden to organizing your closet. The activities or thoughts that bring on a state of flow are different for each of us. Doing more of those things, though, brings on more joy and a habit of happy living."
Late moon
The Scottish sky is both beautiful and peculiar, nowhere before have I seen the moon still suspended in a pink sky at 09.05am!
This picture and my camera cannot do it justice, the moon was as bright and clear as I have ever seen it, so much so that with the naked eye I could see the 'patterns' on its surface. In the same sky but in the opposite direction the sun was shining.
(Click to enlarge)
9.05 am, 29 November 2004
This picture and my camera cannot do it justice, the moon was as bright and clear as I have ever seen it, so much so that with the naked eye I could see the 'patterns' on its surface. In the same sky but in the opposite direction the sun was shining.
(Click to enlarge)
9.05 am, 29 November 2004
Saturday, 27 November 2004
A horse maybe?
You won't believe it, I didn't...... well actually given it's history you probably will.........the exhaust fell off PG's car last night, not three days since the last car catastrophe!
This damnable vehicle was returned to us a few days ago with it's last problem (a distinct inability where starting was concerned) fixed and a jovial promise from the mechanic that there is nothing left to go wrong with it, we have had almost every part of any significance replaced over the last year.....the exhaust included!
Despite all this, at about the time I was expecting PG to arrive home from a late shift at work last night I instead got him somewhat disgruntled on the phone, accompanied by the God awful sound of his pipe dragging along tarmac and the engine blowing straight through! He was not a happy man I can tell you.
"I'll get nicked driving this" says he,
"well pull it off then" says I,
"I can't" says he
"Why not?", says I
"It's too bloody hot" he says,
"Well stop and wait for it to cool down" I suggest,
"No" I wanna get home", is the response,
"Well get nicked then," I somewhat un-sympathetically offer.
Point made, he stops and waits a while and treats me to the inevitable tirade of verbal abuse aimed at the car in the meantime.
"Is it cool yet" I ask,
"yes" is the reply ..... "but I can't get the ******(expletive deleted) thing off"
"Well pull harder"
"I am!!....its fixed on with a rubber 'thing' that I cant break"
Ok.....this is 15 stone of strong man and rubber has defeated him?
"Use a knife" I suggest rather obviously,
"I don't have one" is tersely replied.
PG I might add, owns various 'Leatherman' tools among other gadgets but it seems none are about his person nor in his car!
"Ok........ just drive home, it's the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere, I think the likelihood of the police being in attendance is slim!!"
And so home he comes, dragging the exhaust in his wake with an unearthly clatter, a knife we find and the offending part is removed.
This may all seem quite unimportant but out here where public transport is virtually nil and we both work shifts, a car each is not a luxury, if it were we would most definitely not have two and the incumbent running costs. Thankfully a new pipe was fitted this afternoon just in time for him to get to work but of course it bought with it yet another bill! I dread to think what this car has cost to keep on the road over the last 12 months. It is by no means new but it is not archaic, I think we have a classic 'Friday afternoon' car here and I'm beginning to think a horse instead, might be a good idea!
This damnable vehicle was returned to us a few days ago with it's last problem (a distinct inability where starting was concerned) fixed and a jovial promise from the mechanic that there is nothing left to go wrong with it, we have had almost every part of any significance replaced over the last year.....the exhaust included!
Despite all this, at about the time I was expecting PG to arrive home from a late shift at work last night I instead got him somewhat disgruntled on the phone, accompanied by the God awful sound of his pipe dragging along tarmac and the engine blowing straight through! He was not a happy man I can tell you.
"I'll get nicked driving this" says he,
"well pull it off then" says I,
"I can't" says he
"Why not?", says I
"It's too bloody hot" he says,
"Well stop and wait for it to cool down" I suggest,
"No" I wanna get home", is the response,
"Well get nicked then," I somewhat un-sympathetically offer.
Point made, he stops and waits a while and treats me to the inevitable tirade of verbal abuse aimed at the car in the meantime.
"Is it cool yet" I ask,
"yes" is the reply ..... "but I can't get the ******(expletive deleted) thing off"
"Well pull harder"
"I am!!....its fixed on with a rubber 'thing' that I cant break"
Ok.....this is 15 stone of strong man and rubber has defeated him?
"Use a knife" I suggest rather obviously,
"I don't have one" is tersely replied.
PG I might add, owns various 'Leatherman' tools among other gadgets but it seems none are about his person nor in his car!
"Ok........ just drive home, it's the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere, I think the likelihood of the police being in attendance is slim!!"
And so home he comes, dragging the exhaust in his wake with an unearthly clatter, a knife we find and the offending part is removed.
This may all seem quite unimportant but out here where public transport is virtually nil and we both work shifts, a car each is not a luxury, if it were we would most definitely not have two and the incumbent running costs. Thankfully a new pipe was fitted this afternoon just in time for him to get to work but of course it bought with it yet another bill! I dread to think what this car has cost to keep on the road over the last 12 months. It is by no means new but it is not archaic, I think we have a classic 'Friday afternoon' car here and I'm beginning to think a horse instead, might be a good idea!
Friday, 26 November 2004
Friday's Feast (25)
Here we go again :o)
Appetizer:
How much money do you plan to spend this upcoming holiday season?
As little as possible, I have no money!
Soup:
What was the last television show you watched, and was it good?
Coronation Street and YES! Lol
Salad:
If you had to paint the walls of your living room tomorrow, what color would you choose?
I like what I have, Aubergine and beige suede but if I had to change then:
Feature wall: chocolate brown, remaining walls something light and natural. NOT magnolia!
Main Course:
Name something clever or practical you have thought of that should be invented, but hasn't yet.
A self cleaning cat litter box!
Dessert:
List 3 things you would like to receive as gifts this holiday season.
Reality time: Broadband, a kitten, chocolate.
Dream time: Broadband, a tiny laptop, an R1.
Appetizer:
How much money do you plan to spend this upcoming holiday season?
As little as possible, I have no money!
Soup:
What was the last television show you watched, and was it good?
Coronation Street and YES! Lol
Salad:
If you had to paint the walls of your living room tomorrow, what color would you choose?
I like what I have, Aubergine and beige suede but if I had to change then:
Feature wall: chocolate brown, remaining walls something light and natural. NOT magnolia!
Main Course:
Name something clever or practical you have thought of that should be invented, but hasn't yet.
A self cleaning cat litter box!
Dessert:
List 3 things you would like to receive as gifts this holiday season.
Reality time: Broadband, a kitten, chocolate.
Dream time: Broadband, a tiny laptop, an R1.
Morphing and child pornography
The following comment was posted on here this morning, I felt it needed to be given higher exposure than to be left loitering at the bottom of a line of comments and thus have posted it here.
I consider myself to be reasonably internet 'savvy' but I didn't realise this problem was so advanced. If you doubt the validity of this check the authors credentials out here.
Enough said.
I consider myself to be reasonably internet 'savvy' but I didn't realise this problem was so advanced. If you doubt the validity of this check the authors credentials out here.
Michelle Said:
As your resident 'legal eagle'....NEVER post pics of your kids on the net....you're asking for trouble. Trust me it's just not worth it. I ve seen "morphing" of kids with my own eyes....I'd never advise anyone to post pics of children, even teenage kids. Child internet pornography (by morphing) is the fastest growing computer crime in the western world, just behind fraud.
Enough said.
Data disaster
PG and I are 'gadget freaks', if it has a chip in it, is electronic or is even vaguely computer related we will have it if we can remotely afford it.... and fiddle with it unendingly! Not, I hasten to add, necessarily because we need whatever gadget has taken our fancy, more purely because it exists to be played with!
It is as a consequence of this that we encounter the odd disaster as did PG last night. All this technology is fine and wonderful until such time as a 'mishap' occurs.
Bear in mind here that last time PG acquired a cell phone, Bluetooth was still financially out of the question and so as of course one has too, when he bought said phone we had to have the data cable and software to go with it.
Somehow I think life would have gone on just fine without the ability to back up the information on both phones, or to be able to download pictures and tones for free but the option was there for more fiddling and so needless to say we took it.
That is where the trouble began! This is a Nokia data cable and Nokia software, nothing hookey or brand 'X' but still, within a month of use a year ago I had inadvertently, completely destroyed a brand new phone with it. Fiddle excessively we may do but my understanding of things technological still does not explain to me how Nokia's own equipment could wreck the chip in the phone so completely. Ours is not to question why apparently and Nokia did at least replaced the phone after some degree of wrangling. This brings me to last night and PG's endeavors to take off his phone, prior to acquiring a new one and selling the old one, all things deemed 'important'.
I did warn him, I reiterated how unreliable this system appears to be but not to be off put and siting the fact that I used it subsequently and without incident he went ahead......... *pfffff*, in a silent and virtual puff of smoke gone forever was another phone, chip blown, everything gone, completely and utterly defunct!!
We, of course have spare phones, he is not going to be utterly lost but I think we will not be going the same route again!
Technology........hmmmmmm?
It is as a consequence of this that we encounter the odd disaster as did PG last night. All this technology is fine and wonderful until such time as a 'mishap' occurs.
Bear in mind here that last time PG acquired a cell phone, Bluetooth was still financially out of the question and so as of course one has too, when he bought said phone we had to have the data cable and software to go with it.
Somehow I think life would have gone on just fine without the ability to back up the information on both phones, or to be able to download pictures and tones for free but the option was there for more fiddling and so needless to say we took it.
That is where the trouble began! This is a Nokia data cable and Nokia software, nothing hookey or brand 'X' but still, within a month of use a year ago I had inadvertently, completely destroyed a brand new phone with it. Fiddle excessively we may do but my understanding of things technological still does not explain to me how Nokia's own equipment could wreck the chip in the phone so completely. Ours is not to question why apparently and Nokia did at least replaced the phone after some degree of wrangling. This brings me to last night and PG's endeavors to take off his phone, prior to acquiring a new one and selling the old one, all things deemed 'important'.
I did warn him, I reiterated how unreliable this system appears to be but not to be off put and siting the fact that I used it subsequently and without incident he went ahead......... *pfffff*, in a silent and virtual puff of smoke gone forever was another phone, chip blown, everything gone, completely and utterly defunct!!
We, of course have spare phones, he is not going to be utterly lost but I think we will not be going the same route again!
Technology........hmmmmmm?
Thursday, 25 November 2004
All systems go!
I am always somewhat amused in an ironic sense just how much organisation and difficulty is involved in my trying to get a few days off work with PG to do anything.
Bear in mind here that my contract of employment is only for 15 hours a week, apparently my services are not required for more than that and yet whenever I need to be off, such as for the impending 'parental visit', suddenly my attendance seems to be a matter of life or death and to extricate myself from the place for a day or two is a feat of endurance in itself.
I have to be honest here and say that my boss has bent over backwards to accommodate me this festive season and it is not her fault that my plans where suddenly thrown into chaos by a change in PG's shift rota but as luck would have it, or not in this case, the one time my parents can visit I was scheduled to work for one day and nothing could be done. I suppose I should be flattered (she says with tongue very firmly in cheek) that I am so indispensable........or should I be a little miffed that the company that will only offer me a contracted 15 hours a week ask that I be available at their convenience 24/7 and at the drop of a hat!?
Thank goodness for friends is all I can say, as I saw my parents visit disappearing as quickly as it had appeared through my inability to be able to actually be here when they had planned to be, a friend offered to cover my shift at work! Hurahhh!
This colleague and I have an understanding that is separate from management and other colleagues in so much as where we can, we help each other out by covering shifts for one another on the occasions the other really needs the time off.
We both understand that if the other asks then it is important and we go out of our way to do it. What an employer considers a necessary reason to be absent is often very different to what the individual does......a situation I am sure we have all been in!
And so it is thus that courtesy of my friend the 'parental visit' at New Year is all systems go..........it's actually gonna happen, I had my doubts for a while yesterday but we got there in the end! Yayyyyyyyy, I can't wait!
Thank goodness for friends!
Bear in mind here that my contract of employment is only for 15 hours a week, apparently my services are not required for more than that and yet whenever I need to be off, such as for the impending 'parental visit', suddenly my attendance seems to be a matter of life or death and to extricate myself from the place for a day or two is a feat of endurance in itself.
I have to be honest here and say that my boss has bent over backwards to accommodate me this festive season and it is not her fault that my plans where suddenly thrown into chaos by a change in PG's shift rota but as luck would have it, or not in this case, the one time my parents can visit I was scheduled to work for one day and nothing could be done. I suppose I should be flattered (she says with tongue very firmly in cheek) that I am so indispensable........or should I be a little miffed that the company that will only offer me a contracted 15 hours a week ask that I be available at their convenience 24/7 and at the drop of a hat!?
Thank goodness for friends is all I can say, as I saw my parents visit disappearing as quickly as it had appeared through my inability to be able to actually be here when they had planned to be, a friend offered to cover my shift at work! Hurahhh!
This colleague and I have an understanding that is separate from management and other colleagues in so much as where we can, we help each other out by covering shifts for one another on the occasions the other really needs the time off.
We both understand that if the other asks then it is important and we go out of our way to do it. What an employer considers a necessary reason to be absent is often very different to what the individual does......a situation I am sure we have all been in!
And so it is thus that courtesy of my friend the 'parental visit' at New Year is all systems go..........it's actually gonna happen, I had my doubts for a while yesterday but we got there in the end! Yayyyyyyyy, I can't wait!
Thank goodness for friends!
Wednesday, 24 November 2004
Sunset and moonrise
I'm still fascinated by the speed with which night falls here in Scotland in winter and the reverse in the summer. At the height of summer it barely gets dark at all and remains dusk until well past 11pm. In the winter the reverse applies, the sun sets and the moon rises almost at once.
These pictures where both taken this evening barely 30 minutes apart!
(click to enlarge)
.jpg)
Sunset
Sliver of cloud
These pictures where both taken this evening barely 30 minutes apart!
(click to enlarge)
.jpg)
Sunset
Sliver of cloud
Another hop across 'The Pond'
So it's Thanksgiving sometime around now and it is patently obvious from that one sentence that I am somewhat ignorant on the subject!
I did ask a friend recently what it is all about but somehow it has gone from my none to retentive mind again. Hence it is that I have taken another quick trip in the direction of Nebraska and my 'second home' to find some answers!
Whatever and whenever, I wish all of you in the US and Canada a very happy Thanksgiving.
I did ask a friend recently what it is all about but somehow it has gone from my none to retentive mind again. Hence it is that I have taken another quick trip in the direction of Nebraska and my 'second home' to find some answers!
Whatever and whenever, I wish all of you in the US and Canada a very happy Thanksgiving.
Smart cats
I wonder......could Ditto be trained!
Farm cats!
Thanks to Lisa for landing this in my inbox :o)
Farm cats!
Thanks to Lisa for landing this in my inbox :o)
Font download
I have used the font 'Notepad' in the design of this template but it seems not everyone has it on their pc and hence can't view this page as intended.
It is of little consequence but if you don't have the Notepad.ttf file and would like it to view this, or anything else, you can download it from my server.
Click here to download the font save it to your hard drive somewhere and then copy it into your 'Windows font folder' ............done and sorted. (File size ~ 30.5kb)
Alternatively there is a link to the same file in the sidebar, directly below the guestbook.
Any problems just shout and I will try to help.
It is of little consequence but if you don't have the Notepad.ttf file and would like it to view this, or anything else, you can download it from my server.
Click here to download the font save it to your hard drive somewhere and then copy it into your 'Windows font folder' ............done and sorted. (File size ~ 30.5kb)
Alternatively there is a link to the same file in the sidebar, directly below the guestbook.
Any problems just shout and I will try to help.
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