Here's wishing you all a...

Boing!

What can I say? Probably the less the better would be the wisest but you know me, never one for using one word where ten will do! ;o)

Christmas came and went in a blur, Christmas day itself was lovely, my entire immediate family managed to all be in one place at one time, a feat in itself and much noisy merriment was made, much good food was consumed and much good wine quaffed.

Christmas day over though and with the arrival of the sad news on Boxing day morning that Fletch's Aunt was critically ill, the person, who having never known his grandparents he considers the closest thing he has to a grandmother, life became pretty hectic as we beetled our way first back to Cambridge, then down to the south coast to collect Fletch's mum and then up to Yorkshire and back again. I think our main memory of the last few days is of one or another motorway. We covered well over a thousand miles and finally arrived home yesterday, with his brother in tow for a few days.

The Aunt is holding her own for now but to be honest it's not looking very positive in the longer term and stress levels and tiredness levels are running high, I feel like Zebedee, (yes, I'm showing my age!) wound up like a spring about to uncoil wildly, as does Fletch and having not stopped in one place for longer than twenty four hours all thoughts of a relaxing holiday seem to be long gone.

Tomorrow, theoretically at least, we plan to go out to welcome in the new year with friends but if we have learned one thing this week it is that plans aren't the best plan!

'Boing said Zebedee'!

Was that Christmas then?

So... Here I am blogging from my phone somewhere on the M1 heading north to Yorkshire to visit a critically ill relative. Christmas day was good but by early boxing day things had begun to go pear shaped in a pretty big way and since then, if something could go wrong it seems to have done so spectacularly, resulting in most of our time being spent on the road!

Christmas seems a long time ago now, in fact I'm not sure it happened at all did it? The chance to stop travelling and sleep in my own bed can't come quickly enough right now but with a bit of luck another 500 miles should do it... I'm not counting my chickens thought, the last few days have proven that not to be the wisest of moves!

Happy Christmas everyone!

Let the fun begin!

At last the madness and mayhem of the pre-Christmas panic is almost over and the fun can begin! The parcels are wrapped, the comestibles are purchased, Fletch's car is back from it's repairs, the horrible hire car is history and Punctuation is at Heathrow as I type, waiting to board his flight to the U.S. and Lisa anytime now, it's all coming together!

I have a few bits to finish up and then we hit the road for Christmas with my parents and the rest of my immediate family, it will be the first time in years we have all managed to get together in one place and it should be pretty cool.

We then have to race back home on Boxing day to check Hammy is ok. I don't like leaving her alone for more than a day or two but I have no Hammy sitter so the extra 200 miles is a necessary evil....though I doubt she will even wake up long enough to notice we are there!

Then having re-stocked the Hammy food bowl etc. it's a quick turnaround and back on the road for the south coast and a couple of days of festive fun with Fletch's family and friends.

So that's it, we got there in the end, the madness is over, now let the fun begin......

I'll be back soon, or via my phone if I have the time or inclination, but until then....

Happy Christmas, have yourselves a fab one guys!

Jealousy and 'Jane days'

'Jane Days'....what on earth am I talking about you may well ask....well let me explain, though I warn you, you may need a certain degree of similar insanity as I to get where I am coming from here!

The question, 'what are Jane Days'? arose yesterday when I made reference to them in all innocence on Twitter and suddenly found myself having to explain to various people who, er, strangely had no idea what I was talking about! Ok, maybe not so strange. I never claimed to be entirely sane though did I?

So....this is how it works, first, those of you who don't know already, need to know that my real name is Jane. I never mentioned it here before, it was an internet security 'ism' I harboured for years but it's been mentioned so often in my comments etc. now that it's become academic.

Jane days are a coping mechanism, designed in my odd little mind years ago to get through periods in my life when I desperately wanted to get to a particular day and the days just weren't going fast enough to that date. I have always been a 'counter', counting down the weeks, days, hours etc. to an important event and 'Jane Days' made the period between the present and the event seem shorter and hence less depressing. It's simple really and it works like this;
Lets say you are desperate to get to Friday and it's only Monday, it's misery making to realise that's five whole days, but it's not, it's really only three, well three 'Jane Days', because if you are already at Monday there is no need to count it, it's already as good as done (see, one less day already) and if the event you are waiting for is on the Friday, you don't count that day either, there is no need because the nice thing you have been waiting for and counting down too, will be happening on that day!

See, instantly your nasty five day wait is transformed into just a mere three day wait and it sounds way less depressing as you await your longed for event!! It works with whole weeks too! It's something I have always done, a little psychological trickery that in my little mind actually helps.... and Fletch, who know me only too well, began years ago referring to them as 'Jane Days' when utilising the system for my benefit!

Hey.....I did warn you I am not entirely sane!

But, why was I mentioning Jane Days yesterday and why the reference to 'jealousy' in the title of this post? Well tomorrow morning Punctuation will fly from Heathrow to to the U.S. to spend Christmas with Lisa and when he began counting down the last few days until his flight I offered up the 'Jane Days theory' to shorten his wait! ( he now doubts my sanity too I suspect)...as I mentioned earlier thought, I happened to do it on Twitter, which resulted in a number of confused queries and hence my explanation now!

And the jealousy? Well whilst I am looking forward to my own Christmas, I soooo wish I was flying out there too tomorrow to see Lisa again, her summer visit here seems a long time ago now....unfortunately I'm just not quite small enough to squash into Punctuations case un-noticed! ;o)

'Hallelujah' - Cover your ears Mr Buckley!

The news that my lifetime favourite song, 'Hallelujah', the piece of musical magic penned by happy boy Cohen, that means much to me and has the ability to move me to a thousand emotions in an instant has been annihilated by X Factor contestant Alexandra Burke, has not pleased me. The fact that her version has made it to the number one spot has pleased me even less!

Ms. X Factor has taken a beautiful, meaningful piece of musical art and turned it into a meaningless piece of commercial, power ballad crap that we will now have to suffer over the festivities each time the radio is turned on....mine is being turned very firmly off for the duration. For me it borders on the offensive, Lord knows what Cohen thinks about it and Jeff Buckley must be turning in his grave poor man! This girl patently doesn't have even the slightest notion or understanding of what the lyrics are about....and it shows!

The only saving grace in the whole sorry situation is that Buckley's version has chased this latest horror up the charts and sits in the number two spot, so hopefully those who think Ms Burke's offering is acceptable will also get a chance to hear what it should really sound like!

...and for anyone who isn't familair with how it should sound or would just like six minutes of pure pleasure, I offer for your musical delectation, 'Hallelujah' by the brilliant Jeff Buckley. Enjoy....


....or for an even better live version go HERE.

Magical.

It's all good

Well unsurprisingly I survived the 'corporate bash' on Friday and though amusingly it was worse than expected, the dire-ness of it all made it slightly more entertaining!

You know how these places are, portion control principles and portion control standards, a posh hotel that assumes we minions will be suitably impressed by the name and that they need not make the usual efforts they know their day to day customers would demand.

It transpired that the party was being held in a marquee, granted a big, professional marquee but still, in the high winds of Friday evening, a tent by any other name. It was cold, very draughty and in usual money gabbling way it was stuffed to the gunnels with way too many tables, gold painted, faux elegant, plastic chairs and low end decor. The lighting was straight out of a 70's disco and hung on such low gantry's we all spent the night trying to shield our eyes from green and red spotlight glare, the food was less than average and the 'entertainment' appeared to be a disco with a DJ who was mostly promoting a local radio station! The whole thing was reminiscent of a low budget wedding, only the appalling speeches were missing!

But, it's very tackiness was mildly entertaining in itself and we all made the best of it. As luck would have it we were seated with all our usual gang of friends and a considerable distance from the boss' so things could have been worse, the beer was free, no-one required issuing with an ASBO and the taxi turned up prompt at 12.30 to effect our escape for another year!

Yesterday evening however was a whole different story. We had a long standing invitation to dinner with a colleague of Fletch's who moved to the area recently and lives just around the corner. We had met him of course but not his wife so it was with a little apprehension that we set off in the evening to their house wondering how well it would all go.

We needn't have worried, it was a lovely night, good food, good wine, excellent coffee, excellent cheese and most importantly excellent company, we all got on like a house on fire! It was chilled, comfortable and a real pleasure. Their daughter, who is to celebrate her first birthday on Christmas day was an absolute delight (even to me who doesn't 'do' children) and the evening just flew by, none of that sneaky clock watching of the previous evening!

It's all good, 'K' is a stay at home mum and new to the area so she knows even fewer people than I do. We have plans to meet up for a coffee and a gossip now and then and we have an open invite back for dinner etc.....you never know if these things will turn into lifetime friendships or just occasional pleasant evening but it got off to a good start and it will be nice at least to have someone close by to share the odd cup of coffee and a natter with.

So that was our weekend. We had also managed to squish in an hour or so with Punctuation for a coffee and a chat yesterday which was cool (more on that another day) and now today we are recovering from the two late nights and the surfeit of last nights feasting, before tomorrow sees the start of manic parcel wrapping and a final shopping trip in readiness for the big day!

Al I want for Christmas is.....

Ultra lazy post today, sorry! ;o)

Tis the season to be.....

..... dressed up like a dogs bloody dinner and have to play the corporate game!

Yes, tonight sees Fletch's Christmas 'works bash' take place and you can probably tell I'm not looking forward to it with too much glee! It sounds ok I will grant you, dinner at the Hilton, free bar all night and gratis taxi's in each direction but the likely reality is that the dinner will be a portion control, mass produced, luke-warm affair and a free bar always has a habit of resulting in problems of the sick bucket kind! If I remember correctly, the sick bucket facility was required only half way through the evening last year and then was hotly pursued by a need for the paramedics to be called. This was not for myself or Fletch I hasten to add!

The whole issue does nothing for me, call me boring but I don't like getting dressed up and having to contend with heels and the like and I particularly dislike the whole corporate forelock tugging malarkey, it's just not my bag and nor is it Fletch's but it has to be done. I just don't understand the whole principle of having to pay homage to the boss(s), they are people like you and me, ok, unlike me they are successful from a professional point of view but they are still just people, not demi-gods, and I would hope I show respect to everyone, the fact that these particular individuals are rich and successful doesn't make them better or worse.

But hey ho (or should that be Ho Ho Ho) it can't be avoided and this year we are at least grateful in the current financial climate that the business is sound and that Fletch has a job at all.... so we will dutifully tug our forelocks, make polite and boring conversation and hope that at least the free bar takes the edge off it all!

Tis the season to be grumpy merry tra la la la la la laaaaaaa....... ;o)

Back in the saddle soon

It's been over a year since we were out on the road on Eloisa, (for those of you new here Eloisa is our much loved bike, tech. spec. etc. here, an XRV with the full on and off road touring kit) this is not a good situation but time and money meant that she has sat, along with the VFR, outside the flat, falling into a state of disrepair for all that time. This is not good either!

As anyone who has ever tried leaving a bike out in the elements long term will know, they don't much like it and as a result, the bill to get them back in working order is going to be pretty horrendous and likely to make it into four figures. Yet more which is not good.

However, we have finally managed to gather together the necessary cash and this morning 'Mr Nicebikefixingguy' should arrive with his truck to take both bikes away and restore them to their former glory so that this coming year we can 'go out to play' again and not have to suffer the indignity of holidaying on four wheels instead of two! Yipeeeee.

In actual fact we have no intention of keeping the VFR, once that is fixed it's up for sale (anyone wanting to buy a nippy sports tourer please apply here), it rarely got used and became just another expense we can well do without. Eloise however, she is a whole different story, she is part of the family and has been very sorely missed. Hopefully all the work will be done and she will be back home again by soon into the new year and then, with a little luck and a prevailing wind, we can start to plan our next trip and rejoin the ranks of those who prefer not to be stuck in traffic in a tin box!

All we have to do now is try and stop Fletch working 24/7 so we actually have the time to get out there and then see if I can still manage to squish myself into my leathers!

Lost Kitten

A kitten, only hours old and already utilising one of it's nine lives.

Do not try THIS at home!

A new bad experience

I'm completely pathetic.....the worlds biggest lightweight!

Fletch and I went to the pub last night, I had two drinks, I repeat, only two, the second of which I didn't even manage to finish but regardless of all of that, this morning I have woken with the hangover from somewhere close to hell! How ridiculous! I even have to admit to suffering significantly 'retarded function' after only the first one, for it was at that point Fletch became subjected to slightly confusing and giggly conversation and that at which time, when I attempted to go outside for a cigarette, I fell over someones feet and stumbled stupidly through the door....tres graceful!

In my defence I was tee total from age twenty until a couple of years ago (yes, Fletch corrupted me), I am small so there's not much room for the alcohol to spread about my body and I had eaten nothing all day, but still, just two drinks rendering me in today's suffering condition, I consider to be particularly pathetic!

This hangover business is not a new experience I am enjoying, I feel 'orrible, how do people do this week after week?? No thank you, this I can live without, bleugh!

Now where's the paracetamol.....


*Oh....and off topic, but THIS is almost as pathetic, if you are using I.E you might like to consider changing for the time being!!!

Rebecca Adlington on stating the obvious!

Watching Sports Personality of the Year on the BBC last night I was much amused by one line.

The gold medal Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington, while making a thank you speech, was heard to utter the words.....

"I wouldn't be here without my parents"

No sh*t Sherlock!!!

Yes, I know what she meant but it still tickled me!