Blue Wednesday

No. The blues are because you're getting fat and maybe it's been raining too long, you're just sad that's all - Holly Golightly, Breakfast at Tiffany's


I've got a touch of the blues this week. Nothing serious, like proper depression, but just this general feeling of lethargy and not wanting to do all the things I generally enjoy doing. Something triggered it on Monday evening and now I can't shake it off. A spot of sunshine would help!

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Anyway, no time for all of that rubbish - onwards and upwards!!!

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Start of the school holidays so I've got Thomas for company for the next few weeks. However, he's 11 now and has passed his cycling proficiency test, so is allowed some limited freedom to explore. Funnily enough, the grand-maternal instinct for letting him have his independence feels very different to what I remember the maternal instinct being and I watch him go off on his own with my heart in my mouth. I don't recall being that paranoid with my own two at that age. Scroblene mentions that listening to music that his daughter used to play is a bit emotive. I think there's a coupl'a years yet before Thomas is seriously into music and I don't think passing the Warhammer shop without stopping will bring a tear to my eye but I will miss his childhood.*************************************************************************************

The Moore family seem to have a bit of a jinx on them at the moment. Poor Jo has had nearly everything go wrong lately (and seems to affect our TV when she's sitting near it) and PT has been having problems with his car. And don't get me started on debit cards that don't work and call centres in India!! Moan, moan, moan, moan, moan............

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Now on to nicer things. Sorry for the whining.

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I acquired a new addition to my family the other day:

Zantedeschia (Calla Lily)

I was so pleased with this baby that I decided (like Madonna) to adopt a little black baby, returned to the nursery and came home with this beauty:

Zantedeschia 'Schwarzwalder'

Here's my crop of tomatoes:

Don't think I'm going to need Welshcakes' tomato crushing machine for these!

Another favourite is this:

Eucomis 'Octopus'

Garden recovery:
















Up to here:












Still to do (some of it):













Pigeons' stomping ground:
[Was a nice display of busy lizzies!]









This is a bit of a latecomer; the others were out in May/June:

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I started this post 3 hours ago; Blogger is being exceptionally bloody minded today.

Update to Fashionista

Forgot to say:

The meetings are held in a church hall and that evening there was a choir practice in the room next door. Whilst we were eating our fish and chips we were serenaded with Christmas Carols!

Today's Poem

Hmm, something flooding or dinosaur taking piss - Shadow Warrior (1997)

Build one of these - you may need it!


P ersistent
I ncessant
S plashy
S tormy
I mpedes
N ot Wanted
G ordon (his fault now that Tony's gone)

D renching
O rrible
W et, wet, wet
N asty

Fashionista

My philosophy, like colour television, is all there in black and white - Monty Python

Was going out on the town yesterday evening, the annual fish and chip supper with the Weybridge Fuchsia & Perlagonium Society (I live on the edge, I do).

I dressed in a very fetching black and white outfit and thought I looked rather becoming. My husband said I looked like a panda.
Boo hoo

Makeover

Ah, I just thought it could use a makeover. Actually, it's an amazing likeness of, ah, moi. You wanna see? - Lilo & Stitch (2003)



I wanted to change the picture in my Profile to this but Blogger seems to like me as I am. Or perhaps that is Blogger in the new picture and he's a bit embarrassed.

I love Beryl Cook images.

Culture Vulture

Today (oops, I see it's now yesterday!) I went, a bit reluctantly I must admit, to see the Byfleet Players production of Oh! What a Lovely War. Reluctantly because it's a play that I've never had any urge to see, their last production had pretty negative reports from people of my acquaintance who had seen it and I heard that there had been fairly major problems pulling together a cast and crew. However we at Ottershaw Players always get good support from other groups and so it is good to return the compliment.

On the whole it was a fairly competent amateur production which, in my opinion, would have been better suited to a smaller venue. I feel very strongly that if you are putting on a show in a 'proper' theatre and people who are not known to you, i.e. the general public, are coming to see it then you should make your best endeavour to make your show as professional as possible and I fear that what I saw and heard did not meet this requirement.

I liked having the characters dressed in their Pierrot costumes carrying out Front of House duties but unfortunately the attempted interaction between the audience and the MC fell rather flat.

With one or two notable exceptions the cast was adequate but some of the diction was poor and the end of lines was lost and, at times, I had a problem understanding what was being said. Helen Imison was outstanding, very talented with an excellent singing voice and dancing skills.
Tony Richardson and Nick Daborn I have seen often but in my opinion they both had a personal best with this play.

Everyone did really well with the musical numbers and the choreography was good.

The Pierrot costumes were very poor but the period dress for one or two scenes was excellent. Unfortunately it seems that Wilf Hashimi (the Director) had not taken to heart a comment made by the adjudicator of his festival play last October who pointed out that 'if male characters had to wear white tights please, fellas, don't wear boxer shorts underneath'. Although the Pierrots in this weren't wearing tights their trousers were clingy and transparent enough to make that rule a 'must'. Also, as this was supposed to have been 1914, I do think the couple of younger men should have been made to suffer for their art and had their hair cut.

The set was very simple and I liked it a lot - until after the interval when a door appeared at the back of stage right. This was used by just one character to make some of his entrances and exits and was totally pointless. It irritated me for the whole of the second half.

The lighting was OK but a bit erratic and could have been much better designed. There was one scene with a small group of soldiers supposedly in a trench on stage left interacting with the German troops who were not on stage but in the wings. This scene appeared not to have been lit at all, just a crescent moon projected at the back. Therefore we were looking at a dark stage. A bit of subtle lighting would have made all the difference.

The prompt was not prompt with her prompts and at times there were 'noises off' from the wings and backstage when there shouldn't have been.

There, I'm nit-picking now. And that's because the major problem was that the whole thing lacked pace. It didn't hold my attention and when that happens I spot all sorts of things that I think could have been done better. It should have moved me to tears but it didn't.

Having said all of that, it's introduced me to a play that I'd like to see again and will do so at the first opportunity.

In a puff of smoke

Now, I wanna remind everyone of the House of Mouse rules-no smoking, no villainous schemes and no guests eating other guests. - House of Mouse (2001)

Do you think the new smoking ban applies to prisons? Will the prisoners all have to stand outside the front door with their 'snout'?

Buenas noches

Just home after an evening out at a local Italian restaurant we've discovered recently. As we turned off of the main road near our house we were confronted with the most colourful rainbow I've seen in a long time, and a whole one at that. By the time we got home it had faded so no picture, I'm afraid.

However Here's one of the sunset over the rooftops opposite our house:


The forecast promises rain tomorrow; but you never know...........................

Warming goes global

Yes, it keeps me up at night. That and the Loch Ness Monster, global warming, evolution, other fictional concepts. - House M.D. (2004)

I pinched this from here: Thanks Colin!

I've been tagged and I haven't even had an ASBO yet!

Yeah, it does sound like I got me some bad habits. - Have Gun , Will Travel (1957)

That young whippersnapper Pete has tagged me. How could he? Especially as most of the people I could tag he's already hi-jacked.

So, I'll do the list. But I'm going to rely on you, dear Reader, (that's if I've got any readers), to consider yourselves tagged and continue the game.

Here goes:

1. Fact - I look and sound completely different to the person that I think I am. If I see/hear myself unexpectedly I'm always curious as to where that fat, old bag with the funny voice came from.
2. Habit - I'm afraid I'm very rude to people on the phone. Not everyone, you understand, just cold calling sales people (although they insist that they're not selling anything), people in call centres WHO DON'T LISTEN (possibly because English is their second language and they understand me as little as I understand them) and people of that ilk.
   
3. Fact - once, long ago, I missed the last bus after an evening out and had to walk several miles in the dark, on my own, tight skirt, stiletto heels (you get the picture?). I got home only to discover the house dark, silent and locked up tight. Good ol' Mum. I spent the remainder of the night in the back of the family car in the garage, which fortunately had not been locked.
4. Habit - to compensate for no.2, I'm unfailingly polite to the general public in that I hold doors for people, give way to others when driving, give people my unexpired parking ticket and say 'sorry' when anyone barges into me.
5. Fact - I once made a grand gesture by storming out of work in the middle of the day after a particularly trying morning. When I arrived next day, expecting apologies and a bit of sympathy, I found out that nobody had realised I'd gone.
6. Habit - every time Thomas goes out of the door to ride his bike I tell him to be careful. He's fed up with it but I'm not going to stop.
7. Fact - February 1958 and I was working in my first job as a telephonist at the Continental Telephone Exchange. One of the calls I connected, from Munich to London, just before the shift was coming to an end, was to report the tragic air crash in which 7 of the Manchester United football team were killed, probably making me one of the first people in the country to hear the news.
8. Habit - I tend to think of my offspring as if they were still children instead of the sensible, grown-up, mature adults that they are. I don't think they know this, though. Or do they???
   

Moving House

Dont beg, it's undignified... Michael, parakeets dont mate with armadillos, thats the end of it! - Inside I'm Dancing (2004) (never heard of it but I like the quote!)


King Kong.. oops, sorry, M who lives opposite, has a large colony of parakeets living in a large willow tree right up against the new extension he's building. They've obviously sussed out that he's going to redevelop their home because they've been looking around the neighbourhood and have found just what they want at the end of my garden. They've spent the last few days looking it over, talking about it in very loud voices and now I think they've moved in. The cat obviously doesn't scare them (and I'm not surprised, seeing as they go round in gangs and I wouldn't care to make them cross) so they're busy moving their stuff from Willow Wonderland to Sycamore Shack.

I can see that peace and quiet on a sunny afternoon is now not an option.

Hello, I'm Chris and I'm a blogaholic

71%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Mingle² - Online Dating

Sleepless in Surrey

Shh! Don't wake him up. He's got insomnia, he's trying to sleep it off. - A Night at the Opera (1935)

I'm really going to need my siesta this afternoon 'cos it's almost 3am and here I am wide awake. The TV is quietly playing in the background, the wonderful Sunshine Boys which is nearing the end.

Whilst flicking through the channels trying to find something to make me sleepy (which, given the content of most of them, isn't usually difficult), it crossed my mind that, apart from the obvious reasons, it must be very inconvenient to be deaf if you are fan of BBC TV, as the only time you see someone 'signing' is in the early hours of the morning. Does that mean that deaf people have to stay up all night and can watch only crap programmes?

Pardon?

NEWSFLASH

Kaa: Coils? Someone? Oh no, I was just curling up for my siesta - Jungle Book

Don't want anyone to miss it. Just in case you hadn't heard. Don't plan anything for the afternoon.

Tomorrow is National Siesta Day!!

And now........... the weather

Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. - Mark Twain

I'm getting really bored with the weather now so I've decided that I shall ignore it - unless something really interesting happens in connection with it.

Like yesterday evening - David went off to play his weekly game of squash around about the time I was watering the pots. When he came back a couple of hours later (I was still watering the pots because it had rained and I had taken the opportunity to have a cup of tea and a read of the newspaper) he looked vaguely puzzled and asked if everything had been alright whilst he was gone. It was my turn to look puzzled and I wondered if I'd missed some excitement in the neighbourhood which had been important enough to report, perhaps a murder or three.

'No, no,' he said 'haven't you had any flooding?'
'Only when I disconnected the hose and it spurted out over my foot.' I replied.

Apparently, on his outward journey he had had to take major diversions because the roads, only about a mile away, were flooded and impassable and the rain and hailstones had made it almost impossible to drive. Obviously he couldn't miss his game of squash so the pioneer in him took over and he found his way through the storm but he expected to come home to mopping up operations and a distraught wife (not that I ever get distraught over things like that!)

That's it! No more weather talk....... perhaps.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One of the reasons it takes me so long to post things to this blog is because it takes me forever to dredge up from my head words that I know very well.

It took me a good three minutes sitting here just staring into space before the word 'pioneer' popped into my brain.

How sad.

Stormy weather

No, no. When a clumsy cloud from here meets a fluffy little cloud from there, he billows towards her. She scurries away and he scuds right up to her. She cries a little and there you have you showers. He comforts her. They spark. That's the lightning. They kiss. Thunder. - Top Hat (1935)

Have been in the garden today, carrying on with the restoration. It's beginning to feel a bit like The Lost Gardens of Heligan, that wonderful place in Cornwall which was hidden from the end of the 19th century until 1990. If ever you've got the opportunity to go, please don't miss it.

(pictures don't do it justice)

Anyway, I was eventually driven in by a storm which had been hanging around for a good part of the afternoon, unfortunately before I was able to take some pictures of what I'd bought this morning when I popped out for a bunch of bananas. So you'll just have to wait.

I've now got to water the pots (and next door's, 'cos they're on holiday). Seems a bit silly after all the rain we've had but once the sun comes out those plants turn into thirsty creatures.

Tomorrow I'm going to The RHS Gardens in Wisley with Pete's Lovely Young Wife (and my Lovely Young Daughter-in-Law) to see the new glasshouse. I actually saw it a couple of weeks ago on the day after the Queen officially opened it (I thought I'd let her have first go) but it's well worth another look and I think it will get better and better as time goes on.

Thomas is in his school production of The Sound of Music this week. Unfortunately the tickets are limited to two per family so Jo's going with the Lovely Young Daughter-in-Law. Perhaps he'll sing a selection of songs just for us when it's over. Or perhaps he won't.

And the winner is...

It is an honor just to be nominated. Of course, winning adds in the joy of rubbing everybody's nose in it. - 101 Dalmations (1997)

Yesterday was a very enjoyable day. Alan Wakefield, President of Ottershaw Players, and I set off for Tonbridge in Kent to pick up this lovey award.

This is our nomination from the NODA rep. which won us the award

The award was for Artistic Presentation for last winter's production of The Wind in the Willows, which was a huge success in all respects. The only failure was a lack of decent photos so I can't show you the amazing set that Alan, Jim Gallimore, Peter Pratt, Dave Dunlop, Paul Bungard designed and built, together with some input from the Director, Matthew Horton.

Matthew was unable to attend the ceremony with Alan, due to a work committment (lunch at the House of Commons, I believe!), so I had the priviledge of going, in my role as costume provider/designer/maker.

It wasn't until the awards part of the afternoon wore on and all the boring cups and shields slowly disappeared from the stage that we realised that what was left was the rather gorgeous lady above and it was the major award of the day, given for the whole of the South East region and not just one of the 14 areas which make up that region. Blimey!!!!!!

Felt a bit like the Oscars but it was so unexpected that we could only drum up one member of the team (good 'ol Jim) to help celebrate in our 'Green Room' (aka The Castle).

So, thanks fellas. Not forgetting, of course, Toad,Mole, Badger and Ratty. Then, of course, there was Otter, Albert, Portly, Chief Weasel, Norman and all the other weasels, hedgehogs, squirrels, Motorists, Magistrate, Gaoler's Daughter, Washerwoman, Bargewoman, Gypsy, Train Driver. And yes.... they all needed costumes.

Great stuff. Coming soon:

Treasure Island, 28th November to 1st December 2007

Make a note in your diary.

Please, miss, it wasn't my fault

Just want to say that, no matter how many times I check them out, my posts always seem to contain errors - spelling, grammar, just plain stupid - as soon as they're posted. But it's not my fault 'cos in my head they're all perfect.

Extra spaces, lines, etc. in the post are definitely not my fault. They're just Blogger going mental.

Round and round the garden

The Blackbird: I love gardening. You know, they say that in the garden, it's the closest place to God, you know. And I wait for a nice warm day when I can go and pull a few things up, you know what I mean. - Creature Comforts 2003

Welcome to my garden. Please come in.....

Friends can use the back door

The cat will keep you company






Looking from the house

Look left

Look right


Take a break for a cup of tea


Let's hope it's this
and not
this


Thanks for visiting. Please come again.

Thank goodness I'm not a young, slim blonde

And now, ladies and gentlemen, before I tell you any more, I'm going to show you the greatest thing your eyes have ever beheld. He was a king and a god in the world he knew, but now he comes to civilization merely a captive - a show to gratify your curiosity. Ladies and gentlemen, look at Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World. - King Kong (1933)

The chap who lives opposite our house, who I shall call 'M', is building an extension to his bungalow. Not just a little bit on the side (if you'll pardon the expression) but a major project going up into the roof, out at the side and out at the back. And it would appear that it is a single-handed project, almost. I do admire him and he works very, very hard but I now totally understand the feelings of people who book a holiday and are housed in a room overlooking a building site. One or two weeks are bad enough but we've had this view now for a year or thereabouts.

Anyway, what compelled me to put finger to keyboard?:

M has been tiling the roof for the past, oh I don't know, 12 weeks. This week he is working on the back and top. Every now and then something catches my eye, I glance out of the window and there is M standing on the apex of his roof, just like King Kong on the Empire State Building.

Now, I'm not saying that M looks like a gorilla but........................

Good Times

The good times of today, are the sad thoughts of tomorrow - Bob Marley

I was sad today to hear of the death of 'Good Time' George Melly. This larger than life jazz singer, writer, critic, raconteur and surrealist finally gave in, aged 80, to the cancer and dementia that he had been living with for some time, although he was still touring and performing up until early June. He said that, as a surrealist, he quite enjoyed the dementia.

Go here to read a proper tribute, my writing skills aren't good enough. All I know is he was an important part of my young adulthood and was one of a small number to introduce me to blues and jazz. I shall be forever grateful.

Kitchen Talk

Marry, sir, 'tis an ill cook that cannt lick his own fingers. Therefore he that cannot lick his fingers goes not with me. - William Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet

This

not

this

Please go to visit Welshcakes Limoncello and read all about her adventures with her new, lovely, red tomato squashing machine. In her reply to my comment about probably not being able to find such a wonderful appliance here in England, she recommended that I try Lakeland, a wonderful shop that started up years and years ago selling, as far as I can remember, just plastics (polythene bags, etc.). It was during the '60s/70s and freezing enormous quantities of meat and veg. was quite in vogue. From that inauspicious (but probably financially rewarding) start the company has grown and now has numerous shops all over the UK, as well as selling online and by mail order.

Well, would you believe it??!! Ten minutes after reading her suggestion what should drop through my letterbox but the latest edition of the Lakeland catalogue. Hoorah - a good excuse to forgo the hoovering and other such stimulating tasks and immerse myself in its pages. Welshcakes told me to.

Unfortunately no tomato squashing machine but all sorts of other goodies, mainly to do with barbecues and suchlike (in this weather????????), but a few other 'I want' items as well.

But if I bought all, or even some, of the 'I want' things I'd need another room to house them all in, not just a bigger kitchen. So are some of these things really necessary?:

Pizza Maker Oven - a free standing 15" Pizza maker

Pasta Maker Set - small and red and would go very well with the tomato squasher

Electric Ice Maker - makes ice cubes in just 90 minutes. So does my freezer

Cherry Super Stoner - good if you can afford to make your own jam with the price of cherries

Ice Cream Maker - I would like one of these but can foresee that I'd use it a couple of times and then it would be hanging around getting in the way

Smoothie Maker - these are great, but I've already got a blender attachment with my food mixer and I think they do the same thing? (I think Jo has got one of these so perhaps she can tell us)

So all of these (and there are others!) along with the breadmaker, the coffee pot, the kettle, the toaster and the microwave on your worktops leaves little room to work.

Other interesting little items in the catalogue were:

Easy Italian - cookbook that I'm going to buy

Plastic jug with a tube down the middle for ice cubes, so that melting ice doesn't dilute your Pimm's

Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup - From the foothills of the Blue Mountains in Australia come these special wild hibiscus, which have a remakable effect when mixed with champagne.

Bone Suckin Sauce - the name says it all

Ice Cream Cone Cake Tin

Flexible Ice Cube Trays - these are brilliant & I'm going to buy another one

Roast Pineapple & Lime Leaf Dessert Relish

Cobb Barbecue Cooking System - which can be used indoors and sound intriguing

Best 'til last: An electric fryer that cooke chip using just one tablespoon of oil. I'd give that houseroom but it costs £150 so I'll have to wait.

Rainy Days and Mondays

I hate Mondays - Garfield

Thought I'd better do some washing this morning. Because of the weather I'd been putting it off for a while. The forecast was for light showers and there was a bit of a breeze so I thought I'd give it a go. Loaded the machine with grubby stuff, opened the drawer for the conditioner and thought 'I'll just give that a bit of a rinse'.

Now to get at this particular bit of the washing machine involves a bit of a palaver. I have to pull the dryer out and swivel the washing machine around while lifting the worktop up at the same time. And all in a space the size of a cupboard.

Can someone explain to me why things that constantly have water flowing through them, e.g. showers, lavatories, washing machines, etc., get so disgustingly dirty?? Not just a bit of scale, bits of fluff or even hair, but horrible black slimy stuff. Yuk.

So after fiddling about with toothbrush, cloth and soapy water, getting all the appliances back in their rightful places, etc., etc., I eventually was in a position to hang out my sparkling clean clothes............................ Then it rained.

Fashion victim? or Comfort dresser?

There's never a new fashion but it's old - Chaucer

Smock tops are 'in' at the moment. I can remember when the only time a person would be seen dead in a garment of this sort would be when she was pregnant. Actually showing your 'bump' in revealing clothes was distinctly frowned upon.

Anyway, being a dedicated follower of fashion, I bought a couple the other week, thinking that they'd at least be nice and cool for the summer (I'd have done better buying a pair of wellies and a raincoat).

Then there was a revelation - an unexpected reflection in a window showing me wearing what looked like a small tent convinced me that they would be promoted to gardening clothes; non-restictive and comfortable, oh yes, and cool.

Small, round women shouldn't wear smocks unless they're pregnant.

Where's Noah when you need him?

I am at two with nature - Woody Allen

After checking out the weather earlier and deciding that the garden was no place to be, I sort of stood for a while gazing out at the unremitting rain, thinking of nothing in particular. After some moments a tune, together with a few words, crept into my head: rain, rain, rain - rain, rain, rain - rain, rain, rain, r...ain (aren't lyrics uninspiring when just written down, like this?) Of course, it's the chorus to Didnt It Rain, popular in the far-off days of my childhood. Then came the problem - who recorded it? I convinced myself that it was The Deep River Boys but thought I'd better check it out, just in case. Appears I was wrong and it was the great Frankie Laine, who sadly died last February. Same era though.

(Incidentally, whilst checking out The Deep River Boys, I noticed a list of groups in the same genre one of which was called 'The Brown Dots'. Would that name be allowed today? Or even 'The Inkspots'?)

With nothing better to do I set myself to exercise my tired old brain by think of all songs about rain, without resorting to Google, unless desperate.

First up was this: - and yes I did Google for the picture

2. It Might As Well Rain Until September - Carole King
3. It's Raining in my Heart - Buddy Holly
4. Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head - ?Burt Bacharach
5. Rainy Days and Mondays - The Carpenters
6. Just Walking in the Rain - Johnnie Ray
7. Rainy Night in Georgia - Randy Crawford
8. I Can't Stand the Rain - Tina Turner
9. Come Rain or Come Shine - loads of people, including Billie Holiday, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra
10. The Day That the Rains Came Down - Jane Morgan
11. It's Raining Men - Weather Girls
12. Listen to the Rhythm of the Falling Rain - ??
13. Somewhere Over the Rainbow - the little girl, aged 6, whose name I can't remember, who didn't win that talent show that was on the other day
14. September in the Rain - Frank Sinatra
15. Sing a Rainbow - ??
16. Raindrops on Roses - Julie Andrews
17. Here Comes the Rain Again - The Eurythmics
18. Purple Rain - Prince
19. Laughter in the Rain - Neil Sedaka
20. It Never Rains in Southern California - ??

Well that's it - bet there's loads more. Perhaps the brain is still working.

Check this out

Got this from As a Dodo. It's a bit long but worth sticking with if only for the very end sentiment.

We've also got a BBC documentary about Cherie's life at Downing Street to look forward to. No doubt we'll find out how misunderstood she was and, at heart, she's a pretty straight sorta gal.

Ho hum.

It's HOW MUCH??????

Money talks........... but all mine ever says is 'goodbye' - anon
Back to the vet's today. Results of blood tests. Final check-up. Nothing AT ALL wrong with cat. In fact in very good nick for his age. Thank you.

That'll be £210 pounds, please. Gulp.

Peep Bo

I've come back out of hiding. The cat started to perk up about 5 minutes before we were due to leave for the appointment with the vet and by the time we got there he was ready, claws drawn.

She couldn't find much wrong with him except for a raised temperature and came to the conclusion that he was 'under the weather'. So he had an injection and we've got to go back tomorrow.

It's my turn now to cover my eyes and someone else can go and hide!

No title required

When I came down to breakfast David said 'Haven't seen any sign of Mitch'.

Now this is very, very unusual because for a cat who likes to eat every hour, or so it seems, after a night without sustenance breakfast is the meal he can hardly wait for. When he hadn't appeared by 10.30 I went looking for him (in very heavy rain) and found him sitting under a tree at the bottom of the garden, appearing to not really be aware of his surroundings. I persuaded him to follow me back indoors where he wandered about a bit and then made for the sofa where he is now. It is very obvious to me that all is not well.

I've phoned the vet and have an appointment at 3.05 and I'm not looking forward to the outcome.

I haven't liked 2007 very much so far. I want to run way and hide ....again.

Ah, The Shed

He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food - Raymond Chandler

In her comment on my previous post, Jo pointed out the error of my ways in not including her visit yesterday and the inspection of the New Shed which, from this point forward, I will call 'Ottilie'. You see, where we once had fairies at the bottom of our garden, we now have Ottilie. She is an attractive shade of green and is very inconspicuous.

Ottilie was born out of the need for Ottershaw Players to find a new home for their costumes and I agreed to be the midwife and adoptive mother. Now all that is needed is to decant the stuff that has accumulated over more years than anyone cares to remember from Joan's loft to Ottilie's cosy interior.

Like this only green and bigger - --------------------------------------

A day in the life of................

The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest - Thomas Moore (no, not my grandson aged 11 but the chap who lived from 1779-1852)



See, one of the reasons I'm not prolific with my blogging is that it isn't often I come across things to write about which will interest and amuse anyone who might want to read my offerings without being bored to death. So I've set myself a challenge to describe my day in an interesting and amusing manner and any of you that die............ well, it comes to us all eventually.



Didn't make it into the garden today because having discovered during my morning ablutions that we were down to the last roll of loo paper and then the cat had to make do with dried food (meoughw), thought I'd better charge up my ipod shuffle (imperative for me to listen to Barry Manilow whilst grocery shopping) and make my way to Woking, where I could buy some cheap t-shirts in Primark and then head on over to Morrisons, a supermarket that I want to try out as various people have told me that their prices are very reasonable.

Woking isn't a great metropolis. It isn't as good as Kingston or Guildford but much, much better than Chertsey and the other small, local towns. I managed to make my way through the bustling shoppers without getting my bum pinched like MaryB and, to my delight, discovered that a Farmer's Market was being held in the town square. Bought plants, a pie, a couple of goat's cheeses and would have bought a delicious looking strawberry tart if the guy serving could have found a gap in his phone conversation about going to the pub tonight to serve me.

Dived into New Look as they had 20% off of everything. I'm getting used to the strange looks I get from the 16-year-olds who work in there at this overweight old lady rummaging through the rails. Perhaps they think I'm shopping for my granddaughter.

I like to treat going to the check-out in Primark as a sort of game. The idea is to look at the price tickets on whatever you've bought and then try to guess how much you'll be charged (it's always less). For example, today I bought 2 t-shirts priced at £4 each, the girl scanned them and said '£5 please'. Happens nearly every time.

Uneventful (except stopping off to buy 8 Millies Cookies for later) return to the car park and then on to the supermarket where I did super-big shop for food, groceries and a few other essentials (and some non-essentials). Pleasantly surprised when the bill came to only (??) £160 as I truly was expecting much more. (I never, ever thought I'd find myself saying only £160 when shopping for food!)

A Few Random Thoughts on Supermarket Shopping - why do people have to stop at the end of aisles to check their shopping lists/talk to their friends, etc. so that there's no room to pass?
are they the same people who have to stand smack bang in the centre of the aisle, usually bending down, while they spend ages trying to decide which brand of baked beans or whatever they are going to buy?
in the car park do drivers think that they are still protected by their vehicle as they make their way to/from their cars on foot or do they have a death wish?
why do some people start to queue at the check-out before they've actually finished their shopping, leaving their trolley to save their place while they nip around for stuff they've forgotten?

Anyway, back home, fill up the fridge and the cupboards, feed the cat on stuff he actually likes (why don't they make mouse flavoured cat food?) and pick up Thomas from school. I'm reminded of something he said the other day: "Is the word for someone who doesn't believe in God an 'orthodontist'?"

Quick check of emails, note that I've got one 'comment' and a few requests for stuff that I've put on the Freecycle website and then a quick look at my favourite blogs. Liked a piece on Colin Campbell's blog about condoms fitted with vibrating rings being sold in India and the Indians getting shirty because they have been described as 'sex toys'. Colin reckons that soon they'll be fitted with 'romantic ring tones'! How about Everything's Coming up Roses?

Whilst loading the dishwasher I managed to spill some cooking oil on the floor without noticing and then stood in it. Luckily I managed not to break my neck and mopped it up. I must say that it left quite a shine on the laminate but remained quite slippery. I did toy with the idea of leaving it as it was and then luring David into doing a Torvill & Dean routine with Bolero being played on a vibrating condom but then thought better of it!!

That's about it really. Can't make dozing off in front of the telly sound very interesting or amusing and now my day is nearly over. So night, night everyone. Hope you're not too bored (or dead).

PS The cat's got his revenge - half a chewed fish and a mouse on the back doorstep

Almost everything in the garden's lovely

When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. ~Author Unknown

I believe I mentioned yesterday that my project this year is to DEFINITELY get my garden under control. When I left work, which was in 1999, I imagined that I would spend all my time in the garden. Then I discovered amdram and Ottershaw Players and, well, where does the time go? But I am determined. No more shilly shallying, every spare minute is being spent chopping, pruning, digging, weeding. Some of the results you can see above and some of what's left to do is below.

I've done about a quarter of it now (and they was the easier bits) so there's still a way to go. But armed with my ipod and a variety of audio books I must say I'm having a really good time.

Today my entertainment was Bill Bryson's Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Great storytelling and so evocative of how the world used to be and growing up in the fifties. Good stuff.

Tomorrow it's going to be Billy Connolly (OK, so it's not a book but it'll make me laugh) and Ned Sherrin's autobiography, which will also probably make me laugh.

Now to dig the dirt from under my nails, have a relaxing shower and then I'll just about be ready for a nice glass of Chianti.

Cheers!!

It's been a long, long time

OK - so I haven't been around for a while - but I have been keeping an eye on you all.

Pete's wonderful production of Whose Life is it Anyway? kept me on my toes and I've made 'getting my garden back into shape' my project for this year. Then there's Jo's garden and Pete & Kath's new house and garden to think about, although I haven't given them as much time as I would have liked.

But mainly I've been a bit pre-occupied for the past few months. You know, you're jogging along nicely, living your life, having a laugh, having a moan, planning stuff. Then out of this everyday ordinariness something leaps out and kicks you in the teeth, or bites you in the bum, or makes you want to run away and hide which you don't do because that wouldn't help anybody, would it? Anyway, we had some news that knocked me for six so I haven't been able to do anything that requires too much concentration or thought. Things are looking brighter now and, hopefully, the problem will be cleared up before too much longer.

Today I've booked tickets to see Chicago and Slava's Snowshow in September. If you haven't seen the Snowshow I can thoroughly recommend it, although it's hard to describe. It's mainly clowns, lots of small pieces of paper and HUGE balloons!! and as for Chicago - well, who can resist all that jazz!!!!!