Christmas is coming

Are you aware that Christmas will be here soon? I was so determined that it wouldn't creep up on me this year, like it has every other year but am I any more prepared than previously? Am I heck as like!

However, I have dipped into the bank account and bought presents for my parents (still got some stocking filler to get) and thought about my nieces and nephew (so difficult - either they're teenagers or babies) and have some ideas (but very little money. Having to pay off a tax bill has meant money is a little tight and, of course, the MOT on the car is due in December/January. It never ends, does it?

Despite all this, I am looking forward to me first Christmas in my own home for over ten years. What's more, I'm cooking Christmas dinner for my parents and they are very traditional when it comes to Christmas - so no pressure there.

Does this all sound like a moan - it so is not. In fact I'm quite excited (or at least as excited as a woman of my age should be!)

Sun Is Shining

I have become enthused about photography again. While I was travelling, my camera was my constant companion, the first thing I packed for a day out and my entertainment during many a boring evening.

When I went back to Italy, I did pack it and I did take some photos but my last experience in Italy was negative in so many ways that I didn't have the heart to take that many shots, then when I returned to the UK, real life overtook me and the camera collected dust for quite a while.

However, having joined the local photo society and having been on the great fungi hunt, I am back behind the camera. I have been inspired (and scared rigid) by the quality and imagination of the people around me and I have refused to enter any of the (many) competitions the society runs - I just don't think I'm good enough - but it has pushed me back out there, looking through the world through the lens and trying to get better.

So much so, in fact, that today I took my camera to work and instead of hiding in the staffroom this lunchtime, I walked along the promenade and snapped the sea, which was as smooth as silk and reflecting the clouds beautifully.

These are just the rough shots, they need a little work to bring out their best but here's the English Channel off Ramsgate...

A good long ladder

Today I was supposed to be going to London to meet up with a friend, watch the Lord Mayor's Parade, potter around the Museum of London and watch some fireworks. Unfortunately, because of the swollen eye, I have done none of the above. Instead I've spend the day indoors feeling sorry for myself and trying to motive myself into doing some of the ten-ish things on my list of outstanding-stuff-to-do-around-the-house.

Some of these things I've achieved - my badly fitted stair window is now sealed, my black cardigan has been de-fluffed (how could I, of all people, have left a tissue in the pocket?), I've hoovered upstairs and done all my washing. I've even explored the possibility of putting a light up over my porch - I'll need a good long ladder for that job. In fact I've just realised I'll need a good long ladder for most of the jobs still outstanding around the house... now who do I know who's got a good long ladder?

Magic mushrooms?

Yes, I know it's been a while but I've been busy!  I'm teaching an exam course which is taking up a fair amount of my time, and I'm under the weather AGAIN.  This time I have a swollen eye - I actually look like I've been in a fight.  My left eye (not the eyeball itself, obviously) is so swollen that I can see my cheek when I look down - try it and you'll see what I mean.

Anyway, just to keep you happy (because I've forgotten all the fun things I've done since I last wrote), here's a picture of a magpie fungi, taken with my own fair hands (and camera).

and here's a study of autumn leaves (only 'slightly' photoshopped)

and now I'm taking myself and my swollen eye to bed, to rest!

Fun with fungi

Another busy weekend and I feel so much better for it.

Next month is my mum's 70th birthday and she's having a party so I spent Saturday morning and early afternoon preparing the invitations.  Using a photo I took of her, smudging out the background, printing it on card with the proper words in the proper place on the inside and then printing fourteen of them (that's when I ran out of card).  It took me a good six hours - but she's worth it.  Sometime during this coming week I have to print another thirty or so!

Then Saturday evening was bowling evening for my family.  The eldest was about 70, the youngest 16 and all ages in between.  I had to find a bowling ball which was both not too heavy for me and had a big enough thumb hole so that my nail didn't get ripped off.  And then when I found one, everyone wanted to use it!  I lost spectacularly (a speciality of mine) and then we all went back to A's for fish and chips.  Fan-tas-tic.

Now, on Saturday night we put the clocks back by one hour which meant an extra hour in bed for everyone.  Everyone, that is, except me.  For I was up and about, bright and early on Sunday morning as I'd arranged to go to Blean Woods to photograph fungi.  I know! me, in a wood, on the damp floor, in winter, taking photos of fungi - I think I have finally flipped.

However, I wasn't alone.  I went as part of a group from several local photography societies so there was lots of hands-on advice, lots of being able to play around with equipment (get your minds out of the gutter), fiddling with F-stops and long exposures.  Did I get any decent photos?  I don't think so, BUT I learned a lot.

Not least of all, that getting up and down off damp leaf mould makes me ache in places I didn't know existed!

Boogie Wonderland

This last month I have been working mornings only.  I had expected to be able to finish a lot of the little outstanding jobs around the house.  Have I managed it?  Have I heck as like!  I've done some sewing, done some cooking, done some mucking about on the computer but that's about it.

I have a list of things to do, things that would make my life easier and would make me happier but somehow I haven't managed to get around to them.  And do you know why?  It's because of my deep, dark, dirty secret addiction.  Have I told you about this already?  I'm not sure.  So what am I addicted to?  It's not drugs, it's not drink and it sure as hell isn't rock'n'roll.  No, what I'm addicted to is a game called City of Wonder - you'll find it on facebook - and it takes up hours of my time.  Some evenings I sit here, getting colder and colder, ignoring the work I need to do, irritated when people phone me just to earn those extra coins, collect those extra experience points and grow my population.  I go to bed weary-eyed and dream of building marvels, forming alliances and having the prettiest city possible.

It has to stop.  Don't know when though...

Treasure Hunt

Sorry for not posting earlier but it's been a busy week.

Last Sunday was my first attempt at geocaching.  For those of you who don't know, geocaching (pronounced gee-oh-cashing) is a modern version of a treasure hunt but where the treasure is finding the cache, not what is in the cache itself.  People hide a cache in a relatively public place and then post the co-ordinates here.  To find a cache you need either a GPS device or a compass and map (old school).  Well, I have neither - and let me tell you hand-held GPS devices are not cheap - but I borrowed my dad's Tom Tom which was good enough.

I went with my cousin V and her dog Milo.  We took a packed lunch, wrapped up warm and ventured forth to lose our geocaching virginity.

We went to Fowlmead Country Park (near Sandwich) which is a lovely place with plenty going on for those who like the outdoor life.  There is a series of five caches with a bonus cache hidden around the park.

Were we successful?  Well, partially.  We did find the location of three of the caches but only found one actual cache - finding the first one was fantastic, especially as we were just about to give up, but it was disappointing to get to the location of the second and third and not find the cache.  When I logged onto the website later to record my find, I found out that someone had found that cache about two hours later!  Who knows what happened.  Overall, I really enjoyed the day and can't wait to try again.

V and I went back to her place in the evening and finished the day playing a Wii game - very addictive.

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

Wey Hey, it's Friday. gotta love that!

Not that I'm wishing my life away but now I'm getting my act together a little more, I'm actually looking forward to the weekends and doing stuff.  This evening is a case in point.  Now I won't pretend that what I've done has been wildly exciting but it got me out of the house and increased my knowledge of the town I was born and grew up in.

One of the things that is good about Ramsgate is the number of societies named 'Friends of...'  These have possibly sprung up in response to the lack of care that the local council seems to display.

A case in point was when the library burnt down, the local residents were so worried (if not convinced) that the local council would claim that it was impossible to rebuild the library (not enough money, expertise etc) and then would sell off the land for housing, that they (the local residents) formed 'The Friends of Ramsgate Library' on the very same night of the fire.  They were successful, the library was rebuilt (and is more beautiful than before) and the councils (both local and county) denied that there would ever have been any plans to sell off the land.  This is the rebuilt library.

Another society is The Ramsgate Society of which my parents are both lifetime members.  This is very successful in promoting and preserving the history of Ramsgate.  Back at the turn of the century, they produced a limited edition book about the history of the town containing words and images.  It is a lovely book and will become an heirloom I believe.

More recently a new society was set up 'The Friends of Ellington Park'.  This was the park I played in when I was a child and, like many public facilities in this area, it has not been well maintained, nor is it well used.  The 'Friends' plan to change this.  They have arranged a fair and other fundraising activities in order to renovate the bandstand in the park, seen here during their first summer fair,

and to encourage people to use it more.  One of its main uses is to walk dogs but the downside of this is doggy debris - not all owners are conscientious about clearing up after their pets which, in turn, discourages parents from letting their children 'off the lead'.  I've joined this 'Friends' and on Hallowe'en there is a ghosts and ghouls event with paranormal activity in the evening.

This evening's event was organised by 'The Friends of St George's'.  St George's is a landmark church in Ramsgate, at the top of a short hill in the town and over the last few years it's Friends have raised about £2m to restore the tower and the roof.  Tonight's event was a short film and slideshow presentation on the best of Ramsgate to raise funds.  It was very interesting especially as some of the slide were of photos that were over a hundred and seventy years old.

It has inspired me to get back out there and take some photos of the town I live in - watch this space.

Saturday night, Sunday morning

As I've mentioned before, I am rather interested in photography.  What I may have failed to mentioned is that I'm also interested in alcohol.  Unfortunately these two don't mix well.

Now before I go any further, this is not a disaster story, I didn't get falling down drunk and lose my camera, I don't have a memory card full of blurred pictures of complete strangers (most of whom are men I wouldn't be seen dead with in daylight hours), no, sorry to disappoint you - that didn't happen.

What did happen is that I went to the Thanet Cyder Festival (as organised by CAMRA) and rediscovered kentish cider, took a couple of poorly lit and badly composed photos, and gave up when I realised it wasn't the room that was shaking, it was me.  When did cider get to be so strong????  I only had three halves but, if I hadn't had another engagement, I could have drunk a whole lot more.

Still, onto the second engagement of the evening - typical isn't it? months of Saturday night alone in front of my computer, wondering what was happening out there in the big world that I wasn't part of, and now two engagements in one evening!  (do you feel sorry for me yet?)

This engagement (I do love the word engagement) was a quiz night with work colleagues in aid of Friends of Ramsgate Library.  I did this earlier in the year and, like earlier in the year, WE WON.  Oh yes, my friends, I was part of the winning team.  I have to say it was a very enjoyable evening, especially for me as I was the least informed person on the team - say yes to no pressure.  I had my little cider buzz and the enjoyment of being with people I like and, in case you haven't realised - WE WON!

Now, admittedly the prize was a box of chocolates between the six of us but WE WON, and then to top it all, I won a raffle prize.  Could the night have got any better?  I don't think so!

Funnily enough, I was home and in bed (alone) by 11pm so not so much Sunday morning.

Zippeddy Do Dah Day!

Continuing my theme of having more get and and go, Saturday was a day of getting things done. Would you believe I got up at 8am, that's right read it again EIGHT AM! ON A SATURDAY!!!! UNBELIEVABLE.

Here's a list of what I did. First I painted the outer side of my garden gate. While I was painting (really gloopy undercoat) the sky turned from beautiful clear blue to very overcast dark grey. I told it not to rain on me and after a couple of spitty attempts, it obeyed. By the time I'd finished doing that painting I was freezing cold (because the wind hadn't dropped, oh no, it was having a mad old time whipping up the dust and the leaves and the crisp wrappers) so I packed everything up and went indoors, taking my drying washing with me (it had been on the airer since the night before). I walked upstairs into my study and looked out of the window to see the rain coming down like stair-rods. So it didn't rain on me but it didn't waste a single second once I was indoors, making up for lost time.

Drinking my tea, checking my email (nothing of importance) and staring in dismay at the rain wasn't getting me anywhere so back to the kitchen. Time to cook. First breakfast - cheesey toast (I have started eating bread again since I've been ill - this will not last). Next, in the oven, mushroom tartlets a la Shiralee (nothing special but I like them), a tomato tarte au tatin (Tesco recipe) and finally some couscous with additions (roasted vegetables, dried apricots, currants, harrisa paste, just to jazz it up)

While the tomato tart was cooking I settled down in the living room with the photos I'd finally got round to printing. Way back in the spring, I'd bought some small picture frames from Wilkinson's. Each frame is 3½ inches square (or 9 cm to you metric types), I bought sixteen of them and plan to put them in the upstairs hallway in a grid (an idea I nicked from H in Milan).  So, Saturday I finally got around to cutting out the individual photos and putting them in their frames (I won't bore you with the lengthy process of getting them printed to the right size on the right paper).  Now these are sitting on a unit in the upstairs hallway waiting to be put up.  My final job of the morning was to clean said unit and take it upstairs where it is currently displaying a small wooden mannequin in a Tai Chi pose and acting as a storage place for the small photos.

My afternoon was all about R&R, a long lazy shower, another face mask, mucking around on the internet and listening to music. At 4pm I went to my parents for a cup of tea and a chat, At five-thirty my cousin V picked me up and the evening began...

Frantic Friday

Last weekend was a busy one. I finished work Friday lunchtime, went up to Westwood Cross (the local shopping complex) and treated myself to a couple of pots of face mask. One of the side-effects of running out of energy has been spots, a couple of big ones on my body (usually along my sides) but mainly on my face. I do cleanse and moisturise regularly but this just hasn't been enough, so I'm back on the face masks (makes it sound like an addiction).

I went to The Body Shop to get the masks and, as October is my birthday month, I got a little gift from them - some liquid eyeliner. Now all I have to do is learn how to use it! From Westwood Cross, to my parents where I scrounged some lunch (note to self: always turn up between 1 and 1:30 pm if you want feeding) and picked up some drugs. Sounds good (or bad) doesn't it? The truth is I've been suffering from a fungal toenail infection for several years and whilst I've managed (with the help of my lovely chiropodist) to keep it under control, I've never managed to get rid of it. Finally, I managed to get something systemic from the doctor which should, with luck, get it out of my system over the next three months.

From my parents home to mine where the washing of the clothes was done, the washing of the dishes was done and the masking of the face was done. At some point I must have eaten and then gone to bed but, to be honest it was all a blur.

A little more Zippeddy Do Dah

And yet again it's been over a month since I last posted. In that time my friend R has moved back to Germany, I have gone down to working 15 hours a week (which, to be honest, has been a blessed relief), I've joined both the photographic society and started the Tai Chi class, and I seem to have been sick almost all of the time.

I think there comes a time when your body just runs out of energy. It's got nothing to do with nutrition or the amount/quality/variety of food you eat, it's just that the body has had enough. Enough of fighting off yet another cold, enough of dealing with inconsistent weather, enough of staying alert for long periods of time. So when the chance appeared (only working in the mornings) my body said Woo Hoo and promptly crashed. In fact my 'cold' had been so bad I actually took some time off work.

Another aspect of this running out of energy is the total lack of motivation to do anything at all. This has shown itself in a variety of ways. I've stopped walking - ok I've actually been too ill to go out in the freezing cold for an hour-long walk - but I haven't even felt the inclination to go. I stopped writing in the blog as I had absolutely nothing to write about - normally I'm an observant person and the little things I notice are the things I write about, recently I couldn't even observe my hand in front of my face (bit scary when I was driving). I couldn't find any enthusiasm for photography, even when given a theme to take photos on, hell I haven't even uploaded my more recent pictures to Flickr. Work on the house ground to a standstill, even though I now had the time to get on with it.

Now before any of you (if anyone is still reading this) starts thinking that I'm depressed, let me reassure you that isn't the case. I have been depressed in the past and this isn't it. I'm just tired and need to take a little more care of myself. However, things are starting to look up, as you can see I've written this blog post. I've been working on my house again over this last week and my shed is delightfully well organised. Over the next week I intend to upload all of my photos to Flickr and get out a little more to take some. And I will start walking again!

Monday, Monday

This is how I feel on Monday mornings and I love my job!

I would do anything for love, but I won't do that...

Dating, oh yes I was going to tell you about my dating experiences.

Well, I've had a date which was horrendous and I've been stood up. That's about it. I don't know whether my profile(s) - I'm on more than one site - are unappealing or too honest or even plain confusing. What I do know is that none of the men say what they mean. For instance:

"Looking for an honest woman" translates as "looking for someone who will accept how wonderful I am and never criticise me"

"Looking for someone to share fun times with" translates as "looking for a casual relationship - MUST involve sex"

"Looking for friendship and more" translates as "looking for no strings attached sex"

"Looking for a feminine woman" translates as "looking for a woman my mates will fancy (and thus envy me)"

"Looking for a warm--hearted/kind/understanding woman" (delete as applicable) translates as "looking for someone who won't notice how odd I am"

"Looking for the real thing/the one/my soulmate" (delete as appropriate) translates as "looking for my mother"

"I'm independent and looking for a woman who doesn't need to be with me all the time" translates as "I'm married and looking for a bit on the side"

"I'm a loyal/trusting/honest guy"(delete as appropriate) translates as "I won't muck you about until I find someone better looking/more interesting/sexier" (delete as appropriate)

"I'm offering something different/new/unusual" (delete as appropriate) translates as "I'm weird"

"Go to the gym several times a week" translates as "drive past the gym on my way to work several times a week"

"Like beach/country walks" (delete as appropriate) translates as "I think this is what women think is romantic - me? never been to the beach/countryside" (delete as appropriate)

and why is that men who look like something the cat's dragged home, half eaten then vomitted up again, believe they deserve a supermodel as a companion (but not a high-maintenance supermodel, oh no, she must be undemanding)?

And talking of looks, why is that the men who are most specific about how a woman should look, also the ones who post a crappy snapshot as their profile photo?

Do men really believe that women don't judge them on how they look? I mean score one for women, convincing men that looks aren't everything but minus several million to the male of the species for being that gullible.

Starting something

I have been living back in the UK for about 15 months, I've bought and redecorated a house, been working regularly and, as you will have read in my last post, finally had the house-warming barbecue.

Now it's time to actually do something.

Up to now I've spent my free time either mucking about on the computer or doing bits and bobs around the house (and occasionally combining the two). Although I've tried dating, it's been via dating websites and, to be honest (and I'll come back to that word in a later post) it hasn't been successful.

So I need to get out of the house and actually do something that involves meeting other people. Luckily, September is the month when all the new Adult Education classes start, so I have a choice: should I learn a language (not exactly my strong point, however much I want to), maybe a new skill (Chinese Brush painting anyone?), look at some self-development (coastal navigation for those nights when I can't see my nose in front of my face) or computing (because I'm not really as good as you all think I am).

No, what I've decided on is Tai Chi (for beginners, of course). Tai Chi is supposed to help you re-balance both the mind and the body - right up my street then, non? Physically, I do have problems with my balance and, especially lately, seem to be wobbling (but not falling) quite a lot. Mentally and emotionally, I am not particularly stressed but my powers of concentration are low and my memory is getting worse. Many years ago, back in the last century, I attended Tai Chi classes and thoroughly enjoyed them. I only stopped because they were in my lunch hour and that hour was regularly eaten into by work. These classes are on a Wednesday evening in Broadstairs and, with a bit of luck, I'll meet some like-minded people there.

Talking of like-minded people, I am going to join the Isle of Thanet Photographic Society (IOTPS), if they'll have me. I do like taking photos and I wish I knew how to take better ones. I subscribe to the Guardian Photography blog feed which does give some helpful advice and critique. There is also a monthly assignment (this month's is housing) to which you are invited to submit a portfolio of six photos. The winner gets a new digital camera, which is a nice incentive, but, more importantly, there is the possibility of feedback from professionals (not given personally but published on the blogfeed). I had to get up extremely early on Tuesday morning so I tried taking some photos in Ramsgate. I haven't really looked at them yet but I may make a submission. Anyway back to IOTPS, who meet every Monday night in Margate. They have talks, competitions and workshops - all of which seem right up my street.

So that's my Monday and Wednesday evenings sorted out! It all kicks off next week but don't think I've stopped my walking. Admittedly there has been a hiatus over the bank holiday week but from next week I'm moving the walking days to Tuesday and Thursday with a longer walk at the weekend - maybe outside of Thanet. I may not be the most motivated person in the world but I will be doing this - who knows, I might even lose a bit of weight.

On a final note, you may or may not remember (or even know) that I was going to yoga classes. Initially that was something I enjoyed. However, the class I was going to merged with another class and the number of people attending left me feeling lost. It's one thing for the instructor to say 'go at your own pace', it's quite another to actually try to do that and still have any idea of what's going on. The Tai Chi class will have limited numbers, if only because of space constraints, and I'll be starting at the same time as everyone else so I shouldn't feel lost.

Everyone eats when they come to my house

On 4th September 2009 I became the proud possessor of my present home. Today (almost one year later) I had the house warming party. I'd invited about 50 family and friends plus the people from work and tried to cater for about 35 hungry people. In the end about 20 turned up and no matter how hungry they were, they couldn't finish the food!

On top of this the weather decided not to co-operate. Yesterday was sunny with a light wind, today we had gale force winds and torrential rain. Admittedly it did stop raining around 4:30 but only because the blisteringly cold winds blew away the clouds and with them one of the gazebos providing shelter. My poor dad and my cousin-in-law M spent their afternoon cooking in the smokey but freezing cold garden while everyone else relaxed in my living room. Of course, there was a lot of movement once the food was ready and, for a short period, people sat or stood in the garden eating and talking.

Now everyone has gone home, most of them with doggy bags, the washing up is done and stuff is sorted out. All I have to do tomorrow is cook and freeze all the leftover food!

New Blog

Just a quickie to tell you about a new blog, started by my cousin's dog Milo.

Now she calls him a dog, I call him a rat dog. He's a cross between a Jack Russel and a Chihuahua and has not inherited the best characteristics of either breed but he's bright and playful and he has a point of view.

Read about it at It's a dog's life!

Enjoy!

Walking redux

You may remember some time ago, I told you about my plan to complete the Playtex Moonwalk (an overnight, walked marathon). I have been training to this end.

Now, being more than a little overweight, I can't leap into walking ten miles a night with an extra ten on Saturday - my knees and hips wouldn't allow me. However, I have been walking 4 miles at a go and, for the last couple of weeks, doing that twice a week. I've been greatly helped in this by my friend R who 'persuades' me to go for a walk, even when I don't want to. My time isn't getting any faster (I still walk at about 3 mph) but I do feel less terrible afterwards.

The first couple of weeks entailed me not being able to walk properly the next day, and having all my lower joints creaking in protest. That has definitely eased up and I can now walk to the point of being breathless but able to carry on a conversation for most of the hilly four miles we cover. Believe it or not, I do enjoy these walks, though it is an effort to get out of the house once I'm home.

This week, however, has been a little troublesome as I seem to have picked up a tummy bug which is going around the school (although I haven't taken time off work - finances say NO). This means I've only done the one walk due to my need to be near a toilet! Thought you'd like to know that.

The other sad thing (for me, that is) is that R is moving on in few weeks time, now obviously that is great for her (and something she really deserves) but I'll be left to my own devices (and powers of persuasion). So I've bought a small mp3 player and I'm loading it up with songs - about eleven hours worth - to keep me occupied on the walks that I will be doing!

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

The Hairiness of Cars

Some time last year my dad gave me his car. It is a P-reg Polo and I call her Little Red. She's not so little and more pink than red but I love her and she loves me.

Since getting her I've had to pay a fair amount of money on the MoT and tax. I haven't had to pay for insurance yet as the car is still in my dad's name and I'm a named driver - however that is due to be renewed soon and that's when the official handover of ownership will happen (I've been saving me pennies, 'onest guv).

To the hairiness. I was out with my friend R a couple of weekends ago, we went to a DIY store to buy a garden fork as R was going to help me with the garden (more on that in another post). As R was putting some of her things in the boot she asked me whether my car had sucked up a dead cat. I looked at her, I looked at the back of the car where she was pointing. Coming out of the exhaust pipe was what looked like half a dead cat (or squirrel or possibly small hairy dog). Feeling a little worried - after all I live on an ASBO estate and anything could happen - I pulled said hair out of the exhaust... and it kept on coming, like the thing from the black lagoon. It looked like hair extensions - maybe there was a dead chav up there, who knows?

After pulling out about two metres of hair, I began to get worried, maybe all this hair was supposed to be in there, so I phoned my brother S. "Push it all back in," he said, "it's probably part of your catalytic converter." "Um..." said I. "Don't worry if you can't push it back in, the car will still work." he reassured me. For the next few days I drove around with a pony tail of hair trailing from my exhaust. Other cars kept a respectful distance, being not quite sure what was going on.

However, I couldn't continue like that. While Little Red was still working well, she was becoming more noisy and more reluctant to put up with my driving, so last week I went into the garage. Turns out the hair was the sound insulation from the back box of the exhaust (hence the increased noise). One day later the problem was solved (no sweeties for me that week), although the reluctance to put up with my driving does have me worried - maybe Little Red is letting me know she needs valeting!

My life is not interesting at the moment...

Again, it's over a month since I last wrote. Shame, deep shame, on me.

So, here are a few of the subjects that I will be updating you on over the next few days:
my power walking
my garden
my car (and it's apparent hairiness)
my plans for the end of August
my plans for September and beyond
my photos
the taxman
dating

Well that should keep me going for a week and, who knows, something interesting may happen by then!

I shot the sheriff (well, the taxman - in my dreams)

Ah, and it's been a while since I last wrote. I wish there was an exciting reason but the truth is I've been trying to come to terms with this bloody inland revenue form for which they didn't send the completion guide although they did send 'notes' which I swear are written to confuse. I teach English as a Foreign Language and believe I have a damned good vocabulary and a better than average understanding of a written text but trying to work out whether my income from abroad, received whilst I was abroad, was income arising or income remitting is totally beyond me. I guess I'm going to have to call them (god help me if the helpline has been outsourced to India).

On top of that the weather has been extremely hot, which doesn't work in my favour at all. I love hot weather but it has to be hot and dry. Hot and humid (as we have had here) drives me up the wall.

Right, rant over, time to get some food.

Shiralee was kung fu fighting

Ok, so here's what's been happening recently. The biggie is that the tax man has decided to demand a substantial amount of money in unpaid taxes for money I received from renting the house in Nixon, - the fact that I was out of the country is, seemingly, irrelevant. I made the foolishly patriotic decision to remain resident in the UK for tax purposes while I was abroad and now I have to pay the price. I have no idea if the assessment sent is correct because I have no idea where they got their figures from. They sent me a couple of sanctimonious letters asking for documentary evidence of the income from renting, implying that I had several houses that I had rented out (so not true) and when I couldn't find the documents - and that has pissed me off no end - they made their decision based on information they already held (god knows where from) and information I had sent them based on my bank statements. So that's about £2,400 they want.

On top of that they have decided to apply capital gains tax on the sale of the house - I guess because, although I lived in the house when I first bought it, I was too nice to throw my tenant out when I came home for the summer and it was sold before I returned from Argentina. Only they haven't just made an assessment. Oh no, they've sent me a bloody long, complicated and mostly irrelevant set of forms to fill in. My reading is that I'll be taxed at 18% on the difference between the cost of the house and the the amount I received when it was sold, less £10,000 tax free allowance. Well we all know how house prices have risen over the last few years so I'm guessing I'll be in debt to the taxman until I retire.

Interestingly they add interest to the outstanding amount on a daily basis, backdated to when the tax was originally due and there is a 5% surcharge every six months on any debts outstanding. To be honest, when I received the first letter, I though it was a wind-up (it was dated 1st April), then I reasoned that I hadn't earned that much from the rental - I still have to check those figures - and, when I got the demand I was both angry and worried. Angry because I have always paid my dues to the country, even when I wasn't living here and worried because I hate owing money. I even considered taking in a lodger (you can received up to £4250pa without having to declare it) but then I'd have to pay the full council tax and I wouldn't get any benefit should I become unemployed again. I know it sounds mean but I'm sick of giving and getting next to nothing in return.

So now I've adopted a 'que sera, sera' attitude. I will pay the money - I don't have any choice and I'm pretty sure I won't be getting any tax rebates for past years (even if I'm entitled to them) but as I earn less than £12,000 a year gross, the tax man will just have to accept what I can afford, when I can afford it.

And I'm not going to worry about it and I'll be damned if I'm going to lose any more sleep over it!

hush, hush, whisper who dares...

Sorry I've missed a couple of days but things have been happening. I will update you soon but in the meantime I have to say I haven't been sleeping very well. It's mainly due to the heat - I've had all the windows open but that just means I get woken up early in the morning by the birds who've nested just outside my window. So this is me:


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

If you go down to the woods today

As promised a few days ago, here are the photos of my newly denuded garden.

Note the lovely new fence on the left hand side and the area covered with black lining - this will be my fruit and veggie patch!



The wider view showing the newly exposed fence on the right hand side, the garden wall holding back the lawn at the front and the carefully pruned tree at the back, the doing of which liberated another million square metres of garden.


My dad did has done the vast majority of this work and he's been back since these photos were taken to clear even more. Now you can walk around the conifer (avoiding the deposits - that shady area was used as a pussy potty by the cats next door) and even consider what to do with the area between the conifer and the back fence (previously a no-go area).

You know, over the years, I've had dad-cab, dad-repairs and dad-decorating services. Now I've got dad-gardening services. I am one lucky daughter.

Achy Breaky Feet!

I did my first training walk today, 3.11 miles in 61 minutes. So I walked at about 3 miles per hour which is pretty good considering I haven't done any regular exercise for months (if not years). I'm going to continue doing the same distance in the same time and work on feeling less achy at the end. After a couple of weeks I'll start work on improving my speed. My ultimate aim is a steady walking speed of 6 miles an hour - whether this will be possible remains to be seen. Still I've started!

In other news, my dad has attacked my back garden again since Saturday and discovered another million square feet that were hidden by tall weeds - at this rate my garden will be big enough to build another house on! There will be photos soon but I've had washing on the line so you'll have to wait.

Another one bites the dust

The men have been.

The men have been and gone.

The men have been and gone and left a beautiful speckled stair carpet fitted in place.

Soft and pretty - a bit like me!

Marking time

I know I said the other day that I don't blog about my students but I've been undergoing a minor version of hell the last couple of day (one of the outer circles, so not toooo bad, I guess).

In the afternoon I teach exam classes, a different class Monday to Thursday but all doing the same exam. This week they took a mock exam. The questions are multiple answer and the answer sheets are columns of circles with A, B, C or D printed in them. The candidate has to fill in the circle they believe is the correct answer.

There are two hundred questions in this exam. I have, on average, 13 students per class. Each answer sheet takes about 15 minutes to mark. You do the maths!

No I don't get paid any extra for doing this as industry policy is that marking homework, preparing lessons and marking exams is allowed for in the hourly rate paid. My eyes are scratchy and my back aches AND I've got another twelve to do tomorrow night.

We repeat it all again in two weeks time but I'm hoping to have a better marking system worked out by then (involving a stencil or mask with the correct answers cut out so I can just count them up).

In the meantime, does anyone know a good masseur?

Nellie the elephant...

I woke up at 4am this morning feeling as if I'd been trampled by elephants. My legs felt as if I'd gone on that walk I'd planned and it had turned into a hike up a mountain (the way these things do).

Then I couldn't get back to sleep properly - very unusual for me nowadays and when my alarm finally went off I couldn't find the energy to get out of bed!

Feeling better now - only 12 exam papers to mark!

Not walking but gardening...

My new book, Walking for fitness, arrived today. Today was also supposed to be the first training walk day. That didn't happen. Instead my mum came around and put me through an hour of intensive gardening. By time we'd finished it was 8pm and I hadn't eaten. I couldn't face going out for an hour's walk THEN coming home and eating, so no walking today.

Wednesday - it WILL happen Wednesday (and I'll have finished reading the book by then).

Call me....

The other thing I did yesterday was change my phone provider. I will be keeping the same number. I phoned my old provider to get a PAC code and was warned to use up all my credit and make sure my contacts were transferred, fair enough.

I went to the new provider, paid the money and waited while the assistant spoke to their customer services and arranged the transfer. At this point I only had 28 pence on my phone (having used up most of my credit as warned).

Only once everything had been done and the new sim card was handed to me did the assistant inform me it would take FIVE DAYS to transfer my service across!

Do not expect any mobile contact from me before next Thursday as I have no credit, however you can still contact me.

The devil's been busy

I have had a great day. I met up with my friend R at 10:30 this morning and we shopped (almost) until we dropped. I bought a new shirt, yet another white one but I do believe you can't have too many white shirts, a pair of purple shoes (love purple) and some earrings. After a quick trip to Asda for lunch stuff we came back to mine where R made hummus (hot and spicy, yea) and we chatted while it digested (very Italian).

Then she handed me the necessary cable clips so that I could fix my telephone wire in place, untwisted said wire and kept me calm while I sorted out my futon - not funny. Then I put up some pictures in my study, hung out the rest of my washing and sorted out some odds and ends.

Throughout this we chatted about everything and nothing, getting to know each other better until finally at 7:45 I allowed her to go home - I actually drove her home and I think she's getting used to my driving because she didn't flinch once!

Life is good!

Hanging on the telephone

Hey people it's Friday!

Friday is the day I finish work at 12:20 (not that I leave the building at that time - it usually takes me about 15 minutes to sort myself out before I can go home with a clear conscience). So, what did I do this afternoon? Well, I sorted out the carpet for my stairs and arranged to have that fitted (one more thing ticked off the list), bought some brackets for the cheap hanging baskets I got in the week, got some pretty coloured board pens (I NEED more than red, blue and black), treated myself to some face cream (I will not go quietly into that dark night) and arranged to change my mobile phone provider. I've been with Virgin for years and I haven't had any problems except the big one of not getting any reception in Ramsgate. It's alright at home where I'm practically under a phone mast but I do have my landline at home. The place where I do need it (downtown Ramsgate) gets no reception worth speaking about. I will be keeping the same number so don't you worry your little heads about losing contact with me.

Tomorrow I'm going out window shopping and pottering with my friend R who has rather daftly volunteered to help me in the garden - she won't be able to walk by time I've finished with her (hehehehehehe)!

Moving and a-grooving

Mmmm, I seemed to have missed a couple of days - so much for my self-imposed target of a blogpost a day. Trouble is I haven't had very much to write about and very little inspiration.

You may have noticed that I don't blog about work or my students, not because they are uninteresting but because I don't feel comfortable writing about people who have no idea that this blog exists. And whilst I'm sure my employer would have no problems with my blogging the day-to-day stuff of my working life, in all honesty, it isn't that interesting. Of course, with the World Cup of Football thingy going on at the moment, it has been hard to keep students focussed on the reason they are here but we haven't had any problems, not even when supporters of two teams are in the same class. What it has meant is that the streets are pretty clear at various times of the afternoon and evening which has made for a quieter drive home.

In other news, I have found a website MapMyWalk which has allowed me to plan some walking routes of varying lengths as part of my training for the Playtex Moonwalk. The book I ordered off Amazon prompted a flurry of emails culminating in one saying it was out of print and that they wouldn't be able to supply it. I went back online tonight to try and get a second-hand copy and, blow me down if they weren't offering the same book for sale again. So I've ordered it again, supposedly to arrive within a couple of weeks - we'll see. This weekend I'm going to 'splash out' on a new pair of trainers especially for the walking which I intend to start doing next week. My aim is to walk three times a week, gradually increasing both the rate at which I walk and the distance. If I get it right, I should be able to walk 26.2 miles in approximately eight hours. If you know anyone who had done something like this please let me know as I'd like to get some insider information.

Finally, I haven't been able to do much in the garden as the wind has been horrendous. However, my dad came round on Monday with his loppers and sorted out the tree at the back of the garden. If you look back here, it's the one next to the shed (green in the first and third pictures but red in the middle picture). With his judicial pruning, my dad has given me an extra ten square feet of garden and allowed the enormous yukka plants to be seen (at least I think they're yukkas). The other thing you may have noticed is the deterioration of the conifer. When I first moved in it was compact and nicely shaped but it is gradually falling open - not a good thing for a conifer. I have two choices, tie it up internally to try and stop any further opening or take it out totally. I loved it when I moved in, thinking it gave me some privacy from the houses that were built too close to the boundary behind but now I'm beginning to think it's more trouble than it's worth. I'm not sure it's a native species and I don't know how much wildlife it supports. Whatever I decide, nothing will be done before the autumn, when nesting birds and insects will have, hopefully, departed. I've done some basic research on the internet and they all say "Don't prune it" pruning will lead to bare brown patches and this is supported by my brother's experience with his conifer. Oh well, one to ponder.

Old MacDonald had a farm

Today, for those of you outside the UK or who don't listen to The Archers, was Open Farm Sunday and, as my brother S works on a farm, I participated. Now before you get all excited, that did not mean milking any cows, shearing any sheep, herding any pigs or gathering any eggs. What it actually meant for me, was wandering around a farm with various members of my family, looking at the above mentioned animals (and a few cows, calves and alpaca) and taking loads of photos. Here are a couple, straight from the camera mind, not photoshopped or anything (my excuse for the quality).

A puddle of pigs (taken from above, hence the feeling of vertigo)


Before the haircut...


... and after


and, of course no farm is complete without a cow, so let me introduce Chelsea...


a somewhat spoilt matriarch.

Buzz,buzz,busy bee, buzy bee

It is a scorching hot day here and, at 5:25pm, as quiet as the grave out there. I don't know if there's something going on - someone mentioned something about a football tournament but...

I was up at 7:30 this morning (very unusual for me) with a list of things to do as long as my arm and, believe it or not, I've done most of them. I have finally cleared the nasty sticky carpet tape from my upstairs landing. I have finally put up the blind in my bedroom from which I have hung all my earrings (realising I've lost one or two along the way). I've finally sorted out the various hard drives attached to my laptop and shredded a load of unwanted files and I've finally bought some plants for the stone trough in my back garden. In between all this I've done three loads of washing (now drying on the line), delivered a birthday card to my brother, cleared a few more stinging nettles from the back garden and started transferring my mum's old talking book tapes to her hard drive so that she can listen to them again without fear of the tape breaking.

All in all a good day - now I need a rest!

Changes...

Yesterday I promised you before and after pictures of my garden. Well here they are...

When I bought the house (September 2009)



After my dad attacked the garden (October 2009)



The current situation (June 2010)

Roses of Picardy

I was back in the garden this evening - my mum came round and between us we cleared half the left hand border and discovered a couple of rose bushes that had been buried under weeds, a bicycle seat, black bags, stinging nettles and brambles.

I'll continue tomorrow evening in the hope of getting to the end of the border. The main grass area is mostly covered in black material or wood to try and kill off the grass and weeds, but this needs to be re-done to make sure nothing escapes!!!

Tomorrow I'll post before and after photos.

I'm walking to New Orleans (more or less)

I have very little to write about tonight. Nothing interesting or special has happened today, nor has anything bad.

I have, however, made a decision. I am going to do a Moonwalk. Now before visions of Michael Jackson take up permanent residence in your heads, I am talking about the Playtex Moonwalk - a power walked marathon. The most recent one took place in London at the end of May and I thought that eleven and a half months would be ample time for me to train for the next.

26.2 miles - walking - overnight

I have bought a book, now I need to plan some walking routes and buy some good trainers.

You will be kept apprised.

Football's coming home

It seems we have a World Cup of Football Championship arriving soon. Why?

Anyway, I'm reminded of the last one. I was in Argentina and everyone I worked with was obsessed by football as were the majority of the students. The school even got the tv sorted out so we could watch the really, really important games (those involving England and Argentina, separately and together). We had a sweepstake and I drew Brazil - I remember the dilemma, just who should I support? In the end it didn't matter and my interest in football ended as soon as my teams were eliminated.

I suspect I won't be anywhere near as interested in this World Cup - having alternative forms of entertainment and topics of conversation available - in fact, I've already told my morning class that there will be no football in the classroom (especially important as I have six French students and three Italians).

In completely different news, my hayfever has started up again leaving me with sore eyes and an uncontrollable urge to sneeze. And I've cleared out my bramble patch - no blackberries this year.

Sweet nothings

I found out something very interesting today (well, interesting to me that is). If you go to Tesco's at around 3pm on Sunday, the discount section is full of cheap food. If you have the nerve to grab said food and then come back at about 3:30, a nice Tesco's employee will give you a further discount. Up to 75% off! Word to the wise, though, the regulars play rough.

Oh, and whoever you are in Italy, I hope you enjoy reading this. Leave me a comment and let me know.

Stand and Deliver

Ah Saturday, what a wonderful day, and it has been soooo exciting for me.

Today I:

• ate breakfast sitting on the back step


• went to my parents for coffee (and brought back my garden chairs)


• finished my washing and hung it out


• cooked a risotto (and ate it)


• finished a book I was reading


• put up some pictures


• assembled my new vacuum cleaner


• dusted the guest room and my study (don't that sound posh)


• vacuumed those rooms

then I spent a couple of hours surfing the net before realising it was time to get some more food.

As you can see, a very exciting day but on the positive side I've had iTunes running, playing all my 'pop' music and I have a wonderfully weird collection of songs - at the moment I'm listening to Adam and The Ants - and what great memories that brings back.

Nothing but flowers

More gardening today.

After a morning of trying to teach students who wanted to be out in the sunshine (as would I), I had a quick meeting about next week's work (will be interesting) and then home.

I got home to find my darling father had managed to paint my skirting boards and handrail on the stairs (although they will need another coat) even though I hadn't left him a brush to paint with. I managed to stuff some food down my throat before my mum arrived to organise me and my garden (once she gets a bee in her bonnet, there's no stopping her). So now I have two pots planted up with the things we bought on Wednesday, an area of back garden covered by black 'lining' (to kill off the grass etc. so I can grow veggies) and a well swept 'patio' that you can walk on without turning your ankle. I'm loathe to call it a real patio as it's just the area behind the house which has been crazy-paved.

There is still a ton of weeding to be done - especially at the front of the house - but now that the bluebells are done, I have run out of excuses for avoiding it. Fifteen minutes every evening, that's my plan, to get the front weeded and then filled with fuscia bushes (I'll buy small and let them grow).

In an English country garden

Phase two of the big garden project kicked in today. And when I say kicked in I mean.. well I did a lot of thinking.

My aunt S has given me three large stone planters, one with a shrub still in it. It took a lot of huffing and puffing, dragging and lifting to get them from her garden to mine but it was definitely worth it.

Things are finally coming together in the house as well. My mum and I have finished cleaning the stairs and landings (I have three landings), my dad has (half) volunteered to paint the skirting boards in the hallways and on the stairs and I've chosen the carpet for the stairs. Once the painting is finished I'll arrange for the carpet to be delivered and fitted and that will be everything for this year inside the house. At some point in the future I will have to paint the living room and front entrance floor - matt black yacht paint - but that'll be quite a big job, probably best saved for the winter.

In the garden, I need to cut back the grass on the side where, eventually, I intend to grow vegetables and fruit and then cover that in black 'lining' to kill off the grass and weeds. I intend to pave over a small area of this and turn the rest into a slightly raised plot. The main lawn needs cutting again and I have to tackle the weeds and long grass at the back as well as prune the tree (yes, I know it's the wrong time of year but hey...). I still have all sorts of rubbish lurking in the undergrowth but the shape of the garden is emerging. There's a border in the back garden to be weeded, a blackberry bush to be sorted out and an area of unknown significance (my own Area 54) to be approached. On top of all that, my front garden is a little riotous. I had the most gorgeous display of daffodils, followed by bluebells. Now they've all died down I'm left with grass and sprouting rose bushes. I think that's going to take a weekend but, hopefully, the good weather is here now so I'm going to get on with it.

Oh, and I still need to pot on the plants I bought yesterday!

Ringing on the telephone

I was sitting here, peacefully minding my own business, listening to the radio when my phone rang.

Being a sociable type of person, I answered it. What did I get in response to my "Hello"

... silence.

That's when I knew it was a cold caller. Now I have nothing against cold callers per se, it's a job and someone has to do it, but I do object to being made to wait (even for one second) when someone has chosen to call me out of the blue.

Someone recently explained the mechanics of it - the caller has dialled several numbers and has to cancel all the rest when the first one answers. That cancellation obviously takes a little time - and this is what annoys me. If someone chooses to call me (and, yes, I understand that the actual caller doesn't have any choice about the methods used or who to call) I want to be the only person they are trying to call at that time.

Now I have to find the place where I can register not to receive such calls.

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

Today has been a plant day. My kitchen has a fairly deep window sill as can be seen from this photo with the original sink still in place:



and it gets a lot of sunshine, so what better place for a herb garden? Now I know that the glass reduces light transmission by up to 50% (I was teaching some Lithuanian engineers recently) but I still reckon that's enough to provide a warm, draught-free environment for my plants.

I went out with my mum this afternoon and bought oregano, thyme and coriander. I already have two types of basil and I'll probably get a rosemary. I also bought potting compost, two troughs and trays and some lovely smelly plants to put just outside the back door. On a darker note, I've also bought weedkiller for the plants growing up through the patio and for a 'tree' that has seeded all over my lawn. Both sprays have been liberally deployed - I ain't that eco-friendly.

I will update with a picture of my lovely troughs when fully planted - at the moment they are boring brown but I may spray paint them!

Summertime and the livin' is easy

This week I'm only working mornings - my last breather before the summer starts and all hell is let loose (just kidding).

Whereas most of my family are looking forward to the summer - a lot of them are retired or work in education - and the long lazy days, I'm gearing up for the busiest time of the year. This is the time when I'm most likely to be teaching 30 hours a week with lesson preparation, homework checking etc. on top of that. I do get very stressed but I've tried to pre-empt that by doing some preparation ahead of time.

So as this week is the last easy street for a while, what do you think I did? Work with my mum to scrape the remains of carpet off the stairs and then wash them down in preparation for a new carpet to be fitted. Before that can happen, however, the skirting boards have to be painted - ARGHhhhhh! - I hate getting down on my hands and knees (it's actually extremely painful for me to kneel as the tops of my shin bones stick out a long way when the legs are bend) so I'm going to ask my dad if he could do it - if not, it's me and some extremely thick cushions!

On another note, you may have noticed a music player under my photo. I intend to change the tunes every now and then depending on my mood and the posts. You have to click on play to get it to work. Give it a try and let me know what you think of the music.

I need a man...

I have the job (albeit not a permanent one), I have the house (that is pretty permanent) now all I need is the man. No, I'm not saying a man would make my life complete but it would be nice to have someone to talk to in the evening, make plans with for the weekend and do whatever it is couples do during the rest of the time.

I've signed up to two dating sites (I am registered on several but not impressed by most of them - their only purpose seems to be to persuade you to part with your money) and I've made initial contact with some of the men who've posted profiles. Time alone will tell if they reply (or take one look at my profile and block all further communication).

It's a bit scary really but at my advanced age, meeting men isn't that easy and this does seem to be the most efficient and effective way forward. So, wish me luck.

Oh I do like to be besides the seaside

I am glad the summer is here (even though it's been a little flighty - promising sunshine then flirting with rain). It means I have no excuse not to go out and enjoy the great British seaside.

Of course, growing up on the coast did mean I took it for granted. After all, if the beach is always there, why make a fuss about visiting it? In fact, the only time I went down to the sea was if I was with friends who didn't live near the sea. Now, having lived away from it for so many years, I see it with a fresh and more mature eye. It isn't all about ice-cream and freshly fried doughnuts (my mouth is watering just thinking about them) but about enjoying the ambiance, watching the people and then eating the ice-cream or doughnut.

Today my cousin V and I walked her dog Milo from Dumpton Gap to Broadstairs harbour, a distance of "I-don't-know-how-far" and then I helped my dad walk my brother's dogs. I was out at about midday and didn't get home until at least 6pm - my legs ache!

However, in compensation, I have been catching up on the tv I missed whilst abroad thanks to my family's DVD collection and the wonders of "watch-again-on-the-internet". The most recent total immersion experience was The Big Bang Theory. Mostly gentle humour with some extremely funny moments. A set of stereotypes turned into real people through great acting and excellent writing. I'd recommend it - especially if you have a soft spot for nerds.

Walking the dog(s)

I have become a dog-walker. Not professionally, mind, just for family.

At least once a week I go out with my cousin V and her dog (possibly the worst genetic cross of a Chihuahua and a I don't know what, which has produced a rat-dog with a mohican) for an hour around the local playing fields. Despite or perhaps because he is so small we can't let him off the lead but he has one of those extendable leads and is quite happy to run his (incredibly) little legs off.

This weekend my brother P, his wife and their two month old daughter (didn't I tell you about her? Oh well!) have gone away with the in-laws. They (my brother etc.) have two dogs - proper dog sized dogs - and had arranged for a dog-sitter who let them down at the last moment. So P called my mum and dad who agreed to look after the dogs. Now the thing is, as well trained and well behaved as these dogs are, when they are walked it's bloody hard work. The male S is good on the lead and doesn't pull but the female P... I think there's some husky in her somewhere because if I'd been on roller-skates we'd be travelling up the M2 to London right now. My shoulders and back ache from trying to keep her from pulling me over - yes, that's right, ME! - and I've had to cut all my nails off because they got bent out of shape from gripping the lead.

However, once we got to the playing fields, all was well. The dogs chased the ball we (I went with my dad) threw for them, P had a good old sniff around and they came back to the lead when called, although the walk home was just as relentless.

Now I'm not saying I like dogs, because I don't, but I can tolerate those which are either well-trained or so small I can make them fly. And I'm quite happy to walk the dog.

Monkey see, Monkey do

The next day we went to Monkey World. I have to say I was a little disappointed. Now I'm not a fool and I don't expect to get the same up close and personal in real life as they do on the tv series, but one of them main attractions is the chimpanzee enclosure which is where everyone heads immediately.

Two things, 1) the tv doesn't prepare you for the smell and 2) the huge metal barrier along the top of the fence. This photo, taken on tiptoes and at full stretch, shows the barrier at the bottom. If you are short or a child, it is very difficult to see into the enclosure.



OK, I can understand that the priority is too keep the apes safe and to prevent them from escaping (they are, after all, extremely smart) but surely something could have been done to improve visitor viewing?

Anyhow, the staff were friendly and helpful and we did get to see a lot of primates doing primate type things such as:

hanging around

grooming

and building a bed

And a fair number of non-primates doing their thing:

clinging onto mum

keeping it clean

having a stretch

and browsing for lunch

And, of course, finishing the day with my two favourite primates

Here's looking at you, Babe

So, where were we? Oh yes, at Longleat. After the train ride and the boat ride (I have never been on a holiday with my parents that didn't involve water travel) we decided to go around the safari park and see the big animals. My mum was lovely enough to allow me to sit in the front passenger seat so that I could take lots of photos and my dad was a patient driver (stop now dad, NOW!). We saw the tigers who kept their distance so my pics are a little fuzzy, and the lions whose need to sleep means they look like rolled up carpets in the photos, and the wolves - again with the sleeping! But I was finally rewarded. While casually meandering through the large animal enclosure (obviously in the car with the windows down - all allowed) we pulled up next to this lovely beastie.



I only got the one shot before it turned towards us and my dad took off like a formula one driver but, you have to admit, it is a good shot.

We're all going on a summer holiday

Over the past few months I've done a fair few things, one of which was to go on holiday with my mum and dad. We went to Longleat and MonkeyWorld (click on the links to go to the websites). Both places have their own tv series and both seemed fascinating.

I'd never been to either (although I do seem to remember a school trip to Windsor Safari Park - but maybe I'm making that up) and I wanted to go to both. My parents are fans of both and as they (the places, not my parents) are located near-ish to each other (although my parents are generally located near-ish to each other as well) we decided to take them in in one fell swoop.

First to Ringwood, a nearby town which has a roundabout on a motorway with a travel lodge or similar such establishment with attached little chef. Moderately priced, warm, clean and comfortable and situated about halfway between Longleat and MonkeyWorld.

The following day, off we pop to Longleat. Not a cheap place to visit but full of wonderful things such as:

A Leafcutter Ant made of metal

A Meerkat

The Bull Seal

The Silverback Gorilla


more later...

I'm back

Hello there.

I noticed, when I logged in, that I haven't actually posted anything since 3rd January this year. My, my, how remiss of me. I could give you a lot of excuses about how busy I was with the house (sort of true), how busy I've been with my new job (again, sort of true) or how busy I've been with my social life (not at all true) but the truth is - are you ready for the truth? - I have lacked any motivation to write. Partly that was because of all the above, and not having internet access, but mostly because I've been suffering from culture shock.

Now I know that sounds pretty unbelievable, this being my home town in my home country and my living only two minutes away from my parents, but I have had to make some serious adjustments. The biggest change has been trying to re-integrate myself into my family. Don't get me wrong, they have been delighted that I'm back and more than welcoming, it's just that, after ten years of living abroad, I find I don't have the same priorities and terms of reference as the rest of them.

For example: I don't think having a television is important (and I don't have one) which means that my main topic of conversation is not Ashes to Ashes or Lost or one of a myriad other series that have been on over the last decade. Having lived abroad, I can see the issue of immigration from a perspective other than 'they come over here taking our housing and jobs' - I don't doubt this happens but when the speaker is a lazy scrote who has never held down a job for more than a couple of weeks and thinks having numerous children by different mothers makes him a valuable member of society I have to say 'So?'.

These are just a couple of examples of where I feel I'm out of sync with the people around me. Having said that, now that the sun is shining, I am feeling more like communicating again which should mean regular blog posts and even the occasional photo.

Love to y'all

Cha, cha, cha, changes

I have moved into my new house. In fact I moved in on New Year's Eve and woke up there on 1st January 2010.

It is both wonderful and weird - more later when I have an internet connection sorted out.

Oh, HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone.