Frensham Ponds

To celebrate my first Saturday off in over five years that I didn’t have to ask for or arrange around other people we decided that we needed to do something! Nothing too adventurous just a bit of a walk with the cameras and some fresh air and having driven past it several times but never stopped to look we decided to have a walk around Frensham Great Pond in Surrey.

Frensham Ponds consists of roughly 1000 acres of attractive countryside. It’s midway between Farnham and Hindhead on either side of the A287. The site is owned by the National Trust, but most of the land is managed by Waverley Borough Council. The Common comprises a large area of heathland, together with some coniferous and mixed woodland, and two large ponds, known as Frensham Great and Little Ponds, which were built in the Middle Ages to provide fish for the Bishop of Winchester's estate.

The common was once important to local communities as a source of fuel and other materials, and as rough grazing for their livestock. These days the site is valued for recreation and nature conservation and it's many miles of footpaths and bridleways on which to explore the Common. The common supports a wealth of wildlife. Species found on the heath include sand lizard, smooth snake, woodlark, Dartford Warbler and nightjar. The ponds also attract rare visitors such as the osprey, especially during spring and autumn although we didn’t come across any on our walk this time.

Originally we were just going to walk a little way around it then head off for the obligatory visit to a pub on the way home but once we started we just carried on and ended up walking all the way round, as someone who's not usually a fan of walking too far I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed walking the full two miles around the circumference of the pond.

It’s a great place for a walk with a camera (although Matt probably would have had better results if he’d put the memory card in his camera, I did share mine for a little while though!) I got a little obsessed with the rushes that grew all around the pond and needless to say I was in my element when we found the ducks and spent quite a while shooting off countless photo’s of them and a Swan that got a little too close for comfort (lovely birds but I’m very wary of them, especially when they get out of the water and start heading towards you!)

It was a lovely afternoon and I’d recommend a visit if you fancy a walk, or in warmer weather a picnic and maybe even a swim if you’re feeling brave and it was a great way of kick starting my plans to spend my new found weekends doing something a lot more fun than sitting in front of the television and/or drinking too much.

Improv

When you have everything you need to make mince pies except a rolling pin - improvise :)

New Job.

So.. I’m three days into my adventure back to the real world of full time employment! It feels very strange but also a little exciting.

After the collapse of Postal Gifts and Number 81 I wandered into the local Wine Rack as a stopgap while I decided what to do with the rest of my life and it’s taken me eighteen months to finally leave. I still haven’t decided what I want to do with the rest of my life mind you!

Just before Christmas (23/12 to be exact) I finally did my last ever late night at Threshers and at nine o’clock in the morning on 24/12 I started as a temp with Getronics on their IT helpdesk (the blind leading the partially sighted springs to mind!)

I’ve been looking for a new career for a month or so now but it seems that either the job description leaves me cold or I don’t have all the skills I need when something has grabbed me. I set myself the goal of getting out of Threshers before Christmas and rather than jump at the first thing that came along temping whilst still looking seemed the sensible option.

So here I am temping! I have to get up in the mornings again! I have a commute, traffic jams, parking problems, travel costs, a no smoking office, a dire need for a new ‘business’ wardrobe and a whole new load of stuff to learn and it’s great, it finally feels like my brain has come back to life.

So for the foreseeable future at least I’m on the twelfth floor of the Barclays building in Basingstoke every day, having to remember my electronic pass to get through the doors and, for the time being at least, spending my day wearing a very uncomfortable headset (I think I need bigger ears) listening to someone resetting passwords and solving email problems while I try to get my head around how to do it all on my own. But I finish at 5.30 and I don’t have to work weekends anymore! Not to mention the fact that my wages have just trebled (Wine Rack wages are nothing to aspire to believe me!) and I’m looking forward to a few more new challenges in 2008.

Why Dinosaurs Are Extinct!

New Career?

I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much but I think I may have found the perfect job. It's an industry that I love, a good basic, and commission, flexitime (handy when you're as crap in the morning as I am) and something that's going to fire up my brain again and get me back in the real world. I had the first interview today, which went well, the second is scheduled for Monday and then the third, and hopefully final is up to me - wish me luck :)

Well, I didn't get it :( lucky there's a plan B so watch this space. And it's a good excuse for drinking more bubbly :)

Snoring!

I had to smile tonight when I posted a few bits in need of a new home on freecycle including three unused pairs of earplugs that have been floating around my dressing table for eternity.

I got them as freebies from my days of selling for Bike Trader so I was expecting requests from bikers eager to save their hearing, but no, they've all been snapped up by women with husbands who snore!

I can understand it. I have to say it's one of those things that would eventually become a deal-breaker in a relationship for me. As a light sleeper the idea of spending a night with a man who snores incessantly is my idea of hell. Fortunately Matt only snores when he's had too many Ciders (and as I'm guilty of the same after too many glasses of wine I can hardly complain) or when he lies on his back (ditto) and generally some well aimed fidgeting or a gentle (cough) poke in the ribs usually puts an end to it but I can't imagine anything much worse than a loud non stop snore next to you night in night out.

So, ladies, they're on their way to you with my best wishes and if it helps to promote a little extra marital harmony I shall consider it Karma points well earned.

Psychometric Blogs?

So, having got to the stage where I seriously need to find a new job I got to thinking - what would my potential new employers think about me if they read my blog?

I think I’d be ok. There’s no real deviancy or debauchery to concern them, there’s the occasional glimpse of wit and once in a while something worth reading but at the end of the day I do it for me, not to use as a CV. Which got me onto another train of thought – why not? After all, decisions are made on the basis of psychometric tests so why not Blogs? What clearer indication is there of what’s really going on in someone’s mind than the contents of their blog?

Take for instance, a friend of mine who has been doing the job that she wants for three months now but she’s not allowed to actually have the job title (and salary) that goes with it until she can pass the company psychometric test, which she’s already failed, and to make matters worse she has to wait three months to retake it! Ask her to write a blog for three months, it’s gotta be easier.

So I think there should be a new line on application forms, one asking for the URL of your blog, and if you haven’t got one make one. If I ever get to the stage where I’m making hiring and firing decisions again it’s going to be the first thing I look at.

The Strange World Of Boot Sales

The Sunday before last we embarked on a journey into the unknown! As part of the ongoing attempt to declutter my life (and make a little extra cash) Matt and I did our first boot sale.

We were up at stupid o’clock on a Sunday morning with the boot of the car duly loaded with tables and a couple of very uncomfortable stools, cash tin and several boxes of tat and made our way to the ‘Huge Car Boot Sale’ in Alton.

We didn’t really know what to expect although I had had a little advice from two veteran bootsalers that I know. Apparently we were mugged as soon as we arrived. Not in the hoodie, 'give me your mobile phone' sort of way of course. But before we could even get the car unloaded we were surrounded by eager buyers. Apparently the ‘professionals’ get there early and go on a bargain hunt. The first guy was only interested in records (although he did also invest in a large smiley face clock that I had) and bought 21 of my old 7” singles for the bargain price of a tenner. He was followed immediately by two people who had both swooped on my old collection of Whimsies which were snatched up for Twenty quid between them, so not a bad start to the day, even if the pace didn’t stay quite so hectic for the rest of the morning.

There was a strange collection of absolute junk on offer with one or two treasures if you look hard enough. We gave ourselves a budget of £5 each for a little shopping and took it in turns to have a look around and came back with a tripod, in full working order, a Polaroid camera complete with film, a garden tool (a sort of cross between a rake and a spade), a Darth Vader money box and a Darth Vader desktop mobile phone holder (not so sure about the last one!). There was also a little underhand dealing in TY bears along the way but I won’t go into that.

So I reckon that so far I’m about even on getting rid of clutter vs. gaining more but didn’t have a bad day, well worth the early start. So much so that we’re going to do it again this weekend. I wonder if that Skateboard will still be there….

London

It’s a strange place. I lived there for over fifteen years and when I was there I really couldn’t imagine ever living anywhere else. I loved it, grime, smog, indifference, anonymity, congestion, overcrowding, crime, the whole scene, at the end of the day I still believed, and still do, that it’s the greatest city in the world.

I moved out just over four years ago now and ended up more by accident than good judgement in a sleepy little village in North Hampshire where the pace of life is so different there’s no comparison.

As I drove up the A3 today, past all of my old haunts, and the landmarks that were part of my life for so long – The Tollworth Towers, a regular mention on the flying eye on the morning commute, dodging the numerous speed camera’s along the way then through Clapham, Stockwell and finally onto the Elephant and Castle, which to my disappointment is no longer pink. Passing old homes and old employers along the way I felt an overwhelming rush of nostalgia and started to seriously question why I ever gave in to the idea of leaving.

Then I realise it took me forty minutes to get to London and two and a half hours to drive fifteen miles into it (the tubes were on strike today and I really couldn’t face hauling the files that I needed for my meeting around with me on an overcrowded bus). I was hot, thirsty and quite frankly out of practise with traffic jams. I listened as faceless people honked their horns blindly in the vain hope that they might get a little further a little quicker and I drove at a pace slower than I could walk! I also had the pleasure of paying £8 congestion charge for having to leave at any of the exits on the Elephant and Castle roundabout (all roads lead to a big red C)

By the time I finally got back onto the A3 and waved goodbye to the City all I could think about was getting home again, back to the nice, quiet, green life that is Odiham.

Do I still miss London? Yes. It’s always going to be a big part of me. I absolutely loved my time there. Would I move back? No. Sometimes the past is best left as a fond memory that you can look back on and smile, but the present is what matters and the future – well who knows?

Camera Porn!

UPDATE

Thanks to a really helpful company that I found on the net - Retro Photographic I now have two (out of date) films for my Kodak Duaflex. Even if the films are a little out of date and the photo's don't turn out at least I've got the spools now so I can use 120 film in it in the future. What's more I've just had another look at their website and noticed that they've just started stocking Black and White 127 film so it looks like the Brownies going to get a go after all. I've just finished the first film on the Duaflex so I'm looking forward to seeing what comes back when it's developed.




So, my latest acquisition from freecycle was a load of old. really cool cameras. I was really looking forward to running a film off on each but it would appear that's not as easy as I first thought!

The Agfa Isolette II, which is by far the most complicated of the three is the only one I've managed to get a film for, all I need to do now is work out how to load it, use it and unload it! the Brownie 127 would appear to be a lost cause as no one makes the film anymore and even Tony the nice man at Longworth Photographic in Farnborough (who by the way has THE coolest collection of old cameras in his shop) couldn't suggest a soloution for. But the Kodak Duaflex is usable it might just need a bit of work/expense because even though no one makes 620 film anymore 120 film will work, I just need to spool it in a dark room/bag.

I've had lots of helpful suggestions to alternatives to a dark bag including trousers and a hoodie but I might just blow £20 on a bag and make life easier (although I have advertised wanting one on freecycle - you never know!)

Either way I still love them, there's something really nice about the nostalgia of old camera's. Each one of these is probably over 50 years old and have obviously been lovingly cared for. And no matter how advanced we get with the digital age the smell of bromide still tales me back to school days, and there's still more skill needed to get a good pic out of these. Am I up to it? Who knows? Watch this space :)

Saw - Extra Squeamish Edition

More Bunnies

Not for the faint hearted :)

M.I.A

Update

Well he's back! He wandered through the cat flap at about 11.30pm on the tenth day since we saw him last, we really have no idea where he could have been. One things for sure he hasn't gone ten days without food and water and apart from a scratch on his head he seems no worse for wear. Either someones been feeding him or he's been on a mammoth hunting spree!

We've had problems with what we think is a stray male cat, still intact if you get my drift who has not only been bullying Smodge but is hanging around our neighbours flat showing more than a passing interest in their two female kittens who are currently on heat. After a bloody encounter tonight (please note the blood was all mine) I have officially declared war on him. I am determined to catch the little s*@t and take him to the vets to check for a microchip. If he's chipped and we can trace an owner he'll be taken home with a strong recommendation that he be neutered. If not there's a very nice lady called Shirley in Basingstoke who will take in waifs and strays and find them a loving new home. The new kid has got to go, he's making all the local cat's lives miserable!

As for Smodge and his adventures there's only one thing left to do and that's to take a leaf out of Mr Lee's book and treat him (?) to a cat cam. Assuming we can find a Smodge proof collar. I'm determined to find out where he goes, and it works for Mr Lee :)



So we’ve pounded the streets, called his name till we’re hoarse, called the vet, called identichip, even called environmental health (the worse call to ever make – they pick up the pieces, if you know what I mean) and plastered the local area with missing posters but Smodge still seems to have managed to disappear. I really don’t know what to do next.

It’s been ten days now since we last saw him, and I feel awful, not just because I’m worried sick about him and what might have happened to him but because the last time I saw him was at 4.30 in the morning when I unceremoniously removed him from our bedroom door where he was scratching and howling to come in. I shut the door to the bedrooms so that his only option was to sleep in the living room or go out – he chose the latter and we haven’t seen him since, and do I feel bad or what!

I’m clinging to the hope that somewhere in our tiny little village someone else has decided that he must be a stray and have decided to keep him and he’s being fed and looked after but just not let out for now because I’m certain that no matter how pissed off he was about not being able to sleep on our bed he would have come home if he could, the alternatives don’t really bear thinking about and I refuse to give up hope – yet! Although he’s clearly not a stray and he’s micro chipped so it’s not hard to find out if he has a home or not, and little old lady or not if I ever find out that someone has been feeding him and trying to keep him they better be prepared for some serious grief. Anyone who’s ever shared their home with a cat knows not to feed someone else’s cat, they’re fickle at best and given the choice of someone who let’s them sleep on the bed and feeds them nicer food and someone who feeds them healthy food and relegates them to the spare room at night (he’s got his own room for god’s sake, he’s hardly deprived!) they’ll go where they get the best treats.

We’ve had a few phone calls in response to the posters I’ve put up, unsurprisingly there seems to be an abundance of black and white cats in the area, (no surprise there) but so far none of them have been our boy so we’re no nearer to knowing where he’s gone. I’m going to start knocking on doors tomorrow, even if I have to knock on every door in the village, I can’t believe that someone doesn’t know where he is. Although the thought that he may have got himself locked in somewhere isn’t good, if so he’s had nine days without food or water and I’d rather not think about that right now.

He disappeared for three days a while ago and came back like he’d never been away and so many people keep telling me tales of how they have lost cats for weeks, months even and then had them return there’s still a bit of hope so all we can do is keep our fingers crossed that he comes back safe and sound.

New Toys!

I have discovered a dangerous new addiction – Freecycling! The idea is very simple you put stuff up for grabs that you don’t want anymore and if it’s any use to anyone else they come and take it away from you – for free! It's a worldwide concept and there are local groups just about everywhere just go to the website to find yours.

So far I’ve managed to find a good home for my ancient and much travelled Sinclair ZX Spectrum that has been sitting in various cupboards, garages and even had a brief stint in Wimbledon Police Station for over 20 years and I’ve offered all my old cassette tapes and videos and a few more things that I’m loathed to throw away just in case someone somewhere has a use for them.

Of course the danger is that while trying to rehome your own junk you invariably come across things that other people are getting rid of that might just come in handy.


Ironic maybe that the first thing that I’ve gained via freecycle is a free cycle! An exercise bike to be precise, in pretty good nick with onboard computer and everything, just the thought of using it brings me out in a sweat, although I suspect I may actually have to get on it to see any real benefit.

We’ve also got a pine coffee table and some dumbbells lined up to collect and no doubt I’ll come across a whole host of stuff that might just come in handy.

Good job I cleared the garage out last week.

What's In A Name

I was sent this by a friend, I checked and they really are legitimate web addresses, surely they must have realised how their URL appeared!

"Who Represents" is where you can find the names of agents
representing celebrities. Their Web site is www.whorepresents.com

Experts Exchange is a knowledge base where programmers can exchange
advice and views at www.expertsexchange.com

Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at www.penisland.net

Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at www.therapistfinder.com

There's the Italian Power Generator company, www.powergenitalia.com

And don't forget the Mole Station Native Nursery in New South Wales
www.molestationnursery.com

If you're looking for IP computer software, there's always
www.ipanywhere.com

The First Cumming Methodist Church Web site is www.cummingfirst.com

And the designers at Speed of Art await you at their Web site,
www.speedofart.com

:)

Sunshine Whenever You Want It :)

Well, It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time!

UPDATE (28/07/07)

So... Unfortunately work has conspired to stop me from being able to do the blogathon, I was expecting to have to work a few hours over the weekend but now it turns out that I'm going to have to work for six hours today and ten hours tomorrow!

So even armed with a laptop and dial up I'm not going to be able to do it, with the best will in the world I'm going to have to actually do some work when I go in, oh well, maybe next year I'll actually get a weekend off? The bit of money that I have raised will still go to the charity and maybe I'll have a go at something else soon



I’ve been mulling over something for a week or two now, it seemed like a good idea when I first saw it but internet cynicism took over and I felt I needed to check up on it’s legitimacy first not to mention I needed to decide if I really did have the determination to complete the task, something that I’ve lacked with most things for a while now!

So after much deliberation and investigation I have decided to attempt a Blogathon next Saturday! The idea is that you post to your blog every thirty minutes for 24 hours and get sponsorship for a charity, either per post or just a lump sum if you manage to complete it.

I heard of it via one of my flickr contacts and was a little wary of asking people for money without knowing for sure it was going to get where it was meant to but when you set up your Blog on Blogathon all you’re actually asking people to do is pledge money. When it comes to handing over the dosh it goes straight to the online donation page of the charity of your choice (which you provide the link to) so no chance it won’t get there. Or in some cases, myself included, to a ‘Just Giving’ page, which is a great way to focus your personal fundraising and still sends the money direct to the charity.

I had a bit of a problem deciding which charity to choose, after all there are so many causes in need of help and my eventual choice may not seem a particularly noble one in the eyes of some but it’s one close to my heart – Cats!

I chose the Cats Protection League because I think it does a great deal to help not just rehome the cats that end up in their care but also to try to stop, via neutering and trying to teach responsible cat care, the problem of unwanted cats and strays. If you love cats then they’re helping out our feline friends and if you hate cats then think of it as helping to fund the people that are trying to get that scruffy stray cat out of your vegetable garden once and for all.

Our current feline housemate Smodge came from the Basingstoke Cats Protection League so I figure I owe them a little bed and board.

So if you fancy a laugh I suggest checking my blog now and again from 2pm Saturday 28th July (Everyone worldwide starts at the same time, hence it’s different in each time zone, the UK’s lucky, we can have a nice leisurely afternoon kick off). I will pre write some entries (it’s going to be hard enough to stay awake for 24hrs let alone think for that long!) but not all of them, and I’m bound to post a few pictures, but tempting though it is I’ll try to resist the urge just to post a photo or a YouTube video every 30 mins. And if you fancy digging into your pockets you can always make a pledge – please.


To Pledge money to my charity via Blogathon go to Their List Of Blogs sort them alphabetically (makes it easier) then look for Big Fish Little Fish Cardboard Box, click on the link and pledge your sponsorship, it shows as dollars on the blog page but as the donations are made directly to a uk charity it all ends up in sterling.

The Lesson For Today

Memorise the periodic table for the internet :)

Bound to come in useful sooner or later.

You Couldn't Make It Up!

According to todays Sun (I make no apologies - I like it!)

TWO female cops jumped on a RICKSHAW to get to the scene of a crime.

PCs Ann Marie Rosier, 37, and Sue Beament, 44, were on the beat when an officer called for help.

They were too far away to run - so flagged down Ben Matthews in his pedal-powered cab.

The PCs made siren noises as they sped to Castle Green park, Hereford. They later arrested a man for breaching bail and assaulting a police officer.

A police spokesman said: "We will be handing over a generous tip

...They made siren noises!!! Can you picture it?

Neee Naaah Neeee Nahhhh

Bill's Plannin...

(photo by cloudasmoke)


Wikipedia describes lol Cats as a compound of lol and cat (you think!) and, as photo's of cats with humorous captions.

Even flickr has spawned a group for them now, which I was looking through earlier when I found this, probably one of the funniest I've seen so far.

Of course as I have all the necessary equipment (ie a Cat!) I've had a few goes myself - What do you think?

Great Inventions Of Our Time?

I heard on the news a few days ago a story about a new product designed to stop Cats from catching birds and other small animals - The Cat Bib. The website says...

The CatBib is a unique, patented product that prevents your cat from catching and killing wild birds... simply, safely, effectively, and inexpensively! AND it's been scientifically proven to stop cats from catching birds!

What's more there are many many glowing testimonials from Cat owners who state just how effective it has been. Personally as the owner of a cat with a voracious appetite for the destruction of small defenceless animals, mice in particular, I can't imagine anything more ridiculous, much as I'd love to find a way to curb his enthusiasm for hunting he's a cat for god's sake! It's what they do!

Firstly I have enough trouble getting him to wear a collar (having spent over £20 in the last three months on collars that stay on for an average of a week if I'm lucky) let alone a huge lump of neoprene as well! And secondly it looks stupid - he would be the laughing stock of the area and I just couldn't do it to him, not to mention the fact that any attempt to put it on him would probably result in my need for medical attention!

I've attached a picture of a few of the cats on the website happily(?) wearing their cat bibs although it's not very clear you should get the gist of it, if you really want to see cats suffering just have a look at the website and click on the testimonial section - I tell you not one of them looks happy about it. I know it's a problem but beyond a bell round the neck or permanent captivity not one that I think there's ever going to be an effective solution to, and if there is it's certainly not the Cat Bib! Cats hunt! Live with it!

Coincidence?

So 7 just happens to be my birthday and what I've always thought of as my lucky number - coincidence or just a random piece of math?

Your Love Number is 7

When you fall in love, you experience it to the fullest. You are a cheerful, joyful soul - and you attract people easily. While you fall for people quickly, you also fall out of love quickly. It takes a dynamic, exciting lover to keep your attention long term!

What Is Your Love Number?

Happy Star Wars Day!

Well it is May the 4th :)


Star Wars in 30 seconds re-enacted by Bunnies'

The Dark Lord Of The Sky

Suddenly all that heavy breathing makes much more sense :)

The Balloon Of The Dark Side

Take Me To The Kittens!

So there I am, aimlessly trawling through flickr when I came across a group called The Photographer's Club. I decided to have a look at a few of the pics but then after two or three I was greeted by a warning message. Apparently the photo that I was about to look at fell outside my current SafeSearch filter (didn't know I had one!) and I had to press an extra button to view it. The photo itself was nothing distressing or obscene but what made me laugh was the toolbar at the top of the page that says...

If you've changed your mind about viewing this you can escape - take me to the kittens!

... and it really does take you to the kittens, and some very cute one's at that. I can recommend Junkus, kitten pics very funny.

It's nice to know that flickr's looking after me :)

Anyone Got A Map?

Go to...

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps

In the search box type London to New York.

Take note of how long it takes and special notice of step 37 :)

Good luck.

Messages From The Internettes!

Geoffrey Chaucher Hath A Blog :)

Last Week's Impulse Buy!

As part of my attempts to shift the post Xmas Llbs (Xmas 2005 and 2006 that is!) I bought a bike. Advertised in our local newsagent, a 15 gear ladies Mountain Bike for just £10. I went to look at it and although a little old and battered it seemed ok, what do you expect for a tenner? Unfortunately it seems to have two permanently flat tyres which makes riding it a bit tricky at the moment but just as soon as I've found a willing volunteer to help me repair punctures/fit new inner tubes I'll be out and about on it.

So Long And Thanks For All The Fruit

Unfortunately I was introduced to Ze Frank half way through the show so I never really had the chance to get to know him properly (but then again, that's what archives are for) The Show came to an end on March 17th and although my relationship with Ze has been a short lived thing the thought provoking subjects have been inspiring. So much so that I feel a tribute is fitting and would like to take this opportunity to share a truly memorable episode - Let's hear it for Fingers In Fruit.

May The Paws Be With You :)

More and more often people are posting little icons with thier comments on flickr and most of the time they really annoy me, they clutter up the comments and make them quite hard to read but having recently been invited to join the 'Kitty Stormtroopers' group (don't laugh) I had to smile when I saw the graphic they used, it's the best one I've seen so far :)

Bless You :)

Heaven Is A Warm Bath Full Of Bubbles – Discuss.

I haven’t been able to have a bath for over four months now, and I’m really missing it! I would like to add that I do have a shower, a very nice, powerful shower, you know the sort that sandblasts you clean in the morning, but it’s not the same as being able to wallow until you look like a prune in a nice warm, bubble filled, pampering bath.

In my opinion, there is nothing quite so relaxing as a bath. Preferably with a few candles, a glass or two of wine (or if bubbly if you’re feeling extravagant) some music, the phone off the hook, the door shut and the real world well and truly banished.

So in anticipation of the fact that Matt and I are moving to a new place at the end of February which has a bath as well as a shower I was ecstatic to get a whole box full of bath time accruements from my colleagues at work for my birthday. Complete with a bottle of Moet Rosé and a rather flamboyant rubber duck since named Daphne.

I’m not going to rush it, moving in is going to be stressful enough as it is, it feels like I’ve done nothing but pack, unpack, pack again, move boxes from place to place, store furniture and wonder where on earth things are for the last six months, having moved twice in as long. So when I do eventually get around to my first bath in our new home it is going to be planned to perfection and savoured. The Champers will be chilled, the candles lit, the music on softly in the background and I am going to wallow like I have never wallowed before, and heaven help anyone, and I mean anyone who disturbs me!

I can’t wait :)

Lost Land

I like having grown up photoshop, and I'm quite proud of this for one of my first attempts at being 'arty' with it :)

Same Jeans

This weeks favourite tune :)

Clumsy Is As Clumsy Does!

Being ever so slightly clumsy and slightly accident-prone myself, and after a particularly eventful evening I decided to try a bit of Internet research on the subject. So I typed into the search box ‘what makes people clumsy?’

A surprising amount of the hits that were returned seemed to be connected to alcohol, understandable enough I guess but I feel I’m a little more specialised than most in as much as my clumsiness, when intoxicated (and I don’t need to be anywhere near drunk to do this) seems to focus on an ability to spill red wine. Never White Wine, I can hold a gallon glass of white, perch it precariously on the arm of a sofa, knock it, walk past it, kick it, you name it, it never topples – but give me a glass of red and I only need to be in the same room before it inevitably ends up covering something. The amount of wine spilt and the resulting stain seems to bear a distinct correlation to the colour of my surroundings at the time i.e. the lighter the colour ergo the more likely to stain=the higher the chance of spillage. So I was more than a little concerned when Matt and I started looking for a new place to live and the cute little furnished cottage that we really liked had two white sofas in it. As anyone who’s ever spent an evening drinking with me will tell you – it’s only a matter of time! No matter how careful I am I WILL spill red wine on one of them sooner or later. So it wasn’t the end of the world when the estate agents phoned today and told us that the Landlord has now decided that he wants to rent the place unfurnished! Phew!

We haven’t got it in the bag yet but here’s hoping, not that I’m looking forward to actually moving it feels like I’ve done nothing but put things in boxes and move them from one place to the other for the last six months, but it’ll be worth it when (if) we get there, it’s got a garden, and a garage and everything!

So back to today. We have one of those slow closing things on the toilet door at work, which has to be bolted shut at the end of the day. I went in to get a bin liner from the cupboard in there and the door started to close ever so slowly, just as I heard a customer come into the shop. In an attempt to finish the job in hand before I went to sort out the customer I pulled on the towel rail on the outside of the door to close it more quickly which promptly came off in my hand sending me flying backwards into a pile of boxes of wine stacked on the floor. Fortunately the bottles didn’t break and I think I’ve managed to stick the towel rail back into the screw holes convincingly enough that no one will ever notice it was torn from it’s fixings, and I'm sure the bruises will fade quite quickly this time! Then I came home, watched an episode of Heroes (well worth checking out) than proceeded to knock a glass of wine all over my computer desk (none on the carpet, honest Matt!) twice and all this after only three small glasses.

I looked on Wikipedia and apparently clumsiness is caused by neurological problems and thankfully I don’t seem to suffer from any of the other symptoms associated with them when not drinking red wine so I can only come to the conclusion that red wine just turns whatever part of my brain that controls coordination, often with devastating effects on upholstery, (and my head, I still have a lump from a particularly unfortunate incident involving red wine, falling over and a pint glass, filled with water at Christmas)into a pile of mush.

Though it pains me to say it, it would appear that the only cure is a life devoid of red wine. Oh what the hell – what’s a carpet or two between friends anyway.

UPDATE

We got the Cottage, whoopee more moving, more packing, more lugging boxes around and then forever trying to remember which box things are in. Moving Day 26th Feb. I can't wait :)

Ok Go

Great vid, I quite like the song as well.

What If...

Made me smile :)

New Toys

I did very well this Christmas, Santa bought me lots of new toys including some extra memory for my poor old Mac which means I can use the full version of photoshop now instead of having to stick to Photoshop Elements. Now all I need to do is work out how it all works and what I want to do with it but I'm looking forward to learning.

We had a few friends round last night for a post Christmas/New Year catch up and a few glasses of wine were consumed so today was a bit of a slow day as far as anything constructive went. I spent most of the day playing with photoshop. It's still a bit of a mystery to me but I did learn one trick, making abstract circles from my pictures which turned some of the ones I'd filed away into something slightly more interesting. It's not difficult (here's how to do it if you want to give it a go). Now all I need to do is work out what all the buttons do on my camera and I might be able to take some decent photographs this year! :)

Robot Santas Spotted In Odiham?

I spotted these in the window of the local Ford Garage and couldn't help but think that they bore a little bit of a resemblance to the Robot Santas that appeared in both this years and last years Doctor Who Christmas specials (with a bit of imagination!)


(Real Robot Santa pics taken from Doctor Who Online)

Almost Back to Reality

Well that's it for now, the holidays are almost over and it's time to get back to the reality of work, although Matt and I managed to hold off for one more day. I did a few hours work this evening but we had a pretty lazy day.

There was a brief expedition to try to find something to take some pics of but inspiration and subject matter was a little lacking so instead we just had a quick walk along the Basingstoke Canal to clear the cobwebs and then a quick drink in the George and Lobster at Church Crookham (New Year - new pub!)

After the excesses of Christmas and New Year celebrations it was quite nice to have a sober evening and it's off to bed early tonight with slippers and cocoa (well cocoa anyway, some rather nice Spanish Drinking chocolate that Santa bought me) ready to face the shock of the alarm tomorrow.

New Year

As another new year starts the obvious question that everyone seems to ask is 'have you made any new years resolutions? The answer - No!

I hate the idea of resolutions. You start of by making a list of all the things you want to do/change about yourself then when you haven't achieved them by the end if the first week in January you give up and get nothing done - or maybe that's just me?

Personally I was glad to see the end of 2006 and even though 2007 started with a king sized hangover I find myself feeling more positive about the future than I have for a long time. There are still loose ends to be tied up from the business that we were forced to put into liquidation in October of 2006 and no doubt plenty of obstacles to overcome along the way but I hope to be able to start afresh with an online shop and balloon decorating business early in 2007.

Add a few obvious aims to my list for the year like stopping smoking, losing some weight, getting fitter etc. I also want to learn more about photography (and what all the buttons on my camera do!), write more, learn more about websites, wine and running a business. The list goes on and I hope that this year will be full of new things and self improvement, but most of all I hope that this year is a much happier one not just for me but for all of my friends as well.

Happy New Year.