Talk about blowing your own trumpet. The charity I nominated for the company’s charity of the year has been selected! How do I know this? Simple. It was in the company’s internal newsletter!
‘We are looking to adopt the Northampton & Warwickshire County Air Ambulance (also known as the Princess Diana air ambulance), based in Bagington, as our Charity for 2005. This is the aircrew who recently appeared on the television. This charity was suggested by Karen of the Contact Centre. Many thanks for your suggestion Karen and lets see how much we can raise for them.
The Company will look at asking staff on the first Friday of every month who participate in a "casual dress day" to donate the minimum of a £1 to the charity. Thank you for your continued support.’
Wow – just goes to prove what an e-mail in the right place can do! But, having said that, it is a charity that I support, and at Dad’s funeral, instead of flowers, we (Mum & I) asked that donations were made to the Northampton & Warwickshire County Air Ambulance.
This was because it was something that he believed should be supported by the National Lottery good causes fund, instead of being purely funded by charitable donations, because he saw the good that an air ambulance did when he was travelling in North America.
Time to call it quits – the ‘phones are going mad!
Back later - possibly.
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Weird films and other stuff...
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Karen
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If I didn't know better, I would swear that Dreamcatcher was based on a Stephen King book.(Feedback to let me know if I'm right, or scatching the wrong post would be much appreciated!) Don't get me wrong, I loved every second of the film - and have deemed it another must get for my ever expanding DVD collection!
I will admit, it freaked my friend out, and she sat for the best part of the film, cuddling a cushion, and hiding when some of the worms made their presence known. I won't say anymore, but to those who read Stephen King books, it will come as no surprise the style of the ending...
Onto a slightly touchy subject - Christmas. I always jokingly say "Unh, no-one mention the c-word" - just a slight twist on a line in Beetlejuice! Because Mum is at work this weekend, I made the most of it, and escaped into town (Leamington) and managed to get part of Mum's Christmas present.
She knows that I'm going to get her a Remington Footspa, but this second bit, is unknown to her. I've bought her a perfume bottle. Ok - I know that doesn't sound much, but I'd better explain a bit more.
Mum and Dad used to collect what is commonly known as Studio Glass - i.e. the stuff that is still blown by hand. Good examples are Okra (it used to be part of the Moorcroft pottery group) and John Ditchfield (he of the wonderful glass lilly pad paperweight - complete with the little silver frog!)
This perfume bottle is made by an English glass-making company, in the Lake District - Heron Glass. It's all iridecent blues, greens and golds, and it's just the sort of thing that Mum would go for. The best bit is, the fact that I've been able to hide the bottle in the study - as it's one of the two rooms that she won't willingly venture into - the other one being my room, as she's never sure where the cats are hiding!
Time to call it quits - I can see the moggies giving me the evil eye again, as they're not getting any attention from me, and Ponto looks like he's going to eat the computer mouse if I don't sign off!
Back tomorrow - I hope!
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
I will admit, it freaked my friend out, and she sat for the best part of the film, cuddling a cushion, and hiding when some of the worms made their presence known. I won't say anymore, but to those who read Stephen King books, it will come as no surprise the style of the ending...
Onto a slightly touchy subject - Christmas. I always jokingly say "Unh, no-one mention the c-word" - just a slight twist on a line in Beetlejuice! Because Mum is at work this weekend, I made the most of it, and escaped into town (Leamington) and managed to get part of Mum's Christmas present.
She knows that I'm going to get her a Remington Footspa, but this second bit, is unknown to her. I've bought her a perfume bottle. Ok - I know that doesn't sound much, but I'd better explain a bit more.
Mum and Dad used to collect what is commonly known as Studio Glass - i.e. the stuff that is still blown by hand. Good examples are Okra (it used to be part of the Moorcroft pottery group) and John Ditchfield (he of the wonderful glass lilly pad paperweight - complete with the little silver frog!)
This perfume bottle is made by an English glass-making company, in the Lake District - Heron Glass. It's all iridecent blues, greens and golds, and it's just the sort of thing that Mum would go for. The best bit is, the fact that I've been able to hide the bottle in the study - as it's one of the two rooms that she won't willingly venture into - the other one being my room, as she's never sure where the cats are hiding!
Time to call it quits - I can see the moggies giving me the evil eye again, as they're not getting any attention from me, and Ponto looks like he's going to eat the computer mouse if I don't sign off!
Back tomorrow - I hope!
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Listening to my choice of music for once…
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That’s the worst bit about having to share a car. I can’t listen to my choice of music. At the moment, I’m blasting the airwaves with Jean Michele Jarre’s latest album – Aero. (There's a specific website for this album - see http://www.jeanmicheljarre.com/) It’s really good, and sounds absolutely phenomenal on the car stereo – with the windows open!
The best bit (for me) is the fact that I managed to get the album with the limited edition DVD of some of JMJ’s videos. I’ve never seen any of them, but I have been lucky enough to see him in concert in Paris a good few years ago. (One of the joys of being an airline brat – I was able to get cheaper tickets to places like Paris!)
So, that’s something for me to look forward to tonight – I’m going to see my gosprog, and her mum is a big JMJ fan, and has got a super home cinema setup (5.1 Dolby surround sound), so we’ll be rocking the night away to JMJ and other music stuff!
Rats – my phone’s ringing – suppose I’d better answer it.
Back later…
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
The best bit (for me) is the fact that I managed to get the album with the limited edition DVD of some of JMJ’s videos. I’ve never seen any of them, but I have been lucky enough to see him in concert in Paris a good few years ago. (One of the joys of being an airline brat – I was able to get cheaper tickets to places like Paris!)
So, that’s something for me to look forward to tonight – I’m going to see my gosprog, and her mum is a big JMJ fan, and has got a super home cinema setup (5.1 Dolby surround sound), so we’ll be rocking the night away to JMJ and other music stuff!
Rats – my phone’s ringing – suppose I’d better answer it.
Back later…
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Ahhh... I see the screw-up fairy has visited us again.
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Jut another little part of my job. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. Much. But there are times when the best laid plans go astray, and that’s what I find annoying – having to break a promise to someone.
But, I should have known better, as the promise was made on the assumption that a tyre collection could be made, only to discover that the quantity is too great for the collection to be done today.
Needless to say, I’m less than impressed, and have been promised that the collection will be done on Tuesday. But the annoying part (for me) is the mere fact that I had to make the call to the customer in the first place, to see if the tyres had been picked up!
Time to call it quits – before I go and splatter something!
Back later…
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
But, I should have known better, as the promise was made on the assumption that a tyre collection could be made, only to discover that the quantity is too great for the collection to be done today.
Needless to say, I’m less than impressed, and have been promised that the collection will be done on Tuesday. But the annoying part (for me) is the mere fact that I had to make the call to the customer in the first place, to see if the tyres had been picked up!
Time to call it quits – before I go and splatter something!
Back later…
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
It's a thankless job, but I've got a lot of Karma to burn off...
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The paperwork I’m doing is repetitive, and trying to read the handwriting at times is like trying to decipher a soddin’ code. I wouldn’t mind, but when I write out the same paperwork, I make damned sure the handwriting is clear!
Despite that, it’s good practice for me, as I’m going to be taking responsibility for this particular aspect of the work. I need a training session or two to get me into the swing of what should be done, and that way, I know that if I goof up, it won’t cost the company too much money…
Time to call it quits – got more work to do.
Back later…
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Despite that, it’s good practice for me, as I’m going to be taking responsibility for this particular aspect of the work. I need a training session or two to get me into the swing of what should be done, and that way, I know that if I goof up, it won’t cost the company too much money…
Time to call it quits – got more work to do.
Back later…
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Knackered (again)
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Self inflicted though – I was up until 02:30am this morning, playing Divine Divinity. (For details, see http://www.larian.com/ ) The trouble is, the game is addictive, walking ‘round beating heck out of Orcs, spiders and other nasty creepy crawlies that try to kill you. You also have various quests to solve, in order to progress though the game, and to be honest, it does take quite a bit of thought, trying to get the various bits to come together.
Having said that though, I find it rather relaxing, to sit there fighting these creatures with various spells, as my character is a mage / warrior. There are three basic classes of player – warrior, survivor (or thief) and mage – but you can combine the skills from all groups to make a mage / warrior, or any combination that you fancy.
Time to call it quits – looks like I’m about to be let loose on some paperwork…
Back later…
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Having said that though, I find it rather relaxing, to sit there fighting these creatures with various spells, as my character is a mage / warrior. There are three basic classes of player – warrior, survivor (or thief) and mage – but you can combine the skills from all groups to make a mage / warrior, or any combination that you fancy.
Time to call it quits – looks like I’m about to be let loose on some paperwork…
Back later…
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
First of the month…
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And I’m expecting this to be mayhem. Simply because this is the insane time when every person in the country, who needs tyres, gets them ordered from us. I don’t mind, but there are times when it gets a bit too much, and I get very little peace and quiet from my ‘phone. Plus, I have to get the two reports done and e-mailed to the various people.
But, I can’t complain too much – I actually prefer to be busy, otherwise I find my fingers get me into trouble, as I can sit here doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things to my computer, which gives the IT department nightmares… *Grin*
Time to call it quits – got work to think about doing…
Back later…
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
But, I can’t complain too much – I actually prefer to be busy, otherwise I find my fingers get me into trouble, as I can sit here doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things to my computer, which gives the IT department nightmares… *Grin*
Time to call it quits – got work to think about doing…
Back later…
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Someone hide my WH Smith’s loyalty card!
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Simply because I have this terrible habit of going in there with the intention of just looking, and end up buying one or more items! In this case, I bought two books – both by Kelley Armstrong – Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic.
I also bought two DVDs (special edition 2 disc DVDs) – it was buy one, get one free – so I did. The DVDs in question are Tom Cruise – Minority Report, and Ben Affleck - Daredevil.
Both are films that I have enjoyed immensely (for various personal reasons!) and managed to miss getting the ‘normal’ DVD editions the first time ‘round – hence the reason for me getting them now. I’m also tempted to see if I can get the final part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy – The Return of the King on the four disc special edition.
I know that it sounds like I’m obsessed with the special editions of the DVDs, but in the case of the Lord of the Rings, you get all the extra bits and pieces that were never shown at the cinema.
The others, it’s just a case of getting things like the director’s commentary, the making of the films, and the background of the film as well, which I personally find quite interesting.
But there is one film, which means an awful lot to me. I know this is going to sound silly to some people, but it’s Master and Commander – The far side of the world. Simply because this was the last film that Dad and I watched together before his untimely death.
I know that you shouldn’t attach so much importance to something like that, but it was an evening that I really enjoyed, and so it will always have a special place in my heart.
Time to call it quits – my ‘phone’s ringing. Again.
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
I also bought two DVDs (special edition 2 disc DVDs) – it was buy one, get one free – so I did. The DVDs in question are Tom Cruise – Minority Report, and Ben Affleck - Daredevil.
Both are films that I have enjoyed immensely (for various personal reasons!) and managed to miss getting the ‘normal’ DVD editions the first time ‘round – hence the reason for me getting them now. I’m also tempted to see if I can get the final part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy – The Return of the King on the four disc special edition.
I know that it sounds like I’m obsessed with the special editions of the DVDs, but in the case of the Lord of the Rings, you get all the extra bits and pieces that were never shown at the cinema.
The others, it’s just a case of getting things like the director’s commentary, the making of the films, and the background of the film as well, which I personally find quite interesting.
But there is one film, which means an awful lot to me. I know this is going to sound silly to some people, but it’s Master and Commander – The far side of the world. Simply because this was the last film that Dad and I watched together before his untimely death.
I know that you shouldn’t attach so much importance to something like that, but it was an evening that I really enjoyed, and so it will always have a special place in my heart.
Time to call it quits – my ‘phone’s ringing. Again.
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Watching ghosts from my past walk by…
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An appropriate title for this entry in my blog… Simply because I went to see an old friend last night – an ex to be more precise. We split as lovers, not because one cheated on the other, but because we knew that it wasn’t right – there was some essential spark missing.
Despite that, we’ve been able to stay good friends, and I went over to see him, and share a laugh and a joke, and a few tears [over Dad], simply because I know that I don’t have to put up the tough bitch act when I’m with him.
He looked tired, and when he told me the reason behind it, I started laughing, and told him that I had no sympathy for him whatsoever. In the past, when he’s admitted something like that to me, I’ve exploded, and accused him of ‘rubbing my nose it.’
But now, I’m not bothered in the slightest, and am really pleased that he’s happy. And no – I’m not just saying that to make myself appear totally selfless – it’s a genuine opinion, and the most important thing, is that fact that my best friend knows how I feel.
When I was a little more composed, we sat and watched a film on DVD – Ghost Ship. I will admit, I’d picked the DVD up myself, a couple of times, with the intention to buy it, but changed my mind at the last minute for some reason.
Parts of it really freaked me out (especially the scene with the rats in the packing case – I hate rats!) but in general, it was a really good film – one that I have now resolved to get myself!
He also lent me Dreamcatchers on video, and again, it’s a film that I’ve looked at, but never gone through with the purchase. So, that’s going to be a quiet night in front of the telly for me and the cats, watching that film, and scaring myself half to death!
Time to call it quits – nearly time to escape on lunch…
Back later.
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath
Despite that, we’ve been able to stay good friends, and I went over to see him, and share a laugh and a joke, and a few tears [over Dad], simply because I know that I don’t have to put up the tough bitch act when I’m with him.
He looked tired, and when he told me the reason behind it, I started laughing, and told him that I had no sympathy for him whatsoever. In the past, when he’s admitted something like that to me, I’ve exploded, and accused him of ‘rubbing my nose it.’
But now, I’m not bothered in the slightest, and am really pleased that he’s happy. And no – I’m not just saying that to make myself appear totally selfless – it’s a genuine opinion, and the most important thing, is that fact that my best friend knows how I feel.
When I was a little more composed, we sat and watched a film on DVD – Ghost Ship. I will admit, I’d picked the DVD up myself, a couple of times, with the intention to buy it, but changed my mind at the last minute for some reason.
Parts of it really freaked me out (especially the scene with the rats in the packing case – I hate rats!) but in general, it was a really good film – one that I have now resolved to get myself!
He also lent me Dreamcatchers on video, and again, it’s a film that I’ve looked at, but never gone through with the purchase. So, that’s going to be a quiet night in front of the telly for me and the cats, watching that film, and scaring myself half to death!
Time to call it quits – nearly time to escape on lunch…
Back later.
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath
Ever had one of those days?
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We’re short staffed, the phone is going barmy, and I’ve got to try and do two reports from last week. Needless to say, I’m not a happy person, as I’m trying to do about three or more things at once. Especially as the one report requires me to pay attention to what I’m doing – more than normal, anyway!
The worst part is, I’m half expecting one of the external recipients of this e-mail to start hassling me, and demanding to know where this data is, as they require it to plan their stock orders for the next few weeks. Don’t know why they’re so bothered – most of the stuff they want isn’t in stock at the moment!
Ah well, time to crack on, before I crack up!
Back later [possibly]
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath
The worst part is, I’m half expecting one of the external recipients of this e-mail to start hassling me, and demanding to know where this data is, as they require it to plan their stock orders for the next few weeks. Don’t know why they’re so bothered – most of the stuff they want isn’t in stock at the moment!
Ah well, time to crack on, before I crack up!
Back later [possibly]
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath
Jokes and or stories…
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Karen
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I’ve been meaning to post a couple of jokes / funny stories that I’ve been told, and if you’re easily offended, I suggest that you skip this next post, as the jokes are, well... Read for yourself!
While I was driving down the M4 the other day, (going a little faster than I should have been) I passed under a bridge only to see a copper on the other side with a radar gun laying in wait.
The copper pulled me over, walked up to the car, and with that classic patronizing smirk, asked:"Runway too short?"
To which I replied, "I'm late for work."
To which he asked, "What do you do?"
"I'm a rectum stretcher," I responded.
The copper was surprised and confused. "A what? A rectum stretcher?? And just what does a rectum stretcher do?"
"Well," I said, "I start by inserting one finger, then I work my way up to two fingers, then three, then four, then with my whole hand in, work side to side until I can get both hands in, and then I slowly but surely stretch the hole, until it's about 6 feet." Then the copper asked questioningly and cautiously, "And just what do you do with a six-foot arsehole?"
To which I politely replied, "You give him a radar gun and park him behind a bridge..."
Speeding ticket: £105.00
Court costs: £45
Look on copper's face: Priceless.
Next story / joke:
A teacher gave her class of 11-year-olds an assignment: get their parents to tell them a story with a moral at the end of it. The next day the kids came back and one by one began to tell their stories.
Ashley said, "My father's a farmer and we have a lot of egg laying hens. One time we were taking our eggs to market in a basket on the front seat of the car when we hit a big bump in the road and all the eggs went flying and broke and made a mess."
"What's the moral of the story?" Asked the teacher.
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket!"
"Very good," said the teacher.
Next little Sarah raised her hand and said, "Our family are farmers too. But we raise chickens for the meat market. One day we had a dozen eggs, but when they hatched we only got ten live chicks, and the moral to this story is, 'Don't count your chickens before they're hatched'."
"That was a fine story Sarah. Michael, do you have a story to share?"
" Yes. My daddy told me this story about my Aunt Karen. Aunt Karen was a flight engineer on a plane in the Gulf War and her plane got hit. She had to bail out over enemy territory and all she had was a bottle of whisky, a machine gun and a machete. “
“She drank the whiskey on the way down so it wouldn't break and then she landed right in the middle of 100 enemy troops. She killed seventy of them with the machine gun until she ran out of bullets. Then she killed twenty more with the machete until the blade broke. And then she killed the last ten with her bare hands."
“Good heavens," said the horrified teacher, "what kind of moral did your daddy tell you from that horrible story?"
"Stay the f** * away from Aunt Karen when she's been drinking. "
I make no apologies for these stories – they just appealed to my very warped sense of humor… And before I get complaints about people having heard or read these before – I know! They’re old jokes that keep doing the ‘rounds, but they’re something that has made me laugh, and brightened up my day…
Suppose I’d better get on with some work…
Back later – possibly.
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath
While I was driving down the M4 the other day, (going a little faster than I should have been) I passed under a bridge only to see a copper on the other side with a radar gun laying in wait.
The copper pulled me over, walked up to the car, and with that classic patronizing smirk, asked:"Runway too short?"
To which I replied, "I'm late for work."
To which he asked, "What do you do?"
"I'm a rectum stretcher," I responded.
The copper was surprised and confused. "A what? A rectum stretcher?? And just what does a rectum stretcher do?"
"Well," I said, "I start by inserting one finger, then I work my way up to two fingers, then three, then four, then with my whole hand in, work side to side until I can get both hands in, and then I slowly but surely stretch the hole, until it's about 6 feet." Then the copper asked questioningly and cautiously, "And just what do you do with a six-foot arsehole?"
To which I politely replied, "You give him a radar gun and park him behind a bridge..."
Speeding ticket: £105.00
Court costs: £45
Look on copper's face: Priceless.
Next story / joke:
A teacher gave her class of 11-year-olds an assignment: get their parents to tell them a story with a moral at the end of it. The next day the kids came back and one by one began to tell their stories.
Ashley said, "My father's a farmer and we have a lot of egg laying hens. One time we were taking our eggs to market in a basket on the front seat of the car when we hit a big bump in the road and all the eggs went flying and broke and made a mess."
"What's the moral of the story?" Asked the teacher.
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket!"
"Very good," said the teacher.
Next little Sarah raised her hand and said, "Our family are farmers too. But we raise chickens for the meat market. One day we had a dozen eggs, but when they hatched we only got ten live chicks, and the moral to this story is, 'Don't count your chickens before they're hatched'."
"That was a fine story Sarah. Michael, do you have a story to share?"
" Yes. My daddy told me this story about my Aunt Karen. Aunt Karen was a flight engineer on a plane in the Gulf War and her plane got hit. She had to bail out over enemy territory and all she had was a bottle of whisky, a machine gun and a machete. “
“She drank the whiskey on the way down so it wouldn't break and then she landed right in the middle of 100 enemy troops. She killed seventy of them with the machine gun until she ran out of bullets. Then she killed twenty more with the machete until the blade broke. And then she killed the last ten with her bare hands."
“Good heavens," said the horrified teacher, "what kind of moral did your daddy tell you from that horrible story?"
"Stay the f** * away from Aunt Karen when she's been drinking. "
I make no apologies for these stories – they just appealed to my very warped sense of humor… And before I get complaints about people having heard or read these before – I know! They’re old jokes that keep doing the ‘rounds, but they’re something that has made me laugh, and brightened up my day…
Suppose I’d better get on with some work…
Back later – possibly.
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath
Early starts…
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I was up at 06:00 this morning, and got the moggies fed, and then had to throw Fred out of the bathroom, as the little sod was trying to get into the bath, so he could play in the shower!
Needless to say, I got the evil eye from him, but I was too tired to care. For some reason, I’ve not been sleeping very well. Yes, I’ve been sleeping through the night (I have this tendency to hit the pillow and sleep rather rapidly), but for some reason, I don’t feel refreshed afterwards. No doubt there’s some reason behind it, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s just a phase I’m going through.
I then had to battle my way through the traffic, and contend with the half-asleep idiots behind the wheel of their expensive executive cars, and try and get into work for 08:30… Which I somehow managed to do, and got a decent parking space into the bargain!
Hmm – need to get this work finished off.
Back later…
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath
Needless to say, I got the evil eye from him, but I was too tired to care. For some reason, I’ve not been sleeping very well. Yes, I’ve been sleeping through the night (I have this tendency to hit the pillow and sleep rather rapidly), but for some reason, I don’t feel refreshed afterwards. No doubt there’s some reason behind it, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s just a phase I’m going through.
I then had to battle my way through the traffic, and contend with the half-asleep idiots behind the wheel of their expensive executive cars, and try and get into work for 08:30… Which I somehow managed to do, and got a decent parking space into the bargain!
Hmm – need to get this work finished off.
Back later…
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath
Knackered… And I want some sleep!
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Karen
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My own fault really – I should know better than to have my mobile turned on at night. But, having said that, the person who called me was very apologetic when it was pointed out that I’d been woken up.
Despite that, I ended up spending three hours on the phone talking, as we’d not spoken for a couple of weeks, simply because the pair of us had been busy with various bit and pieces – me getting ready for my escape to Jersey, and the other party (who shall remain nameless & generally unidentified until I get told otherwise!) sorting out bits that needed sorting out.
But, I don’t feel too bad – even if I did eventually settle down, and get back to sleep at 04:00… Only to have my two furry alarm clocks wake me up at 06:30!
Selfish blasted pair – they don’t have to get up and work – they can just suit themselves – mind you that is what you get for living with two cats!
Time to call it quits – got work to do.
Back later [possibly]
Karen
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Despite that, I ended up spending three hours on the phone talking, as we’d not spoken for a couple of weeks, simply because the pair of us had been busy with various bit and pieces – me getting ready for my escape to Jersey, and the other party (who shall remain nameless & generally unidentified until I get told otherwise!) sorting out bits that needed sorting out.
But, I don’t feel too bad – even if I did eventually settle down, and get back to sleep at 04:00… Only to have my two furry alarm clocks wake me up at 06:30!
Selfish blasted pair – they don’t have to get up and work – they can just suit themselves – mind you that is what you get for living with two cats!
Time to call it quits – got work to do.
Back later [possibly]
Karen
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Happiness... Is being told that your car insurance hasn't gone up...
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Karen
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As you can see, I'm quite a happy little tigger at this moment in time. Why? Because I've just spoken to my insurance company, and have been told that my premium won't increase for this year, because I'm getting a new car!
Other than that, it's been a surprisingly successful day for me. I managed to find a pair of shoes that didn't cripple me - I've got wide feet, and for some reason, most shoe manufacturers seem to think that women have dainty little narrow feet. I don't (too many years of wearing sandals - allowed my feet to spread quite merrily!), so I find it hard to get shoes that don't cripple me, or look like shoe boxes.
I've also put the order in for my contact lenses - and saved 50% on the price! They should be £45 for the first three months, but I only paid £22.50... The optician admitted that he'd kept quiet about the half price promotion, as he didn't want to influence my decision about the lenses, by telling me that they would be half price.
Ok - I'm not the sort of person to be swayed by that sort of offer - it was just a bonus for me, as far as I was concerned, but I can understand his reluctance to mention it, in case it did influence my decision to get the lenses.
I also managed to get another book (I'm quite a bookworm, and can go through a book in a couple of days, with relative ease.) This one is a Robin Cook omnibus - with Toxin and Chromosome 6 in it. I've read several of his books before - they tend to be medical thrillers, and to be honest, I find them hard to put down.
Suppose I'd better log off, and bog off - I've got to go and see my Godsprog this evening, and I've got some fudge to give to the little monster. (She's actually a really sweet kid - but she's drawn the short straw with me as her Godmother - I'll teach her all my bad habits!)
No doubt I'll be very popular with her, and her mother will threaten to lynch me. Again. But, that's what Godchildren are for - spoiling rotten, especially when you can hand them back to their parents!
Back tomorrow - I hope!
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Other than that, it's been a surprisingly successful day for me. I managed to find a pair of shoes that didn't cripple me - I've got wide feet, and for some reason, most shoe manufacturers seem to think that women have dainty little narrow feet. I don't (too many years of wearing sandals - allowed my feet to spread quite merrily!), so I find it hard to get shoes that don't cripple me, or look like shoe boxes.
I've also put the order in for my contact lenses - and saved 50% on the price! They should be £45 for the first three months, but I only paid £22.50... The optician admitted that he'd kept quiet about the half price promotion, as he didn't want to influence my decision about the lenses, by telling me that they would be half price.
Ok - I'm not the sort of person to be swayed by that sort of offer - it was just a bonus for me, as far as I was concerned, but I can understand his reluctance to mention it, in case it did influence my decision to get the lenses.
I also managed to get another book (I'm quite a bookworm, and can go through a book in a couple of days, with relative ease.) This one is a Robin Cook omnibus - with Toxin and Chromosome 6 in it. I've read several of his books before - they tend to be medical thrillers, and to be honest, I find them hard to put down.
Suppose I'd better log off, and bog off - I've got to go and see my Godsprog this evening, and I've got some fudge to give to the little monster. (She's actually a really sweet kid - but she's drawn the short straw with me as her Godmother - I'll teach her all my bad habits!)
No doubt I'll be very popular with her, and her mother will threaten to lynch me. Again. But, that's what Godchildren are for - spoiling rotten, especially when you can hand them back to their parents!
Back tomorrow - I hope!
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
I hate...... That bloody mouse!
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Karen
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In case you're wondering what my latest rant is about - it's not aimed at the Disney mouse. No - it's aimed at the common house mouse. Especially the little b'stard that build its nest on the top of my car battery.
No, you're not seeing things - there was a mouse nest on top of the battery of my car. I opened the bonnet, and the language was foul. I called the mouse all the names under the sun, then carefully removed its nest.
Thankfully, there was no damage to the wiring of the car (I used it for the trip to Northampton today - more on that later), but I was less than impressed. You would have thought with TWO cats in the house (one with a hair trigger appetite, and a Swiss army claw attachment!), that the garage was the LAST place you would find a mouse living in.
The best bit was, the mere fact that Mum & I suspected that there was a mouse in the garage before we went on holiday, and bought a Mouse bait box - the idea being that the little vermin goes in, munches the bait, and goes to the great mousehole in the sky.
We get back, and the bait has been duly munched, but the little b'stard still built a bloody nest. If I get my hands on it, it's one very dead mouse. Pity we've tried to poison it, otherwise I'd give it to Ponto, and say
"All yours. Have fun".
Now onto happier news. Mum & I went to see the shoemaker today, and the shoes that he's made for Mum are brilliant! For the first time in over three years, she's walking straight, and not rolling like a drunk.
Ok - the shoes aren't anything like Jimmy Choo's (if anything - they're more expensive - like about £500 + !), but as far as I'm concerned, if these shoes stop Mum suffering any more damage to her joints because of the way she's walking, then they're worth every penny - and I don't think that Dad would disagree with me. My only regret is the fact that he didn't live to see Mum walking normally in the shoes, but somehow, I think he knew Mum was in good hands.
Tomorrow should be fun for me - I've got to go to the optician in Leamington, to let the optometrist know how I've gotten on with the new contact lenses. After more years than I'll admit to (like about 13 years!), wearing contact lenses, I've finally opted to change from gas permeable (rigid) lenses, to the more gentle soft lenses.
When I started wearing contacts, I was advised against the soft lenses, as the wear time was very restricted (about 6 hours at most), and I was going to be wearing my lenses for about 12 hours or more. Now, the technology has improved to such an extent, that I found the soft lenses far more comfortable for me!
They've got some kind of coating (silica I think) that makes the lens more comfortable for the eye, and also makes that most dreaded of occurrences - a dry eye - less likely. They've also got a higher oxygen permeablity rating - something like 82%, as opposed to the 15 - 20% for normal soft lenses. As a result, the lenses are slightly more expensive, but as far as I'm concerned, the comfort factor more than makes up for any cost implications.
And no - I'm not even going to consider laser eye surgery. Not because it's too expensive, or anything like that. It's the mere case that I happen to be a coward, and as far as I'm concerned, I've only got one pair of eyes, and if something goes wrong.... The consequences are too horrific for me to contemplate.
Ah well, time to log off, and bog off - my mobile's ringing, and I haven't got very good reception in the study, where my computer is!
Back tomorrow...
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
No, you're not seeing things - there was a mouse nest on top of the battery of my car. I opened the bonnet, and the language was foul. I called the mouse all the names under the sun, then carefully removed its nest.
Thankfully, there was no damage to the wiring of the car (I used it for the trip to Northampton today - more on that later), but I was less than impressed. You would have thought with TWO cats in the house (one with a hair trigger appetite, and a Swiss army claw attachment!), that the garage was the LAST place you would find a mouse living in.
The best bit was, the mere fact that Mum & I suspected that there was a mouse in the garage before we went on holiday, and bought a Mouse bait box - the idea being that the little vermin goes in, munches the bait, and goes to the great mousehole in the sky.
We get back, and the bait has been duly munched, but the little b'stard still built a bloody nest. If I get my hands on it, it's one very dead mouse. Pity we've tried to poison it, otherwise I'd give it to Ponto, and say
"All yours. Have fun".
Now onto happier news. Mum & I went to see the shoemaker today, and the shoes that he's made for Mum are brilliant! For the first time in over three years, she's walking straight, and not rolling like a drunk.
Ok - the shoes aren't anything like Jimmy Choo's (if anything - they're more expensive - like about £500 + !), but as far as I'm concerned, if these shoes stop Mum suffering any more damage to her joints because of the way she's walking, then they're worth every penny - and I don't think that Dad would disagree with me. My only regret is the fact that he didn't live to see Mum walking normally in the shoes, but somehow, I think he knew Mum was in good hands.
Tomorrow should be fun for me - I've got to go to the optician in Leamington, to let the optometrist know how I've gotten on with the new contact lenses. After more years than I'll admit to (like about 13 years!), wearing contact lenses, I've finally opted to change from gas permeable (rigid) lenses, to the more gentle soft lenses.
When I started wearing contacts, I was advised against the soft lenses, as the wear time was very restricted (about 6 hours at most), and I was going to be wearing my lenses for about 12 hours or more. Now, the technology has improved to such an extent, that I found the soft lenses far more comfortable for me!
They've got some kind of coating (silica I think) that makes the lens more comfortable for the eye, and also makes that most dreaded of occurrences - a dry eye - less likely. They've also got a higher oxygen permeablity rating - something like 82%, as opposed to the 15 - 20% for normal soft lenses. As a result, the lenses are slightly more expensive, but as far as I'm concerned, the comfort factor more than makes up for any cost implications.
And no - I'm not even going to consider laser eye surgery. Not because it's too expensive, or anything like that. It's the mere case that I happen to be a coward, and as far as I'm concerned, I've only got one pair of eyes, and if something goes wrong.... The consequences are too horrific for me to contemplate.
Ah well, time to log off, and bog off - my mobile's ringing, and I haven't got very good reception in the study, where my computer is!
Back tomorrow...
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Whilst I was away.... (Why don't you rip the heart out of the city?)
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Karen
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I guess this rant sums up how I feel about Ford's decision to close the Brown's Lane Jaguar factory. You know - the historic home of the classic Jaguar car?
I know that Ford will be spouting all the reasons under the sun, as to why this decision makes economic sense, but try telling that to the 400 or so men & women who will lose their jobs, and the other countless hundreds of people who rely directly or indirectly on the plant being there.
Ok - so they [Ford] have said that jobs will be transferred to the Castle Bromwich site. Whoop-de-do. That doesn't make things any easier for people in the Coventry area - Castle Bromwich (and I'm speaking from experience here!) is a real pain in the proverbial butt to get to, and how long will it be before good ol' 'Uncle Henry' decides to pull the plug on the other sites here in the UK?
And, if they can do that to the Brown's Lane factory, how much longer will the Land Rover factory at Solihull survive? Ok - the unions & management have managed to get a stay of execution on the site [the Freelander is already made at the Jaguar Halewood plant in Liverpool], but all it needs is for some little pen pusher to decide that the site isn't viable, then "goodbye Lode Lane."
I know people will think that I'm taking a swipe at Ford, and saying that the company should have stayed in the dark ages, making huge losses, but it's not a case of that at all. All I'm trying to do, is make my personal feelings known - and also to highlight the loss of Midland manufacturing heritage. As it is, the Massey Ferguson site at Banner lane is all but closed - how much more can the city of Coventry take?
Time to call it quits - I've got to go and check my car over - it's been standing for over a week, and I'm off on a fairly long drive tomorrow...
Back tomorrow [possibly]
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
I know that Ford will be spouting all the reasons under the sun, as to why this decision makes economic sense, but try telling that to the 400 or so men & women who will lose their jobs, and the other countless hundreds of people who rely directly or indirectly on the plant being there.
Ok - so they [Ford] have said that jobs will be transferred to the Castle Bromwich site. Whoop-de-do. That doesn't make things any easier for people in the Coventry area - Castle Bromwich (and I'm speaking from experience here!) is a real pain in the proverbial butt to get to, and how long will it be before good ol' 'Uncle Henry' decides to pull the plug on the other sites here in the UK?
And, if they can do that to the Brown's Lane factory, how much longer will the Land Rover factory at Solihull survive? Ok - the unions & management have managed to get a stay of execution on the site [the Freelander is already made at the Jaguar Halewood plant in Liverpool], but all it needs is for some little pen pusher to decide that the site isn't viable, then "goodbye Lode Lane."
I know people will think that I'm taking a swipe at Ford, and saying that the company should have stayed in the dark ages, making huge losses, but it's not a case of that at all. All I'm trying to do, is make my personal feelings known - and also to highlight the loss of Midland manufacturing heritage. As it is, the Massey Ferguson site at Banner lane is all but closed - how much more can the city of Coventry take?
Time to call it quits - I've got to go and check my car over - it's been standing for over a week, and I'm off on a fairly long drive tomorrow...
Back tomorrow [possibly]
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
A time for reflection
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Karen
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A good title for today’s entry. It would have been Dad’s 56th birthday today, but instead, I’m spending a quiet time on my own, reflecting with my keyboard. Mum has gone to see friends who live near by, and so, I’m left to my own devices.
Don’t get me wrong – I don’t begrudge Mum going out – far from it. I just didn’t feel like being sociable at this moment in time. Especially as I was watching the final part of a TV series that I recorded last night – The Lyon’s Den, with Rob Lowe in the title role. To say that the end was unexpected is an understatement.
If you get the chance to see it – do so. Bear with it, as I will admit that at times, it can be a bit tedious, but the final scenes were brilliant – all credit to Rob Lowe & Kyle Chandler for some fine acting throughout the series – I was hooked from the start.
On a slightly different topic, Mum and I have ordered a new mower. It’s a key start; self driven 19” deck Mountfield, and should be ready to be collected in a couple of weeks time.
It was ‘fun’ trying to find this place in Worcester, especially as I cannot read a map to save my life, but we found the road, and the site, and got the mower on order. So, because we’ve managed to get the mower from the Worcester branch, there’s no need for us to go to Hereford [boo, hiss!].
But, I haven’t given up on the idea of going to the cider museum – far from it. It’s on the back burner for the time being, as there are a few things that I need to get sorted before I get back to work on Monday.
The main one being taking Mum to the shoemaker in Northampton tomorrow. Since Mum had the car accident, she walks with a pronounced limp. Ok – quick info burst – Mum was nearly killed in a car accident three years ago.
As a result of the injuries that she sustained, now requires a built up shoe to help her walk normally, because her right leg is about ½” shorter than the left. Because of this, she limps when she walks without the lift in the shoe. Because of this, both my late father and I have done our best to help Mum, and finally talked her into going to see this shoemaker in Northampton.
We got a call from him last night to say that the shoes are ready for the first fitting, and as Mum wasn’t feeling too good, she let me take the call. I walked into the kitchen, to make things easier for Mum, as the last time she’d been to see the shoemaker, Dad had been with her.
I explained what had happened, and that Mum had good days and bad days, and as a result, it would be me accompanying Mum for the appointment. The gentleman was surprised, and said that he couldn’t believe it, as Dad had seemed so healthy when they (Mum & Dad) had been there for the consultation in early May. I didn’t disagree, and arranged an appointment for the pair of us to go, and see how the shoes fitted.
I will admit this though, as I type this entry, I’ve been listening to some of my favourite music. I started listening to the Evanescence album [Fallen], but found that all it was doing was depressing me. There’s the one track on there, My Immortal that I cannot listen to, without bursting into tears:
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
You used to captivate me
By your resonating life
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
The reason being, that it reminds me of the way that I felt in the immediate aftermath of Dad’s sudden death. Ok – as time goes by, it does get easier. But not much, and songs like that just cripple me at the moment. So, I’ve resorted to my old favourite – The Rasmus – Dead Letters album. Nothing like a good bit of guitar orientated rock to make you feel better!
Suppose I’d better tend to the moggies – I’m getting the evil eye from the pair of them!
Back when I get away from the furry fiends!
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Don’t get me wrong – I don’t begrudge Mum going out – far from it. I just didn’t feel like being sociable at this moment in time. Especially as I was watching the final part of a TV series that I recorded last night – The Lyon’s Den, with Rob Lowe in the title role. To say that the end was unexpected is an understatement.
If you get the chance to see it – do so. Bear with it, as I will admit that at times, it can be a bit tedious, but the final scenes were brilliant – all credit to Rob Lowe & Kyle Chandler for some fine acting throughout the series – I was hooked from the start.
On a slightly different topic, Mum and I have ordered a new mower. It’s a key start; self driven 19” deck Mountfield, and should be ready to be collected in a couple of weeks time.
It was ‘fun’ trying to find this place in Worcester, especially as I cannot read a map to save my life, but we found the road, and the site, and got the mower on order. So, because we’ve managed to get the mower from the Worcester branch, there’s no need for us to go to Hereford [boo, hiss!].
But, I haven’t given up on the idea of going to the cider museum – far from it. It’s on the back burner for the time being, as there are a few things that I need to get sorted before I get back to work on Monday.
The main one being taking Mum to the shoemaker in Northampton tomorrow. Since Mum had the car accident, she walks with a pronounced limp. Ok – quick info burst – Mum was nearly killed in a car accident three years ago.
As a result of the injuries that she sustained, now requires a built up shoe to help her walk normally, because her right leg is about ½” shorter than the left. Because of this, she limps when she walks without the lift in the shoe. Because of this, both my late father and I have done our best to help Mum, and finally talked her into going to see this shoemaker in Northampton.
We got a call from him last night to say that the shoes are ready for the first fitting, and as Mum wasn’t feeling too good, she let me take the call. I walked into the kitchen, to make things easier for Mum, as the last time she’d been to see the shoemaker, Dad had been with her.
I explained what had happened, and that Mum had good days and bad days, and as a result, it would be me accompanying Mum for the appointment. The gentleman was surprised, and said that he couldn’t believe it, as Dad had seemed so healthy when they (Mum & Dad) had been there for the consultation in early May. I didn’t disagree, and arranged an appointment for the pair of us to go, and see how the shoes fitted.
I will admit this though, as I type this entry, I’ve been listening to some of my favourite music. I started listening to the Evanescence album [Fallen], but found that all it was doing was depressing me. There’s the one track on there, My Immortal that I cannot listen to, without bursting into tears:
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
You used to captivate me
By your resonating life
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
The reason being, that it reminds me of the way that I felt in the immediate aftermath of Dad’s sudden death. Ok – as time goes by, it does get easier. But not much, and songs like that just cripple me at the moment. So, I’ve resorted to my old favourite – The Rasmus – Dead Letters album. Nothing like a good bit of guitar orientated rock to make you feel better!
Suppose I’d better tend to the moggies – I’m getting the evil eye from the pair of them!
Back when I get away from the furry fiends!
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Back from holiday.
Posted by
Karen
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And I'm tired, and extremely annoyed. The reason? Only a three hour delay at Jersey airport, with no information being given as to the reason why other than "it's a technical problem". Congratulations. That tells me bugger all. But, I shall refrain from naming the airline - the people who know me will know which one I'm talking about! *Grin*
Having said that, there was a similar delay on the way to Jersey - only this was due to crew sickness (the captain called in sick at the last minute, so a substitute had to be called in) - something which we didn't find out until we were on the aircraft!
Now onto the holiday itself. I make no apologies for the amount of external web links that will be in this blog entry - they can give you far more information about the places that I went to than I can (ok - their versions of it). The opinions in this blog, are mine, and mine alone - and I make no apology for them whatsoever.
Once we'd landed at Jersey airport, Mum and I went to collect the hire car. OK- that wasn't a problem. The car itself was though. It was a Fiat Panda (See http://www.fiat.co.uk for a picture of the hideous interior!!! I'll give you a clue - it was the yellow - with a pale blue exterior!)
I will say one thing - if it was my car, I would have taken it straight back to the garage where I bought it from, as there were several things that sounded seriously wrong with it: - the gearbox clunked when you changed gear manually (it was an eastronic box), it whined like there was a servo winding itself up, when the offside front door was opened, and it also sounded like there was a wheel bearing going in the offside rear.
Once we'd found the hotel (The West View hotel: - good food, good beer, and quiet - but I would recommend having transport of your own to stay there, as it's a little bit remote - see http://www.jersey.com for more details!)
After we'd gotten lost because of the lousy directions that we'd been given by the hire company, we got settled, and then headed off for a tour of the island.
Our first stop was Jersey Pearl. (http://www.worldpearl.com ) Don't get me wrong - I'm not one of these women who loads herself up with jewellery. Far from it. I tend to go for a couple of classical pieces, and make them count.
But, as I was wandering 'round, I will admit, I fell for a lovely pair silver drops with dark pearls on them. They weren't wildly expensive, and I will admit, I kept walking back to them and I knew that was it - I was going to buy them.
The following day, Mum and I went to the Eric Young Orchid Foundation. It's open throughout the year Wednesday through to Saturday. (http://www.ericyoungorchidfoundation.co.uk/) Unfortunately, the site doesn't show the display houses, but as soon as I get the scanner on the computer working, I'll post the photographs that I took there.
There were orchids that smelt of Vanilla - yes, orchids do have scent! The vanilla pod comes from the vanilla orchid! We then went for a drive round the island.
To be honest, it's hard to remember which day we did what, but some things really do stick out in my mind - the trip to Jersey Lavender (http://www.jerseylavender.co.uk) being one of them.
Simply because on the previous trip to Jersey, I bought some Lavender & Rosemary cologne and that was it. I was hooked. Needless to say, I've stocked up, and made damned sure that I can get it via the web site!!
One of the other places that sticks in my mind is the La Mare Vineyards & Distillery. (http://www.lamarevineyards.com) For the simple reason, that on the two occasions I've tried their wines, I've found them little better than paint stripper.
OK, they may be award winning wines, but as far as I'm concerned, you can keep them. The apple brandy wasn't much better - again, it reminded me of something that you could use to take the paint off the floor!
However, the one place that I really wanted to visit was the German Underground Hospital. It's now known as the Jersey War Tunnels (http://www.jerseywartunnels.com/) and I will admit, the first time I went, I was with my late father.
Mum refused to go on both occasions, as the one and only time she went, it gave her the creeps to such an extent, she's refused to go back ever since. So, I left Mum with the car keys, and off I went.
The first time I went, I will admit to feeling slightly daunted. But for some reason, this time, I felt really uncomfortable. Ok - I know that there will be some people who twitter on about me picking up psychic vibrations - it was nothing as far out as that. It was the mere fact that the last time I was there, I was with my late father, who did a wonderful job of explaining the things that I didn't understand, as I hadn't studied history at school.
As part of the entrance fee, I was given a reproduction of a Jersey Identity Card or Identitaetskarte, which related to a person in the gallery - along with a brief summary of their life, and what happened to them during the German occupation of the Channel Islands. [The only part of the UK that the German Third Reich actually managed to invade during the Second World War].
The person on my identity card was sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp gas chambers, for trying to help runaways from the underground hospital's labour force.
There is little more that I can say about the tunnels - other than if you go to Jersey, go and see them for yourselves and you'll see exactly what I mean.
The other place that had an impact on me was the Durrell wildlife conservation trust - also known as Jersey Zoo. (http://www.durrellwildlife.org)
I personally found the Tamarin wood the funniest part of the trip, as the Tamarins scamper around an open woodland, giving their usual vocal calls, and occasionally, posing for photographs! The rest of the tour was well worth it, with the Lemurs making both Mum and myself laugh with their antics - which are totally natural, before people start bristling about that!
Other places that Mum & I visited included Jersey Potteries (http://www.jerseypottery.com) This left me cold, as there was little that actually caught my eye, and the few pieces that did, were horrifically over priced (in my opinion anyway!). The much vaunted museum left a lot to be desired as well, as there were very few pieces in the display, and very little information about them, and several I'd seen for sale on e-bay!
But, one place I did enjoy going to, was the Living Legend (http://www.jerseyslivinglegend.co.je/) It's great for kids, and to be honest, there are times when I'm little more than an overgrown kid myself! The presentation was slick, and gave an interesting insight into the island's history.
The comment that stuck in my mind was "England is Jersey's oldest possession" as the island was part of the Duchy of Normandy - and became part of the UK when William, Duke of Normandy invaded England in 1066 (yes - he was William the Conqueror).
Aside from doing the tourist bit, Mum & I did go into the main town on Jersey (ok - the ONLY town in Jersey!) St Helier. We had a walk around the shops - and noticed that some of the larger chain stores (who shall remain nameless) were trying to charge the full 17.5% VAT on their goods.
What makes me mention this? Simple. The Channel Islands have no VAT on their goods. But, we did find that if you went to the smaller shops (i.e. the one-off shops) the prices were quite a bit lower, even if certain stores had delusions of grandeur. Having said that though, I did manage to find a rather unusual aftershave. It's called Monsieur Balman, and is lemon based - a real favourite of mine.
Ok - there were a couple of aftershaves / perfumes that I liked, but the price difference wasn't worth me considering buying them. As for me wearing aftershave, I'm of the opinion that a fragrance is a fragrance - and, if I like the smell, and it suits my skin acidity, then I'll wear it.
However, there are perfumes by Dior (Dune being the main one) that I cannot wear, simply because they smell awful on me. I tried Dune when it first came out, and the guy I was shopping with [yes - a man who liked shopping - great rarity!] said that I smelt like I'd been urinated on by a camel (or words to that effect!) Needless to say, that comment caused me to change my mind rather rapidly about the perfume - but I will admit I'd been in two minds about it anyway.
Other shops were interesting, but some were a complete waste of time in my opinion. But, having said that, I was glad that I took my book with me. In the evenings, after dinner at the hotel, there was nothing I liked better than to curl up on the bed with my book. I took the Tom Holt omnibus - For Two Nights Only - which contains Overtime and Grailblazers. Put it this way, I had tears of laughter running down my cheeks - especially in this passage from Grailblazers:
"Running away" Boamund said, "is just not done."
"I've done it," Toenail interrupted, "lots of times. It's quite easy once you get the hang of it."
"But it's not right," Boamund protested. "Sir Lancelot never ran away from people."
"Maybe not." Galahaut retorted, as they skittered over a patch of turbulence. "Maybe the fact that everyone was shit-scared of him had something to do with it. I don't think that lot are terribly frightened of us, do you?"
He waved an arm behind them...
(For the rest, you'll have to read Grailblazers I'm afraid!)
Hmm - suppose I'd better leave my perch, and see who's had the nerve to ring the door bell.
Back when I get free.
Having said that, there was a similar delay on the way to Jersey - only this was due to crew sickness (the captain called in sick at the last minute, so a substitute had to be called in) - something which we didn't find out until we were on the aircraft!
Now onto the holiday itself. I make no apologies for the amount of external web links that will be in this blog entry - they can give you far more information about the places that I went to than I can (ok - their versions of it). The opinions in this blog, are mine, and mine alone - and I make no apology for them whatsoever.
Once we'd landed at Jersey airport, Mum and I went to collect the hire car. OK- that wasn't a problem. The car itself was though. It was a Fiat Panda (See http://www.fiat.co.uk for a picture of the hideous interior!!! I'll give you a clue - it was the yellow - with a pale blue exterior!)
I will say one thing - if it was my car, I would have taken it straight back to the garage where I bought it from, as there were several things that sounded seriously wrong with it: - the gearbox clunked when you changed gear manually (it was an eastronic box), it whined like there was a servo winding itself up, when the offside front door was opened, and it also sounded like there was a wheel bearing going in the offside rear.
Once we'd found the hotel (The West View hotel: - good food, good beer, and quiet - but I would recommend having transport of your own to stay there, as it's a little bit remote - see http://www.jersey.com for more details!)
After we'd gotten lost because of the lousy directions that we'd been given by the hire company, we got settled, and then headed off for a tour of the island.
Our first stop was Jersey Pearl. (http://www.worldpearl.com ) Don't get me wrong - I'm not one of these women who loads herself up with jewellery. Far from it. I tend to go for a couple of classical pieces, and make them count.
But, as I was wandering 'round, I will admit, I fell for a lovely pair silver drops with dark pearls on them. They weren't wildly expensive, and I will admit, I kept walking back to them and I knew that was it - I was going to buy them.
The following day, Mum and I went to the Eric Young Orchid Foundation. It's open throughout the year Wednesday through to Saturday. (http://www.ericyoungorchidfoundation.co.uk/) Unfortunately, the site doesn't show the display houses, but as soon as I get the scanner on the computer working, I'll post the photographs that I took there.
There were orchids that smelt of Vanilla - yes, orchids do have scent! The vanilla pod comes from the vanilla orchid! We then went for a drive round the island.
To be honest, it's hard to remember which day we did what, but some things really do stick out in my mind - the trip to Jersey Lavender (http://www.jerseylavender.co.uk) being one of them.
Simply because on the previous trip to Jersey, I bought some Lavender & Rosemary cologne and that was it. I was hooked. Needless to say, I've stocked up, and made damned sure that I can get it via the web site!!
One of the other places that sticks in my mind is the La Mare Vineyards & Distillery. (http://www.lamarevineyards.com) For the simple reason, that on the two occasions I've tried their wines, I've found them little better than paint stripper.
OK, they may be award winning wines, but as far as I'm concerned, you can keep them. The apple brandy wasn't much better - again, it reminded me of something that you could use to take the paint off the floor!
However, the one place that I really wanted to visit was the German Underground Hospital. It's now known as the Jersey War Tunnels (http://www.jerseywartunnels.com/) and I will admit, the first time I went, I was with my late father.
Mum refused to go on both occasions, as the one and only time she went, it gave her the creeps to such an extent, she's refused to go back ever since. So, I left Mum with the car keys, and off I went.
The first time I went, I will admit to feeling slightly daunted. But for some reason, this time, I felt really uncomfortable. Ok - I know that there will be some people who twitter on about me picking up psychic vibrations - it was nothing as far out as that. It was the mere fact that the last time I was there, I was with my late father, who did a wonderful job of explaining the things that I didn't understand, as I hadn't studied history at school.
As part of the entrance fee, I was given a reproduction of a Jersey Identity Card or Identitaetskarte, which related to a person in the gallery - along with a brief summary of their life, and what happened to them during the German occupation of the Channel Islands. [The only part of the UK that the German Third Reich actually managed to invade during the Second World War].
The person on my identity card was sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp gas chambers, for trying to help runaways from the underground hospital's labour force.
There is little more that I can say about the tunnels - other than if you go to Jersey, go and see them for yourselves and you'll see exactly what I mean.
The other place that had an impact on me was the Durrell wildlife conservation trust - also known as Jersey Zoo. (http://www.durrellwildlife.org)
I personally found the Tamarin wood the funniest part of the trip, as the Tamarins scamper around an open woodland, giving their usual vocal calls, and occasionally, posing for photographs! The rest of the tour was well worth it, with the Lemurs making both Mum and myself laugh with their antics - which are totally natural, before people start bristling about that!
Other places that Mum & I visited included Jersey Potteries (http://www.jerseypottery.com) This left me cold, as there was little that actually caught my eye, and the few pieces that did, were horrifically over priced (in my opinion anyway!). The much vaunted museum left a lot to be desired as well, as there were very few pieces in the display, and very little information about them, and several I'd seen for sale on e-bay!
But, one place I did enjoy going to, was the Living Legend (http://www.jerseyslivinglegend.co.je/) It's great for kids, and to be honest, there are times when I'm little more than an overgrown kid myself! The presentation was slick, and gave an interesting insight into the island's history.
The comment that stuck in my mind was "England is Jersey's oldest possession" as the island was part of the Duchy of Normandy - and became part of the UK when William, Duke of Normandy invaded England in 1066 (yes - he was William the Conqueror).
Aside from doing the tourist bit, Mum & I did go into the main town on Jersey (ok - the ONLY town in Jersey!) St Helier. We had a walk around the shops - and noticed that some of the larger chain stores (who shall remain nameless) were trying to charge the full 17.5% VAT on their goods.
What makes me mention this? Simple. The Channel Islands have no VAT on their goods. But, we did find that if you went to the smaller shops (i.e. the one-off shops) the prices were quite a bit lower, even if certain stores had delusions of grandeur. Having said that though, I did manage to find a rather unusual aftershave. It's called Monsieur Balman, and is lemon based - a real favourite of mine.
Ok - there were a couple of aftershaves / perfumes that I liked, but the price difference wasn't worth me considering buying them. As for me wearing aftershave, I'm of the opinion that a fragrance is a fragrance - and, if I like the smell, and it suits my skin acidity, then I'll wear it.
However, there are perfumes by Dior (Dune being the main one) that I cannot wear, simply because they smell awful on me. I tried Dune when it first came out, and the guy I was shopping with [yes - a man who liked shopping - great rarity!] said that I smelt like I'd been urinated on by a camel (or words to that effect!) Needless to say, that comment caused me to change my mind rather rapidly about the perfume - but I will admit I'd been in two minds about it anyway.
Other shops were interesting, but some were a complete waste of time in my opinion. But, having said that, I was glad that I took my book with me. In the evenings, after dinner at the hotel, there was nothing I liked better than to curl up on the bed with my book. I took the Tom Holt omnibus - For Two Nights Only - which contains Overtime and Grailblazers. Put it this way, I had tears of laughter running down my cheeks - especially in this passage from Grailblazers:
"Running away" Boamund said, "is just not done."
"I've done it," Toenail interrupted, "lots of times. It's quite easy once you get the hang of it."
"But it's not right," Boamund protested. "Sir Lancelot never ran away from people."
"Maybe not." Galahaut retorted, as they skittered over a patch of turbulence. "Maybe the fact that everyone was shit-scared of him had something to do with it. I don't think that lot are terribly frightened of us, do you?"
He waved an arm behind them...
(For the rest, you'll have to read Grailblazers I'm afraid!)
Hmm - suppose I'd better leave my perch, and see who's had the nerve to ring the door bell.
Back when I get free.
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
How you remind me...
Posted by
Karen
comments (0)
There's nothing I like more, than singing along to a rock song on the radio.. In this case, it was Nickelback - How you remind me [from the Silverside Up album - a true rock classic!]
Never made it as a wise man
I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealin'
Tired of livin' like a blind man
I'm sick inside without a sense of feelin'
And this is how you remind me
This is how you remind me
Of what I really am
This is how you remind me
Of what I really am
It's not like you to say sorry
I was waiting on a different story
This time I'm mistaken
For handing you a heart worth breakin'
I've been wrong, I've been down
Been to the bottom of every bottle
These five words in my head
Scream "Are we having fun yet?"
Yet? Yet? Yet?
No, no
It's not like you didn't know that
I said I love you and I swear I still do
It must have been so bad
'Cause living with me must have damn near killed you
This is how you remind me
Of what I really am
This is how you remind me
Of what I really am
It's not like you to say sorry
I was waiting on a different story
This time I'm mistaken
For handing you a heart worth breakin'
I've been wrong, I've been down
Been to the bottom of every bottle
These five words in my head
Scream "Are we having fun yet?"
Yet? Yet? Yet?,
No, no
In some respects, it reminds me of parts of my life - splitting up with the guy I really cared for, simply because we both knew that it wasn't working, and then getting into a relationship that nearly caused me to lose my mind. Don't get me wrong - the guy wasn't abusive - physically, anyway. His specialty was mental abuse - making me feel like I was the bad guy [ok - girl!] when I wanted to do something on my own.
It took the death of my father to make me realise what this guy was doing to me, and in a pervese way, gave me the courage to regain my life - without a control freak in it.
As a result, my new anthem is a Tom Petty song - Learning to Fly:
Well I started out down a dirty road
Started out all alone
And the sun went down as I crossed the hill
And the town lit up, the world got still
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well the good ol' days may not return
And the rocks might melt and the sea may burn
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I've started out, for God knows where
I guess I'll know when I get there
I'm learning to fly, around the clouds,
But what goes up must come down
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Time to log off and bog off - the moggies are demanding attention, and Ponto is looking like he's going to eat the computer mouse if he doesn't get fed within the next thirty seconds!
Back tomorrow - I hope.
Karen
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Never made it as a wise man
I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealin'
Tired of livin' like a blind man
I'm sick inside without a sense of feelin'
And this is how you remind me
This is how you remind me
Of what I really am
This is how you remind me
Of what I really am
It's not like you to say sorry
I was waiting on a different story
This time I'm mistaken
For handing you a heart worth breakin'
I've been wrong, I've been down
Been to the bottom of every bottle
These five words in my head
Scream "Are we having fun yet?"
Yet? Yet? Yet?
No, no
It's not like you didn't know that
I said I love you and I swear I still do
It must have been so bad
'Cause living with me must have damn near killed you
This is how you remind me
Of what I really am
This is how you remind me
Of what I really am
It's not like you to say sorry
I was waiting on a different story
This time I'm mistaken
For handing you a heart worth breakin'
I've been wrong, I've been down
Been to the bottom of every bottle
These five words in my head
Scream "Are we having fun yet?"
Yet? Yet? Yet?,
No, no
In some respects, it reminds me of parts of my life - splitting up with the guy I really cared for, simply because we both knew that it wasn't working, and then getting into a relationship that nearly caused me to lose my mind. Don't get me wrong - the guy wasn't abusive - physically, anyway. His specialty was mental abuse - making me feel like I was the bad guy [ok - girl!] when I wanted to do something on my own.
It took the death of my father to make me realise what this guy was doing to me, and in a pervese way, gave me the courage to regain my life - without a control freak in it.
As a result, my new anthem is a Tom Petty song - Learning to Fly:
Well I started out down a dirty road
Started out all alone
And the sun went down as I crossed the hill
And the town lit up, the world got still
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well the good ol' days may not return
And the rocks might melt and the sea may burn
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I've started out, for God knows where
I guess I'll know when I get there
I'm learning to fly, around the clouds,
But what goes up must come down
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Time to log off and bog off - the moggies are demanding attention, and Ponto is looking like he's going to eat the computer mouse if he doesn't get fed within the next thirty seconds!
Back tomorrow - I hope.
Karen
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
9/11
Posted by
Karen
comments (0)
It's hard to believe that it's been three years since the horific events of 9/11. I guess in a way, I'm lucky, living here in the UK - away from the terrorist targets of London and the other major cities. But that doesn't make me complacent - far from it. I can understand the need for extra vigilance, especially at airports, but what I don't understand is the reason for the war in Iraq.
Ok - I know that there will be people who say "she doesn't know what the **** she's talking about - the reasons are X, Y & Z" and equally, there will be people who say "yeah - go for it! The war is wrong for reasons A, B & C".
Ah well - enough political ranting - I can hear the appetite on legs trying to start a fight - I'd better go and sort him out...
Back whenever,
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
Ok - I know that there will be people who say "she doesn't know what the **** she's talking about - the reasons are X, Y & Z" and equally, there will be people who say "yeah - go for it! The war is wrong for reasons A, B & C".
Ah well - enough political ranting - I can hear the appetite on legs trying to start a fight - I'd better go and sort him out...
Back whenever,
Karen.
Do spiders scream when they see a big fat hairy human in the bath?
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