Saturday 14 February 2009

Thursday 12 February 2009

R-A-G-E

I just, and only just, persuaded myself not to flame someone who really, really deserved it.

On another note - Peter just brought me in a baby bird which, unfortunately, was not entirely dead by the time he brought it to my attention (by jumping into my lap and yowling with pride) so I had to prise it from his jaws (no mean feat, I tell you) and then wring its neck. He's now clearly very angry with me and with Katie for some reason. She keeps trying to play with him and he just huffs and walks away with a little "i have put away such childish things" shrug of his shoulders. Poor Katie she looks very desolate and, alas, she's such a little bird brain it will probably always be like this now - she wouldn't recognise a mouse if it bit her on the nose.



Saturday 7 February 2009

Tuesday 3 February 2009

Cheap and beautiful

I'm usually immune to such things but for the last two years I've been buying this very good, but very expensive product:



It's great, it makes my skin feel amazing, banishes the dreaded "body spots", the smell relaxes me and it leaves my skin smelling sexy for days. But it costs over a tenner for a pot that lasts a few months.

So, in the interests of my own personal credit crunch (what do you mean I can't borrow any more money? When did this happen?) I've been experimenting with replicating it. Well, I say experimenting. I mean experiment. It took me exactly 5 minutes to replicate the product exactly. And the ingredients cost about £2.50. I'm feeling so unbelievably smug I'll replicate the recipe here:

Ingredients
Sunflower oil
Table salt
Scent (I hesitate to use the phrase homo therapy) oils to preference


Method
Mix half a cup of the oil with a cup of the salt
Stir to form a thick paste, about toothpaste consistency
Add the oils - I used a few drops each of lavender and sandalwood but you could use eucalyptus or citrus if you wanted something more energising or tea tree if you have skin problems

That's it! Like I say I'm feeling very smug. Not least because it means I've broken the hold of yet another unnecessary, overpriced item of consumption. And I smell lovely!

Meat is Murder



Dignity?

Mine, not his. I've looked at this at least three times now.

Monday 2 February 2009

Country Grinds To Halt etc

Actually, everywhere, it seems, apart from Manchester. We've got about an inch of snow and no one's leaving work. Mostly because we are NAILS.

Obviously I have reverted, as always in such situations, to a nightmare school child. I've spent the whole afternoon staring out of the window and moaning loudly whenever a teacher director comes near that it's not fair and we should be allowed to go home. This has obviously endeared me greatly to my colleagues.

Obviously the real reason I want to go home is not because the journey will be dangerous or that I am in any way fearful for my ability to get home if I leave later…two words:

Kittens

Snow

Nuff said.

Sunday 1 February 2009

Bristol Lido

Don't get me wrong, I love lidos and I love Victorian lidos that have been sympathetically restored and obviously I'll go when I'm next down that way but did they really have to make it so expensive? £15.00 for a three-hour swimming session is clearly designed to discourage anyone but the well-off from visiting and undermines the municpal intention of the original structure.




















Roll on the completion of Victoria Baths...

Fantasy Holidays I Will Probably Never Go On Part 7






















A Weekend Camping at Featherdown Farm Days at Bala Lake.

Bala Lake is one of my favourite places in North Wales and North Wales is one of my favourite places in the UK so the prospect of camping in a traditional canvas tent with featherdown beds, Victorian toilet, wood burning stove and no electricity excites me greatly. Add to that the wood smoker for fish or meat, eggs collected from the barn every morning and spending time with animals on a working farm and I'd be in hog heaven.

Radiohead's Creep by MS Songsmith