Pay attention doofus

Well I would be working on our new website except we can’t access it for some reason… So I’m waiting for the designer to get back to me and in the meantime I've decided to blog.

I saw a crash last night – horrible. And another reminder of how much attention you have to pay behind the wheel. We were driving in stop/start traffic when this estate car driver – who must have been fiddling with the radio or his mobile phone or something – went straight into the back of a Mercedes. It sounded like an explosion. Even at those slow speeds there was some real damage; the estate coming off worse. This huge guy got out of the Mercedes and he looked pretty pissed off. Why can’t on impact cars turn into giant marshmallows or bouncy castles… maybe not a bouncy castle actually, people would be flung everywhere… so I found that a bit upsetting, but I did focus maybe that few percent more and I got home safely. I’ve also decided no more fiddling with my own mobile even when stuck in traffic jams. I never did whilst ‘driving’ but did occasionally check messages when in slow moving traffic. Well not anymore mister.

Although I never saw myself turning into the sort of woman who would ever get excited by vacuum cleaners, our new one arrived yesterday and the missus and I are shamefully excited about being the first to whip it round the homestead. I’ve decided to do a big blitz on Friday because the housework has gone for a burton recently where we’ve just been so busy with everything. And a clean house is a clean mind! Think we might need more than just a new hoover…

Disney injury

I got up at stupid o’clock to get to work for stupid o’clock today because of the website project I’m working on. The world is a very different place that early. A different set of dog walkers, lighter traffic and different vehicles on the road (lots of vans and utility vehicles) and the office was virtually empty except for our security guard, our chief exec and some other poor fool who is obviously working on a big project. I feel quite energised though; really awake and enjoying the day.

The boys are still talking about the stag do’ and I’m delighted they had such a good time. This morning I replied to an email comparing bruises! Yes, I fell over! My jeans are frayed at the back and I had almost tipped over several times when I caught the back of them, but of course, I hadn't been sensible enough to do anything about it! But, due to being hideously drunk on Saturday, this time I did actually fall over. Such style, such grace… my bruise looks like a Disney character but I can’t remember which one.

We went for dinner last night at the little village of Downe (about 40 minutes away from us) that we’ve become quite fond of. A great little pub there does very tasty food – the menu is a little limited but the service and the quality of food more than makes up for it. It felt nice to be doing something on a Monday when normally you would be slumped on the sofa, watching TV and feeling knackered…

Stag do'

The stag do’ went really well apparently. I say apparently because I was so drunk I don’t remember much of it… we did a Duck tour around London (it was freezing cold!) and then went to Kettner’s champagne bar and then had a private dining room. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun, especially the blushing brides. And the wedding bag which my partner and I made for them with CK underwear, mini vodka and saucy adult paraphernalia (!) went down really well. They both looked a picture in their veils and balls and chains’ and the naughty questions that we made everyone ask went down very well and got some big laughs! The service was good although I couldn’t tell you what the food was like because I don’t remember eating (my partner said it was good!).

Sunday was very, very low key in comparison but we did get the most lovely email and text from the boys telling us how much fun they had and to thank us for organising it. Now there is the small matter of actually getting hitched… I shall be limiting myself to a couple of glasses of champagne this time. It’s OK to be hammered at a stag do’ but you want to retain a little dignity at the wedding!

Penalty

There are some days when the goddess taketh and well, frankly, she taketh again! I have a penalty notice. I consider myself a safe, courteous driver but I got a £100 fine for stopping in a box junction. I actually deliberately pulled around a car and put myself in the box junction to avoid becoming an obstruction because I was pulling out and turning left, albeit very slowly, when the traffic literally just stopped. (This was going up to Battersea Bridge, anyone that takes that route at rush hour; you know what I’m talking about.) This car squeezed in next to me and I became aware that we were both stopping the traffic flowing. So I pulled around and tucked in a little more so at least people could cross the junction. From now on though they can all fuck off! This considered and deliberate act of safety and consideration has left me £100 worse off.

You know those driving groups that always whinge about having to pay anything to drive (why can’t we drive our 19 litre cars for free and park wherever the hell we like?), well they always made me cringe a little… like that smoking group (it’s really fascist of this government to try and prevent non smokers getting lung cancer just because I like blowing my Marlboro shites in your face). They always seem to somehow miss the point. Well here’s what I think: I use the road and that’s what my road tax pays for; petrol, well it ‘aint ever going to be free! But it’s also a pollutant, so I have to pay for the cleanest fuel possible and take responsibility for how much I use; congestion charge, there’s no point having a car if it doesn’t move and that’s what it did in London traffic for many years – it didn’t move! Radical problems require radical solutions. I don’t have a problem with any of that. What I do have a big problem with (hence me sounding like a representative from a ‘driving’ group), is extortionate parking fees and now fining me for trying to be a good but maybe a little naïve, driver.

Listen up Big Brother, fuck off and use those cameras if you must, to stop people doing 40 in a residential street with kids playing, use them to zoom in on the 40% of drivers who don’t have road tax (and who are statistically more likely to not have insurance and an MOT), use them to stop car thieves but DON’T target me and other careful drivers for small misdemeanours that were made with good intentions…

I can’t tell you how much better I feel.

Today is the day of the stag do’. I’m tres excited. In fact I need a wee I’m that excited! So on that note, I need to do some final prep to make myself even more gorgeous… !

Fox babies

What a great morning! Everything looked so beautiful covered in snow. At 7am this morning, the park was bathed in a grey / orange light and the usual stark outline of the trees were now distinctly less so covered as they were in fluffy tufts of snow. Pluto absolutely loved the white, wet stuff and was generally v. v. excited about the whole thing! He kept nudging snow with his nose and then licking his face.

We had the park to ourselves or so we thought… I saw a fox watching us. I was surprised, because normally they scarper and I was wary that this was a dog (male) fox and was up for a bit of a barney, which would be highly unusual but I suppose not beyond the bounds of possibility. ‘He’ just sat there, watching us and really quite close. I moved Pluto on, who wasn’t really bothered, and then as I rounded the corner I saw why. Cubs. Three babies, calling and yowling for their mother at the bottom of a long hedge. They froze and then disappeared under the hedge and by this time the mother had doubled round to the other side, and stood near the fence, and again watched us to make sure we didn’t go too close…

Once more I quickly moved Pluto on so he didn’t get wind of what he would probably think were potential playmates! But my heart was hammering away, delighted that I had caught a glimpse of this secretive world. Let’s face it we see foxes all the time, normally on the way to or from a rubbish bin! But this was something special, a mother and her cubs on a beautiful snowy morning…

As we left the park a robin – my favourite bird – hopped down in front of me and danced about until Pluto got to close and he flew off again. I’m not sure I can explain why, but I felt strangely privileged about the whole thing.

Eastern European magic

Peggy is a wonderful car, but things go missing in her. In short, we've come to suspect that she has a black hole, through which things that get lost travel to a parallel Ford Escort. Until perhaps, you hit a bump and they travel back through into Peggy again...

First it was my MP3 player. Loyal readers (all 2 of you) will be much aware of my MP3 saga and I now suspect that whoever looks after me (now there's a guardian angel with their work cut out) caused all these problems with my ordering a new one because he or she knew, that my old MP3 wasn't so much lost as temporarily misplaced. One day we took Peggy down for a spruce to the hand carwash staffed entirely by Eastern Europeans. As ever they did a fantastic job and we thanked them, paid, got back into the car and drove home. As I undid my seatbelt, I blinked hard at something that was in my change dish that hadn't been there before. It was my MP3. Three months after it was lost. I was absolutely gobsmacked and delighted. In the cleaning of Peggy's nether regions, the car washers had found teh black hole and extracted my MP3, and left it somewhere I would find it.

Around the same time I lost the MP3, the boys lent us their Sat Nav and it came in a little zippy case. I got into the car, unzipped the Tom Tom and the case vanished. We looked, we really, really looked - using torches as well. But nothing, it was well and truly missing in action...

Some birds had crapped on the car - a rather vivid hue of orange and white, obviously they'd been on the cocktails and so I decided it was time for Peggy to have a bath this Saturday. Guess what, that night, after going to a party, we got out of the car and my partner said, what's this...? It was the Sat Nav case.

Unfortunately though we've since bought the boys a rather nice replacement case, genuine leather from genuine cows. So they now have two cases, which does seem a little excessive but there you go.

Eastern Europeans (or maybe it's just car washers), are amazing. They have magic abilities that go far beyond our understanding... I wonder what the weirdest thing they've found is?!

Sign a pledge for safety...?

A very experienced cyclist died last week after being hit by a car. The car driver was at fault. My partner is a cyclist and I do sometimes worry about her cycling, because sadly since starting to drive myself I've seen some REAL idiots behind the wheel. So I've just emailed Slightly who is a big cheese in London Cycling Campaign. I want the LCC to adopt a new pledge to be signed not by cyclists, but car driver:

"We the undersigned car owner pledge to support the creation of new cycle lanes, to reduce our speed when approaching cyclists and to always allow the same room as we would a car, when overtaking a cyclist."

Then you could add your full name, car make and reg no on the pledge/petition and it could be used in campaign work to illustrate that it's not just cyclists that have concerns about inconsiderate and dangerous driving, but other car owners too...

A small thing, but if it makes someone slow their speed, and in turn prevent an accident, then it's a very good thing indeed.

Brompton

My partner has just bought a brand spanking new Brompton bike! For those of you not in the know, Brompton's are not just the elite of folding bikes, but some consider them the best bikes period! Quality engineered, made in England, and costing more than our car! (No, I'm not joking.) Anyway, she can now take the bike on the train and do the last part of her daily journey to work on two wheels. (For about a year or more, you've only been allowed to take folding bikes onto trains at rush hour.)

She likes cycling like I like Danish patries... really quite a lot, so we've had a very exciting morning! For her upcoming birthday I bought her a Brompton bag, and back light. These accesories costing more than I ever have ever spent on an entire bike! Joking aside though, it really is money well spent. She's wanted one for ages and this will mean her commute will be much quicker.

I've just taken the dog to Crystal Palace park where he had the most fun you can have with your fur on. He's completely worn himself out though, he's not moved from his rug since he got back. I've also fitted in housework, a bit of shopping and getting the car washed. It's been a busy old day and it's not over yet, we're supposed to be going to a party tonight... I might just join the dog on the rug first...

Windy pops

Nothing topical today… just going to moan about how tired I am. Was reading my book in my lunch hour and actually started to nod off. I think I need a new food / exercise regime because short of mainlining crystal meth (vaguely topical I suppose) there has to be something (preferably natural and non-habit forming) to help me regain my bright eyes and bushy tail. Much of my tiredness is due to always being in pain with my knees but I can’t believe there isn’t something I can do to help myself…?

Online shopping by the way is a very bad thing. I have just bought a pair of jeans without ever having to leave my chair. It took seconds and I didn’t even have to hand over any cash, I just typed in some numbers on my card and apparently that did the trick… it’s all too easy damnit. Of course, it doesn’t help that (a) I don’t particularly like shopping because of the crowds, so online shopping is a practical and comfortable way of being a fashionista… ahhh that just made me laugh… (b) I’m feeble minded.

The wind is really building up (things are actually crashing about) and I’m hoping our garden furniture isn’t being blown about and the dog isn’t scared. Apparently a bin was blown the length of the car park at the back of the building here, and it hit several cars. If you are out and about during this weather, look after yourself!

Lord of the Viles

My commute to work was faster today because I was a little braver, trying a few shortcuts etc. But basically, at the end of the day; driving takes longer and the traffic is hideous but I arrive at work not stressed and in less pain with my knees. And to be honest, when it’s pouring down with rain, I much prefer to be in my lovely Peggy (I’m not being rude by the way; Peggy is the name of the car…)

BB has had the most amount of complaints ever. In fact as the complaints hit 10,000 + it might well have the accolade of being the most complained about programme, period. It’s very interesting because people are quite clearly very divided: is Shilpa being bullied or is Shilpa being racial abused? One of the most important things to consider is how does the woman in question view her treatment? BB claim Shilpa has not made any complaints about racism but is clearly becoming upset at being picked on and made fun of. (Although I would say, look at the hillbilly clan doing the picking, attractive and smart are two words they wouldn’t be able to spell on a scrabble board.)

I don’t watch BB, I think it is pointless and a shameful waste of money when we have hugely talented writers struggling to make their mark, never getting commissioned because budgets and airtime are being dedicated to watching so-called celebrities break down in public. (Public executions at the turn of the 20th Century often had more dignity.) But the snippets they play on the radio lead me to believe that the Goody clique and that other nobody are just being vile bitches. There does seem to be a hint of racism in some of the comments but really, it’s about the degradation of certain human beings in stressful situations – pick on the weak, to make yourself feel stronger. A more interesting question might to ask ourselves, have we ever done the same thing? Have we ever joined a pack and if not bullied someone ourselves, colluded in the bullying by not taking a stand and saying, hang on, this isn’t right…

Still BB is the winner. You couldn’t buy all this extra publicity (which will translate into viewing figures) especially not for a show that’s become so tired and homogenous. Let’s face it, I don’t even watch the bloody thing and I’m discussing it on my blog!

Shall we move on?

Car tax

Alright I promise (to myself) that this is the last bit of time wasting… but I do have to say something in praise of car tax. Yes, I thought that would get your attention, I’m not praising the car tax in itself (although I do agree a car tax is necessary) but I paid for my new disc last night online. It took less than a minute! I received a letter a couple of days ago saying your car tax needs renewing, here is your reference number… I went to site yesterday night, put in my reference number and it brought up all my details (Big Brother knows I drive a Ford Escort!). And then it automatically checked that I had a MOT and car insurance, and then seconds later asked me for my card details. After which I got a confirmation email say thank you, your disc is on the way…
Efficiency is so rare, especially government efficiency, but this was pretty slick.

I'm getting married... just kidding!

I can’t believe I’m so blatantly avoiding work – not when I have so much to do as well! Anyway, I promise I’ll throw myself into it after I’ve blogged… not that you care…

On Saturday when we were at the pub the boys and I had a very informal wedding rehearsal and it hit me how much I was doing. I’m organising the stag’ do. (Which is costing me a fortune but is actually quite fun.) I’m doing both of the readings on the day, I’ll be witnessing the signatures – so no chance of either one of them signing a false name! – and I will possibly be reading out a love spell (what a lovely idea – an original love spell written just for them?). So I could well end up being nominated for best supporting actress…

My partner and I are really looking forward to the wedding. It’s funny because I thought I hated weddings! I’m not against them per se; I think in theory the idea of getting hitched is lovely. But I generally dislike them because it’s all so stressful and expensive and ceremonies and receptions are a tinder box for fights, resentments, excessive drinking, exhaustion, family feuds and a bizarre competition to see who can spend the most money. (None of that will happen at the boys' wedding, it will be romantic and gorgeous and fun, which could explain why I'm actually looking forward to it!)

I can’t write about the stag do’ on here because they don’t read my blog but friends of theirs do and I don’t want owt getting out! Which of course now gives the impression that this will be the most fantabulous do’ ever. I’m beginning to feeling the pressure… :0)

I think - I hope - they will enjoy themselves. Certainly a lot of thought has gone into it but we'll have to see what they think, lol!

I can’t avoid this anymore. I need to put my headphones on and get working… until the next time…

The Dolphin, Sydenham

Sydenham is a queer area. Literally in one sense – so many lesbians and gay men live here, but I mean queer as in the contrast between the area as a whole: nice houses, nice people, nice parks (I’ve never known so many of my neighbours and have actually become friends with three of them), and the High Street which is a dive. It’s grotty, clogged with traffic, has a poor choice of shops and generally there are no decent pubs in the area. Well, I say no decent pubs; I suppose it largely depends on what you like. So if you want dodgy clientele, Saturday night brawls every day of the week and sticky carpets Sydenham has it all. It was left for us to go to Forest Hill or Dulwich which in my case if I’m very sore, means driving, which means no drinking. Until that is, the missus and I saw one of the pubs being done up about a ten minute walk away from us. We both raised an eyebrow (not the same one) and wistfully wondered whether it would taken over by nice people and become a decent pub. Again, it’s all relative so I’ll tell you what I think qualifies as decent: nice décor, good staff and service, a choice of drinks, reasonable prices, welcoming and friendly. Not much to ask…

The Dolphin was reopened in December and had immediately become FF as someone who used to run pubs told me. FF means female friendly. Women are put off by pubs they cannot see clearly into and so will avoid them. The Dolphin has big windows allowing you to see right into the pub. And that’s not the only good thing as we subsequently found out this Saturday. Nice décor (fabulous retro tiles in the girlies bathroom, had I a nail file I would have tried to pry them loose and take them home), four staff behind the bar on a Saturday night looking both efficient and friendly, three real ales, and a very funky crowd from young gay people to middle aged (presumed) straight couples having a bite to eat. We found some comfy leather seats in front of the fire and proceeded to get drunk. As we had a tab for the evening, the staff kept coming over to check if we wanted anything else and we could order fresh drinks from our table. One of the boys ordered some nibbles – an eclectic choice! – cheese board (cheese from Neal’s dairy), olives, fish bites (white fish and squid), some fresh bread and some dips. All very tasty but frankly they paled in comparison to the desserts, I had the orange crème brule and it was absolutely bloody gorgeous. One of the boys had hot crumble and cold custard – you think it won’t work, but it really, really does.

The really exciting thing is that there is a MASSIVE beer garden which had previously been neglected and overrun. But the new owners are having it landscaped just in time for summer so on a warm summer’s evening you can guess where the residents of fairy towers will be…

Finally, it’s non-smoking. Yes I know the smoking ban is coming in this summer anyway, but to have an entire evening fume free was very pleasant.

So, credit where it’s due… http://www.thedolphinsydenham.com/

I just need to check if dogs are welcome now!

Rapid Reaction Laundry Squad

We are two women with a relatively modest wardrobe (I do have a lot of t-shirts, the missus does have a lot of tops) but generally Elton John, Trinny and Susannah et al would consider us rank amateurs. (In my case T & S would consider me an amateur not necessarily for quantity but certainly for quality… jeans and t-shirt, or t-shirt and jeans anyone?!) Anyway, the point is, we seem to have masses and masses of laundry. I woke up early today – my partner is in Brighton seeing her grandparents – and decided to do some low-level housework… a bit of a tidy, sort out the laundry, change bedding etc., etc. Except from the pile of laundry that has taken over the spare room this is no longer a low-level operation, it may indeed call for a Special Forces approach. Whilst I wouldn’t trade our spare room for all the tea in China, it does act as a convenient ‘holding pen’. Anyway I’ll do the laundry later, after the serious business of blogging…

We’re doing a DVD rental trial for Which magazine at the moment. They pay you to join a DVD rental scheme for the month of the trial and then pay for a further two months as a thank you. I can’t tell you which scheme it is, because obviously it needs to be confidential. They choose the first five movies and then you choose what you want. The first movie was Miami Vice (this was one of the ones chosen for us). What a pile of shit? I had high hopes, guns, fast cars, good looking women and men… what can go wrong? Well, everything. Incomprehensible script at times, a plot that doesn’t seem to twist as much a rear off in different directions like a wounded buffalo, I didn’t even like the camera work. Anyway, as I only managed 15 minutes of it, it may have got better…

Off to rugby later with the dog. In the meantime, like my good friend Ed, I need to wrestle with my pet. Ear drops in this case. He (Pluto not Ed) hates it because it’s cold and it feels funny. I think it must tickle because he always looks so surprised, then he shakes his head violently and rubs his ears along the floor (which is actually pretty funny… sorry P!)

Talking of Ed. Welcome back. The blogging world was a less interesting place without you ;0)

PS. Slightly is pimping my blog! Watch this space but I'm really excited...

Radical enough

Is my blog radical enough? Now there’s a question because it depends on what I want from it in the first place. I think people are quite surprised that my blog is generally a gentle meander through the parts of my day or week that I wish to share with others. As a passionate and often vocal advocate for all sorts of issues including speaking out about rape and child abuse, equality for women, environmental concerns including strip mining, cruelty to animals, LGBT rights etc., etc. it seems strange that I rarely touch on these things on my online diary. There are mentions here and there, and even a few rants, but generally, I concentrate on the minutia that makes my life completely different but exactly the same as yours. I also don’t publish my writing or my photos on the blog either…

So is it time for a change?

Well, yes and no. I have decided to put some of my photos online and I will be commenting on more topical stuff on a more regular basis but generally this blog is something I want for myself. I’m thrilled a few people drop in occasionally and have a read, but I know how I feel about certain issues so really it’s the everyday, soon to be forgotten, stuff that I want to document.

Of course, if you disagree, you're always welcome to drop me a line :0)

Top dog

My girlfriend has fallen in love and it’s not with me, but I’m very happy about it anyway! I am of course referring to the dog, the rather lovely Pluto.

She never had a dog growing up and didn’t have any inclination to have one as a grown up. In fact I don’t think she would mind me saying she didn’t really see the point. You’re so much less flexible with a pet… they leave hair everywhere… you have to walk them whatever the weather… vet’s bills cost a fortune and even food is quite expensive…

She encouraged me to get Pluto because she knew it would make me happy and because that’s the kind of woman she is; generous and prepared to be part of new experiences. But yes, it did cross her mind about how it was going to effect the relationship (fancy meeting for drink after work has become a mission: I have to leave work a little earlier, go home, walk the dog, feed the dog, play with the dog and then rush out again to meet her).

When she moved in, one of the big considerations was, I’m not just living with Allison, I’m living with a very lively pooch that likes to demonstrate at ever opportunity how much he likes to be tickled and played with and who leaves hair everywhere (whereas I just leave clothes in the bathroom and that’s much easier to deal with.)

But move in she did and together we muddled along. From our point of view (the humans that is) it’s been a roaring success and from a dog point of view, Pluto has loved having her around and having someone else to interact with on a regular basis. And gradually it just seemed like we had always been together…

But it was over Christmas that I really noticed how close they had become. She had quite a long Christmas break and bless her heart, took over a lot of dog duties: feeding, walking etc., so that I could struggle through the last week of work absolutely bloody exhausted. Her confidence has increased and you would think that she was an old hand at mutt guardianship, but she’s not. Despite this she’s managed to work on his training (he can now lay down – that’s all her, I wasn’t part of the programme), he walks off lead with her, positively squirms with delight when she praises him and takes notice when she has to correct him or discipline him. He follows her round and the other day on a walk, she had to double back and get something and when she was out of sight he whimpered until she returned.

So I’m quite happy about this new love affair because although we’re both top dog in the family, Pluto does come a very close second…

In other news: we went to see our friend's new baby, Felix. A handsome young man that can yell louder than anyone I've ever met. Remarkable really as he's less than 18 inches long. We braved a trip to Brent Cross on Sunday to pick up lots of baby clothes and my partner and I felt very broody... or were we just jealous that Felix could get an entire outfit (including a hat!) for less that £20?! Answers on a non-disposable nappy...

New career?

I have two first editions, one of which is worth about what I paid for it (because I only bought it recently) but I happened to mention the other one to our book seller friend last night and my investment of £20 only last year, is now worth over £200!! Pretty cool, huh? So buoyed by what I consider is clear evidence of a new talent, I've just bought two first edition Famous Five books on eBay!
Sadly I don't have lots of money and time to indulge in my new hobby so that's my lot, for a while anyway... I only buy books that I love (Famous Five got me through some difficult periods in my childhood) and I doubt I'll ever have a huge collection but it's kinda fun.

Carbon footprint, happy knees

I drove to work today and it was very pleasant. I made some wrong turns (despite borrowing the boy’s sat nav) but I got there in good time and it was a nice journey. I have to do it when the schools are back before I can say whether I will drive all the time but I can see why people are reluctant to give up their cars. Listening to the radio I heard that there were delays on the underground (the line I take) and this was repeated several times over the course of an hour, so it must have been pretty bad. I had no feelings of claustrophobia or stress and as I have free parking at a nearby car park (about a ten minute walk away) I generally feel very relaxed and very awake. Of course, I’m not exactly reducing my carbon footprint so if this is the way I’m going to get to work from now on – I’ll have to carpool. (So if any of you live S.E London and work in W. London please let me know!)

My partner met me last night and we went to a friend’s book shop to have a browse and all head home together (she lives a street away and our dogs are best friends!). The shop specialises in second hand and rare books and it was the first time we’ve been – not, I suspect, the last. We bought an old print of a stag beetle and luckily had a frame for it at home and it looks fabulous! Admittedly it’s not everyone’s cup of tea – a picture of a big black beetle – but trust me, it does look amazing.

Tonight my partner’s out for dinner so I’m having a night in front of the telly watching all the things she doesn’t normally like watching!

Highlights

Well it’s 2007 (although 2006 went so fast I’m not convinced we had all 12 months) and I’m feeling positive. I guess it helps I passed my driving test yesterday :0)
I have lots of work projects and challenges ahead, including re-branding and I’m looking forward to a bit of pressure and variety added to my work load. That said I have been questioning whether what I do is actually that important - the answer is no, but it’s a job, and I do quite enjoy it. I also quite enjoy the decent wage they pay me. But, I am hanging out for when I can write full time…

Highlights from my Christmas holidays:

1. In-laws meeting and actually liking each other.
2. All of my presents being great.
3. Turkey curry, turkey stew, turkey sandwiches.
4. Thornton’s chocolate birthday cake with candles spelling happy birthday.
5. New Year playing dirty word scrabble in a remote cottage with my gorgeous partner.
6. Lot’s of walking with the dog.
7. Passing my driving test.
8. A good friend hearing he got a great new job yesterday.
9. A reminder that despite quite enjoying the rampant commercialism of Christmas, it really was all about loving and laughing with the people that really matter to you.
10. Planning our holidays for the year.
11. Finding my MP3 player and putting all my new music on it.

Plan for 2007? To get published of course... !

Driving news...

I JUST PASSED MY DRIVING TEST! The best drivers always pass second time...

;0)