Back of the sofa

Pluto has discovered the back of the sofa. He likes looking out of the window on his kingdom. Previously, he was happy to hang over the back, then he realised with some delicate manouvering (bearing in mind he is a relatively large and heavy dog) he could sit and even lay across the top of the sofa. This means he is even closer to the radiator and he gets to watch the world go by in comfort. All any of us could ask for really.

Unfortunately it means when he breaks wind, he's that much closer to our heads...

*Yawn*

I did get some sleep, eventually, in case you were wondering :0)

Today I’ve done quite a lot and no one is more surprised than I am… it’s been one of those days when in the face of overwhelming odds, I’ve kept my head down and just kept trucking and all my admin is done as a result (including some personal admin). I still have lots to do but I can at least say that my day has not been a complete waste of make up thus far. I am looking forward to going home though because I can’t stop yawning. But on that note, I do need to do a bit more work before I can run for the hills…

White noise

I'm sat here thinking how much nicer life would be without others people's noise. We have a problem with our neighbours stereo and TV. Don't get me wrong, it's not blaring, well it is quite often actually but we all get a bit giddy, it's just the constant drone of the TV or the thumping of their music. I am so fed up with it. In April there is a national peace and tranquility day. I said to my partner, we shouldn't be at home that day. I want to move. I want to buy a house and move now!

We saw the architect's plans for my partner's parents new house this evening and as happy as I was for them I couldn't help feel a pang of envy. (Quite a large pang!)

I know I'm being impatient but I can't help it. Time to put the earplugs in and try and get some sleep...

Digestion digest

When I look at Pluto’s poo – as in when I pick up after him, not when I don a white coat and put it under a microscope – I can tell what his favourite toy is that week and often, where my missing ear plugs have gone. Today was no exception; his waste had bits of bright green, luminous yellow and orange in it. It looked like a rave turd. But despite what our furry little soldier eats (and expels) he is in rude health. If I ate what he did, I think I might end up in hospital...

Right now he’s taking a short nap after eating a rawhide lollipop.

I’m considering having a nap but unlike our dog, I have chores to do... being a grown up is far more demanding than being a pet...

Bubba

I’m enjoying Bubba Sparxxx. Not in the biblical sense. Which is a relief for both of us I’m sure. I ordered ‘Deliverance’ and can highly recommend it. In fact ‘Comin round’ and ‘She tried’ are ‘mazin...

Anyhoo, for Pluto fans among you, he’s sulking. We had the builders in (no, not a euphemism). The fence that separates the gardens was blown down in the recent high winds (I object to calling them gales – it’s London, we don’t get extreme weather much to my disappointment). So the builders needed to bring all the gear through our flat this morning and because we wouldn’t let Pluto play with them he’s projecting Oscar-worthy injury and upset in my general direction. He’s so considerate that if I go into another room, he follows me just so I don’t miss a minute of his performance. I have a rawhide shoe for him to enjoy later which should perk him up.

Right, I’ve been super-efficient this morning so another coffee and back to the grind with the two Bubba's giving it everything they’ve got right here in my front room...

(In a strange twist Bubba is also Pluto's nickname and has been since he was a puppy!)

Consult this...

Do you remember my railing against over-paid and under-qualified consultants? Well, the report from the one we employed is just in. It contained inaccurate information and the conclusions were breathtakingly obvious. But you can’t really blame the consultant, can you? If someone writes you a cheque for old rope, that’s exactly what they are going to get…

It was my second singing lesson last night, and it was fun. Actually it was frustrating but at the end it was fun and I managed to sing reasonably well. At the moment I’m still at the Eric Morcambe stage; I’m singing all the right notes, just not necessarily in the right order. I had my post-singing McDonalds and it was delish.

When I got home, we had a new cupboard to sort out. My in-laws are moving to the south coast and said we could have a rather fine pine cupboard that had previously been in their front room. It’s a massive thing and they arranged for it to be dropped off for us yesterday giving us much needed storage space in the bedroom. It looks great! We were musing that apart from white goods, a kitchen table and a new bed, we wouldn’t have much new furniture to buy when we move because we have bookcases, cupboards, coffee tables etc., etc. Plus we are asking for JL vouchers for our wedding, so that should help with the cost of things like washing machines and other necessities. That made me very happy. I’m always happy when we talk about moving. I’d just like somewhere where I can’t hear other people’s music and TV noise!

We’re off to the Smallholding and Gardening show in Wales in May. We can’t wait, although for some people the attraction won’t be immediately obvious, lol. We will be camping so I’m hoping it will be warmish. I’ve camped in the pouring rain and in temperatures below freezing and I’ve survived each time with a tale to tell, but I would be lying if I said camping wasn’t infinitely more pleasurable when the weather is warm and dry!

We did our diaries yesterday and things are a bit chocka. Not just the wedding and honeymoon (pre and post wedding!) but now; camping in Wales; weekends away with friends or friends coming to us for the weekend; one training course; rugby at Twickenham x 2; visits to family; lunches and dinners with various loved ones; one concert; one visit to a theme park and we need to paint the kitchen at some point and keep up with the garden…

I keep reminding myself that life is better when it's full :0)

Nice arse

This is the 2nd day in a row I've blogged about something topical. Normal service will resume shortly and by that I mean whimsy, odd thoughts that pop into my head on the drive to work, news about my dog, things that make me laugh and household chores, but I read this article and was pretty disgusted.

I went and bought my lunch today and was in the queue when I realised I didn’t have a bag on me. Which, to my shame, is fairly typical of me. I buy them and forget to use them quite often, so rather than use plastic bags, I buy more reusable bags and so it continues. So today I had to buy another reusable bag – this time a rather natty string affair (turtle friendly apparently) from M & S for my lunch bits and pieces. I am determined to keep this one with me, even if like mittens, I have to somehow attach it to the sleeve of my jacket. The point is, you read stories like this and you realise one plastic bag does make a difference, and the more we continue to fuck up the less choice we will have.

I’m amazed when people whinge about environmental issues and how they can’t afford to make changes, or it’s too difficult. (Which does make you question how they function on a day-to-day basis when they apparently can’t manage to switch a light bulb to a low-energy one, buy a 50p reusable grocery bag, and recycle a few tins and cereal boxes… obviously someone else ties their shoelaces.) If we keep dumping rubbish at the rate we are; we will no longer have the choice to do something about it. We will HAVE to do something about it. You may find yourself charged just to get rid of your every-day refuse, you will be fined for not recycling, you won’t be able to go and visit beautiful places in the world, because we will have despoiled them all, animals will continue to die – in greater numbers and more often – their bellies full of plastic and toxins. And if you’ll allow me some artistic licence, the air will be thick and greasy with burning rubbish because there is no more land to fill and we have to get rid of it somehow. If you think air quality is poor now, just you wait…

And this because it’s not just household waste anymore it’s the endless TV sets, stereos, gadgets, toys, computers, clothes, furniture and other things we throw away each day and yes, plastic bags too. What doesn't go in our bins (or by the bins as if somehow our crap will dispose of itself), goes down our toilets or is dumped in the street, in rivers and seas until it becomes a floating mass of cheap and nasty buy one get one free's.

But of course, all this will be dismissed as more belly aching from a left-wing greenie feminist loonie (guilty as charged m’lud). But I’m just puzzled because problems are usually well, problematic. However, we have the solution to this problem and yet we continue to stick our heads in the sand and show our arses to the rest of the planet...

PS. Click on the title to take you to the BBC story. Which oddly, has nothing to do with arses!

Bang bang

Here’s an interesting news story (or so I thought anyway). The NUT is currently having their annual conference in Manchester I think. A teacher has tabled a motion to stop the military “recruiting” in schools, because they are using increasingly sophisticated techniques to tempt young people into the Forces. And part of me thought, so what? The Forces point out that they are being invited into schools to talk about their work and they talk about peacekeeping duties as well as active duty and war.

In America recruiting is something you can get a Masters in at Harvard – it’s fierce. Recruiters have targets and in a country where education is so prohibitively expensive the Forces’ biggest tool is that if you sign up for either full-time military service, or the Reserves, you can get costly things like law or medical school (as well as hundreds of other career choices) paid for. The fastest growing demographic in the US Military is young and very poor women (often single mothers) looking to provide better lives for their children, get a career or get an education. Recruiters actively target poverty stricken areas where there will be young men and women desperate for options and schools are prime targets. Some of these newly recruited men and women come from such deprived backgrounds that they need literacy and numeracy support to enable them to complete basic training, let alone the advanced training that might seem them end up with qualifications and career choices.

I find that pretty unpleasant; that when you are poor sometimes you really do only have two options do nothing and achieve nothing or join the military. To not be able to afford to go to school or to have so few opportunities available to you that you can never break out of the cycle of poverty is just wrong. The army in that case, should never be the only option available – it should be one of them for those genuinely interested – but it should not be the gatekeeper to a better life because actually, if you’re not suited to that type of life, no matter what they pay you, or how much schooling they provide, it can break and destroy a person. And with the world in such an agitated state, there will always be wars and conflicts and people to kill. (Sorry to be so blunt.)

We do something similar in this country, but with a much better system of education people are not reliant on the military to provide it for them. Also, the charge was that recruiters (in this country) were actively targeting poor areas, but the take up has always been greater in more deprived areas. To think that the poor don’t have fewer options in life generally is just stupid.

When I was at school in the mid-90s there was an army cadet corps group attached to the school, recruiting literature in the library and the army came in to do a talk. And I did want to join before I realised my knees were almost totally destroyed, but I didn’t feel it was the only opportunity available – far from it. There was no coercion or propaganda. Some of my friend’s would no more go into the army than they would chew off their own feet. And a few leaflets and a talk (which was optional to attend) did nothing to persuade them otherwise.

I suspect that people’s current opinions are coloured by their opinions on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, which is understandable. But to dismiss the Forces because of politics is unfair. They do much more than just fire guns (although yes, they do fire guns). Peacekeeping duties including medical aid for people and animals, engineering and building, improving sanitation, agriculture, teaching etc., etc. can make up a great deal of a soldier’s life. Surely that is something to be proud of?

To not worry about the worst case scenario – my child goes to war and doesn’t come back – is impossible and that is what makes a Forces career so unusual and such a difficult choice in the first place. However, I think if that choice is made for all the right reasons and without apparently “sophisticated recruiting techniques” then a person’s choice should be respected whichever career they choose. And all we can ever hope is that someone gets to do something they enjoy, to the best of their ability, and for them to have the chance to say they made a difference. And you can do that in the Forces or working for a butcher’s because like everything, it’s as much about what you put in as what you get out...

Carrot cake

It’s a funny old day if you don’t like your job. Part of you is absolutely delighted to be off on a Monday... but part of you is thinking, oh bugger, work tomorrow! I however, have tomorrow off as well so I don’t need to do the ‘oh bugger’ part until tomorrow evening. So in the meantime, Pluto and I are watching The Longest Day (classic war film) stretched out on the sofa. We’re looking forward to tea and carrot cake shortly and then who knows... we went for a long walk this morning so we may not leave the house again today! My partner is in the garden but that seemed a little too energetic. (Although I may be tempted to plant some tomato and lettuce seeds later.)

I’ve put some nicely designed and laminated posters up in local parks advertising Dog Wise Training. It will be interesting to see if they work. It takes time for a new business or service to find where the best place to advertise is. A friend has one up in her book shop (because she is a dog friendly shop, often taking her own dog in, a lot of her customers also bring their dogs in) and I want to get one up in the local pet shop and cafe as well.

Anyway I’m missing all the best bits... enjoy the rest of your bank holiday!

PS. It was the last episode of Lark Rise last night, and what an episode it was! It's been such a fantastic series that we can't wait for the next one. We also watched the first part of Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic and then the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency which was incredible - and a fitting tribute to Anthony Minghella.

Now I think about it, it was no wonder I needed a long walk with the dog this morning, I had a couch shaped arse!

Country's pride

England vs. Wale's it is ;0)

Wasps out, so who's in?

My favourite (rugby) team in the world (other than when England play) is Wasps. So you can appreciate I'm pretty gutted that they haven't made the EDF final at Twickenham on April 12th. Especially as I have tickets!! However, Leicester played a blinder, man of the match, Goode was superb and both teams played top rugby which made it a cracking game to watch. So who will Leicester play?

Well, at 56 minutes into the Osprey / Sarcens match, it looks all Ospreys... which would make the match on the 12th, England vs. Wales, ha! Shane Williams and Gavin Henson are great players so I won't be sorry to see them live at Twickers. Although, as a London team I should be supporting the Sarries...

I think it's fair to say, whoever ends up in TW1 in April, it's going to a fantastic game and I can't wait!

Scary storm

Yesterday after all our adventures, we were home watching Wind in the Willows, the only light coming from a small table lamp and the flicker of the fire. It was really cosy and when the storm started I was in heaven. I love storms! Proper thunder, lightning, rain and in this case hail as well. It made being inside even more delicious. Unfortunately Mr Pluto is less of a fan of thunder than I am – in fact loud, scary noises generally don’t appeal. He weathered (some pun intended) the storm quite well considering, but was bothered and restless afterwards until he realised exactly what he needed to do to make himself feel better. He climbed on to the sofa, onto our laps and fell asleep. The place that our 27kg, Rottweiler x feels the most safe is on his mummys laps. We watched the rest of Wind in the Willows with no further interruptions...

(He's less adorable this morning after deciding that our new blue and white rug would look so much better with muddy paw prints all over it...)

Good day

I had a great massage this morning, then we went for lunch at the blackbird bakery in Crystal Palace (and picked up some just baked hot cross buns), went to a garden centre, walked the dog and now we're home, with our feet up, the fire on and a feeling of contentment. I also ordered a new digi camera: slimline, pocket size, burnt metallic orange, very stylish! It's not always advisable to take my big and very expensive camera everywhere. (Especially down the pub for a friend's birthday or get together!) So it's been a very good Friday indeed...

A little bit here, a little bit there

We bought an eco-kettle a couple of weeks ago and we're really happy with it. It has two chambers, you fill the outer chamber with water of a morning, and then when you want a cuppa you press a button which releases enough water for your exact needs (1 cup, 2, or even enough for a large teapot). It means you only ever boil exactly what you need so you don't waste energy. And if you were wondering, in the UK alone, we waste enough energy each year to power another 7 million homes! The kettle is currently on special offer and there's a free gift (a fair trade cookie I think!)

It boils super quick, looks nice and is really effecient. All you want from a kettle really, but with the added bonus of knowing that you're doing a good thing for the environment and whilst what you're doing maybe small - big is only ever achieved with lots of small!

(I've just dicovered that if you click on the title of this entry, it takes you to where the kettle is currently on offer. Technology, eh!?)

Classy

I can’t believe I’m up so early. For two reasons; one is that I’m working from home today and the whole point of working from home is to lay-in and start work when you feel like it. As long as you get everything done and done well, you could start at 4am or 4pm! The other reason is I drank an entire bottle of rather fine rioja by myself last night. My partner didn’t want to drink and I hate waste... but despite this, I’m up and although I wouldn’t say ‘at ‘em’ just yet , I can definitely sense an ‘at ‘em’ on the horizon...

We watched a funny programme on class last night, ‘the grumpy guide to class’ (I had downloaded it on iPlayer). UK viewers will be familiar with the format: famous middle aged grumpy people espousing about things that bother them! My partner and I have talked a lot about class, mainly because we don’t really understand it – I am working class, she is middle class, this we understand. But apparently when we have children they will be middle class. Does middle trump working? Is it like having a better hand at poker? Anyway, I was once told I couldn’t possibly be working class because I spoke too well. To which I replied (articulately and with eloquence - is that pompous and un-working class enough for you?) that I was sorry I hadn’t realised my place much sooner in life and that I would immediately issue a badly written memo on the back of butcher's receipt, reminding the working class that (a) education was dangerous and to be feared and (f) that even if we did have a decent vocabulary we should refrain from using it in public and stick to one-syllable words and speaking like we either worked on a 1930’s market stall or down a mine circa 1950.

I did indeed issue aforementioned memo but of course, none of us can read so it was wasted...

Most countries have either never bothered or moved on from the vexing issue of class. Not Britain - we love a challenge. I don't think there is any kudos in being working class, but it doesn't bother me either. I have to say though, largely speaking, I don’t give a monkey’s arse about the whole thing!

Caption this!

I’m a competition winner! I got a call last night to say I won the Rugby World magazine’s caption competition and had won a £100 voucher for the Rugby Store! I was over the moon – my caption (and it will mean nothing without the picture) was “so tell me again why you’re stir frying my trousers?!” Told you it wouldn’t mean much…

I’m definitely getting a new England shirt and am ridiculously pleased about the whole thing!

This is my last day in the office until next Weds. I’m working from home tomorrow and then it’s bank holiday, weekend, bank holiday, day off… I can’t wait!

Chickens, singing lessons and a new job?

Last night I had my first singing lesson! It was fun and instructive. I have, apparently, a good ear and a nice tone. Get me! Although it is difficult after only an hour, and then only doing exercises, for a teacher to judge how good the voice is. I have exercises to do and I need to breath deeper. As an asthmatic my breathing is quite shallow and I need to breathe deeper, to give my voice better range and power. I’m a deep alto… in case you were wondering…

And then today I went for my job interview. I will find out at the end of next week whether I shall be called for a 2nd interview. I think it went quite well, but it’s so difficult to judge. I waffled on some questions and was bang on with others but as I haven’t done an interview in over 3 years I was pleased with my effort. The people that interviewed me seemed quite nice, but the staff were a little glum – no eye contact or smiles, which seemed odd.

We think we might be buying a chicken coop this weekend! How exciting! (I forgive you if you’re not excited – keeping chickens is not everyone’s idea of fun.)

It’s been a strange and exciting week so far and it’s only Tuesday!

Weddings, holidays and Scottish dancing...

It’s been a lovely weekend and it’s not over yet! We have been uber organised, the sort of organised that makes you briefly flirt with the idea of trying to take over the world...

We managed to take our old computer monitor to be recycled yesterday. It had been in the hallway so long we had begun to think of it as an unusual piece of furniture. And then we stocked up on Hoover bags (no really, we’ve needed some for weeks!) Then we popped into Provinda (the organic bakery in Forest Hill) for large cups of coffee and a bite to eat. I picked up a carrot cake as well which is so good it’s now almost all gone. After which we tackled wedding stuff with a full belly and a pleasant caffeine buzz.

We are going to Cornwall for three weeks when we get wed. So we booked a small hotel for 7 days before the wedding, then we’re at the wedding hotel for 3 days and then we’re off to another part of Cornwall for a honeymoon! So we booked the pre and post wedding holiday, plus the dog’s accommodation for the actual wedding (he will be with us before and after, but isn’t able to stay with us in the wedding hotel). I also booked a massage for next week, and confirmed my new singing lesson. We paid bills, watched the rugby, walked the dog, did laundry and then headed out to go Scottish dancing!! Well, I sat and watched... it was a friend’s birthday and he wanted to do something different so he organised an evening with the Gay Gordon’s. A gay Scottish dancing group (now there’s a niche market!) It was a fantastic evening, really friendly and fun.

Today my partner’s brother is coming over for lunch so I’m doing a big organic beef roast – and no doubt several bottles of red wine will help the afternoon go with a swing.

This evening I plan to do nothing except watch Lark Rise (the last one in the series, but fear not I have inside information – there will be at least one more series, possibly more!)

And then Monday will appear with unseemly haste, but with a massage, a job interview, a singing lesson and a bank holiday to look forward to, I think I’m going to have a good week!

What to do, what to do?!

Another big project on the horizon… I had a good but very technical website meeting this morning. The technical bits made my head hurt but we made a lot of progress. And I actually felt good about work for the first time in a while, so I was put in something of a spin to get an email asking me to attend a job interview! It would be a step up, slightly more money and is a very interesting prospect. There’s so much to consider that I’ve decided to consider none of it and just take one step at a time. After all an interview is not a job offer.

We had a friend over for dinner last night. We haven’t seen her in an age so it was wonderful to catch up over beer and good food – courtesy of the missus, although I will point out I chopped the onions, tomatoes and cauliflower. Our friend bought us honey vodka from New Zealand (she can come again) which I’m very excited about. Apparently it’s award-winning and there is a passion fruit and a kiwi variety too. Good enough to eat, well, drink…

What made us puff up with pride was she noticed how much calmer Pluto was, and how much more ‘in control’ he seemed to be. We are working hard on this aspect of his behaviour and to have it noticed made us feel good. Especially as I can’t exactly go into people’s homes offering to help them and their dogs if my own is a lunatic!

I realised last night that next weekend is Easter bank holiday so we have the Friday and Monday off, plus I get what is called a recess day (a local government thing I think. Because we are unable to receive financial bonuses we are given extra annual leave). I’m not sure what we’ll do; we went camping in the New Forest last year and had an absolutely fantastic time. We briefly flirted with the idea of going camping again but have decided to stick closer to home. Maybe a combination of day trips, lazy days and chocolate!?

Is it really worth it?

I got a call last night from Abbey Complaints. As you may recall (and don’t feel you’ve failed if you don’t) I have had numerous problems these last two months with Abbey messing up my account. Anyway, I complained and received a letter last week with an apology and an admission that I had been let down on several occasions. They also said they were crediting my account with £45 which I thought initially was compensation but it actually turned out to be charges that I had incurred through their mishandling of my account. So at 7.30pm last night, I was quite surprised when my partner handed me the phone and said it was the Abbey.

The woman I spoke to was wonderful! She said that she had been investigating my complaints and “was speechless” at how badly Abbey had handled my account and that it was “incredible” that I was still an Abbey customer. She apologised on behalf of all her colleagues that had let me down and offered me quite a large and unexpected sum of money as compensation. It was then my turn to be speechless. I explained to her that whilst the compensation was very welcome (and it was!) it was the phone call that made me think that staying with Abbey was worthwhile. This woman was brilliant at her job, simply because she was honest and seemed to really emphasis with how stressed and frustrated I had become. So as I have slated Abbey previously, I felt it only fair to tell you when they did something right. They are on notice now – if the next 6 months are trouble free then I will stay with them and we might even consider transferring our savings and getting our mortgage through them… However, if there are any more problems I will switch banks and send a final letter saying why, and that will be the end of it.

So yes, it’s frustrating having to complain and keep on top of things because big organisations seem to have so many departments and you never speak to the same person twice but it’s the principle. Never complain in the hope you’ll get something in return, my advice is only ever complain when you really feel that there really has been a problem. The big companies often have compensation policies and so yes, you might get something in return but the aim should be to change the service for the better and make sure you don’t suffer those problems again…

I have a singing lesson tomorrow! Now let me just say right from the beginning, you won’t be seeing me on some trashy Idol show, I don’t want to be in a band, I don’t want to a professional singer and I don’t even want to be in a choir. I’m doing this for me and seeing as the only place I ever sing is on the way to and from work, for my car as well! I’ve always loved singing and used to be very good and thought it might be quite fun to give it a bash again – with the added bonus that singing is great for asthmatics. Anyway, I’m really looking forward to it and I shall blog about the experience on Friday…

Vexing denim

Here’s a question, when you buy a new pair of jeans do you have to know immediately whether they are the jeans for you, or can they grow on you?

I have bought a new pair of work jeans. I specify that their work jeans because I’m less interested in them from a fashion point of view than jeans I wear outside of work. I also don’t like having to spend a lot of money on them. I have Firetrap jeans that were £90 but I really don’t want to spend that sort of money on jeans that will only be worn at the office. Although some of my colleagues do apparently think they work for Vogue, I’m painfully aware we work for a local authority…

I wasn’t sure I liked these jeans when I put them on this morning and I’m still not sure (although my partner says they look good). Some people swear that you know the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, the moment you see them. Other people say that’s absolute poppycock and piffle and that all really good things take time to build… is it the same with jeans? When I looked at my button fly this morning (in absence of a pair of eyes) I didn’t feel that these were the jeans I wanted to spend the rest of my life with so should I just give up or persist?

I’m a little annoyed that they’ve given me blue hands and thighs from the dye as well to be honest.

Now that the magazine is with the designer, I suddenly have time to think about life’s big questions again…

Stormy weather

Whilst some people may be counting the cost of yesterday’s storms (and some parts of the country are still being battered by storms) it’s fair to say dogs aren’t among them. Twice on my way to work I saw very excited dogs pounce on the fallen bounty from trees in the park.

A Labrador tried to drag half a tree back home with him but only managed about 20 yards before deciding that he may as well lay down and try and chew it down to a more manageable size. And then further up the road I saw the same thing again – a slightly less ambitious size but with the same affect on the pooch that decided it was put there just for him. Pluto enjoyed all the new smells in the park this morning, thrown up by strong winds and rain, and he was fairly distracted for most of his walk even when joined by his best friend who herself was distracted by the treats in my pocket…

I think I may have my first Dog Wise client. I’m not sure if I should be alarmed that he’s known as Evil Charlie by the family he owns, but I plan to chalk it up to experience! From the list of problems he’s presenting, there’s nothing there that I think I can’t handle. But if you see me with bandages on my hands then you know I was wrong!

Rugby

Oh, you might be wondering why I haven't commented on the game yesterday. To be honest, what's to say? Difficult conditions yes, but generally it was a second-rate display from an international team. We kicked away possesion, we made poor tactical choices, we gave away penalities, we weren't creative and at times we were like the mud - heavy and lumpy!

Poor.

Naked?

Someone in America found me by putting "Haven't worn clothes" into Google and someone in France put "Joan Collins" into Google and also found me... Haven't worn clothes?! Weird... anyway, welcome...

It's Sunday and I'm not hungover but because of my general inaction yesterday I have a list of jobs to do as long as your arm. Including a job application. But all that has to wait, because Countryfile is on - the best programme on TV bar none! ;0)

Hungover

Beer...eurgh...

Consultants

I don’t like consultants. Being a fair and reasonable woman I think there must be some good ones out there (law of averages and all that) but I have never met a decent one. Take today – and please feel free to take today – I had an appointment with a consultant and left feeling, frankly befuddled. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m too pedestrian and need to think outside the box but my general feeling was ‘you don’t have a clue!’ If I were not so tired and peed off I would be annoyed, angry even, that my time is there to be wasted and that our interim chief executive doesn’t see that bringing consultants in without involving the staff of that team or dept. is very wrong and will have the effect of scuppering what small bits of tattered morale we might still be clinging too. But as I said, I’m too tired (and busy) to think about that. I will merely muse on the stupidity of a world that feels unless it is paying a consultant too much money, they are doing something wrong…

One day I will be working for myself. And I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to manage without employing some half-wit with a limp handshake to tell me what I already know.

Dog Wise

I have a new website for my new (part-time) business - let me know what you think!

http://dogwisetraining.co.uk/

Also, just while I'm blogging, I had some peanut M & Ms today (whilst I was building my site actually) and there were lots of blue ones. Aren't they banned? Have I had an illegal dose of e-numbers? I have to say, I don't feel particularly hyper-active. In fact I'm quite tired!

Toast

Can one bit of toast really make that much of a difference?

I was getting into the habit of eating a bowl of cereal and having one thick slice of homemade bread in the morning (I only mention that it's homemade because it's much more filling). And as such, I've been picking less at work and managing to wait until 12 for my lunch... how old fashioned... the last two days however, I haven't had the toast and yesterday I ate my lunch at 10.33 and today I'm eating it now at 11.24, which is, admittedly, slightly better. But not much. So clearly, the toast does make all the difference and I will have to make sure that no matter how rushed, I have my wheat quota of a morning.

I've been trying to sort out a website BY MYSELF! Yes, despite having all the technical know-how of a millipede I am getting on - sort of - with the job at hand. I'm having a nice, stylish photography one done for me, but I want to advertise my services as a dog trainer when I am qualified, so felt I needed one for that as well. Despite such feckless language as 'easy to build' and 'foolproof' I'm finding it laborious and have sworn at the computer three times now.

I'm sure it will all be worth it but life does seems so much more complicated with technology in it...

Success!

I received two letters that brought good news yesterday. The first was from the Jury Service people. My service has been deferred! I discovered after I said yes I could do it, that I had a hospital appointment the day after I had to report for duty. I was also worried that I might get involved in a long case and I might not be able to get married! (Unlikely I know, but be fair, how often do you get married? If Joan Collins happens to be reading this blog, please don’t feel you need to email…)

I now have to do it at the end of September. Perfect! And can I just say how helpful they were. Both times I rang I spoke to polite, helpful, friendly people. And despite saying I could do it and then writing to say I couldn’t, it didn’t cause any problems. Which makes me even more glad to be able to do my duty at the end of the year – I do hope I get an interesting case!

The other letter was from Abbey (was that a sharp intake of breath I heard?!) It was a full written apology! They did a full investigation and concluded that their service had been poor and I had been let down on several occasions. They will be crediting £45 to my account to apologise, and obviously that’s great, but really, the fact that they’ve dealt with this and will presumably not be messing up in the future is fantastic and genuinely worth more than money. I think I might take the missus out for dinner. It’s not a great deal of moolah but it will nice to turn a series of small customer service disasters into a nice meal! Not even Delia can do that…

Fly tipping

I often despair about the increasingly regulated country we live in. People say we’re becoming a Nanny State and they’re right…

For some reason I was thinking about Gypsies and Mendicants around the turn of the last century this morning (I have absolutely no idea why), and how it was their choice to travel from place to place, living off the land and following their own rules. And whilst like the former Barbara Cartland, I’m romanticising the whole thing, and Gypsies have always suffered persecution and intolerance I realised, somewhat sadly, that those ideals and that way of life has all but disappeared. Our connection to the land and the seasons is going if not gone.

I think people do need rules and regulations, because the one thing humans have proved time and time again is that the one thing we’re really, really good at is fucking things up. But when is enough, enough? When we have ID cards and our kids are being biometrically scanned to get into schools? When we have pass cards (as in apartheid South Africa) which dictate where we can go and when? When murderers get two years and rapists go free but if you drop litter you’ll get seven years hard labour? When instead of saying no to drugs, we say no to choice? When we totally fear and despise those that choose to live a different lifestyle to what the Daily Mail tells us is the right and proper way to live? When we create and fuel anti-social behaviour by alienating people and depriving them of any meaningful activity and then publicly flog those that, well, cause anti-social behaviour…

And then also this morning I saw why some of that regulation was necessary and I despaired. Fly tipping. Why? What is wrong with these fuck heads? We’ve created a culture that makes us want more and more, so we buy more and more, but then we want more, so we dump what we have and buy something exactly like what we’ve just dumped just a little bit more powerful and a lot more expensive. There’s a disused garage that people just dump crap in front of two streets away from us. In the space of a weekend, a roll of carpet, a broken vacuum cleaner and a headboard have appeared. Because god forbid you would take responsibility and recycle or take them down to the tip? These are the same people incidentally that if they have a dog, will allow it to foul everywhere and then scream blue murder when they step in another dog’s crap…

Here’s my question, why can we never take responsibility? Why can’t we respect our environment and the people we share it with? Why are we only shaken from our apathy (briefly and not until after Coronation Street) when we hear that more regulations are being imposed and we react with indignation and false pride, ‘we are a proud people who are being regulated and ruled into the ground, it’s not right!’ We’re not proud – proud people take responsibility, they see it as a duty to help those less fortunate. Proud people don’t always understand but they always try to listen and tolerate and learn. And proud people understand the need to self-regulate and not take more than they give. Or at least that’s what I thought. In the absence of that civic responsibility, you can perhaps understand why some officious and over-eager MP or councillor decides that what is needed is a big stick and a firm hand.

It's a vicious circle: a few people act like fucktards, regulation is brought but in doing so it acts as a disincentive to people to take personal responsibility for their actions and so a few more people start to behave with no thought or regard (because why should they, they think) and even more regulation is brought in as a consequence...

So you can see, mentally speaking, I’ve had quite a morning of it. And I’m no nearer the answer either. Except that one day – soon – we will be buying a small farm and living a peaceful life working with nature and our neighbours, and frankly the rest of society can go whistle!

I’m going to have a jam doughnut now. And I will recycle the paper bag it came in... unless the jam explodes.

Car boot

We made over £120 today - and that was after we took out our costs! We went to the Battersea car boot, which was so well organised and run. We got rid of about two thirds of our stuff and the rest is going to charity, St Christopher's Hospice. To be honest, I am really tired now, but it was fun and we now have an extra £120 to put into the wedding fund! And really, it took very little effort...

We're making oatmeal cookies and bread now, and then I'm looking forward to a very early night!

:0)

Saturday chores!

I haven’t stopped all day! I woke at 9.30 and did the washing up, two loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, dusted the front room, made two loaves of bread (one for our neighbours), and then went to buy a mother’s day present (for the first time in years my mum has a garden so I bought her compost, pots, plants, flowers and some gardening tools). I then dropped off her presents and took her into town, headed home and did a few more chores before rewarding myself with a nap! This afternoon my partner assembled the newly arrived exercise bike which is now up and working (we’ve both had a go!). And now we’re off to friends for dinner. We did try and set up the printer as well, but it turns out we’re missing a cable. (You have to buy that separately – what a rip off!)

After dropping my mum off, I stopped off at Provinder (or Provinda?) the organic bakery in Forest Hill. They do meat-free sausage rolls which are absolutely bloody gorgeous. Hard to get excited about a sausage roll you might think – especially meat free! But I think they’re lovely. So I bought some of them, and some carrot cake and that was lunch sorted.

I was reminded today that I’m still not fully recovered because every time I did something, I had to factor in sitting down for 10 – 15 minutes afterwards to recover. Even if what I did was not particularly strenuous.

Tomorrow is the car boot and then I think a very early night to make sure I can cope with work on Monday!