I should have taken a photo. On Tuesday, a council van arrived in our street and unloaded our nice new brown wheelie bins, especially for recycling garden waste. It was rubbish day, so all the green wheelie bins were already out. It was particularly spectacular given that they left a brown bin for each of the flats across the road -- the street was a sea of bins!
A neighbour later said she'd tried to talk them out of leaving bins for the flats -- the grounds are kept by contract gardeners rather than the owners themselves. But the council workers said they were just following orders. Some of the bins are still sitting out in the street -- there's nowhere to put them!
I'm very pleased with mine, and immediately did some weeding and trimming. Then the storm broke, and since then the rain has been lashing down almost without a break. The raspberries are just about to ripen, so it's been maddening to watch the canes being battered by gales. Wah!
On the work front I've decided to stop moaning and grizzling and whining and adopt more of a Positive Mental Attitude. I've always been an optimistic person, but lately work has been getting me down. Not any more! Realistically I have very little to complain about, and I'm taking positive action on the things that are wrong. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
24 June 2004
19 June 2004
:: sorry 'bout that
What a time it's been. Work has just been insane, busy and stressful. I won't say much more about it here, suffice to say I bought lottery tickets today. I haven't been sleeping very well, then I sleep in and then have to bustle around getting everything done before work. Urgh.
A symptom of work stress is that I've become addicted to Big Brother. It's a cracker this year -- viewers called the police at one point! I know hardly anyone else who watches it. "What's the point?" sneered one chap. Hello?!? What's the point of Coronation Street? It's entertainment. Duh. Desmond Morris watches it.
One of the proofreaders the other day circled the word "hippest". Hip, hipper, hippest. "I've never come across it before," he said.
The QEII was in town the other day. First clue was a gaggle of elderlies at the bus stop, all dressed in shades of beige, white and stone. They were the lucky ones. The unlucky ones had decided to catch the train into Edinburgh. The ship is parked at Hound Point, and the passengers are ferried to the Hawes pier. Someone told them just to go up the steps behind Hawes Inn to get to the railway station. "I thought I was going to die!" gasped one lady I met while walking Bertie near Dalmeny. Neither she nor another couple I rescued could find the station, though they could hear the trains stopping there.
The weather has been wonderful, hot hot hot and sunny. Then yesterday it clouded over, and today it's pissing down with rain and cold enough to see your breath. I've had a couple of good walks (hood up, wishing I'd worn gloves), a hot bath and watched a bit of BB, and now I'm going to whip up some beef stroganoff. No idea why ... a whim in the supermarket. Fillet beef, mushrooms, sour cream and noodles, mmmmm. I haven't cooked it for probably 20 years.
A symptom of work stress is that I've become addicted to Big Brother. It's a cracker this year -- viewers called the police at one point! I know hardly anyone else who watches it. "What's the point?" sneered one chap. Hello?!? What's the point of Coronation Street? It's entertainment. Duh. Desmond Morris watches it.
One of the proofreaders the other day circled the word "hippest". Hip, hipper, hippest. "I've never come across it before," he said.
The QEII was in town the other day. First clue was a gaggle of elderlies at the bus stop, all dressed in shades of beige, white and stone. They were the lucky ones. The unlucky ones had decided to catch the train into Edinburgh. The ship is parked at Hound Point, and the passengers are ferried to the Hawes pier. Someone told them just to go up the steps behind Hawes Inn to get to the railway station. "I thought I was going to die!" gasped one lady I met while walking Bertie near Dalmeny. Neither she nor another couple I rescued could find the station, though they could hear the trains stopping there.
The weather has been wonderful, hot hot hot and sunny. Then yesterday it clouded over, and today it's pissing down with rain and cold enough to see your breath. I've had a couple of good walks (hood up, wishing I'd worn gloves), a hot bath and watched a bit of BB, and now I'm going to whip up some beef stroganoff. No idea why ... a whim in the supermarket. Fillet beef, mushrooms, sour cream and noodles, mmmmm. I haven't cooked it for probably 20 years.
3 June 2004
:: Phew
Finally, a day off. Three days off, actually. It would have been five, but they're short-staffed, so I'm having to work on Sunday.
Right now I'm going to walk Bertie, then go shopping for a wedding present for a couple I've never met, but whose wedding celebration party I've been invited to, then I'm going to a film. I'm not sure which one ... but probably The Day After Tomorrow. It's had rubbish reviews, but I love a disaster movie. Either that or Troy. It's also had rubbish reviews, but I love an epic.
Then I might do some housework, mainly because Fiona's coming round tomorrow and the place is fairly grimy. The window-cleaner came this morning, so I need to at least clean the dog-snot off the inside of the windows.
Right now I'm going to walk Bertie, then go shopping for a wedding present for a couple I've never met, but whose wedding celebration party I've been invited to, then I'm going to a film. I'm not sure which one ... but probably The Day After Tomorrow. It's had rubbish reviews, but I love a disaster movie. Either that or Troy. It's also had rubbish reviews, but I love an epic.
Then I might do some housework, mainly because Fiona's coming round tomorrow and the place is fairly grimy. The window-cleaner came this morning, so I need to at least clean the dog-snot off the inside of the windows.
30 May 2004
:: terrierism
The first thing Ozzy did on arrival was to run straight under Bertie (yes, that's right, under) to his food bowl. Bertie's food bowl. And he stood there eating steadily while Colin handed over his luggage and we chatted. Bertie just stared in amazement. I finally had to haul Ozzy's nose out of the trough, at which point Bertie nipped in and finished off his dinner -- he doesn't usually eat much during the day and likes to leave himself a late-night snack. (The solution was to put Bertie's bowl on a high stool, and to give Ozzy some of Bertie's bikkies in his tiny wee dish.)
We had a walk and then it was bedtime. But hey, who can sleep in a new house? It's much too exciting! He barked at the neighbours arriving home at 1:30am, he barked at distant voices at 2am. At 4am he found Bertie's squeaky toys. It was like that the whole weekend: Ozzy manically excited by everything, Bertie so laid back he seemed comatose by comparison. When Bertie caught a hedgehog last night Ozzy's excitement went right off the meter. We were right under the bridge at the time, so his hysterical yipping could probably be heard in Edinburgh. He's a very cute dog, but man is he hard work.
Colin was picking him back up this evening -- a relief for me, and I imagine for Bertie too. He likes sleeping even more than I do!
In case you were wondering what Oz looks like -- he's the same kind of dog as Toto. Hence the name.
We had a walk and then it was bedtime. But hey, who can sleep in a new house? It's much too exciting! He barked at the neighbours arriving home at 1:30am, he barked at distant voices at 2am. At 4am he found Bertie's squeaky toys. It was like that the whole weekend: Ozzy manically excited by everything, Bertie so laid back he seemed comatose by comparison. When Bertie caught a hedgehog last night Ozzy's excitement went right off the meter. We were right under the bridge at the time, so his hysterical yipping could probably be heard in Edinburgh. He's a very cute dog, but man is he hard work.
Colin was picking him back up this evening -- a relief for me, and I imagine for Bertie too. He likes sleeping even more than I do!
In case you were wondering what Oz looks like -- he's the same kind of dog as Toto. Hence the name.
28 May 2004
:: oz
Oz is staying the weekend! Oz is John and Penny's dog, a Border terrierist. He's very cute, and he and Bertie get along famously. John and Penny are in the US for their daughter's wedding (she's getting married in Las Vegas, in the Starlight Chapel), and Colin and Jenny are minding Oz -- but this weekend, Jenny's away and Colin is rescue-boating at a regatta all weekend.
I'm working on Sunday night, so Colin will let himself in to collect Oz.
Work is just insane, I'm so busy. I'm on top of things, but just barely. I'm having to make inhuman efforts not to burst into flames. I've got Saturday off, then back into the maelstrom again from Sunday to Wednesday. I was then due to have a gloriously long weekend, from Thursday to Monday, but am having to come in on the Sunday. Grrr.
That's all for now, I'll try and post pics of Oz and Bertie together, they look really cute.
I'm working on Sunday night, so Colin will let himself in to collect Oz.
Work is just insane, I'm so busy. I'm on top of things, but just barely. I'm having to make inhuman efforts not to burst into flames. I've got Saturday off, then back into the maelstrom again from Sunday to Wednesday. I was then due to have a gloriously long weekend, from Thursday to Monday, but am having to come in on the Sunday. Grrr.
That's all for now, I'll try and post pics of Oz and Bertie together, they look really cute.
25 May 2004
:: the big blue
I finally finished painting my bedroom over the weekend and moved back in last night. It's very blue.
Also over the weekend I had a good go at the garden, front and back. I mowed and weeded and strimmed for hour after hour, and it's now looking reasonably cared-for, in a ragged sort of way. My mower doesn't have blades, it has a little plastic tag that whirrs around, and it leaves the grass looking a bit chewed. Also, the hedge is a bit wobbly -- I have no idea how people get their hedges looking so neat.
And finally, I went for lots of walks. The weather was lovely, warm and sunny.
The weekend's over, though, and I'm back to work tonight. It's going to be a very, very hard week. From Thursday I'll be on my own for a full week, with only Saturday off (normally there are at least two of us, and often three). The bonus is that from the following Thursday I'll be off until Tuesday -- a mini-holiday!
Also over the weekend I had a good go at the garden, front and back. I mowed and weeded and strimmed for hour after hour, and it's now looking reasonably cared-for, in a ragged sort of way. My mower doesn't have blades, it has a little plastic tag that whirrs around, and it leaves the grass looking a bit chewed. Also, the hedge is a bit wobbly -- I have no idea how people get their hedges looking so neat.
And finally, I went for lots of walks. The weather was lovely, warm and sunny.
The weekend's over, though, and I'm back to work tonight. It's going to be a very, very hard week. From Thursday I'll be on my own for a full week, with only Saturday off (normally there are at least two of us, and often three). The bonus is that from the following Thursday I'll be off until Tuesday -- a mini-holiday!
20 May 2004
:: forgot to say
Bertie didn't need a biopsy -- the swelling's gone right down & is nearly normal. He's got another vet visit on Friday.
I was going to go sailing on Monday but it was too windy in the afternoon. Colin came over in the evening but when we got to the marina the red flag was up, meaning we'd be confined to the harbour area. There were three Wayfarers booked and a school group, so we decided against it. Apparently the waves were 3ft high out on the river. Ulp.
I was going to go sailing on Monday but it was too windy in the afternoon. Colin came over in the evening but when we got to the marina the red flag was up, meaning we'd be confined to the harbour area. There were three Wayfarers booked and a school group, so we decided against it. Apparently the waves were 3ft high out on the river. Ulp.
:: ticking boxes
I sat down with my Palm today and forced myself to do things I'd put in my Task list (instead of sitting in the sun eating strawberries and reading a computer magazine). It was quite satisfying to tick the little boxes and see the Tasks disappear from the wee screen.
So, dear Mother and dear Janos, you will soon be getting birthday cards. I've got an appointment for a smear test, and my mortgage update is done. Tick, tick, tick.
One thing I haven't bothered to put on my task list because there's no chance I'll forget to do it is: Paint the bedroom. I finished the papering on Monday and plan to paint on Saturday. The only thing is, I couldn't resist dabbing a bit of paint (B&Q Fresh Sky Blue) on from the test pot ... and I don't like it. It suddenly seems very bright. Changing Rooms bright. Plus the brilliant idea I'd had for a home-made bedspread (ivory brocade with butterflies on it) was blown out of the water by the discovery that it would take 10 metres of fabric -- let's see, at £19.95 a metre, that's ... aeiii! I'm thinking of waiting until I go to Paris & buying something in Montmartre -- there's a whole street of wonderful fabric shops there. Or I could just do curtains in the butterfly brocade.
In the meantime the spare room is a disgusting tip, with piles of clothes everywhere & too much furniture.
So, dear Mother and dear Janos, you will soon be getting birthday cards. I've got an appointment for a smear test, and my mortgage update is done. Tick, tick, tick.
One thing I haven't bothered to put on my task list because there's no chance I'll forget to do it is: Paint the bedroom. I finished the papering on Monday and plan to paint on Saturday. The only thing is, I couldn't resist dabbing a bit of paint (B&Q Fresh Sky Blue) on from the test pot ... and I don't like it. It suddenly seems very bright. Changing Rooms bright. Plus the brilliant idea I'd had for a home-made bedspread (ivory brocade with butterflies on it) was blown out of the water by the discovery that it would take 10 metres of fabric -- let's see, at £19.95 a metre, that's ... aeiii! I'm thinking of waiting until I go to Paris & buying something in Montmartre -- there's a whole street of wonderful fabric shops there. Or I could just do curtains in the butterfly brocade.
In the meantime the spare room is a disgusting tip, with piles of clothes everywhere & too much furniture.
13 May 2004
:: further update
The swelling is going down slowly, so I've asked them to put off the biopsy until Monday. That's my day off, so I'll be able to ferry Bertie around and hold his paw while he gets over the anaesthetic.
11 May 2004
:: update
Bertie's blood test came back clean: no sign of an infection. So he's booked in for tomorrow morning (yes, he's letting himself out quietly so as not to wake me -- well hell, the clinic's practically at the bottom of the road, only one busy street to cross!) and I've been told to starve him from 9pm, because he's probably going to have a biopsy.
Of course I've been hitting the internet and have diagnosed a sialocele, a salivary gland cyst. How impressed will the vet be when I trot that out? Not very, I suspect, so I'll just let them get on with it. But it's good to know he's not about to keel over.
This morning the swelling seemed to have gone down a bit, so it may even just get better on its own.
Yesterday I had my hair done and whizzed round town doing 50 things, all in blazing, sticky heat, and roared off home thinking I would have time to mow the lawn before meeting Fiona. It started raining at Barnton. Fiona and I had had equally knackering weekends so gratefully agreed to put off drinks. I should have rushed upstairs and at least primed the bedroom walls, but instead I whipped up a lovely tasty dinner and then joed out -- after walking Bertie.
Of course I've been hitting the internet and have diagnosed a sialocele, a salivary gland cyst. How impressed will the vet be when I trot that out? Not very, I suspect, so I'll just let them get on with it. But it's good to know he's not about to keel over.
This morning the swelling seemed to have gone down a bit, so it may even just get better on its own.
Yesterday I had my hair done and whizzed round town doing 50 things, all in blazing, sticky heat, and roared off home thinking I would have time to mow the lawn before meeting Fiona. It started raining at Barnton. Fiona and I had had equally knackering weekends so gratefully agreed to put off drinks. I should have rushed upstairs and at least primed the bedroom walls, but instead I whipped up a lovely tasty dinner and then joed out -- after walking Bertie.
9 May 2004
:: poor dog
Yesterday morning while out walking Bertie ate a lot of grass and honked it up. Uh oh. I checked him over and noticed that the glands on one side of his neck were swollen. Uh oh. I phoned the vet and whizzed over to Linlithgow for a consultation. He's not keen on the Linlithgow surgery because one time I left him there and the evil vets knocked him out and he had to wear a boot for weeks afterwards. However he was pleased to discover that the other pet in the waiting room was a rabbit in a cardboard box. Also the next pet in was another greyhound, hurrah. Lucky old rabbit owners.
So the vet had a look and couldn't see anything down his throat. His other glands are ok and his temperature's normal. She gave him two shots, antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory. The vet said the antibiotic shot "might sting". Well, apparently it hurt. It really really really really hurt. He squealed and cried and cried and cried. He cried so much and so loudly that the receptionist came in to see what was going on. He cried so much that the other greyhound howled along. The vet gave him a biscuit, and he managed to eat it without stopping crying.
I've got to take him back in tomorrow morning, and if he's not better they'll knock him out and have a good look down his throat. I fear it might be a hedgehog quill stuck down his throat. He isn't any better today; in fact his neck is more swollen than yesterday. He's not eating as much of his dry dog food as normal, but he is managing to choke down a huge quantity of treats. He's in good spirits, chasing rabbits and bouncing around, and his nose is still cold and wet so I'm not too worried. But I feel a massive vet's bill coming on.
I've nearly finished stripping the wallpaper off my bedroom -- ghastly business -- and I should finish tonight. Tomorrow I've got the vet, then I'm getting my hair done and going to the Christian Aid booksale in George St, then in the evening I'm meeting Fiona for a drink. But that could change depending on whether I have to collect a zonked-out dog from Linlithgow -- they don't have an operating room at the local branch. The bedroom's going to be blue. Eventually.
Last night I went to a great concert, Ralph Vaughan Williams' Sea Sympony, plus Elgar's Sea Pictures and a couple of other things. A woman at work is in the chorus and she flogged us tickets: John, his wife and I went. We'd also been asked to go by Martin, who knows someone else in the chorus, and he was there with his son. We all met up in a pub & had something to eat before the concert, then went back to the pub afterwards. We had to move pubs because it turned out that Martin's son is barred from the first one! He's not a ruffian, just a free spirit.
So the vet had a look and couldn't see anything down his throat. His other glands are ok and his temperature's normal. She gave him two shots, antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory. The vet said the antibiotic shot "might sting". Well, apparently it hurt. It really really really really hurt. He squealed and cried and cried and cried. He cried so much and so loudly that the receptionist came in to see what was going on. He cried so much that the other greyhound howled along. The vet gave him a biscuit, and he managed to eat it without stopping crying.
I've got to take him back in tomorrow morning, and if he's not better they'll knock him out and have a good look down his throat. I fear it might be a hedgehog quill stuck down his throat. He isn't any better today; in fact his neck is more swollen than yesterday. He's not eating as much of his dry dog food as normal, but he is managing to choke down a huge quantity of treats. He's in good spirits, chasing rabbits and bouncing around, and his nose is still cold and wet so I'm not too worried. But I feel a massive vet's bill coming on.
I've nearly finished stripping the wallpaper off my bedroom -- ghastly business -- and I should finish tonight. Tomorrow I've got the vet, then I'm getting my hair done and going to the Christian Aid booksale in George St, then in the evening I'm meeting Fiona for a drink. But that could change depending on whether I have to collect a zonked-out dog from Linlithgow -- they don't have an operating room at the local branch. The bedroom's going to be blue. Eventually.
Last night I went to a great concert, Ralph Vaughan Williams' Sea Sympony, plus Elgar's Sea Pictures and a couple of other things. A woman at work is in the chorus and she flogged us tickets: John, his wife and I went. We'd also been asked to go by Martin, who knows someone else in the chorus, and he was there with his son. We all met up in a pub & had something to eat before the concert, then went back to the pub afterwards. We had to move pubs because it turned out that Martin's son is barred from the first one! He's not a ruffian, just a free spirit.
29 April 2004
:: back due to popular demand...
No, Bertie's coat is not still green. He scrubbed himself up and down the hedge while it was wet and then dried off on the carpet. Oh the joys of pet ownership.
In other news ... well, nothing. I've got a couple of good books on the go (All Families are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland and Ilium by Dan Simmons) and sped-read another, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Oh, and I've also started Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood. I recommend them all, though Ilium is only for hard-core sci-fi fans. Having said that, it has inspired me to download Homer's Iliad from the net and store it on my Palm. How sci-fi is that? I've got four other books on there, plus all my addresses etc, several photos, calculator and what-have-you, and plenty of room left. Twenty years ago I was all excited to have a computer with two floppy disc drives (and they really were floppy); now I've got a library in my handbag. I love technology.
I had a lovely letter from Uncle Jock, who sounds in good spirits despite having 10% kidney function and a crook ticker. Dog tucker, he reckons, but he's not letting it get him down. I've resolved never again to whine about my arthritis.
In other news ... well, nothing. I've got a couple of good books on the go (All Families are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland and Ilium by Dan Simmons) and sped-read another, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Oh, and I've also started Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood. I recommend them all, though Ilium is only for hard-core sci-fi fans. Having said that, it has inspired me to download Homer's Iliad from the net and store it on my Palm. How sci-fi is that? I've got four other books on there, plus all my addresses etc, several photos, calculator and what-have-you, and plenty of room left. Twenty years ago I was all excited to have a computer with two floppy disc drives (and they really were floppy); now I've got a library in my handbag. I love technology.
I had a lovely letter from Uncle Jock, who sounds in good spirits despite having 10% kidney function and a crook ticker. Dog tucker, he reckons, but he's not letting it get him down. I've resolved never again to whine about my arthritis.
24 April 2004
:: green dog
Why aren't dogs ever green? It would be better camouflage than white, surely, especially for a dog that can't take the cold. Bertie is trying out a new coat colour at the moment, thanks to a freshly-cut lawn. Mmm, very fetching.
After mowing the lawn and strimming the edges I ran out of steam and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside reading the paper. I know this is technically a "waste" of my time off, but my feeling it was to do just this that I bought this house in the first place.
I have a cold. I've had a vaguely sore throat all week, but the actual cold only developed in the last couple of hours at work last night. How irritating! It's nothing serious though, just a dribbly nose & slight fever.
Neighbours with dogs:
Neighbour A, who has been Holding Forth on the topic of Orkney for a good ten minutes, spies Neighbour B coming along with her dogs. "I hope you don't mind if I avoid her ... she does go on a bit. I think she's rather lonely; she buttonholes me and goes on and on with all the latest gossip." I have a brisk chat with Neighbour B about the GPS course she's doing, then rejoin Neighbour A, who proceeds to Hold Forth on the subject of narrow boats for another ten minutes.
I really like them both, by the way.
After mowing the lawn and strimming the edges I ran out of steam and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside reading the paper. I know this is technically a "waste" of my time off, but my feeling it was to do just this that I bought this house in the first place.
I have a cold. I've had a vaguely sore throat all week, but the actual cold only developed in the last couple of hours at work last night. How irritating! It's nothing serious though, just a dribbly nose & slight fever.
Neighbours with dogs:
Neighbour A, who has been Holding Forth on the topic of Orkney for a good ten minutes, spies Neighbour B coming along with her dogs. "I hope you don't mind if I avoid her ... she does go on a bit. I think she's rather lonely; she buttonholes me and goes on and on with all the latest gossip." I have a brisk chat with Neighbour B about the GPS course she's doing, then rejoin Neighbour A, who proceeds to Hold Forth on the subject of narrow boats for another ten minutes.
I really like them both, by the way.
21 April 2004
:: creepy clones
My website used to be www.hockadilly.co.uk, but then I got cheesed off with my ISP and shifted away. I didn't take hockadilly.co.uk with me because it would have cost ?75. Instead I got the dot-com version and moved on. The old url was registered to me until November last year, and this month, someone reregistered it. No biggie. (Though the word "why?" did cross my mind.)
Then tonight I googled the word hockadilly, just out of curiosity, and was amazed to see 1,360 hits. Even more amazing, the first two were for hockadilly.co.uk - not my own work, but something called "Be Equipped: Deuteronomy: Aquiring the Tools for Spiritual Success". A work by Warren W Wiersbe. It wasn't cached, and the link just leads to a message saying the site is "offline due to server maintenance operations". Weird.
A lot of the hits were for sites that trawl the web looking for search terms and listing the results; so I'm down for things like "fairy necklaces" and "dog coat knitting". Just stuff I write about normally.
Didn't do much today -- went to the pet supermarket, where Bertie met a truly terrifying little boy. His mother told him sternly not to try and pat the poor scared doggie -- so he went and got a great big ball off the shelf and threw it at him!
They've moved the live rabbits and guinea pigs from the dogfood section to over by the cat toys, but apparently you can still smell them.
Then tonight I googled the word hockadilly, just out of curiosity, and was amazed to see 1,360 hits. Even more amazing, the first two were for hockadilly.co.uk - not my own work, but something called "Be Equipped: Deuteronomy: Aquiring the Tools for Spiritual Success". A work by Warren W Wiersbe. It wasn't cached, and the link just leads to a message saying the site is "offline due to server maintenance operations". Weird.
A lot of the hits were for sites that trawl the web looking for search terms and listing the results; so I'm down for things like "fairy necklaces" and "dog coat knitting". Just stuff I write about normally.
Didn't do much today -- went to the pet supermarket, where Bertie met a truly terrifying little boy. His mother told him sternly not to try and pat the poor scared doggie -- so he went and got a great big ball off the shelf and threw it at him!
They've moved the live rabbits and guinea pigs from the dogfood section to over by the cat toys, but apparently you can still smell them.
19 April 2004
:: days of whine and roses
Kate and Robbie's wedding ceilidh was wonderful: Kate looked radiant and elegant, and Robbie was magnificent in full fig Highland dress. Andrew was also in a kilt and formal jacket & bow tie. I know kilts are a Victorian invention -- originally it was just a long bit of fabric bundled up round the waist with a belt, with the excess tossed over the shoulder -- but I do think it's gorgeous. Blokes like it because it comes with a non-embarrassing handbag, the sporran. This year, they're putting their digital cameras in there! Slightly nerdy digression, since we're talking tartan: I now know how to tell a military kilt from a civilian one. At the back, the pleats of the civilian kilt make checks when they hang flat. On a military kilt, they make stripes. You probably already knew that, but I didn't.
So yes, lots of wild dancing, including the tango -- Robbie is from Argentina. My camera is rubbish at taking flash pictures in large spaces so I didn't take a lot. This one, of Andrew doing the tango with the best man's wife, required a lot of technical fiddling around with to show up at all. He's got a rose between his teeth, put there by Paul. And yes, that's the best man in the background. He was a very nice person!
The age range went from tiny babies (the youngest was six weeks old) to ancient folk, and everyone had a ball. Here's another picture of Andrew:
Afterwards we piled into a minibus and had a brief drink in a manically noisy bar/club before repairing to the hotel where Andrew, Paul and several other wedding guests were staying.
So that's the roses part. The whine part was the hotel where I stayed. Whiiiiiiiine! My room was unbelievably tiny -- no room for Bertie to turn round without backing into the bathroom -- and jammed full of ornate furniture and hectic florals. Bertie hated it. I think he's always slightly worried in case this is our new home.
The bed was excruciatingly uncomfortable, so what with Bertie moaning and grizzling and everyone else in the hotel getting up at 7:30am, I got hardly any sleep. Then at breakfast came the final insult: I was seated at a table right at the back of the dining room, next to the kitchen. I had to scramble under a palm tree and shove aside wine-bucket stands to sit down. Grrr.
What cheeses me off most, though, is that I didn't complain. I should be more assertive, I should have refused to sit at the damned table. But I was tired and hungover, so I just paid up and slunk out.
Yesterday it rained and rained, but I went to the Hermitage for a walk anyway -- it's lovely there whatever. Meeting up with Andrew and Paul lightened my bad mood, but then I fell over!! Argh. I gave up and went home, where I had a nice hot bath and a nap. In my wonderful comfy bed, in my spacious bedroom. Bliss.
So yes, lots of wild dancing, including the tango -- Robbie is from Argentina. My camera is rubbish at taking flash pictures in large spaces so I didn't take a lot. This one, of Andrew doing the tango with the best man's wife, required a lot of technical fiddling around with to show up at all. He's got a rose between his teeth, put there by Paul. And yes, that's the best man in the background. He was a very nice person!
The age range went from tiny babies (the youngest was six weeks old) to ancient folk, and everyone had a ball. Here's another picture of Andrew:
Afterwards we piled into a minibus and had a brief drink in a manically noisy bar/club before repairing to the hotel where Andrew, Paul and several other wedding guests were staying.
So that's the roses part. The whine part was the hotel where I stayed. Whiiiiiiiine! My room was unbelievably tiny -- no room for Bertie to turn round without backing into the bathroom -- and jammed full of ornate furniture and hectic florals. Bertie hated it. I think he's always slightly worried in case this is our new home.
The bed was excruciatingly uncomfortable, so what with Bertie moaning and grizzling and everyone else in the hotel getting up at 7:30am, I got hardly any sleep. Then at breakfast came the final insult: I was seated at a table right at the back of the dining room, next to the kitchen. I had to scramble under a palm tree and shove aside wine-bucket stands to sit down. Grrr.
What cheeses me off most, though, is that I didn't complain. I should be more assertive, I should have refused to sit at the damned table. But I was tired and hungover, so I just paid up and slunk out.
Yesterday it rained and rained, but I went to the Hermitage for a walk anyway -- it's lovely there whatever. Meeting up with Andrew and Paul lightened my bad mood, but then I fell over!! Argh. I gave up and went home, where I had a nice hot bath and a nap. In my wonderful comfy bed, in my spacious bedroom. Bliss.
16 April 2004
:: too busy to blog
Have a look at this instead: kevan.org. There are a lot of amusing things to do on Kevan's site, like making up slang. He's also doing The Diary of a Nobody as a blog, which is a grand idea. Someone else is doing Pepys's blog.
Oh, I talked to Faye today. I called her on her mobile after first phoning her landline and getting her employer, the 90-something former Oxford philosophy don. He's deaf and won't use a hearing aid, and got quite tetchy with me for not speaking clearly.
"When I answer the telephone I expect to get a name. Now, who is it you wish to speak to?"
"Faye. F, A, Y, E..."
"Wye Ee? There's no-one here by that name!"
Oh, I talked to Faye today. I called her on her mobile after first phoning her landline and getting her employer, the 90-something former Oxford philosophy don. He's deaf and won't use a hearing aid, and got quite tetchy with me for not speaking clearly.
"When I answer the telephone I expect to get a name. Now, who is it you wish to speak to?"
"Faye. F, A, Y, E..."
"Wye Ee? There's no-one here by that name!"
9 April 2004
:: It's still me
I just changed the name ... no good reason, I just felt like a change.
Maybe it's because spring is here. I do feel energised generally -- I cleaned the house twice in the space of a month, and didn't even have guests! The garden's erupting quite nicely. The rose hedge out the front that I hacked down is sprouting, and the giant honeysuckle that wove in amongst the roses -- now reduced to a twisted stump -- is also sprouting, so that's good. I'm hoping to keep it all down to about waist height. It was 6ft high or more.
This is an early photo -- the hedge is the second wodge of greenery.
Without the hedge though, the front looks kind of bare. There's a honeysuckle next to the front door and a nice dark red rose under the kitchen window, but nothing under the dining room at all. I would love to put a tree there, but I can't because all the drain manholes are there -- I don't know why my place got lumbered with them but it did. There's one huge one and two smaller ones. Now and then an official water authority van drives up and men in clumpy boots stamp all over my lawn and garden. Shrub-in-a-tub's an option, but knowing my expertise in causing early plant death that may be over-optimistic. I could always just stop strimming the edge and cultivate a tiny "meadow" strip.
I love spring, it's my favourite season. Especially here -- it's so dramatic after the winter, and so welcome.
Maybe it's because spring is here. I do feel energised generally -- I cleaned the house twice in the space of a month, and didn't even have guests! The garden's erupting quite nicely. The rose hedge out the front that I hacked down is sprouting, and the giant honeysuckle that wove in amongst the roses -- now reduced to a twisted stump -- is also sprouting, so that's good. I'm hoping to keep it all down to about waist height. It was 6ft high or more.
This is an early photo -- the hedge is the second wodge of greenery.
Without the hedge though, the front looks kind of bare. There's a honeysuckle next to the front door and a nice dark red rose under the kitchen window, but nothing under the dining room at all. I would love to put a tree there, but I can't because all the drain manholes are there -- I don't know why my place got lumbered with them but it did. There's one huge one and two smaller ones. Now and then an official water authority van drives up and men in clumpy boots stamp all over my lawn and garden. Shrub-in-a-tub's an option, but knowing my expertise in causing early plant death that may be over-optimistic. I could always just stop strimming the edge and cultivate a tiny "meadow" strip.
I love spring, it's my favourite season. Especially here -- it's so dramatic after the winter, and so welcome.
8 April 2004
:: oops!
My hush.com email account was deleted for lack of activity -- ie I hadn't checked my mail for a while. So, sorry if you wrote to me there and I never wrote back. I'm too slack for my own good.
Lately I've been busy mainly with work and dog-walking. On Monday I went to Tentsmuir, had a fantastic walk there. First off I went to the West Beach at St Andrews, but it was too crowded -- Bertie is too neurotic to do well on crowded beaches. He wasn't too bad; he was nice and friendly to a woman and her son. But then she sat down and he rushed over and barked in her face, and then danced around and wouldn't let me catch him. So we went to Tentsmuir, where there are miles and miles of empty sand and forest and it's like dog heaven. He met a very interesting lurcher and they played chase. Bertie lost: the lurcher dashed through water up to its chest without giving it a second thought, and Bertie had to detour round because he's such a wimp.
It was a changeable day, with bursts of bright blue sky and acres of dark, heavy rainclouds piling up along the horizon. There were seals off the beach, poking their heads up to stare, and flocks of darting black birds. It was just wonderful.
I'm on a healthy eating stint. I don't know how long it will last, but I'm enjoying it. I make delicious salads to take in to work, and on my days off I have steak and salad, things like that. Today I baked a piece of salmon for tomorrow's salad. Yum. And lots of fruit.
I haven't been out to check if the grass seed has sprouted.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I bought an outfit for weddings! Well, a top. But I also bought a pair of high heeled shoes! Anyone who knows me would be amazed. Next thing I'll be buying a frock. The top is nice, a dark purple with flowers embroidered on it, and most importantly, it's comfortable. In the same shopping session I also got a wedding present for Kate and Robbie and a christening present for Calum, plus all the paper, cards etc.
Lately I've been busy mainly with work and dog-walking. On Monday I went to Tentsmuir, had a fantastic walk there. First off I went to the West Beach at St Andrews, but it was too crowded -- Bertie is too neurotic to do well on crowded beaches. He wasn't too bad; he was nice and friendly to a woman and her son. But then she sat down and he rushed over and barked in her face, and then danced around and wouldn't let me catch him. So we went to Tentsmuir, where there are miles and miles of empty sand and forest and it's like dog heaven. He met a very interesting lurcher and they played chase. Bertie lost: the lurcher dashed through water up to its chest without giving it a second thought, and Bertie had to detour round because he's such a wimp.
It was a changeable day, with bursts of bright blue sky and acres of dark, heavy rainclouds piling up along the horizon. There were seals off the beach, poking their heads up to stare, and flocks of darting black birds. It was just wonderful.
I'm on a healthy eating stint. I don't know how long it will last, but I'm enjoying it. I make delicious salads to take in to work, and on my days off I have steak and salad, things like that. Today I baked a piece of salmon for tomorrow's salad. Yum. And lots of fruit.
I haven't been out to check if the grass seed has sprouted.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I bought an outfit for weddings! Well, a top. But I also bought a pair of high heeled shoes! Anyone who knows me would be amazed. Next thing I'll be buying a frock. The top is nice, a dark purple with flowers embroidered on it, and most importantly, it's comfortable. In the same shopping session I also got a wedding present for Kate and Robbie and a christening present for Calum, plus all the paper, cards etc.
31 March 2004
:: spring clean
I spent the weekend mainly doing DIY, gardening and housework. The lawn had its first mow of the year, mainly so I could sprinkle around some grass seed. It's from Canada, apparently that makes it extra tough. It had better be, if it's to compete against buttercup, moss, dandelion and dog pee. I planted a lavender bush in the front garden that I bought ages ago, but I haven't yet decided where to put a bunch of blue polyanthus and some pansies, which I got at a knock-down price at B&Q. I was there buying a pot of paint for my bedroom, a project for May, perhaps, when I might have some time.
On Monday I had a desultory go at buying something vaguely dressy for wearing to weddings (only a fortnight until Kate's ceilidh; the other one's in June) but didn't even try anything on. Frills and chiffon? Hmmm. I don't think so. I'm going to have a really good go at getting something on Saturday.
I'm still waiting to hear all about Pinky's investiture, hint hint. I'm sure it all went swimmingly and that you all had a lovely time at the party afterwards. Wish I could have been there!!
On Monday I had a desultory go at buying something vaguely dressy for wearing to weddings (only a fortnight until Kate's ceilidh; the other one's in June) but didn't even try anything on. Frills and chiffon? Hmmm. I don't think so. I'm going to have a really good go at getting something on Saturday.
I'm still waiting to hear all about Pinky's investiture, hint hint. I'm sure it all went swimmingly and that you all had a lovely time at the party afterwards. Wish I could have been there!!
23 March 2004
:: social whirl
In today's mail was an invitation to the wedding celebration of a couple I've never met. They're getting married in Las Vegas, but the dance is right here in Edinburgh. I'm going to go -- it's always interesting to meet new people. (It's the daughter of a colleague.)
I did a spot of gardening today, in between torrential rain and hailstorms. I really must do something about the front garden, it's a tip. The daphne is still hanging on in there, but it's frazzled-looking, and it's on a lean now too. I might dig it up and put it round the back in a pot. That will teach it to lean over!! The back is like a detention camp, home to a bunch of skinny, starved plants barely clinging to life. I was thinking I might put a row of pots round the front too -- surely I'd remember to water them! -- to brighten things up. But what I really need is more evergreens. It doesn't look too bad in summer, but it's too bare in the winter. Which is most of the year, let's face it.
The garlic's doing ok. And the Spanish bluebells too, they're flourishing.
On my day off I spent a bit of time going through my computer back-ups and looking at a lot of old writings and web projects. It was quite inspiring, so I think on my next days off I may have a go at a redesign.
Right now I'd better get on with my (paid) work.
I did a spot of gardening today, in between torrential rain and hailstorms. I really must do something about the front garden, it's a tip. The daphne is still hanging on in there, but it's frazzled-looking, and it's on a lean now too. I might dig it up and put it round the back in a pot. That will teach it to lean over!! The back is like a detention camp, home to a bunch of skinny, starved plants barely clinging to life. I was thinking I might put a row of pots round the front too -- surely I'd remember to water them! -- to brighten things up. But what I really need is more evergreens. It doesn't look too bad in summer, but it's too bare in the winter. Which is most of the year, let's face it.
The garlic's doing ok. And the Spanish bluebells too, they're flourishing.
On my day off I spent a bit of time going through my computer back-ups and looking at a lot of old writings and web projects. It was quite inspiring, so I think on my next days off I may have a go at a redesign.
Right now I'd better get on with my (paid) work.
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