Tuesday 27 December 2011

The Absailing Spider is Back.

Junior is trapped!

Incy, wincy spider is hanging around.....absolutely in front of her bedroom door. Junior can't get back in to her room. lol .....

I have been asked to 'dispose' of Incy. Poor ickle thing.

Have to do the deed, though. Can't cope with a night of junior kicking me in her sleep if she bunks in with me noooooooooooooooo.!

Don't say anything, but I'll put little Incy behind the bookcase..on the landing.......nice and warm.....:o)) Christmas spirit..and all that:o)

Monday 26 December 2011

Quiz

Did a quiz at the Moneysavingexpert site. I am, apparently, 74% tight!

Sunday 25 December 2011

Fat Bot

Had a fine day with the 'kids'.

Grandchild of Min is LOVELY. Such a well-mannered child....but a little devil when consumed with coca cola!!!! hey!!!!! Grandchild no 2 is lovely, too. Still on the milk and looks just like her dad...poor thing! lol Well-mannered and lovely tempered child.

Junior has been well-compensated by Santa for all her goodliness. He brought her a state of the art phone plus a mega Wii package...and other girly stuff!!!..including.....Zumba fitness and step aerobics included....hmmmmmmm....wot they trying to tell me?

Still trying to get the batteries sorted. lol

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Not Bah Humbug - lol

Junior reminded me

Today is 13/12/11

We are busy. New camera needs new batteries. For piccies. doh

We have new frugal recipes.

Made tons of stuff for Chrissy pressies and The Shop!

Cold. Mogs and Cilla dog are keeping our feet warm at night:o) Energy suppliers are not my favourite. Too b****y greedy. Hope their bits drop off!!

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Training

Bart is doing really well in the 'retrieve' game. Trouble is, he is now bored. instead of catching his catnip mouse and delivering it to his mistresses's feet, he has decided that the 'let's play cricket' game is much more fun. Trouble is, he bats many a boundary....but it usually ends up behind some piece of 'heavy' furniture.Then...all the mogs descend....me me me me me......

Went to the council today. We are no 12 on the allotment waiting list. We should be way higher because we went in, week after week to register for a plot, but the office was always closed. Bah humbug!

Amazing....daughter just asked me what 'bah humbug' means. I can't be that 'miserable' at Christmas, then!!...can I? lol

Son no 1 always refers to himself as 'child no 3'when he phones. Pathetic attempt in the sympathy dept. 'Tis a game we play. lol What do I want for Crrimble? he asks. I say that £5 is the limit for any pressie. So, wonder what we'll end up with? Much more exciting when you have to be more inventive.

Dish clothes for everyone, then! lol

Tuesday 22 November 2011

One machine is alive

Back from visiting Mother. Son no 2 took us. Grandchild of Min nobbled junior for attention from the start. Funny how little toddlers love their teen aunties:o)

Well, Mother has this elderly Dyson (vacuum) and said she found it a tad too heavy to manage. Sooooooooo, we got her a smaller vac and did a swap. Yay.

Brought it home and Son no 2 sort of dropped it a bit when extricating it from the boot of the car. Needless to say, Junior sussed it out and mended the poor thing and so we have hoovered every possible surface in the house. Bloody good, these Dysons. lol

Heard there are some ex batts needing a home. They've been raised on an organic farm. Junior and I chose names weeks ago during a 'wish we could have this' conversation. We ended up with about fifty names. lol....Maybe we are destined to have so many. lol Ok...don't think so, but it would be nice to give an elderly hen or two a home for their later years. Am going to suss out our 'wood and wire netting supplies'. lol Daphne and Hilda...Betty...Velma.....Penny, Polly, Titch....could go on forever. Foghorn Leghorn would be the rooster. just because.... lol

Sunday 20 November 2011

The Machines are on Strike

It's soooooooo foggy here today...and cold. Typical November day. Can we afford to have the heating on? I really envy those people who have open fire places/log burning stoves. Am pretty peed off having to rely on outrageously priced energy suppliers. Too expensive. There are only so many jumpers one can put on without keeling over with the weight of them! The mogs LOVE the heating. Quietens them.

Pumpkin soup and autumnal crumble and custard for Sunday dinner today. My quest to have nourishing, nutritional food on a mega tight budget is churning out some pretty unusual stuff. The back of the store cupboard has, at last, seen the light of day! We have been amazed as to what was lurking there. Like...'Oooo, forgot we had that!'...etc' lol I finished off the leftover lentil lasagne. Junior declined and tucked into a monster sized jacket spud.. Have to say that lentil lasagne is a lot nicer the day after baking, but we still think it's nicer made with veggie mince rather than gloopy, orange lentils.

The hoover has blown up. That's the fourth one in two and half years. Now the washing machine is playing up....It's got an led display that's gone a bit barmy and seems to have a mind of it's own at the mo. Put the washing in and the machine seems to be deciding what wash to put on. Don't make 'em like they used to....sigh....

Back to making catnip mice. Pets At Home needn't worry about any competition from me...yet! lol

Friday 18 November 2011

Catnip...our saviour

When Mother moved, she took Jimmy with her. He is her cat and stayed with us for two years until she could find somewhere to live where [pets are allowed..... and she did and so he went with her.

Well, she thinks 'cos she's an old git (her words, not mine) that he must be! "Oh, he's an old kitty now."....sympathetic look....blah.

Well, Jim lad has other ideas. He's a STUD!!!!! Taraaaaa! Likes to play and whizz about like a loon..just like my lot.....(we taught him well and wished we had videod it!).

So, Junior made him a catnip mouse as a leaving pressie and diligently cut out the material, made a litle sack for the catnip, stuffed it into the mouse 'costume', shoved stuffing in and sewed the whole lot up. Didn't look bad at all and I was even even thinking of adding it to my little craft shop. All was going well until Tinks decided that she'd quite like a catnip mouse...and so commenced the steal......

Jimmy's litle pressie was, of course, hi-jacked...and lost. So, tonight, after aforememntioned toy was rediscovered, we put it to the test.

We are a pair of geniuses/ii?

Have managed to get Bart 'the night owl' to 'fetch'. Been chucking the catnip mouse for him and he has been retrieving....for about half an hour, other following.... V cute to watch. Mog puffing his chest out like Macho Cat and one who is now very definitely pooped and out for 'the night'. Super stud! lol

Result! Only 10 partying tonight!

23.39 and I am surrounded by snoring mogs:o)))

Meal Tweaking

We are experimenting with recipes. Times is 'ard!

Anyway, we seem to be okay on the pudding front, it being autumn and there being plenty of puds to make in the 'tummy warming' department. Alas, not the same can be said for the main meal. sigh......

Tonight we tried a lasagne....lentil, mushroom, red pepper and chili, to be precise. I saw one in Tescos the other day and the piccy looked lovely...... so I thought I'd try and create it at home.

Cooked way too many lentils. I thought they would be a little more robust anbd chewy, but they ended up looking like......slop! But, hey ho...carry on. Make no judgements until the tasting time, she tells herself. Junior was looking a bit worried but seemed to be pleased with the finished look of the dish. After tasting, she thought it okay but it was too filling for her. She'd put in too many layers of pasta and I thought there wasn't enough tomato sauce (put in a whole tin plus some puree). BUT...it is filling..(albeit too carby)....and cheap to make. I think we need to tweak the seasonings and lose some layers of pasta. Didn't have any onions. Maybe that's what was missing taste-wise? Ah, what they hell...gotta tweak the whole bloody lot! Must put it down to not being in a lasagne mood..

Big Bro's camera is SOOPER DOOPER. Just need some new batteries.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Blink and it's gone

Guess who bunked in with Mummy the other night?

I went into Junior's bedroom for something and just happened to see a spider happily absailing down her bedroom wall....with the cheery, cheeky 'Cooeeee' sort of look. Not the sort of sight Junior likes, though, as she screams, loudly, when she spots any of the hairly little buggers. Well, in the blink of an eye, the little beast was gone...... There's me asking myself if I should tell darling daughter . She must have heard my thought...telepathic little thing...and asked "What?"

Ay....should I tell her or not? Decisions, decisions...think, think...while I flip her duvet and mattress up in search of the missing Charlotte..or Charlie so I can discreetly remove it. You see, as luck would have it, old Hairy Eight Legs would have to shimmy down behind J's bed!! Oooooooo, bad news. I was just imagining the SCREAMS if it came out at night and said hello to Junior up front and close! Would have to have eardrums fixed, for sure! lol

Again..."What?"

So I did...tell her. Hence, the bunking in. Never again. She kicks like a mule, nicks all the duvet and has sharp toenails! Needless to say, the next day the Spider Absailing Centre (J's room) got a mega hoover, clear out and what have you. Daughter says she is going to get some chestnuts, prick them and put them in all the corners of her room. Old wives' tale..supposed to keep spiders away. We shall see....or hear. lol

Thursday 27 October 2011

Manager's Special

Junior and I have been laying laminate flooring.

Big Bro brought a load of 'Manager's Specials' down. Cost 50p each. They are basically bits of laminate flooring, approx 4ft x 3ft that they have instore and which they put their promotions on. 12 should do the living room, says Bro. They do, too. Trouble is, they are not always the same 'shade'. Makes for an interesting floor. lol. Junior thinks we should paint over them...in white. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I am just thinking...stick a big rug over. Should be mog proof enough. We laid the middle bit yesterday...listening the Mike Harding and his folk music. 'Twas strangely therapeutic....tap/morris dancing..sort of... on newly laid boards. Junior thought it funny. Exercised the old rickety joints, though.

The mogs are more into kipping upstairs with us at night. Cold weather. The lovely, warm duvet calls. lol. Keeps yer feet warm, anyway..this carpet of mogs. Bart holds out, though, and kips in the garden room. What is it with cardboard boxes and cats? lol

Sunday 23 October 2011

Old, Little Sweetheart

Have had a bit of a wake up call today.

Well, our trusty Cilla has, all of a sudden, gotten old:O( I looked at her sleeping form today (legs akimbo on the bed) and she is so getting on and soooooooooo grey around the face. Still a lovely personality. Loyal, loving, gentle, funny..... but she is getting on a bit now. Plus, she hasn't been well this last couple of days. Not her usual self. I get all stupid and morbid and think the worse.

I blame the mogs!! More of that later. Cilla is the daughter of Molly, who was our dog, pre Hillbilly Land. She came to us via my sister, who told me that Molly was a jack russell! It seems that Molly's pedigree is somewhat of the Heinz 57 type. But she was sweet...but definitely not a jack russell.

Junior came down one day and told Son no 1 and I that 'There's a rat under the bed'. This, of course, was one of Molly's puppies, Molly was a bit of a slapper and produced a litter of six to us. Cilla was no 3. Cilla was homed, along with her litter mates. However, Cilla was being allowed to become pregnant, ...so she came back to us. No more puppies.

Years ago, pre-Hillbilly Land, we had a lovely old jack russell named Mickey. He was a rescue dog. We went to this local rescue centre and I was adamant that I was going to come away with a Yorkshire Terrier. Of course, there was a Yorkshire Terrier there waiting for us...and he was LOVELY. Yorkshire terriers around these parts are prized and I was first in the queue. We loved the dog, he seemed to like us and then....before I could stop myself, I asked if they had any other small dogs up for adoption.....Cue...Mickey. He was described as a sprightly old gent. Too old for the 'other' rescue centre as they would have put him to sleep. Out he came....smiling and charmed us, of course. So, after all the paperwork, etc we brought Mickey home. And what an honour it was to share our lives with him. Our cats (only four in those days..lol) absolutely adored him....even Muppet and Spooky who are still here) He was such a gentle, lovely, funny, loving dog. We used to walk him around the block...a long way for an elderly fellow. Sometimes he could only manage a bit and I would carry him home the rest of the route. It felt like he was getting his walk. And, every time did the cats come along too., to keep him company. It was such a sight to see. Me ...and often junior...'cos she was little then...walking quite slowly...with four cats...in a row...following. No-one will ever believe me because I don't have piccies...but 'tis true.. I was reminded of it the other day when I saw two young lads walking their jack russells...with a cat following up the rear.

Mickey became ill just before we moved to Hillbilly Land and so I took him to the local vets, who said that he was ok...just old and wasn't suffering. We moved to hillbilly Land and anyway, one day it was obvious that Mickey had suffered some sort of seizure and off to the vets it was. Of course, it was 'time'...but it just didn't seem fair when he had been such a lovely companion and we had had such a short time together.

I blubbed for England, Europe and the World for my little friend with the big heart. We brought his ashes home. We could've just left him there for 'disposal' but I didn't want him to end up anywhere other than with people and beings who loved him. So, he is still 'here'

But...Cilla. Coughing and coughing. Junior has just started taking her out and I fear the dog may have picked up some unsavoury ailment just from walking the streets. So...no more. The garden is big enough for pooch exercise. I have rubbed Vick on her chest and the coughing has stopped, just about. Dog still sleeps on the bed...has most of it, to be honest...and the mogs still adore her. It's like they are protecting her. Blanket of mogs surround her, keeping her warm and toasty with love.

Junior baked a load of biscuits today. Most have gone Cilla's way. Very tasty...to a dog. Now...if only J could remember the recipe!!!

Friday 21 October 2011

Home Made

We went shopping for 'bits' yesterday. I fancied a Pear and Almond cake but we didn't have enough almonds....so....off we went...came back minus the almonds! lol

Anyway, Junior has spied a little combo of book and info/ingredient cards that I have on....chocolate. She said she'd like to make something...so....choice No 1 was a chocolate cheesecake with Baileys Cream. The ingredients to make from scratch are about four times the cost of one good one ready made....but I go down the other route of No.

Nope. Got alcohol in it." says I
"So?"
You are not allowed to consume alcohol, my dear. Too young".

So....."Truffles" says Junior...which was ok with me.

Blimey....it's WAY cheaper to buy them ready made, too. Have you seen the price of chocolate? The good 70% stuff. Eeeeee

Anyway, we had everything bar the chocolate...so...ok, just this once!
Junior is beavering away in the kitchen. She has to chop the chocolate before melting it and moans that it'll take ages! I mention that we happen to have a blender, which is sat right next to her. Face lights up. and off she goes... So....I can have a home made truffle......tomorrow! (Needs 12 hours to stiffen up, apparently!) By which time, I may have sussed out Bro's camera and posted piccies.


Tinkerbelle is staking out the kitchen, miaowing and generally making a nuisance of herself. She can smell cream a mile off and wants some NOW! Ringo's there, too. Noisy pair.


Little Ringo

Tinks

Friday 14 October 2011

Warm

Junior found some stuff on Youtube about sorting out the iMac. She is beyond herself...Like she's found some major cure....which is great. Mega. I, meanwhile, am just whingeing in misery at having this blardy flu!! Advert that seems to be repeating on the radio at the mo is that if the cough has gone on for more than three weeks then it might be lung cancer. Lovely!

Meanwhile...yesterday she decided that she'd like to have a go at making sushi. Ok. Getting all the 'bits' costs a bit...but we did it....and...it was lovely. However, she's decided 'bought is best'. I beg to differ. Thought it was lovely. Wasabi is BLOODY WELL HOTTTTT!

Am trying to get to grips with big bro's camera. Wooooo...

We're waiting for veggie cornish pasties to come out of the oven. The mogs have given up. No smell of meat is eminating from the kitchen. Back they have gone to their biccies...and crashing out spots. Now that the weather is colder we have put bedding down for them to curl up on. They are 'appy and warm'. Trouble is, warm time is......partay time!! which = human bed time. lol

Thursday 13 October 2011

Whinger

In a bad mood today.

We have been trying to get our iMac to work. We miss it badly.. I fear we may have scrambled its brains beyond repair. Elderly, donated pc and minotor size of a bus is ok....but iMac takes up less room and is sooooo good looking and has lots of nice gadgets to play with:o)....but the thought that we might've killed it. sob....

It won't let us log in, or reboot, login button is blue, network accounts are unavailable, when we do a disk startup, our machine chucks the disc out!! It is definitely a tad peed off.

Arghhh. We've spent all day trying to get it back to life (it's still kept the correct date and time, even though it's not been switched on for a year! Yay) Anyhow, Googling for help either just chucks up a load of outdated advice and the rest is then jargon! May as well be in Martian.

Some enterprising person ought to set up a Mac repair business in Hillbilly Land, not charge through the nose and do house visits. Junior and I would be first in the queue. lol As it is, looks like an expensive visit to the Apple shop.

Junior has been making all sorts off suggestions to try and help our little machine..and I've just been the 'Bite your head off Monster'...so she's gone for a bath and is, no doubt, using every bath product that we possess! My eyes have gone all foggy with looking at the computer screen all day. Ack, ack, ack. There must be a book out there that explains EVERYTHING from scratch....like...taking into account that I'm old and obviously don't 'get' computer lingo. Sigh... Trouble is, all the book shops have closed down (so no sitting down and perusing) and so all that's left is the bloody internet!!! My fogged up eyes and brain can take no more.

I blame my flu and mucous laden head for my crabby mood and any typos! Going to bed for a sulk.

Tuesday 11 October 2011

PS

Wish someone would leave me a comment.

Is there anybody out there? Am I talking to myself? Will my kids and grandkids read this when I am 'gone' and think.....'what the **** was she on about?'

Henry VIII the cat is sat at my side as I type. All the rest are missing.... prob chilled out on MY BED!!!!

I am about to have supper....and some nice mog has decided to evacuate its bowels. Ta very much for that. Will get you back in another life!!!! lol

New Star in the making

Can you hear us?........... Cough, cough....never mind....hope this lurgie soon goes.

We have ferried the last of Mother's stuff from her old flat...including plants. The cats are very inquisitive, as per usual and are perched atop the boxes that have made their way here, sniffing away. Jimmy, I hear, is lording it, oop north... and looks kitten-like.... with all the attention from Mother that's no surprise. They shared chicken today, apparently. Meanwhile, back at Chaos HQ....sigh.........where to put stuff? Never mind...will all get sorted.

Anyway....new task.....To see if we can survive on twenty quid a week...food-wise. Have to, otherwise Santa ain't coming here. Times is 'ard....so we are sussing out recipes and trying to sort out a fortnightly menu plan. All fair and well in the normal world....but I HATE routine....ack, ack, ack...air sign that I am...How did I ever manage to get myself married to a VIRGO? Arghhhh. No wonder it didn't last.

It's getting colder, so we are craving more wintery food....I just don't want to fall into the trap of 'stodge'. We will be veggie. Junior is def not a vcggie, but is dissappointed with the taste of meat lately. It is bland...souless. Not surprising really...factory farming sucks. I may have the makings of a great veggie chef...'cos she will try anything...as long as presentation is up to scratch. Tonight's meal is Gnocchi with Tomato and Veggie Cheese Sauce...and Garlic Bread....Prob with a tad more garlic than norm. (Good for you, especially when you have flu......No wonder folk back away from us when we 'natter' to them) lol Nice Neighbour has gifted us some fresh parsley (Vitamin C) as she knows we are 'suffering'. lol

Borrowed big bro's camera today. Woohoo.... It's a 'Big, blokey-type of thing'. Will let you know if we can tame it. lol

The mog in the background is Henry VIII. Number eight in the kitten production line. What a Luvvie:o))) He talks to us. A BIG personality in this house. Been told by our cat rescue person that they could find him a home 'now' 'cos of his personality...but he is ours and much loved. He couldn't get a home when he was a kitten because of his 'looks'. Pity people can't see beyond that when looking for a pet. Megan had four before Olive. They were all homed to lovely people, apart from Honey Pot....who was 'different'. Junior loved her from Day One. We kept all Olive's brood (Bart, Tinks, LooLoo, Henry & Ringo) because people were wanting kittens for weird reasons....like they wanted a boy to beat up the neighbourhood mogs.. or because they were pretty. So, we kept them..... all away from weirdo requests. They are like my responsibility.....furry kids....they pay us back ten fold......but they still eat my plants and PARTAY at 5 in the morning!! lol! But, in the morning....sigh.....it's like....'Who loves ya, Baby?'
and purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

Saturday 8 October 2011

Lurgies

Been knocked out with the '12 rounds with Tyson' type of flu. Junior has it, but is more 'able' than I at the mo!

I think all the stress of Mother's move hasn't helped, either. Talking of which...her new place is LOVELY. MILES better than the other. Very posh, wardens seem super caring..and Jimmy cat is back to his pampered lifestyle. lol She is very happy....like a new woman. The family pulled together to help with the move, which was lovely. Grandchild of Min was a star:o) Son no 1 and friends came up today to collect some furniture that she's given him for his new flat, so he's a happy bunny, too.

We, meanwhile, have to negotiate the 'unwanted' stuff from her flat, which is here with us... still!! ....due to the flu. But, we'll get it sorted. Got a lovely old-fashioned, 'with personality' bookcase that Mother didn't want. It now houses some of my cookery books. Yay! Just got to give it a paint job....black is not my colour!

Will get new batteries for camera, tomorrow!

Monday 3 October 2011

Weather

Shouldn't moan.....but it's too hot!..for October. Really do not get why people like hot weather. Can't be doing with sweaty bettys. (big busted people will understand...Tea Tree oil cream works wonders, btw!!).


Junior is coming down with a cold.....change in weather...and all that..is what I put it down to. Bless her...tucked in bed she is... with Vick, honey and tissues for company.


Am still trying to make room for the rest of Mother's stuff. Phewwwww. Grandchild of Min is coming to help with the move and make sure Great Gran is ok:o)


Jimmy is going with Mother, not Ringo. Some of the other cats have picked up on what's going off....what with boxes and stuff everywhere. They know something is going on. Anyway, they've been harrassing the old lad a tad...and he's a bit fed up..so he can go back with Mother and resume his pampered lifestyle. But, we'll miss him. He is SO cute and lovely. A proper, nice cat. Junior is splashing out on a 'leaving present' and is buying him a de-luxe scratching post, blanket and lots of treats:o) All out of her pocket money...bless her heart. Lovely, kind-hearted child:o)
Ringo, meanwhile, is as smug as anything! He follows Junior EVERYWHERE. She is his!! But...he also LOVES Cilla and can now carry on with the 'love in'. lol Shall have to suss out the video camera so all can see how affectionate the mogs are towards the pooch.


I feel a week's sleep coming on soon.

Sunday 2 October 2011

Not long to go

Well....Mother is all packed up and with somewhere to go:o)

My car went to the garage. Over revving. When I picked it up...it was better. Went to Mother's, parked up...went inside for tea...came out and....bam....dead as a do do. Needed a jump start...due to light being left on by mechanic and not noticed by moi...weekend...garage closed!!!!

No-one around here seems to give a shit when you are down...or your car. I totally get why Mother wants to leave this place. No community spirit. People just get out of cars and go straight into houses..or vice versa. sigh.....Unless you are my immediate neighbour..... who seems to devote all waking hours to spying on us neighbours, then reporting to whoever will listen!!!

Our Landlady happened to call about something and I mentioned about the car. Half an hour later, someone was there to jump start me. I am forever grateful...needed the 'wheels' to sort out Mother's move. Now I can ferry 'not wanted' stuff from Mother's to mine:o)...the family heirloom stuff...of which there is loads.
Ah. bleeping cameras...photos still awaiting their airing. This is REALLY pissing off Junior. She loves the useless, piece of **** camera...but there is no accounting for taste or crapiness. lol Not saying that mine is any better (taste, I mean). miss the piccies, though.

Sorry for any typos. Fingers all over the shop.

Countdown

Two days to go and then Mother will be in her new abode:o) She's looking forward to it...and having the mog. Big bro built her a bird house and she's taking that with her so she can put stuff out for the Yorkshire birdies.

Ringo...obviously used to the Life of Riley.
Can't move for stuff here at Chez Min...and there's more to come. Have to get bum into gear and sort out storing it all. As if I haven't enough....we just happened to go to the local Cat Rescue jumble sale this weekend...and, as per usual, came back with stuff.....loads of it...including some mega retro curtains! 50p Yay. Been washed and ready for hanging up in my bedroom. Junior picked up some corking outfits...for 25p each! Oh, to have her model figure:o) Got a yoga book with dvd. Someone, somewhere once said that it can help with arthritis, so I am hoping to get a little more supple..so I can bend and cut my toenails! lol At the mo, when I try, it feels like my heads going to blow up...

The mogs are whizzing about, playing 'chase'. Very funny. They're 'talking' to one another..trilling away. 'Tis sweet. Cilla is sparko siesta-ing...having nicked the cat biscuits. Gotta wear it off, somehow.

Friday 30 September 2011

Pissed Off

Our battery charger is pooped. So, can't put up the piccies on the camera that we would like to put up.

Today, got the car sorted. At last. Halleluliah!! We bumped into Mother as we were about to pick up the car. Gave her a lift home, had a coffee and natter...came out to go home and.....car wouldn't start! Arrrrrr! I had left the lights on. Pillock me!

So, me and Junior waddled home. So fed up. Bought a pizza, some wine, juice for Junior and fruit for pud.

Four days until Mother moves. Some numpty from the complex she lives at at the mo turned up and asked her why she was leaving. Can't believe that a housing association can employ such brainless, inconsiderate twits. This lot don't appear to give a **** about how the tenants feel....just profit and pleasing their bosses. Mother gave them an unedited version of her gripes and thoughts...to which they whimpered that they were 'trying hard'. Mother snapped back with a 'you should try harder!'.

There are ground floor flats available at this place.....and they put people in wheelchairs and with mobility problems...on the first floor. Bloody, stupid, braindead idiots! Maybe someone ought to bash these clueless housing officers on the knees and see how they'd cope in a first floor flat? Do you know...I can't be bothered to waste my time talking to these people anymore, given the amount of bullshit they come out with. Gnash, gnash......

Ringo is going to live with Mother, not Jimmy. Ringy is a MEGA trouble maker. BIG bully AND attention seeker..so we figured he would be the right one to keep Mother company. We think the attention seeker may have met his match. He's been Frontlined and Drontal'd. A white cushion for languishing upon, roast beef and much attention awaits him:o)

PS. Would you believe it? Tonight, Ringo is playing 'nicely'.

PPS. Still not got my new glasses.

Tuesday 27 September 2011

And there's more?

We are up to our ears in boxes, bags and stuff.

Mother is moving. She's had enough of people in her Hillbilly Land village and is going 'home' where she still has a couple of friends who are still alive and on her wavelength....all the rest have, sadly passed on. She can also take her cat. Yay! She's lonely and says at least she'll have someone to talk to:o) She's decided that she may as well have a 'declutter' and is chucking stuff out left, right and centre! I'm a bit alarmed as some of this stuff is of the 'family heirloom' type, most of which is just sentimental to us..priceless.. not worth a jot elsewhere. I'm not ready to let go of it. There's loads of stuff she's made, pictures painted, embroidery, a great framed, black and white piccy of Dad, pegging out his socks:o)

So, I am 'rescuing' the 'clutter'. Stuff that was about my childhood home when I was a young kid.

I am also 'rescuing' other stuff, too, accrued when Mother had her 'magpie' head on! lol Like two suitcases full of balls of mohair wool, which are currently on top of the tumble dryer. What do I do with them? This wool is too itchy for moi! Maybe it can be used for felting? Shall have to see. There's loads of ufo's that I remember from years back here, too, so I will be busy finishing them off....says she:o

Will never be a minimalist. Who would? Comfort hoarder, that's me:o) Touch the memories:o)

Monday 26 September 2011

The Stalkers

Daughter will never be a vegetarian, let alone a vegan.

Sigh....

The Obligate Carnivors were 'stalking' her tonight while she was munching her steak. Surprisingly, they left me alone, as I munched my vege lasgne and chips with courgette and tomato side bit.

In the kitchen, Jimmy managed to chomp his way through a tin of tuna...all on the quiet, so as not to alert the other 'stalkers'! lol

So, as we 'speak'.... Olive is pretty pissed off at missing 'steak time'. ' Ahh, don't look at me' I say, I've got a mini apple pie to 'look forward to'....one that's been in the oven for FAR TOO LONG......due to the baker (Junior) getting distracted by new phone.....sigh. (memo to self......buy Junior an oven timer for Christmas!!)

Saturday 17 September 2011

Hello, treat me gently!!

Going here on Monday. Sigh......

It's a bugger when I can't see what I'm typing! lol

Friday 16 September 2011

I am Pogged.....but Happy:o)

Pear and Almond cake, Chilli Prawns laid on a bed of fragrant cous cous, Bread, Stuffed Peppers on the afore-mentioned cous cous..and Fish n Chips...n peas!!!. (Peas are a very good addition to my 'ammo' when it comes to 'booting' unsuspecting cats off my bed...if you get my meaning? lol) Trouble is...Junior's appetitie is bigger than mine....which is extraordinary...seeing as I am the size of the Incredible Hulk and she is...well.....little:o) Sigh.


Pear and Almond Cale . Another is in the freezer for later consumption. She presents me with all these LOVELY dishes....and I think...."I am stuffed from the previous offering". Still....it all tastes GOOD!!!! lol And...she wants to do this for a career.....so I am guinea pig...for the mo.
The Prize wimming herbs:o) Bit jaded now.





So, while I waddle about, trying to discretely exercise... lol.......I chucked out all the tomato and pepper plants! Can't believe all the hassle I went through.. plus expense of compost...and I only got about 2lbs worth of fruit! Arghhhh... Blumming greenfly!! Next year, I will get a green house and not rely on the lean-to aka mogs den! lol

Our v nice neighbour gave us some damsons. They were lovely..very citrussy. Trouble is, they go off very so easily. Shame. Next time shall bottle them pronto! We have a windfall of apples to make use of and so I feel an apple-chilli jam coming on:o)


What other news? Oh yes. Guess who won FIRST PRIZE at the local garden club for Best Display Of Herbs? ....Best Elvis voice.....Thank you very much..... I get a mention in the local rag and FIVE POUNDS prize money!! I am so bloody good! lol Yipppeeee.....John Innes compost seller, here I come!!!!! I would like to thank Rosemary, Lavandula and Chives for all their help:o) xxx


Cute, gratuitous shot. Henry, hi-jacking the 'not for long' empty washing basket...again...

Saturday 3 September 2011

Little Chef

I asked Junior the other month what she preferred we had. TV or internet? We cannot afford both, so......?

'Internet' she chirps back without a second thought. 'TV is rubbish. All repeats, antique shows, blah..blah'

Fine with me. So, we do not now have the news on in the background 24/7. Radio will do for that.

If we want to catch up on anything tv-wise then there's the i-Player.

So, lots of stuff has been gotton on with. Books read, cds listened to, stuff made/planted,, places/people visited, etc.

Tonight, I suggested a nice, home-made quorn sweet and sour with noodles, rice and chips for tea. I gets questioned about what exactly is going to go in this dish. Turns my back and....bingo!!......guess who's in the kitchen making the afore-mentioned quorn sweet and sour with all the trimmings? Smells lovely.

There's a pavlova in the oven, too:o)

I get the washing up, again! lol

Friday 2 September 2011

Little Visitors

Little grandkids are visiting tomorrow.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Literally. Am so excited, in danger of peeing my pants! Thank God for Tena Lady Super Doopers.

Still can't believe I'm a granny. WAY too young! lol

Junior is baking bread, to mark the occassion:o)))

Spacing is still rubbish. Ack! Bugger, bugger, bugger!

Wednesday 31 August 2011

All Shriek Together

Cilla. It's her birthday:o) 9 today!!




The famous fruitcake.



Here I am, sat in little hidey hole, with tin hat on and accompanied by faithful Popeye, who is curled up on the comfy pad next to me:o)


Junior is 'that' way out today....courtesy of 'that' time of the month and all that it brings....mooods, strops....bang!


As you know, J is into baking at the mo..... This is very nice and all that, but I end up having to clean up after...it is the 'my end' of the bargain. Sigh. Anyway, I tiptoes into kitchen. She has her head in one of the many baking books we possess. I ask her what she is intending on making and gets the reply...'Doughnuts'. Sigh....


I tell her that we do not have all the ingredients.


She tells me we just need oil.


I tell her I am not going to buy some oil just so she can make doughnuts...and so she can go to her Gran's as she is the doughnut making expert..and she probably has oil.


Pfffffffffff


So, I wanders out of kitchen with my cup of tea and back into the sanctuary hidey hole where Popeye and elderly pc are and..... 'potter'..


Post arrives...so off I go to see what has landed on the mat. I spies into kitchen to see that Strong Bread Flour has been weighed out....most of which has gone everywhere except in to its recepticle. I ask what she has decided upon now? No reply.


She is looking at cake recipes. Hmmm...should I point out that Strong Bread Flour is not the type she should be using? Nah....decide to leave her to it. That'll teach her for not reading the recipe properly! lol


Back to hidey hole and elderly pc. Potter, potter about.



Back into kitchen....to find Junior busy with hands in baking bowl. I enquire as to what she has decided upon now.......Bread!...she tells me.



Yay! Nothing like kneading bread to get rid of moods! lol

Bread dough newly bashed!..waiting to rise.


Why is Popeye here with me?....Seeking protection, I fear.

Earlier on, I heard this shriek which came from upstairs. I know what it is when it's that sort of shriek. Yes....a certain someone, wearing clodhoppers instead of slippers in the house, had managed to tread on his tail. It always make me titter...the screech..... 'cos it makes me jump so much. Poor cats..... getting under feet and copping for it with trodden-on tails....
2 hours later.....
Daughter seems calmer now. All frustrations and moods seem to have been hammered out courtesy of the bread dough:o)...for the time being....


Hopefully, I have sorted out spacing problems:o)

Anyway, more random piccies.
Bart and his 'heart'

Cute Bart with the 'Please don't boot me off your bed' look.


Popeye keeping out of the way of clodhopping shoes!

Popeye's 'Not very pleased' look.

Jimmy..out of the way and snoozing on top of the corner shelving in the kitchen. He's in the bad books. Peed in my shoes!!

I love this one of Tinks.....chomping away at her cardboard box like she means business.


Wednesday 17 August 2011

Bloody Fruit Cake

Mogs are not so fussy, though.

Still some fruit cake with 'ample fondant icing' left.

Although, cats nowhere to be seen....probably sleeping it off!!

Dog has passed out....under my feet. making funny noises...and smells!

I am off to 'me pit'.

How does one cope if one is bunged up with Junior's fondant icing? Will let you know in the morn. xx Farewell.....xxxx

Tantrum

Oh Dear.

Cake decorating has not gone well.

Have been told by Junior that she will NEVER bake again and I may aswell give latest cake effort to the dog......who is avoiding us....for some reason! lol


Boobs

I am lots of £'s 'lighter' than yesterday!

Why is this? Well, yesterday went like...

'Daughter', says I.

'Yes, oh Mother Dear' , replies Junior.

Me...'Would you like to go and ponder beyond our village for some light recreation?'

Junior...'Oooooooh, yes, please, oh dearest, sweetest mother this earth has known'.

So, off we goes to local retail park, for some 'window shopping'. I notice that car is sounding a bit dodgy! Over revving...

We gets to retail park and three hours later it suddently hits me....Ack!!! STOOOOOPID MIN!!!!!

Well, at least I am safe in the knowledge that good old Marks and Sparks still do bra measurements!! Junior wanted a new brassiere. Was mortified to find that she had to take her top of to be measured!! Eeeeeeee....even mother here doesn't get to see that! Anyway.....she has two perfectly fitting bras to remember the day with!..amongst £25 worth of stuff from various places...and a £15 visit to Starbucks!!......sigh....

Claire's is the most boring shop on the planet...imv...so, I eventually oiks her out of there...took a bit of doing, though.

We like cookery books......So....we have a look in The Works........I have my fave..Junior hers.......She wins.....River Cottage. beats Nigel Slater!

She baked a fruit cake today....nothing to do with RC! I was 'resting' upstairs and heard a scream! Seems she had made the perfect fondant rose to adorn this fruitcake....and she dropped said rose.

Talking of stupid!!!

Me..'Daughter'.

Daughter...'Yes, oh mother....sweetest mother on this planet who parted with so much yesterday for moi'.

Me....'Would you kindly go an harvest an onion bulb from our garden so I can proceed with making your evening meal of 'Vegetarian Tikka Masala with fragrant rice?'.

Daughter...'Yes, Mother dear' was the delicious reply.

Well, guess who is a pillock?

In comes Junior with MEGA onion, plonks it on work surface and whooshes back upstairs to resume watching newly acquired dvd. Sigh..... (Day & Knight.....Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise....five quid at Tesco's!...she's been price watching it for WEEKS)

Meal is V nice....pity the onion in question was the one earmarked for the local annual show....Best Onion entry.

When I remind Junior of her 'pillockyness'...she replies....'Ah, that red one should be ok by then!'.
(We have a bed of red onions.....still waiting to 'bloom'.)..

So, here am I...updating...and there is she...upstairs....legged out on bed.....with five adoring feline fans keeping her feet warm! Fine with me....I am avoiding the inevitable....'Would you like a piece of my fruitcake?'. lol

Thursday 11 August 2011

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

What's the world coming to? All this rioting and looting of late..people killed, property and all manner of stuff torched? Shameful and disgusting behaviour.

Dearie me. Some people are saying it's because these 'people' are poor and that's why they do such things.

When we were young we had hardly anything. Parents worked.....shitty hours, shitty jobs....and shitty jobs made them ill...but they carried on. There were no benefits. We just had the bare minimum at home.... furniture, clothes - no designer stuff..everything was either hand made or hand-me-downs, food was basic. Def no holidays...but we didn't go out and kick the shit out of our communities. I think we were lucky. We were taught morals and respect...and that there were always consequences for our actions..be they negative or the other! Nobody was ever 'off their face' through drugs or alcohol...

A young woman who was interviewed on the tv (and had had her little shop trashed) described the louts as 'feral rats'. Totally correct but a bit insulting, I fear, to the little, brown furry rodent population to be categorised with that lot!!

Monday 8 August 2011

Gardening Club....Everyone Should Have One

We've been to the local gardening club tonight.

At each meeting there is normally a 'speaker'...who, obviously, gives a talk on his or her subject. Have to say we've found them REALLY interesting and have come away with plants and raffle prizes:o) (Junior 'WON' a jigsaw of the UK once!.....actually, it was my raffle ticket but she went up to collect the prize...under strict instructions...a lovely bottle of wine..which I was going to give to my lovely neighbour. Anyway, she got kyboshed by the women on The Committee who thought that such a lovely young girl would only want for this jigsaw, even though there were other, beauty oriented prizes on the table! Just what every home edded child wants....another jigsaw of the uk. LOL )

J is the youngest..ONLY.... JUNIOR member of this club!!! Pity others don't encourage their kids to go.

Anyway, local show will soon be upon us. She reckons she wants to enter for 'BEST CARROT' and 'BEST ONION'......we have some whoppers on the go! lol

There's loads you can enter for...best marmalade, jams, cakes.......Junior is also going for 'BEST 5 DECORATED BUNS, too'.

Takes the stress away from felines buggering up your decorating! lol

Sunday 7 August 2011

Ah....the screams!

As I might have mentioned before, we have been doing a bit of the old decorating....albeit very slowly. We ripped out the manky, aged, once were cream carpets upstairs...then unexpectedly ran out of money. Didn't help with rickety joints playing up, either.

Anyway, we are 'on with it' again and have managed to get a lot of emulsioning and glossing done, although we are no way yet finished.

This is not as easy as one would expect....to emulsion and gloss.. when you have twelve curious mogs and a clumsy pooch turning up everywhere...to supervise, you know:o)

We now have mogs fashioning the latest in white emulsion. ...and is Cilla really THAT grey? sigh...

So, hall, stairs and landing are now not the tango orange/REALLY disgusting crap cream walled with pub carpet on stairs with manky, manky cream carpet on landing corridor of yesteryear. Nooooooo....we are now 'ciel' and white:o) (Ducky eggy blue and white).

It looks lovely. Well, it will do when it's all done:o) I will be sooooooooooooo happy.

The stairs, we have finally decided, will be white. Maybe they will be adorned with a nice blue/fawn/white runner in the future...but, until then....they are going to be white. Nice and crisp, easy to clean/hoover. Ah, I can feel the bliss.

Soooo, Junior volunteers to get the first coat slapped on to the eleven-stepped 'wooden hill'. Ah, bless.

We locked all the mogs out of harm's way...or so we thought. I tell you, you turn your back for ONE minute and it all goes to pot!

There was J, happily painting away and.......WOOOOSH.....a black flash passed by us both!

Megan.......the sanest, normalist, sensibilist cat we have must have found a bloody good spot to hide and decided she wanted to supervise...

You should have heard Junior scream!! lol

I goes in to investigate and finds the little mog's pawprints on newly painted stairs....... all the way up......

If you thought that was bad enough?

Bigger scream later on.

Meg had wooshed into Junior's bedroom. Red carpet....now with added white paw prints.

I had to titter.

When I have scraped Junior off the ceiling, I will put piccy up of her newly designed carpet. lol..and the finished decor.

Aye, never a dull moment in this house:o)

PS. We learned our lesson well. First coat of white on my bedroom floorboards is down...and not a paw print in sight. lol....but, there's always tomorrow....they've been camped outside my bedroom all day!

Friday 5 August 2011

Chomps

Son no 1 is happy:o)

It has taken him MONTHS AND MONTHS to get an appointment with an NHS dentist.

He's had toothache for ages....AGES... and has had to take painkillers to help him cope with pain. It has nearly given him an ulcer!..all this painkiller consumption!! Anyway...finally...he got to see the rare breed dentist this week and now is minus the rogue tooth!

I'm obviously very happy that he is now pain-free but VERY annoyed that he's had to wait so long to be seen and treated. Bloody ulcer could have killed him.

When he was a bit younger we lived in our old home, obviously, and were with a local NHS dentist...who recommended that he had his wisdom teeth out. It seems normal stuff! ? So, we go along with expert advice and went for the appointments and the poor lad had to endure the extractions....and all the following pain. To be honest, I thought it was not necessary. In the end, so did Son no 1. He'd had enough of this dentist kneeling on his chest, trying to oik his wisdoms out... His teeth were not forthcoming! They wouldn't be....being very healthy!

I just think it's a load of old tosh....all this 'perfect smile' stuff. Synthetic. Son no 1 looks much better with his own, untampered-with smile:o)

Monday 1 August 2011

Beautiful Grandkids



Spent a lovely day with the grandkids. They are just so CUTE.


It was Sooooooooooooo hot today. Little one was puking up. Too hot for her. Older one was more ok, although not as ok as u would think. Strawberries were yummy.
No puke-ups.......They are both spitting images of their dads. A neandarthal thing..I think...am told (too many mags)to uphold this fact. Anyway...they are beauties:o)

Sunday 31 July 2011

Best Read So Far

I am reading this at the mo. It's BLOODY GOOD!!! Such an enjoyable, intelligent, informative read.

Picked the book up for 20p at the local jumble!! This woman is one smart cookie. If there was a 'dream' Come Dine with Me, then this lady would be top of my list. I would fail miserably as I am nearly vegan and she definitely is not. lol She is just SO interesting and totally unfazed by the people she knows/has come in contact with and seems such a thoroughly nice lady. Her dad even knew Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ffs!!!

Two Fat Ladies was such a hoot. Such a shame it ended. Jennifer was a lovely lady, too.



My brother sent me another great read not long ago. Tom Cox 'Under the Paw'. Unless you're a cat lover, you wouldn't understand.

Liz Jones did a great piece in the Daily Mail on 30/07/11 "Won't somebody love us?". It amplifies the fact that we are NOT a nation of animal lovers. Quite the opposite. And...still... some cat loving people go out of their way to help these creatures, abandoned and ignored by us.... 'supposedly' civilised beings.

There is a tale of Jack...a stray..who was picked up by a member of the public. He had an infected eye which was being eaten by maggots. She took him to a vet who recommended putting him to sleep. The woman contacted the Celia Hammond Animal Trust. They picked the cat up straightaway. As he was brought into the clinic, the remains of his eye fell to the ground! How much pain would have that poor animal been suffering? Anyway, the CHAT vets sorted him out. Removed EVERY maggot with tweezers and flushed the wound out. Now Jack is pain free and healthy. He just needs a loving home. Isn't there anyone out there who could love and give him a loving home? A one-eyed tuxedo? (black cat with a white chest).

Apparently, black and black and white cats are the least unfashionable nowadays...so must unlikely to find a home and the most likely to be put to sleep....just for being unwanted. Makes my heart break. Keep telling my lot how lucky they are! lol

My landlady runs sanctuary. She has 60 cats and kittens at the mo. She was reported by a malicious neighbour the other week. So, the RSPCA came out and informed her that her animals were not well looked after.....they were PAMPERED!! And they are....SO well looked after. We're hoping to set up a charity to help all these animals. I hope people will help.

Some of the stories you hear....well....makes you wonder what the human race has come to. Kids kicking kittens about....people abandoning animals in houses. People of ALL classes are guilty. It's shameful.

So, we go along. Cuddle and play with the kittens... to help socialise them so they are easier to rehome. Some of the older mogs are sooooooooooooooooo sweet. Dear God....Wish I could take and look after them all. xx

Thursday 28 July 2011

Peeping Thomesina - language, Timothy

I am feeling really agitated at present.

What do you do about nosy neighbours? Like, the stereotypical type.... REALLY nosy, thus intimidating, gossipy?

I don't like confrontation 'cos I always end up blowing my top and end up using a few choice colourful words! . I just want a quiet life and our privacy respected. Alas, I fear a mega ding dong is coming up.

My main gripe is that NN listens in on our conversations at any given opportunity and has even tried to 'tell' us who we should talk/not talk to on the street and who is a slapper! If she doesn't get on with/like them, so then we shouldn't..type of thing.

We get spied on when we go into the garden. Nosy neighbour has blatently stood at their back bedroom window and ogled. I know NN is spying because when we look up then NN jumps back away from the window....then moves forward when she thinks we aren't looking! What a plonker. We've seen it loads of times and so have other people. It's dead obvious. NN knows I find it rude as I've made it plain with a bit of sign language. lol But..still she carries on. Do people like this have some mental illness or what? Even when I go to 'nice' neighbour's and we go in their garden, we still get spied on via either the window method or the 'pretend to be doing something in the garden within earshot' method. Like I said, they know I find it rude and that we're on to them.

So now they've put in the tinted/two way type glass!! You know, the we can look out but you can't look in type. Carry on Spying! And when/if we have people round and we go into our garden to a spot 'unviewable' from the back window, then NN comes out and hovers at the other side of our hedge, plainly earwigging! It's just the height of rudeness. Arghhh. I keep our hedging high but they trim it so much at their side, they've virtually killed it off! Junior is all for telling NN where to go and the like. Others reckon I should just tell her to fuck off.

I was warned about this person before we moved in. Not to tell them anything I didn't want others to know. Even people who don't live on our street know about this person's antics and have offered 'sympathy' for what we have to endure...nosiness, privacy invaded, bossiness/bullying.

So, we hardly go in the garden and 'garden' or even just sit out and enjoy the weather nowadays because it's so bloody annoying, knowing that you are being watched and listened to and then gossipped about. It's making nice neighbour miserable, too. Nice neighbour is elderly and really.... nice.

Am at the end of my tether.... Can't believe there are so many nutters in the world that seem to live on our street lol ....going to take legal advice.

Tuesday 26 July 2011

Who owns who?

So, Junior has been 'shopping' with her Gran.

Those two are such a pair of fashionista girlies. Should see what they came back with. lol Anyway, they are both knackered.

I was hoping to get lots done with this free time. But did I? Nah. Got way laid, as per usual.

Nice neighbour came round for a 'let off steam' talk. Put dog in other room, out of the way as she jumps up and claws. Anyway, when neighbour had gone, I let Pooch out
to find that she had repaid me by peeing on the carpet! Arghhhh! I regaled this tale to nice neighbour and she thought it was really, really funny! I thought I would repay normally lazy pooch with a REALLY LONG WALK..

She is now clapped out by my side. Pooped. Bless.

In the morning I expect the little sod to repay me with another 'accident....so she's in the kitchen tonight...just in case. lol

Normally, she likes to kip under the bed. I don't let her sleep on the bed. Lesson learned.

Her dead weight stops my blood circulation. Bad for health, obviously.

I have just, very quietly, opened a packet of crisps. Pooch has miraculously awakened from her exercise-induced slumber and is giving me the 'look'....the 'ooooey, gooey, I am so lovely, give us a bit' look.

Sigh.....

Sunday 24 July 2011

Fetish

We've been to a mega jumble sale and come back with loads, as per usual.

I fear that I have a bit of a fetish and buy far too many pillowcases!.....like, this time I came home with over a dozen! Fifteen, in fact. lol Don't know what goes off, but as soon as I get there this homing device in me sends me straight to the home furnishings and bedding stall with me saying 'give me your pillowcases!' Well, my new supplies have all been washed and are drying outside in the sunshine. Nothing like a nice, clean pillowcase to rest your weary head on. Still, Shall have to think of what to do or make with them. Maybe a pillowcase quilt? I have about 50 in my pillowcase stash now:o)

We got loads of stuff from the jumble. Nick nakcs..all 10p each. Money goes to a good cause...so everyone's happy.

Camera batteries have just picked the right moment to conk out, so I will put piccies up when they're recharged.

Tomorrow, I carry on with bedroom renovations. It's all been done on a budget and most things have been recycled. Walls have been painted. White...Wilkos..£5.97 for 5 litres. lol Below dado rail a really pale pink. It isn't a colour of choice but was paint left over from Junior's previous room makeover. Only one wall's worth of paint was used from the two pots purchased, by which time she had decided that very pale pink wasn't for her. She now wants black and white! Eeek. Anyway,you have to make do with what you've got, especially when you've got two pots of the stuff, so I dutifully slapped the unwanted paint on my walls and I think it looks very nice! Bought in a sale for £4.19 for 2.5 litres and is the expensive chalky emulsion stuff that's in right now. V nice.

Well, I have to declutter and vacate my bedroom of all the stuff in there...so I get on with the next bit, which is paint the floorboards..you guessed it...white. Can't wait. No more manky carpet to hoover. Yay. Why do people pick beige carpets? Yak! So, after that I will be on with rugmaking. One for each side of the bed. Lots of unwanted clothes are to be cut into strips for the project...but do I go for the rag rug type or the plaited rug variety? Decisions, decisions. Well, actually, I'd like to make a 'Ragged Roses' type but haven't a clue how, so I may well end up with the plaited type..unless I could get 'pointed in the right direction'. lol

Saturday 23 July 2011

I don't fit the job description

So ok. I'm a granny, but I don't feel like one. Well, not like a 'useful' one. I feel woefully inadequate. Wonder if others feel this way? I've looked, but there is no Granny Manual.

When I think of a granny, I think of a wise person...one of those who, with minimal effort, can make things seem ok without effort, rustle up hearty meals out of nothing, make you better at the drop of a hat, make you feel safe when you look up to her happy, smiley face:o). Eeeek

Not me. I'm useless. I don't fit that job description. Arghhhh! There'll be no running round green fields with me 'cos I can't even bend down and put my own socks or shoes on without feeling like my head is going to explode with all the exertion! 'Cos, crikey, I still like T. Rex and George Clooney! I'm too young to have grandkids, I hear my head say!

Pah! Grans are supposed to smile and be happy. So, best get my finger out 'cos grandchild no 1 is a smart little cookie and getting to the age where she'll start sussing that I can be a grumpy old sod at times.

The plan? Grandchild no 1 is 3 now. She is old enough and ready for it, me thinks......So, this Christmas Santa might just bring her a whopping great big drum kit:o)....and lots of playdough! She'll love it! Yay!

Friday 22 July 2011

I'm thinking I'm lucky

Can't believe I'm a granny, again. Newest grandchild. She is beautiful:o)


Grandchild of Min no 1. She loves her new cousin:o) This is what I was thinking today. That I'm very lucky. Kids and grandkids...An idea from http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/ is a great blog. I think it's for most people. A very calming, relaxing and very informative blog. The blog author is lovely. She's a granny, too:o) If I've mucked up the link, then it's in my sidebar. Sorry, also, if you get this a million times. I tend to recorrect, a bit! spacing on my blog has gone to pot, too.


Olive mog has taken to stretching out on the keyboard...when I'm on the computer! Maybe it warms her up or maybe she's gotten a bit clingy now that she's a whole 4 years old! Anyway, behaviour has passed on to 'old lady' Muppet....aged 14! They're like bookends! LooLoo, O clever one, is sat on top of the 4 foot square ancient monitor, warming her nether regions! Bet her bladder is ok! lol



Muppet is semi-feral and it has taken me 14 years to get her to trust and come to me when I call her! Some 'person' used her as target practise a few years ago when I used to let the mogs out. They shot her in the side, so that's another reason why the mogs are house cats. She's virtually lived upstairs since then, but has decided that life's too short and has recently ventured downstairs..... and everywhere in the house/run. Plays like a kitten, too....racing up and down stairs with the others. 'Tis sweet to see. You can almost hear her shouting "Whoopeeee!!" lol

Muppet on the go


Muppet chilling out.


Jimmy is as bad. He is my mother's cat but pets aren't allowed in the place she lives in, which seems stupid to me as most of the people there seem to be very lonely. Anyway, she feels guilty and is convinced that he must be miserable because he doesn't live with her anymore. Hahahahaha! Don't think so. He's another OAP who whizzes about like a loony, goes nuts for catnip and likes to chill out by laying on his back, legs akimbo, playing with his pink mouse! 'Tis a sight to see.


Jimmy chilling out with his mouse:o)


In our village there's a little diy/home supplies/haberdashery shop. It's run by an older couple and they sell all sorts of random stuff, like sweets, ice creams, light bulbs, mops and brushes....anything repairy/diy that you can think of. Anyway, today is their last day of trading as they are retiring. I went in to get some bits...more for momentos really...and there was someone younger and unknown to me behind the counter ...the bloke was too upset to serve! Awwww!!!!

Anyway, I wish them a long and Happy Retirement.

To follow - gratuitous piccies of the mogs and a certain someone's feet!
Look at the state of those feet..and that furry footwarmer! lol

Two of Megans kittens. Honey Pot is on the right, looking very 'bat' like.
Kitten Ringo

Kitten Henry


Henry and Ringo aka The Chuckle Brothers


Brothers Bart and Henry - exact left ear markings


Some of the mogs lounging...on MY bed!
Olive about to pounce .......


Olive bags her den

Kitten Bart

Bart pouting
Ahhhh. Sweet Olive...bags and takes command of the laundry basket. lol

The end.

Tuesday 19 July 2011

Explain this

Blooming hell!!

This incompetent bladder of mine is doing my head in!! Arghhhhhh!!!

Have fed the tomato plants and could swear that they are moving! Triffids in the house! Eeeek

Something else on the EEEEK wavelength...

Have been decorating my bedroom so have been kipping on the sofa to avoid paint fumes. We have glass, leaded cupboards on the left hand side of the fireplace, in the lounge... and they house some of my nick nacks.

Well, most mornings at 5am...one of the doors opens....on its own. Talk about Eeeeeek. It's all silent, too...so God knows why it wakes me up.

Dog snores through it, though:o)

Could be my knackered bladder sending out 'go to the loo' signals! lol

Monday 18 July 2011

My world is over populated....with tomato plants!

Granny Greenteeth is back!

Yay!...for Son no 1's cast off pc:-) The matching flat screen monitor is pooped so we are using an old, antique type one that big bro brought down and which is about 4 feet square! lol

New grand child has arrived and she is sooooooooo beautiful. Junior is loving being an auntie....again:o) Mother (great granny) is totally besotted and has 'the knack' when it comes to soothing the little one.

We feel very blessed :o)

On the home front.......the mogs are still causing hilarity with their antics. Honey Pot has been sat in front of the pc monitor, totally mesmerised by the cursor! 'Tis so funny. The dog has become somewhat 'portly' in her old age due to lots of scoffing cat food on the sly! Junior is so tall now..model material.... and I seem to be going the other way and doing a roaring trade for Tena Lady! lol J has managed to discover my secret stash of wedge shoes and sandals which, annoyingly, fit and suit her well.

We are on with the 'grow your own 'cos food is getting soooo expensive' journey and have managed to end up with lots of tomato plants....courtesy of Junior aka Chief Seed Setter. The garden room is sort of over populated with said plants....'cos I didn't have the heart to chuck the excess out. (I am such a wuss)...did offer them to everyone we know...but, they all seem to be tomato haters! lol

So....wonder how many we'll end up with, weight-wise? Have visions of ending up with a freezer full of just tomato sauce. Eeek!