I fall asleep with half an ear for my neice letting herself in after a nights clubbing . We have left a note stuck to the inner door welcoming her and advising her which bed to sleep in .
At three am D is restless , I realise I too am awake , and we wonder if F has arrived though we think not . On returning from the bathroom I announce proudly to D that I have unplugged the hair straighteners which were stretched as usual across the landing . We are all used to them and step over , but F may not .
Me ( self important ) " Ive unplugged the hair straighteners "
D " Did you do a risk assessment ? "
For some reason this strikes me as incredibly funny and I am awake for some considerable time longer , recalling past episodes when F came to stay and .... I wont go into details ..... a text arrives . I decide it can wait till morning , too late to drag myself from sleep . then I know I have to do the dragging . She may be in need somewhere .
" Sorry , its F I'm sleeping at J s see you tomorrow " . Message timed at 3 47 am .
Phew , thats that then ..... can plug the straighteners back in then !
Saturday, 29 December 2007
Thursday, 27 December 2007
Roomba
Does anyone out there have a Roomba ?
I can't believe Ive only just heard about these things with my menagerie full of animals and attendant swathes of pet hair clogging up the Dyson not to mention the cats scattering their wood based kitty litter from here to kingdom come just for fun . ( I know , I see them do it , they climb aboard , turn several times after the performance is done , then scoot , the back legs buck jump and the litter is up the walls , down the cracks of the skirting boards , you name it . ) And although Alice has tiny short greyhound hair which doesnt seem to come out onto the floors or furniture , she s quite capable of spreading Bonio crumbs and Gravy Bones and other tasty morsels about the carpet in her vicinity .
We have or had various Dyson vacuum cleaners standing to attention around the house over the years but they have dwindled now to two , one in the hall cupboard seeing active service most days and the other in the attic awaiting a replacement belt ( don't watch this space ) . By the time I drag the yellow one up to the first floor and try to make it do its duty along the cat hair I am usually so cross I am not speaking to myself , recalling the halcyon days when it( or its predecessor) was first purchased and it glided through a pile of everything making a lovely lawn like stripe and making me feel like a proper person whose carpets would now be clean . These days when I apply myself diligently to the carpet , going over and over the same spot repeatedly and finally getting down on my hands and knees to pick up the crumb I have spotted by hand , tripping over the wire and thinking this is not how its supposed to be , occasionally the thought of throwing in the towel and simply buying a new vacuum cleaner when there's nothing really wrong with this one pops into my head and then brings me out in a cold sweat . The very idea .
And now , someone has brought to my attention , the Roomba . I had no idea what this creature was . But immediately I had an inkling it was something I was going to start to crave . I googled it and Yes , thats right , I want the Discovery version , yesterday if possible , though I am of course prepared to drive considerable distances to view it operating and hand over the cash . Its the paddock boots ( too stiff when I finally sourced them ) all over again .
I spend a happy half hour reading Roomba reports , noting that if it meets a tennis ball it will happily send it on its way , thus providing a friend for the family dog too , ( Alice is not much of a ball dog though , wonder if it does seaweed ? ) And then sending aforementioned reports to my sister and to D , who will no doubt have an opinion . How will he feel when the Roomba starts up cleaning whilst he is working ? Will he feel Put Out , his position usurped ? or is it Tidying after all that is his forte , rather than cleaning . I reassure myself we are on safe ground here , so long as it does not try to indulge in Desk Wars and try to climb onto his desk , though even he is missing Kitty's constant squabblings of late , so maybe a Roomba would constitute a welcome diversion ?
Obviously it would need to have a name . And so far I have not researched the cost , not wanting to spoil my reverie .
And Nat has returned home from the sales having forgotten my pasta sauce ! Major logistical problem here now !
I can't believe Ive only just heard about these things with my menagerie full of animals and attendant swathes of pet hair clogging up the Dyson not to mention the cats scattering their wood based kitty litter from here to kingdom come just for fun . ( I know , I see them do it , they climb aboard , turn several times after the performance is done , then scoot , the back legs buck jump and the litter is up the walls , down the cracks of the skirting boards , you name it . ) And although Alice has tiny short greyhound hair which doesnt seem to come out onto the floors or furniture , she s quite capable of spreading Bonio crumbs and Gravy Bones and other tasty morsels about the carpet in her vicinity .
We have or had various Dyson vacuum cleaners standing to attention around the house over the years but they have dwindled now to two , one in the hall cupboard seeing active service most days and the other in the attic awaiting a replacement belt ( don't watch this space ) . By the time I drag the yellow one up to the first floor and try to make it do its duty along the cat hair I am usually so cross I am not speaking to myself , recalling the halcyon days when it( or its predecessor) was first purchased and it glided through a pile of everything making a lovely lawn like stripe and making me feel like a proper person whose carpets would now be clean . These days when I apply myself diligently to the carpet , going over and over the same spot repeatedly and finally getting down on my hands and knees to pick up the crumb I have spotted by hand , tripping over the wire and thinking this is not how its supposed to be , occasionally the thought of throwing in the towel and simply buying a new vacuum cleaner when there's nothing really wrong with this one pops into my head and then brings me out in a cold sweat . The very idea .
And now , someone has brought to my attention , the Roomba . I had no idea what this creature was . But immediately I had an inkling it was something I was going to start to crave . I googled it and Yes , thats right , I want the Discovery version , yesterday if possible , though I am of course prepared to drive considerable distances to view it operating and hand over the cash . Its the paddock boots ( too stiff when I finally sourced them ) all over again .
I spend a happy half hour reading Roomba reports , noting that if it meets a tennis ball it will happily send it on its way , thus providing a friend for the family dog too , ( Alice is not much of a ball dog though , wonder if it does seaweed ? ) And then sending aforementioned reports to my sister and to D , who will no doubt have an opinion . How will he feel when the Roomba starts up cleaning whilst he is working ? Will he feel Put Out , his position usurped ? or is it Tidying after all that is his forte , rather than cleaning . I reassure myself we are on safe ground here , so long as it does not try to indulge in Desk Wars and try to climb onto his desk , though even he is missing Kitty's constant squabblings of late , so maybe a Roomba would constitute a welcome diversion ?
Obviously it would need to have a name . And so far I have not researched the cost , not wanting to spoil my reverie .
And Nat has returned home from the sales having forgotten my pasta sauce ! Major logistical problem here now !
King Edward Bay Tynemouth 9am
Even with the wind blowing a gale as it was this morning I cant resist this walk with Alice . And it pays off . The Bay is sheltered from the wind and the sun is just coming over the cliffs . No other greyhounds this morning for Alice to chase , but she's more than happy with a deflated old football we find .Only one CatCall today , with two more starting on Saturday .
Wednesday, 26 December 2007
Art at Tynemouth Station
Between the glass on the bridges at the station near the house there is an art space . The latest display recreates the seaside in former times . Glass jars hold little cut out paper figures , couples dancing .
There is a room set up like a seaside hotel , the landlady and her list of rules is almost there , breathing down your neck . But not quite . Instead an old photograph of two local beauties
" Are they a couple of transvestites or what ?" says D ( see top picture and click to enlarge )
A couple passing by with their dog glance in at the exhibits . " I don't know what they're trying to do in there " says the man . The woman walks on , inscrutable .
Art in Tynemouth on Boxing Day .
Sunday, 23 December 2007
King Edward Bay 7am
These landmarks at first light are great anchors when all else is madness and frenzy .
The hut is set against the cliffs , directly in front is a small bay with rocks , waves and the full complement of wheeling squealing sea birds . Without the greyhound I probably wouldn't have discovered its sanity restoring properties .
Saturday, 22 December 2007
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