Saturday, 30 June 2007
Statistics
So , if you are reading , please don't be shy and leave your thoughts ...?
Bathroom
This morning's CatCall , two lovely cats named after a lager and a spirit involves a visit to a beautifully appointed house which makes me feel weak when I encounter my own bathroom corners , but stiffens my resolve with the polyfilla , though I begin to appreciate the enormity of the task and that new wood , sandpaper and a scrubbing brush may enhance the preparation stage . And that polyfilla alone ... well .... it was an idea .
Friday , just before the rain
Friday, 29 June 2007
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Wall from window with raindrop ...
Question ? Or Comment
- D , looking over my shoulder as I post the exploding tv blog see complete with photo : " why does an article about an exploding tv feature a picture of a toilet ?"
" A toilet ? "
" What toilet ?"
he points , impatient for me to finish so he can direct me to his latest attempt to restore the website to the spot on the ether where it needs to be .
(The e mails are coming thick and fast from Fasthosts and seem now to start " Dear D , we are now sure that you have ..... "
and sign off " We are now sure that once you ..... x, y and z you will be laughing all the way to your search engine ", or similar . )
" That's the bidet "
Silence .
I hear the voice in his head which is saying , quietly , " I rest my case " .
Exploding tv
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
Jessie , courgette for today
Today the great excitement , not having any cats to look after apart from my own , was discovering more features on site meter , including a map which seems to reveal that people are looking at the blog from Italy , Germany ( that's my friend Zita ), Canada , New York , California , oh and lots in London . And hopefully in time that will spread to lots of people locally to the north east of England who want someone to take care of their cats .....or like looking at photos of cats and houses and things you see when out on your bike .
Did I mention , I won the pound puppies ( minis ) on e bay . The previous batch of 8 went for £21 , shocking , but this batch of 18 I managed to get for £6 50 but that apart the excitement of bidding was tremendous . Spurred on , I then hunted down a copy of Mike Figgis' Timecode and managed to get that for £ 3 or thereabouts .
I saw Timecode a while back when I hired it from Blockbuster . I blanch now when I think of how I took the DVD back and informed the man at the desk ( I 'm not quite old enough to call him the Boy at the Desk though indeed that's what he was .....) that he had given me the " wrong version " of the fim and could I just have the " normal one " . His ears pricked up , wondering if I'd inadvertantly picked up a porno , possibly , but no , I was clearly mad , as I insisted on explaining the fim "had a man talking over it. ". When he asked what he was talking about and I explained it was about how he had made the film and could I just have a plain film , realisation dawned that I had clicked onto director's commentary . He patiently explained while I hooted with glee at my folly . How come he didn't laugh ? They have such self control , these people .
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
websites etc
It all seems to be going swimmingly for a few minutes then D , trying to improve matters even further , deletes the whole thing off the whole thing ( the website off the webspace ? Serious anyway .) What a blunder ! A series of e mails back and forwards from Fasthosts who are very helpful and who usually seem to start with
" I cant quite see what you have done but ....." and end
" So unless you have a back up copy locally you will need to start again from scratch .
And as the official webmasterperson or is it mistress , I have to forward all these e mails and am thus , again the harbinger of these unwelcome gems .
Not being particularly computer literate myself , I wonder later how it is that I find myself on the end of a phone later to my dad trying to explain " Cut and Paste " so that he can " click on the activation link " of something D put on his pc for him on our last visit . Anti virus software or something equally vital to his safety online which hasnt actually been activated since we were there , about a month , possibly .
" So Dad , do you know how to highlight something with your mouse ? "
"Yes " ( confidently)
"Ok so well get your mouse and click on that box in the corner saying Edit "
" Right " ( still confident . This can't be right)
" Then highlight the address line "
Silence
Silence
Dad ?
Yes
Have you done that ?
Silence
Very small voice " Well I have but nothing has happened . It hasnt copied anything .
No just hang on , now go to Edit again , down to Paste
Paste ?
( I picture him looking round the room for glue )
then ...
" What exactly are we trying to do now ?"
" Tell you what Dad , we'll come and have a look when youre back from your holidays "
Phew .
Now I know what the helpdesk feels like when I hang on the end of the phone tittering at my own incompetence and noting their extreme patience , not even an audible sigh . How do they do that then ?
Saturday, 23 June 2007
The Archers
( Oh no, more thunder as I write , my head will explode but I am suffering Blog Withdrawal which is more upsetting than Life Withdrawal which I'm accustomed to , though not for a while having been until this weeks storms clear of migraine for several weeks , and amazingly , believing the problem was solved ) .
Having spent time in recent weeks looking at digital radios in John Lewis , under the impression that the main reason I don't listen at home is connected with lack of radios, I start fiddling with the laptop and then move into the realisation that I can also , wait for this , listen to broadcasts I have missed in the last seven days ....thus transforming my life .
Only last night I sat looking at the clock from 6pm , waiting patiently for seven , home alone and all prepared to listen at the right time and In the House for once , and suddenly , before I know it its precisely seven twenty and yes , again , Ive missed it ! I realise at that point that its nothing to do with having radios in only three rooms but much more to do with the fact that unless I were to set an alarm on my mobile phone , I am completely incapable of remembering anything that happens after six pm unless its work or CatCall related .
And it seems that it wasn't thundering again , just Colin's new diy project . Maybe my head will start to clear .....
Friday, 22 June 2007
CatCalling
Looking after two cats this week and after a minor panic on the first day when despite being told there were two cats but not having been introduced to them as they were both " upstairs " when I visited , I fretted when only one appeared near the feeding bowls and despite a cursory glance in the bedrooms , no sign of a second cat . More worryingly , there was a large black and white puss curled up asleep on the patio in the early evening sunshine . And the doors were locked and there was no way for cats to enter or leave .
I stared at this cat for a while , wondering if he/she had been left outside by accident , contemplating letting her in , or even opening the door to see if she seemed to wish to come in , but then thought of one of our cats who would happily wander into any open cat flap and have a poke around everywhere before collected by us .
A phone call to the grandmother , holidaying in Stratford , and she told me the second cat would be hiding somewhere and just to ignore her , and after leaving her to it and hoping for the best I finally decided to mount a search yesterday and there she was , a little face amongst the bags under the bed , hissing as she saw my upside down face appearing in her territory .
Cats are all so different .
Thursday, 21 June 2007
migraine
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
little boy rootling
Went to Alina's two year birthday party ( 2nd birthday party ? sorry , migraine issues ) and there were two little boys there who were so sweet . Reminded me of this day at the Art at Belsay Hall and the boy rootling in the cupboard looking at all the dresses all by himself and thinking " I 'll probably never have a little boy now " .
He looked so self sufficient and so completely absorbed .
furballs
I have had migraine of sorts for a couple of days . I went to bed at ten pm the night before last in an attempt to sleep it off , and when D came up to bed two hours later , I raised my head from sleep and said " Have you been to bed this day ? " .
Last night I slept a total of thirteen hours with some reading spells at 4 am and 5 , but was still bogged down this morning .
I do my CatCalls ( one call , two cats ) in slow motion to make sure I don't make any mistakes .
Friday, 15 June 2007
Pound Puppies
Fenwicks had no pound puppies ..... have been searching for Pound Puppies as the cats love them , the mini ones measuring about 5 cm . Kitty unearthed one from somewhere in the house recently and yowls and carries it about like a kitten , so as a means of placating her after Furrball Incident this morning we tried to find another . It would appear they're no longer available but have managed to locate several on ebay and have placed a bid ( my first ebay bid ever how about that ) . Disappointing to note that there are three days left to go before I discover whether the pound puppies ( mini ) are mine , but all adds to life's rich tapestry . I had no idea there were so many versions of pound puppies , which N tells me were originally avilable free from McDonalds ...what a memory she has . Furries , yappies , minis , newborns , the list goes on .
Meanwhile we need another way to appease the scary monster that is Kitty .
Cross Cats
I find it hard to digest my Rachel's coconut yoghurt ( now available in Sainsbury s )against a backdrop of his comments whilst scrubbing ( " oh there s a complete furball AND some frothy liquid here ..." ... " Oh no Kitty has deposited on my court report right on my desk " ) etc , my preference being to studiously ignore all such matters until after breakfast but he professes to be unable to eat until its done .
He fetches the stuff .
I apply it to their paws , though I draw the line at Kitty who is beyond all reasonable medicinal interventions .
Toby raises his paw plaintively and walks about on three legs .
Jessie does whats shes supposed to and licks it off ( Result ! ) .
Pearl ignores hers and thus wipes it on the armchair later I guess .
D bravely squares up to Kitty and the deed is done , she flees the scene and goosesteps along the hall , livid .
We will pay later .
Thursday, 14 June 2007
If looks could kill ...
Wednesday, 13 June 2007
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
walk
Sunday, 10 June 2007
window
Puffin Island today
Friday afternoon
Called at Hexham en route back from Bardon Mill ( work trip ) for coffee in cafe nero and to give L a change to arrive home after work and collecting H from the school bus . After coffee and fruit scone research ( have I mentioned this ?) , tried to get back to my car ( Robbs car park ) down HallstileBank , noting the heatwave as I came out into the sunshine . Police cars everywhere , unusual for Hexham , sleepy market town , but then they were blocking my path and wouldnt let me near the hill down to the car park and I was told I probably wouldnt be able to get my car out either as the road at the bottom was blocked . " An incident " I was told . I thought of my dream and wondered if a knife was involved ....
Took a detour and found my car though it took me a while to escape . Traffic backed up along the A69 into Hexham and getting out was interesting , mainly due to rubbernecks like me trying to figure out where the problem lay and did he have a gun ? It later transpired he did , in Haugh Lane .
Arrived at Laura s expiring with the heat , clad as I was in a jumper and jeans . The road to the farm was cool , dappled with sunshine and with tree branches creating a long green tunnel and I stopped to take some pictures . In the farmyard my new Guinea Pig arc was immediately visible , made for me to order by Cyril who apparently knocked it out on Sunday ( he was bored ) .... it was quite Fabulous and Harvey showed me how the inner sanctum works , though doubts were expressed as to how Hedgehog , the larger of our ladies , will squeeze through . A picture will appear somewhere on the site though at present there is an Issue with pictures on posts ...??
We sit in the garden and talk about missing keys , plot our very own trip to Bravissimo ( not that we're boasting our assets or anything ) and drink green tea whilst watching Laura s guineas in their own arcs , wheezing as they go . Not that they go far . Waste of time getting them fancy runs really as they tend to huddle in the indoor parts unless forced out , but still ....
Friday, 8 June 2007
Dreams
Vivid dreams and very deep sleep , with the house featuring plus some of the other images from yesterday with a smattering of stabbings and men fighting with knives in close proximity to me and the kids , N and her cousins , aged around six and in my care . We were in S Carolina . I had to drive a distance and my SatNav was failing ......
Memories of an occasion years ago when waiting to be served in a fish and chip shop in Ambleside and because we spent most of the summer there were well known with our bikes and the baby trailer we had ( they werent common then ) . A couple came in and were kicking off with the staff and the tension was building and none of us could leave as it would have meant squeezing past them . One of the guys behind the counter caught my eye , looking at the kids and how transfixed they were by the anger and atmosphere , and signalled to me to exit to the kitchens , which I did . Similar tensions . And sparked off by an episode of Six Feet Under ( I'm nearly through season three ) when I was concerned by the number of times actors ( Nate and Ruth ) yell and shout whilst holding babies ( Maia ) , and I wonder about the baby as she looks from person to person trying to figure out whats going on . With an older child actor I suppose you can explain , this is just pretend but not so with a baby . To them feelings are feelings and anger is anger .
One of my regular CatCalls involves occasional weekends twice or thrice a year , and every so often a long stint looking after things whilst the family go away for six weeks for a long haul holiday . We had agreed this time to keep in touch via e mail if they wanted to know how the cats were faring and I had an e mail one morning asking me to confirm the cats were all present and correct as the woman had dreamed that Burt Reynolds had abducted one of the cats and taken him off to a house in a far distant street and when she woke this had seemed so real that she had panicked , possibly worrying that the dream portended some other nightmare scenario . N and I took the camera round and e mailed off some pictures to prove all was well and cat was snoozing as usual in the best chair . The dream she attributed to an excess of seafood . ..
Always a reason for everything , arguably , but sometimes its not that simple .
Thursday, 7 June 2007
Thursday morning ....Reduced Hours and Comparative Bums
Blog Administrator....Martha s vineyard etc
Which brings me to the subject of reviews . My friend Michaela thinks I have a career in this field after I wrote a spoof review of her husband Neil's book " Martha's vineyard " ( Neil Griffin : 2006)
Go to http://www.lulu.com/content/607829
Neil had asked me to review the book but made the mistake of asking me several months after I read it and I don't know about you but if I read something last week I'm hazy about the details three hours later .
" I read this great book by Neil and I definitely wondered how Chaela would feel about her husband having relationships extra maritally on planes and in foreign parts and also that he seems to have harboured feelings on a longstanding basis for a colleague . So hey the book must have been dead realistic .
It was also dead good as it made me feel like I was imminently going on holiday / about to win the lottery or have my own inheritance appear out of the blue from a relative Id forgotten I had . There was nice weather as well . ( ??)
There was a clever twist involving a husband and some other people , and Neil got tied to a chair at one point which was dead scary . I read really fast at that point and didnt put the book down sometimes when I should have .... so eager was I for the denoument . "
If you re interested in reading Neil s book , which is excellent by the way , you would do better to read the notes on lulu.com and perhaps dont hold your breath for my (proper) review .
Even better , why not read it yourself and then review for Neil on lulu , as I know he's always looking for feedback . In my case its hard to disentangle the Bob character from the author and I did keep wondering why he picked the name Bob , though Im sure there will be a reason , I just havent had time to ask . The time constraints of modern life .
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
Monday, 4 June 2007
The weekend
Sunday , Bravissimo , Oh Joy , the measuring ladies there were young and cool and didnt even use measuring tapes , despite being around sixteen rather than sixty, they simply eyed up the punter , pronounced , brought back a selection of perfect , brightly coloured , Big Bras ( I quote N here, who has gievn her permission for this post ) . £25 might be the least expensive on offer but hey , who s counting ? After a total of 9 hours on the case , cheap at half the price .
The jeans I took back were the ones that bent my nail ....
But the shop assistant pointed out there were another paid of tens , same make , John Rocha , slightly different design , and on sale at half the price . Result ..... new jeans and a refund on my card .
I also managed to get the SatNav fixed . Drove back again to the satNav warehouse lookalike place , N decided to stay in the car and watch a funeral taking place across the road , I went in and was greeted enthusiastically by Sarah who said she was happy to help as she rarely got out of the office , she found Dan who crouched down by the car and watched me as I switched on , waited for it to fail , and of course , it flicked straight to the map and ..... surely it cant be working . Dan looked at me quizically as I tried not to go red and wished N wasnt so sharp .... both of them waiting expectantly for my explanation . Dan however despite his youth , knew all about tact and explained that sometimes it can take up to half an hour with new maps for the satellite to place itself ( which was why Id been stuck in europe for ten minutes when I had Tried this at Home ) , and kindly stated that he had " seen himself wait half an hour once " . I smiled weakly and we drove off ......
This evening ( Monday ) though whilst trying to find a new Catcall , the satnav again declared itself searching and I found the house myself by the Driving Round and Round method before the satnav kicked in ...
Great cats , great house ......I love Catcalling .
Saturday, 2 June 2007
Puffin Island
A lovely hour in the sun in Debbie and Sally's garden with coffee and home made cake started a headache , the first Ive had in weeks and hasnt really gone yet . Woke this morning at three am and took Syndol which seems to knock it on the head but does the same to me for a lot of hours as well .