| Smelevision |
[Dec. 26th, 2009|11:46 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  relaxed | ] |
I've spent the last three days away from home. I'm looking after my grandmother so my uncle can have a break. Because J-Bear is spending Xmas with her family, the pets came with me. This has been Fun TM.
Bellamy has never been away from home since I've had him. He's adjusted quite well, exploring the house. Grandma has been tolerant, which is good, only objecting to him when he's played with the curtain cords or got up on chairs. He's had fun checking out new surrounds, although there is a dearth of Good Toys, apparantly. Brian found a marble for him to play with, but as always it gets wedged in small places fairly quickly. However a pen lid has been adopted in place of his favoured cream-carton-plastic-seal-pull. We did have a slight arguement about the rival merits of playing with a chicken neck on the rug (fortunately after Grandma had gone to bed) but he eventually accepted that the lino floor was appropriate for fleshy-vertebrae play and nowhere else.
My only real issue is that he has to stay inside unless I go out with him (he's still not chipped) and he tells me how annoyed he is at having to come back inside for a good ten minutes after. Today that was curtailed, however - Bellamy has discovered front-loading washing machines. Who would have thought that you could spend half an hour being fascinated by washing moving around behind glass?
The dogs have an even more exciting thing to amuse them. They are old hands at being up here, as Denise used to look after them whenever Fidgitboy and I went away for more than a day, so exploring is more re-visiting to check for changes. But they were reminded of a fantastic breakthough in dog amusement - Smelevision! Fascinating! Combining visual action, sound and the all important technology of surround-smell. Like early IMAX, it has certain limitations; there is only one program (although it is apparently enthralling) and it tends to shut down after dark. However, it is pretty damn exciting and well worth spending large chunks of the day enjoying.
To we olefactorily lesser mortals, it's known as a chicken coop.
There is one drawback to the provision of smelevision; normally the chickens are let out during the day. Digby has obviously discovered a source of chicken poop somewhere in the garden. A bath is imminent. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 25th, 2009|12:10 pm] |
Geek gurl is very happy. She no longer has a headset held together with sellotape. And this (albeit cheapish) one is more likely to pick up cats purring ...... plus it's very comfortable on the ears. Geek gurl is also happy that she has a new and improved (albeit cheapish) mouse. It has dpi settings with a gamer setting *nods*. Which is good. Less wrist movement. Much less wrist movement. And even a couple of buttons I can bind for those "Oh crap" moments.
We've had a good morning this far into FoE, breakfasted, and sat opening our pressies to each other. The cats are playful, and there's still snow outside, so yes, we're having a white Christmas.
Is quiet, pleasant and I am happy.
So, warm wishes and love to you all at this time. |
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| What would Heston think? |
[Dec. 24th, 2009|05:00 pm] |
Pogona had an early FoE pressie today. Because I really wasn't sure they worked.....
Home-made chocolate liqueurs - containing Bloody Mary......
I served then in a liqueur glass. He's working his way through them. And yes. I know. I'm a truly sick puppy. |
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| Writer's Block: Tonight, tonight |
[Dec. 24th, 2009|09:12 am] |
Technically I'm more a Yule/Solstice girl these days - but that doesn't stop me loving Christmas too. So I lump them all together under the title of Festival of Excess (FoE) and try to do what it says on the packet. That means good food, good drink, good company and a good time. However or whatever I do.
Tonight we would have been coming back from my father's, after cooking a large meal for us to enjoy. Sadly, treacherous driving conditions will delay that for a while, so it's going to be a large meal just the two of us. And then hopefully a little pixellated violence with good friends. Because we're sad like that. And it ties in well with the FoE theme. After all, I didn't say exactly what the Excess bit included.....!
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| Writer's Block: It's the thought that counts |
[Dec. 23rd, 2009|03:44 pm] |
If it's for someone I love, then I enjoy the process greatly. Be it finding it, making it, planning it, giving it. Whatever. It's those awkward pressents for people you don't really know that well that I find difficult.
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| More snow?! We didn't order that! |
[Dec. 23rd, 2009|02:57 pm] |
According to the Met office and various other websites, we're not getting snow today.....
According to outside, it is pelting snow down. It feels like I'm in an alternative universe. If so, can I have one where I can be blue and pretty please, rather than one where the weather reports and I don't match ?!
On a more serious note, it means we're unlikely to be able to visit my father on Christmas Eve. Actually I can't see it happening this year. We'll have to get together and do something when the weather clears.
On an even more serious note, I hope Pogona can get home tonight... |
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| More kitchen magic |
[Dec. 22nd, 2009|11:35 pm] |
Okay, that recipe's a doer again. Decided to cook the chicken joints that came in the meat box. So I rubbed them with some oil and Roadkill Rub (is a mixed grill rub, and we're running low...must look into this), bunged them onto the wire rack above some cut up unpeeled potato wedges which I'd oiled, salted, peppered and paprika-ed, shoved it all into the oven at 220 degrees, and let it cook until done. The chicken was especially amazing - there's a huge difference between organic and non - and the skin was really crisp.
I've now handed Pogona milk with chocolate melted into it, rose syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg, as the poor boy can't sleep. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 22nd, 2009|09:25 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  curious | ] |
Found a SIM card on the pavement today, half-buried in the snow. It's PAYG, O2, and has £7.57 credit and no contact details on it. I've got the number (put it in an unlocked phone, and called home before doing 1471).
Any ideas what best to do with it? (Either original and fun, or sensible - O2 customer services don't seem to want to know...) |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 22nd, 2009|03:40 pm] |
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Riverford have delivered! All very yummy looking. And healthy, bonus points there. The bananas aren't good, they suffered with cold, but otherwise...everything else looks great. Just....what to do with frost damaged bananas? |
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| Glimpses of Kether |
[Dec. 22nd, 2009|10:03 am] |
As I gazed out of the kitchen window this morning, waiting for the kettle to boil, I couldn't help smiling. The snow over our lawn reminded me of the white of a swan's back. The brilliance, the light, the pure whiteness, unsullied. The dawn of a new day, of a new day with the promise of a little more light.
It is beautiful out there. And it took my breath away for a moment, and made me feel a little like a child again, excited, and eager and full of the hope of things to come. And for a little, I forgot myself and was one with the moment and nothing more. |
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| Why I don't celebrate Christmas |
[Dec. 22nd, 2009|12:58 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Journey - Escape | ] |
I'm fortunate that I have friends who understand my choice not to celebrate Christmas, most of whom also do not. But many don't understand it. I choose not to celebrate Christmas any more; instead, I celebrate Year's End.
( Read more... )
So to all of you - at Year's End, you are in my thoughts, you have my thanks for being in my life. You are part of the fabric of my existance. Thank you. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|11:41 pm] |
Rather than suffer the usual food shopping angst, we decided to order a meat box, a veg box and a fruit box from Riverford Organics for the FoE season. We've used Riverford before, and they've always been very, very good. And I have to say, nothing's changed there.
When I phoned the order through, I wasn't rushed, the lass took her time, confirmed all details, and set up an alternative account so we could have the order delivered to the house, rather than Pogona's workplace, as the Christmas week delivery would have been on Sunday. (They never delivered to our area before, so it was better that way a few years ago.) I had plenty of feedback, confirmation of payment was emailed as I was on the phone, and the lass dealing with the Cardiff area orders rang us as she was concerned there'd been a problem with our order. When I explained what the issue was, she was absolutely fine, and rang up the people who deal with our home area. Who rang us back, confirmed everything was fine. Absolutely wonderful customer service, considering they're probably dealing with a fair few folk at this time.
And then, with the snow this morning? They rang us again, to say they were unable to deliver today, but were arranging a four wheeled drive, and would attempt to deliver tomorrow. No us chasing them, no stupid on hold. But decent communication, letting us know what was happening all the way. In this day and age, you can't fault that.
And they do bloody awesome food products with it! Win all round! Now...let's just hope they can deliver without any more snow problems! |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|06:20 pm] |
19/11 4(6)var.
Blimey - no wind?!? Freashening Northerlies through the day, though. |
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| LMAO! |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|10:34 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  amused | ] |
A very puzzled vet nurse just called me to offer behavioural advice because Gomez is apparently aggressive and not to be trusted with children. A quick inquiry revealed that her notes were mixed up with a dog that has started biting. I confirmed that the kittens could be in danger if she sat on them, but that's about the extent of the risk. |
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| Cats v. Snow. Cats 0 - Snow 1. |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|10:30 am] |
Milton wanted out. When a cat wants out, you gotta let them go....Even if you know there's several inches of snow outside. ESPECIALLY if you know there's several inches of snow outside. Because, let's face it, cats and snow is just SO unbelieveably amusing to watch.
So the door was opened. And they just sat there. Except Mystic, who'd obviously seen the snow from a window, as she sat at the inner kitchen door with a "Sod that." expression. And we laughed at their expressions. And then they came back in again.....
Cats. What can I say? They like cosy. |
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| Tinsel and snow |
[Dec. 19th, 2009|10:40 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  bouncy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Wonderstuff | ] |
At last, festiveness has arrived! We haven’t had so much of the white stuff as everywhere else - we tend to get hail rather than snow and it’s milder than people think up here in the winter, plus the wind minces what’s falling to a kind of finely-milled polystyrene effect. But we’re hopeful of more later in the week, preferably after visitors arrive on Monday evening. Plenty of flurries indoors though as it suddenly dawns on me how much I have to do before then! (This is what comes of consultancy; despite early preparations I can now only work to the very end of a deadline!)This week’s been party week, starting with our ceilidh group’s annual dinner and dance on Wednesday night, including both Stornoway and Westside branches, which was cool but felt like it stopped way too early. One of those good Hebridean events where you get all ages from about 12 to 80 mixing and dancing and catching up with rarely seen friends. And with Gwen having an exciting sleepover at her friend’s house, resident_gnome and I got to have a night out together, for about the third time this year :-D Did lots of dancing, ate lots of food, drank lots of wine. All good. Thursday all three of us went to resident_gnome’s Gaelic class’s party, where Gwentertainment was provided by dancing to festive music and much buffet food was consumed. Nice to meet everybody at last and see those I already knew. Friday was Gwen’s croileagan party in the day and the night saw an extended ceilidh class for Westside group, with yet more food and dancing (Gwen joined in valiantly but tiredness won eventually) and Saturday should have been resident_gnome’s fourth consecutive night out (!) but uncertainty over weather brought him back early (they’re gritting some of the roads some of the time - hmm).
We'll be mostly offline for the next couple of weeks while visitors are here and dodgy signal is sorted out, so hope everyone has a suitably merry festive spell and that the new year brings many happy things. |
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