| Being middle-aged ain't too bad. |
[09 Feb 2010|06:38pm] |
Many thanks to everyone who posted, left messages or sent texts regarding my birthday. Most kind!
Well, the weekend didn't go quite as planned, but it was still good.
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| There's A Mouse In My Piano; What Am I Gonna Do? |
[04 Feb 2010|07:12pm] |
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The Firebird by Stravinsky for euphonium. H is practising. |
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Well, my fears were confirmed. After a night of hackage, I woke up yesterday morning with a cold, a sore throat, a crashing headache (with earache and toothache thrown in), plus my first chilblain in over a decade. Whuh?
Most of the time since then has been spent sleeping. The only excitement has been when Treacle brought a mouse in last night. And let it go, of course. It promptly dived for the piano and went to ground. After divesting the piano of various panels to reduce its weight and pulling it out (with barriers around it to prevent further escape), we managed to flush our unwelcome guest out a couple of times but it kept darting back in before we or Treacle could grab it (well, she grabbed it twice and let it go AGAIN, the daft mog). After a while there was no more movement from the mouse and I discovered that one of our makeshift barricades had a gap in it. I put the barricade back just in case, but as it looked as though the mouse had made a run for it, we gave up and chose to wait until it reappeared from wherever it had got to this time.
Today (after another semi-drugged sleep until early afternoon), I was sitting at the computer when I heard a faint bass twang from the depths of the piano. "Is that what I think it is?" thought I. A minute or so later there was a trill from the treble section. I turned around with a sense of fatalism to see the mouse's head appear above the top row of key pegs. We regarded each other for a long moment, before mousey popped back down like a retreating jack-in-the-box. With typical maturity I crashed my hands down on the piano keys and amidst the resulting cacophony yelled, "Get out of my piano!" at the retreating rodent. And that's been all she wrote for a while.
Oh, well. At least we know the mouse is still barricaded in with the piano. I hope it hasn't been trying to make a nest out of it. I've set a couple of humane (take-'em-alive) mousetraps inside the barricade in the faint hope that our whiskery friend takes the bait...
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| Every Little Helps (Except When It Doesn't) |
[02 Feb 2010|08:37pm] |
Today I got some 5 x 9 " photo-sleeves for my convention and event photoshoots and a nice strong folder in which to keep them. I wasn't keen on keeping the photos in autograph protectors as they were sticking a bit, so I'm much relieved. Yay photos!
On the scabbier side of the news, I fear I am getting a cold. No-o-o-o-o-o!
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| Unbelievable |
[01 Feb 2010|09:55pm] |
In keeping with the DIY bug with which I have been bitten, I am currently entertaining the idea of tearing down the wallpaper in the living-room and landing and painting the walls instead as a project for later on in the year.
I really ought to be committed. Right now.
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| Oooo, Me Back. |
[31 Jan 2010|06:53pm] |
I am tired and my back is very sore. But it has been another achieve-y weekend.
Although my FarmVille addiction is sometimes appalling to me (when the Internet went down yesterday morning, I was like a grouchy bear until I got it and my farm back), it is reaping rewards; I was able to upgrade to the Mighty Plantation (the largest size currently available) and be in a position to design my Dream Farm at last. I love it!
I have also been busy on the DIY front. I have now stripped the lino from the lobby, the downstairs bog and all of the kitchen bar under the tumble-dryer, under the fridge and a patch in front of the living-room door. I wasn't originally planning to cover the downstairs bog, incidentally - it was only when I was stripping the lobby and realized that under the bog carpet was yet more lino that I decided it might be good to do that area too. That carpet is so manky now. Of course this means I now have to bring forward the scheduled painting of the inside of the bog door and jambs as well...
H had a very good concert on Saturday including a solo and duet part at various points in the pieces played. What with that, his own FarmVille achievements and the ripping up of the carpet tacks in the downstairs bog and moving of the dishwasher and whatnot so I could do my lino thing, he's been pretty busy too. He's currently finishing off supper for us; he made the most amazing pot-luck meal on Friday with scallops, onion, scrambled egg and tarragon. Tonight is pork loin steaks and blackberry & apple pie. YUMMY.
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| Progressing |
[24 Jan 2010|04:54pm] |
I have now developed a reasonably effective method for getting rid of the lino adhesive now: boiling water to soften it up, chisel away the majority, pour white spirit on to get the rest up and remove the tackiness. I have now done the lobby and a quarter of the kitchen. Slow but steady, yes, yes.
I'd get a lot more done if I didn't stay in bed till 12pm on the weekends...
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| Icky Sticky Stuff |
[21 Jan 2010|08:28pm] |
Having read loads of horror stories about lino removal, I'm wondering what possessed me to replace it in the first place. Tried various recommended methods yesterday, and the most effective so far is to pour white spirit on the adhesive, wait a few seconds, then scrape it off. It's still very slow and messy, but I've bought loads of white spirit and latex gloves, so I shall persevere.
Although not tonight because I'm knackered. I don't know what's wrong with me this week.
*yawwwwwwn*
In other news, I have finally given in and taken on a second monitor at work. I thought the split screen view would freak me out, but it grew on me very quickly. Handy!
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| DIY Doldrums |
[19 Jan 2010|08:10pm] |
Well, I've started removing the lino from the kitchen floor. After half-an-hour of sweating and chiselling and cursing and breathing in turpentine fumes, I was left with a small handful of sticky rags and the knowledge that all I have been able to do is get rid of most of the glue which lines the edge of the lino at... the back door. And there's more lino underneath! Not to mention the rest of the lobby and the bloody kitchen!
*cries*
This is going to take FOREVER. Even if I sod the underneath lino and just try to get the glue off. It's revolting stuff.
On an unrelated note: Bored_Mike, if you're reading, I sent you an email but haven't heard back - let me know whether you got it or whether the email address I have for you is out of date...
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| Bedtime Stories |
[18 Jan 2010|08:10pm] |
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music |
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Only When I Lose Myself - Depeche Mode |
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Some vignettes from my nightlife. (No, no smut. Sorry.)
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| Scenes From A Geek's Car |
[15 Jan 2010|08:32pm] |
Dramatis personae: Av, Av's Brain Cell
[MORNING. AV has just put her laptop bag and rucksack in the boot before getting into her car in order to drive to work]
AV
*notices de-icer tucked into car door*
I wonder whether I remembered to pack my spare de-icer and scraper this morning?
BRAIN CELL
Yes, they're in your rucksack.
AV
So why didn't I see them this morning?
BRAIN CELL
Because you didn't open your rucksack this morning.
AV
So what happened to my breakfast things which should also be in my rucksack?
BRAIN CELL
They're still on the kitchen work surface where you left them.
AV and BRAIN CELL
[simultaneously]
Twat!
AV
Oh, well. At least I remembered before I left for work...
FIN
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| Watch Out |
[14 Jan 2010|09:29pm] |
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Disturbia - Rhianna |
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Made it into work today. Yippee! I was feeling so guilty about not going in.
Mind you, I nearly shat myself getting out of our residential area. The car was sliding all over the snow where it had hardened into icy ridges. I went very, very slowly and carefully. When I got to the car park (early), I whipped out the de-icer and scraper ready to scrape myself a path to the entrance to the office. A guy was walking out at the same time so I stood aside and said, "You go ahead. I'm going to be some time." The guy looked at me, said, "Strange," then walked on ahead. I thought to myself, "Yes, I am strange, and fuck you too, as I was also trying to be considerate." Argh. As it happened, someone had already considerately cut a path through and it was completely slip-free. Phewwwwy.
When I got home, I had another scary drive back through the residential area, but H and one of our next-door neighbours had cleared the road before our drive so I could back up into it. Bless them. They also did some tracks for a car to follow along the majority of our cul-de-sac. They're good people.
With a bit of luck, I'll only have tomorrow's drive to contend with snow and then maybe it'll all melt, as the temperatures are going up a bit. One can only hope...
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| $#@"! |
[13 Jan 2010|07:53am] |
Oh, well. So much for getting into work. More snow overnight and it's still snowing. The path I cleared yesterday is completely buried. And I'd got up extra early in order to inch my way into the office, too. Wank!
(H will be happy as he can carry on building the igloo he started at the weekend.)
Edit: Although it looks as though temperatures are finally going to rise this week. And it's going to rain, which, I hope, means the snow being washed down the drain. Yay!
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| Enough! |
[12 Jan 2010|08:06pm] |
OK, I am through being snow's bitch. I NEED TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. Not that there aren't advantages to working from home, but I haven't been out for over a week. I need a walk. I feel like a twat as I'm pretty sure everyone else has managed to make it back to the office.
(One reason I like living around here is that not much happens, weather-wise. Usually all I have to contend with is one or two days of snow a year.)
So, I have scraped a path to my car (which H has dug out), so I can at least get in it, and then so long as I take it nice and slow, maybe I won't skid on the ice still covering the residential roads. The snow forecast for today hasn't happened (and if it does, maybe it won't settle, pleasepleasepleaseplease), so, with luck, all I'll have to contend with is getting from the car park into the office. I have de-icer and a scraper. I might have to get there early so no-one can see me scraping my way up the path though. [doh]
Cross your fingers for the resident wimp, if you please.
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| More Culinary, Ahem, Delights |
[09 Jan 2010|10:41pm] |
Tonight we had breadcrumbed river cobbler (a kind of fish) with Cheddar mash and mixed veg. And I wanted to use up some more ingredients from the fridge, so here's what happened: I took the remnants of the sauce I made a few days ago (caramelized onion gravy, Dijon mustard, crème fraîche), put it in a pan and added a massive amount of brandy butter (which was left over from Chrimbo pud. Still good, don't worry). Then it tasted rather a lot of brandy butter, so I added a load of double cream (left over from New Year but long-life so not due to run out for a couple of months and as yet unopened). Then it tasted a bit sweet, so I added a chicken stock cube, some more Dijon mustard and some more crème fraîche. And then it was awesome. H was most impressed.
Drank more Wine. It's like the last four or five days of working-week abstinence have been replaced by a dam bursting. WINE!
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| Ooops |
[08 Jan 2010|06:01pm] |
Drunk at 6pm. There are definite (dis)advantages to workingfrom home. Depending on how you look at it.
Now please become my FarmVille neighbour if you haven't already and fertilize my crops. I want a big ole plantation, dammit.
YAY WEEKEND!
p.s. I really want to see Sherlock Holmes but currently can't. BLOODY SNOW.
p.p.s. H and I have drunk two bottles of wine between us and it's not even 8pm HOW DID THSI HAPPEN?!
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| Cold Comforts |
[07 Jan 2010|09:02pm] |
Treacle is not liking this heavy snow at all. She was going out, probing it a bit and then coming back in. Normally she goes out to do her business, so I was getting a bit concerned as it was clear from the patterns on the snow that she wasn't going far enough away from the house to have done this, so we've dragged the covered litter tray in from the shed (fortunately we still have a reasonable supply of litter to go with it). Trouble is, it's been so long since she used to use it regularly that she didn't seem to remember what it was for and avoided it completely! After a fair while she did go inside and, I hope, did something... H has also cleared a path through the snow so she can get beyond the garden.
Normally on week nights we keep our food fairly simple and let Tesco do most of the work, although because I had time (no drive home) and H was feeling too tired to cook (he has a cold), I did grilled pork loin steaks with a teeny bit of Stilton and apple sauce on top, plus a really cheaty sauce made out of Bisto Best caramelized onion gravy, a spoonful of Dijon mustard and a couple of spoonfuls of crème fraîche. Served on stock-flavoured rice with veggies. Sounds like a right mish-mash, but it actually tasted OK.
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| Winter WonderBlurgh |
[06 Jan 2010|05:07pm] |
Several inches of snow here. Never seen so much in this neck of the woods before, and it's been snowing all day. I must say, however, that while I loathe the stuff, it's very nice to be able to finish work and cut out the drive home. *dances*
I have also discovered the addictive joys of FarmVille. BUGGER.
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| Extract Me |
[05 Jan 2010|07:10pm] |
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Welcome To The End - Bif Naked |
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I fear I'm going to be stuck indoors again for a while, judging by the amount of snow which has fallen in the last hour. Ugh. On the positive side, the weather was considerate enough to wait until I got home; I was looking up at the skies all day at work (which was nice and productive otherwise) and started quavering when the sun outside was replaced by looming clouds. If the worst comes to the worst, I'm ready for another spell at home; I did the weekly shop yesterday, thank goodness, and we still have plenty of stuff in the freezer, and I packed my keyboard and keyboard rest as well as my usual laptop items, just in case. At least I do have the choice to work from home. The guys in the Gloucester office on PCs either have to come in or take unpaid/annual leave. Ack.
Even colder today in the office than it was yesterday, which is weird, because they did get one boiler working (it got slightly better late in the afternoon). I wore a record five layers on top: short-sleeved thermal vest (the long-sleeved one was in the wash from yesterday), a very tight, warm jumper, long-sleeved blouse, long black cardigan and black jacket, plus the usual long johns under my trousers. And I was STILL cold. It actually showed 20 degrees C in our area, but others were 16, so perhaps their cold was affecting me but not the thermometer? Eh. Got home and within an hour I was down to... yep, just the vest. I'm only just starting to feel like I could put a layer back on now.
I think we'll hold off getting that lino guy in for a while...
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| Why Does It Have To End??? |
[03 Jan 2010|06:40pm] |
I am very conscious of the fact that I have to go back to work tomorrow. *SOB*
Having lain in bed until 1pm reading *hangs head in shame* (am now up to Monstrous Regiment on the Discworld series) I did not paint behind the appliances (having been persuaded by H not to do so), but I did do all my touch-ups and added a second coat of paint to the lobby.
I think we are now ready to rip up the lino and get the guy in to install the new stuff. Yay!
I also fear that I may be going into work tomorrow extremely knackered and slightly hungover to boot. Never mind. This has been the most productive Christmas holiday EVER.
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| Get-Up-And-Go Gone |
[02 Jan 2010|07:51pm] |
Well, 2010 has been rather lazy so far.
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