Everything breaks at once

Hum.

Have had a spate of things breaking last few days. Vacuum cleaner went up in smoke (literally), home phone has died, my mobile phone apparently decides to work only when it isn't raining, and the car has gone sick this morning too.

BT made me laugh. I reported the fault, etc etc. When it is sorted out and I can use the phone again, I find a message on 1571 saying "this is BT, if your phone still isn't working, call us back". Er hello? The phone needs to be working to pick up the message you donkeys. Probably one of the more pointless messages I've known.

I'm all by myself for new years eve tonight (aaaaaaaaaah). Mainly because I have to get up at stupid am tomorrow (i.e. I need to be out of the house by 5am) and Bec has been quite sensible and returned to Colchester to spend new year with people with normal jobs. She was going to drive but then the car died. She went by train.

So I'm sat here with a cat who's gone off in a huff somewhere waiting for what will be a bedraggled mechanic (how minging is this weather?) to come round and probably tell me that the car needs to go to a main dealer. Still, at least the breakdown people will take the car there for free when it's booked in. I say for free, I'm paying £100 or so or year for the privilege of breakdown cover!

Oh yes- happy new year all! Watch out for me looking bored in Parliament Square tomorrow, apparently this New Years parade thing is on TV. Although I'd guess the cameras will be more interested in the imported american high school cheerleaders than some bleary eyed muppet in a yellow jacket and daft hat ;-)

Daft as a brush!

It's official- our cat truly is bonkers!

She has a new obsession....the sink! Well, plug holes actually...

She will quite happily sit in our bathroom for hours just staring them. Either that or she will try and 'catch' the drips as she thinks they're pieces of string! Daft mog...

She seems to have got the hint about the christmas tree being out of bounds though which is something to be grateful for...in fact, when she's not obsessing over our bathroom plumbing she seems quite content to just laze around and sleep...!

Kelv's on his last night shift tonight before we head over to colchester tomorrow to begin all the christmas festivities. The journey should be eventful if the weather's anything like it is now0 as you can't see more than a few metres in front of you through all the thick fog! However, it will be rather nice to spend our first christmas together as mr and mrs JR!

Have a wonderful christmas everyone and a very peaceful new year!

Nearly there

To christmas that is.

Sang in the carol service without getting anything horribly wrong, which is just as well as I had the bass section microphone right above me, so everyone would have known if I had got it wrong.

Had people round after for some nosh- proper roast beef that had spent 4 hours slowly cooking in the oven, along with some freshly baked bread, plus a selection of mince pies and sausage rolls cooked by the cooking machine that is my 91 year old Nan!

Was all in all a rather nice day. Saw people that we hadn't seen in what feels like ages. This working for a living laugh is tedious.

Is Bec's final day at school today, so I am expecting her to either bounce in the door in a highly excited manner that she finally has some time off, or more likely to fall in, stagger to the sofa and sleep until Saturday.

I'm on nights with my newbies tonight.... first night shifts since September so I should be in an interesting state tomorrow. Is freezing today too- literally, the frost hasn't gone off the back lawn all day. Will be thick socks tonight methinks. Talking of work, I ought to get myself ready for it and stop mincing on the internet. Hum.

Mog

Cat was in a touchy feely mood this morning. I sat at computer desk and I then got sat on. No, not on lap, but I got climbed on and either get a neck warmer:

or an arm weight.

Daft thing.

More christmassyness

Ha! Tree is up. Things feeling a touch more festive in Residence JR. Well, it's up for the moment. Cat is convinced that this whole new thing in the living room is designed exclusively for her pleasure, and I've lost count of how many baubles have already been batted across the floor. It is a question of when, not if, she takes a flying leap at one of the upper ones and the whole thing comes crashing down. Humph.

Anyway, trying to be artistic as one can with the camera, tree looks a bit like this:

Also have this rather cool candle bridge / nativity scene, which has taken pride of place in the centre of the bay window.

Sorry Mr Jon T, the pieces are fixed, you won't be able to rearrange them into poses of questionable intent when you visit, as I hear you have had a habit of doing in the past.......... (same goes to Paul & relatives!!! It seems quite a few people enjoy making nativity scenes into something that they really weren't intended to be!)

So. We have already polished off one box of mince pies courtesy my Nan, and we have a stock of sausage rolls in the freezer. I am going to need to widen the doorframes by New Year!

Is church carol service next week for which I am desperately trying to learn my parts- work has meant I've only been able to make two rehearsals, very rude. Should you be about these parts, shall hopefully see you there :-)

Christmassyness

I've managed to squeeze out of doing the BNP march at work, so I have saturday off again (hurrah)!

We are off to do christmassy things today- mainly, buy a tree and then decorating it! Currently scratching our heads as to exactly where we'll be putting it, but I'm sure some room will be found somewhere.

Once all christmassy things are done, the rest of the day will probably be spent tidying! Is becoming the usual weekend routine. The cat doesn't help- she's too much of a wuss to go outside (too cold or wet) and so uses the litter tray.

This is fine, I'd much rather her use that than behind the sofa. But the litter gets in her paws and she walks it all over the house. That and she is the worlds messiest eater. Whatever gets put in her bowl gets spread over an area of at least 5 square feet. Very annoying.

Anyway. Off to hunt down a christmas tree...... :-)