Right have decided to stop changing the title and leave it as it is, or at least how it will be once blogger stops being useless and lets me update it. This post may appear twice or not at all. Apologies if anyone has an RSS feed to this, I'm told changing the title can do funny things with the feed.
It's half term! Cue a happy Bec. Invited out for dinner tonight, which is always good. I've been informed that I'll be the driver tonight so somebody can have a glass of wine!
Friday, October 20, 2006
Alright Mr Borge
You want me to go cook something Mr Paulie?
Fine. Cue home-made bolognese.
Fresh parsley, very fresh bay leaf (as in taken off a tree about half an hour before), crushed garlic, beef stock, diced bacon, carrot, celery, chopped tomatoes, baby onion, red wine (with what didn't go in the pan providing an appropriate apertif) mince, and a couple of other things (I think) chucked in a large pan and simmered down for 40 minutes. Throw in some butter-fried leeks and a bed of tagliatelle and cue inability to move off the sofa for at least half an hour.
I know it's hardly Gordon Ramsay but hey one has to start somewhere. But not a jar of anything in sight. Now here's the difference between Paulie and I. He takes photos of it on his plate. Forget that for a laugh. I'm only interested in eating it when it gets on my plate. But just for you, have a photo of it cooking ;-)
Fine. Cue home-made bolognese.
Fresh parsley, very fresh bay leaf (as in taken off a tree about half an hour before), crushed garlic, beef stock, diced bacon, carrot, celery, chopped tomatoes, baby onion, red wine (with what didn't go in the pan providing an appropriate apertif) mince, and a couple of other things (I think) chucked in a large pan and simmered down for 40 minutes. Throw in some butter-fried leeks and a bed of tagliatelle and cue inability to move off the sofa for at least half an hour.
I know it's hardly Gordon Ramsay but hey one has to start somewhere. But not a jar of anything in sight. Now here's the difference between Paulie and I. He takes photos of it on his plate. Forget that for a laugh. I'm only interested in eating it when it gets on my plate. But just for you, have a photo of it cooking ;-)
In the meantime, who needs posh cat toys? I have just spent the last 30 minutes laughing a heck of a lot running around the flat holding a piece of string, with the latter being hotly pursued by a nutcase cat. 
Here, I have just tied the string round the doorknob and given it a twitch, and she's off. I have a feeling when she is let out we are going to have a frequent supply of small and possibly large captured creatures. She discovered a daddy long legs yesterday which was vigourously pursued around the living room. Crazy mog
Thursday, October 19, 2006
School Report
The second half of Bec's parents evening went fine. Some of the parents even went and queued to see the head to say how pleased they were with her! Bec'll hate me for putting this on, but hey I'm proud of her :-D
I've taken a couple of days off, having been at work every day since last friday. Going off to wales on Sunday for a couple of days which will be soooooooooooo nice. Big thanks to Mr & Mrs Johnson for inviting us along :-)
Something completely different: I am looking forward to the day when we can let this four legged nutcase out of the house (blue cross recommend three weeks inside before letting her out).
She is litter tray trained.
But oh my life you know when she's used it. What an incredible pong.
I've taken a couple of days off, having been at work every day since last friday. Going off to wales on Sunday for a couple of days which will be soooooooooooo nice. Big thanks to Mr & Mrs Johnson for inviting us along :-)
Something completely different: I am looking forward to the day when we can let this four legged nutcase out of the house (blue cross recommend three weeks inside before letting her out).
She is litter tray trained.
But oh my life you know when she's used it. What an incredible pong.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Usual State of Mania
Things are their usual state of chaos @ JR- UK. Bec is a bit of a stress monkey because it's Parents Evening this week, which for the none UK visitors (of which I have some! Checked out the funky map thing on the sidebar?) is where all the parents get to grill her on the educational status of their offspring in a series of 10 minute slots. This being her first one and all she's been a bit freaked out.
All unnecessary of course as without exception so far they've all been very pleased...... second half of the parents turn up tomorrow.
In the meantime things have taken a bit of a turn at work for me- I have been hoiked off team to run the borough's street duties course. This, basically, is the initiation programme for recruits who have just fallen out of training school, to make sure that they can actually handle real situations, where their decisions have a bit more consequence than the role-play world they have inhabited the last 5 months.
I have done this before as a tutor. This time I'm running it and I'll be an official sergeant for it! Which should be interesting. Because of circumstances quite beyond my control (and the apparent lack of anything approaching organisational skills from the people who should've organised this roughly 4 months ago.... but thats another story...... grrrrrr) I've kind of been thrown right into it .There is less than three weeks till they arrive, in which I have to plan and prepare 10 weeks of instruction, and figure out the various discipline and inefficiency procedures which I hope I won't need to use. So yep I'm a bit of a stress monkey too.
In the meantime: Cat name update! The initial choice was Marbles, mostly because as a certain Alaskanite pointed out, the humour value of calling out to the neighbours "I've lost my marbles? Can you help find my marbles?" was irrestible.
In the end, Bec's class decided. The vote was overwhelming: 2 in favour of Pickles, 3 in favour of Marbles, but a big fat majority of 25 in favour of Aqaya. Aqaya it is.
Aqaya remains bonkers. I think she might be a manic-depressive, just without the depressive bit. Actually, she could be feline bi-polar: with one state being bonkers and running around sliding across the laminate flooring (very amusing), the other being, well, asleep.
Lazy night tonight, video with fruit pie and ice cream, and hopefully the furball in dozy mode.
All unnecessary of course as without exception so far they've all been very pleased...... second half of the parents turn up tomorrow.
In the meantime things have taken a bit of a turn at work for me- I have been hoiked off team to run the borough's street duties course. This, basically, is the initiation programme for recruits who have just fallen out of training school, to make sure that they can actually handle real situations, where their decisions have a bit more consequence than the role-play world they have inhabited the last 5 months.
I have done this before as a tutor. This time I'm running it and I'll be an official sergeant for it! Which should be interesting. Because of circumstances quite beyond my control (and the apparent lack of anything approaching organisational skills from the people who should've organised this roughly 4 months ago.... but thats another story...... grrrrrr) I've kind of been thrown right into it .There is less than three weeks till they arrive, in which I have to plan and prepare 10 weeks of instruction, and figure out the various discipline and inefficiency procedures which I hope I won't need to use. So yep I'm a bit of a stress monkey too.
In the meantime: Cat name update! The initial choice was Marbles, mostly because as a certain Alaskanite pointed out, the humour value of calling out to the neighbours "I've lost my marbles? Can you help find my marbles?" was irrestible.
In the end, Bec's class decided. The vote was overwhelming: 2 in favour of Pickles, 3 in favour of Marbles, but a big fat majority of 25 in favour of Aqaya. Aqaya it is.
Aqaya remains bonkers. I think she might be a manic-depressive, just without the depressive bit. Actually, she could be feline bi-polar: with one state being bonkers and running around sliding across the laminate flooring (very amusing), the other being, well, asleep.
Lazy night tonight, video with fruit pie and ice cream, and hopefully the furball in dozy mode.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Furball Fury
Well, I am now now outnumbered in the house. There are two females in the flat, both of whom run the place.
One of them most of you already know:
One of them most of you already know:
The other is the recent acquisition from Kimpton:
We have not yet decided on a name: The top three are Marbles, Pickles, and Aqaya (courtesy Jimbob: that is the right spelling, isn't it....?)
Whatever she will eventually be called, she is settling in quite nicely. The Blue Cross suggestion that she be kept in the same room for a few days has been usurped by a greased ball of furry lightning that shot out when the door opened. Having said that, the spare room is definitely her territory and you are game to be pounced on if you wiggle your toe in the right manner. 
Unsurprisingly the spare bed has become hers- so much for the cat snuggle sleepy bed thing I got. It will be an interesting battle come the first visitor to the flat who wishes to sleep there. (Sorry Jon). When you walk past the room you get a inquisitive eye looking at you from the end of the bed.
Currently, all I can see of her is 3 inches of tail as she is sitting the other side of the curtains watching anyone who dares walk along the road.
In a nutshell, she seems completely bonkers.
About right for a cat in this family :-)
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Two posts in a day?
Also, a brief apology for no updating. Things have been their usual level of ridiculous busyness. I worked last weekend on nights and it was completely bonkers, more so than usual. At some point over the weekend had to shut down primary roads, deal with drunk drivers, illegal immigrants, barrelloads of fighting drunk idiots, undesirables taking advantage of other drunken idiots and relieving them of their wallets, a whole can of worms to do with child welfare issues, people suspected of carrying guns, it just went on. There is a police myth that all hell breaks loose when there is a full moon. I am beginning to believe it, for as we crawled back to the station at something past 6 on saturday morning, the clouds parted to show a huge full moon languishing over Parliament Hill. In case people wondered, I can't really talk about stuff that I deal with at work on here, as that kind of gets me into trouble with the powers that be who don't like it for some reason. But thats another story.
On a lighter note, Bec and I managed to find time to go for a walk a while ago. Unfortunately the weather decided to get involved and it absolutely chucked it down. We drove around for a bit whilst still hammering down where I had fun driving through various enormous puddles on the back lanes. It just stopped when we got out of the car, but you can see the water sluicing down the road. Bec is possibly looking for fish.
We got about 200 metres before it hammered down again and nearest shelter was required.
After this we were prepared to give it up as a bad job but it actually stopped properly after that and we could wander round the damp meadows.
On a lighter note, Bec and I managed to find time to go for a walk a while ago. Unfortunately the weather decided to get involved and it absolutely chucked it down. We drove around for a bit whilst still hammering down where I had fun driving through various enormous puddles on the back lanes. It just stopped when we got out of the car, but you can see the water sluicing down the road. Bec is possibly looking for fish.
We got about 200 metres before it hammered down again and nearest shelter was required.
After this we were prepared to give it up as a bad job but it actually stopped properly after that and we could wander round the damp meadows.
A post in the style of Paulie
The wifeski and I were in need of some fruity refreshment the other day. As simple and honest a glass of Robinsons may well be it was time for something a little more upmarket.
So cue a trip to the local fruiterie. (Sainsbury's).
So with some late season English strawberries, raspberries (next year, hopefully, we'll be able to go out in the garden and pick our own, as well as loganberries, seeing how I've just planted some),
hand-peeled banana, coconut milk, with a dash of milk and a dollop of dairy vanilla, expertly (!) blended together and served in a crystal glass to make a refreshing and notably pink concoction that hit all the right spots.
Luvverly.
So cue a trip to the local fruiterie. (Sainsbury's).
So with some late season English strawberries, raspberries (next year, hopefully, we'll be able to go out in the garden and pick our own, as well as loganberries, seeing how I've just planted some),
hand-peeled banana, coconut milk, with a dash of milk and a dollop of dairy vanilla, expertly (!) blended together and served in a crystal glass to make a refreshing and notably pink concoction that hit all the right spots.Luvverly.
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